Overall sentiment across the reviews is positive: residents consistently praise the friendly, helpful staff, comfortable apartments, and active social environment. Many reviewers highlight spacious, bright units with features like walk-in closets, galley kitchens, balconies, and recent refreshes such as new carpet and paint. The property’s underground/garage parking, attractive lobby and common areas, and generally clean, well-maintained condition are repeated strengths. Multiple reviews note age-appropriate programming and amenities (library, pool tables, beauty shop, exercise room) and emphasize the strong sense of community and social connection — residents report feeling engaged and not lonely.
Staff and management view is mixed but leans favorable. Several comments call out specific staff (Amy named positively) and describe management as friendly, professional, flexible, and phenomenal in some cases. Maintenance responsiveness is praised by many who experienced quick attention to unit issues. At the same time, a number of reviews describe management follow-up problems: fixes that do not hold, limited communication about maintenance, and at least one account of management restricting what maintenance staff will discuss with residents. Thus, while many residents are satisfied with staff interactions and problem resolution, there is a pattern of inconsistent long-term follow-through for some issues.
Facilities and location are generally considered strong points. The building is described as quiet, with wide, well-lit hallways, regular snow removal, and convenient bus/shuttle service to nearby shopping and casinos. Reviewers appreciate the storage space, garage parking, and the availability of frequent activities (bingo, card groups, movie nights, monthly dinners, trips). Some updates and renovations have been completed in back-of-house areas according to reviews, and décor in common spaces is often praised.
However, there are several recurring operational and infrastructure concerns. The property lacks on-site dining, so residents must prepare their own meals — a significant factor for prospective residents who expect meal service. There are accessibility and logistics pain points: the building is three stories, lacks a freight elevator, and has only one laundry room on the top floor, which makes moving in/out and chores more difficult for some. Elevator reliability and cleanliness were called out (weekend outages and cleanliness issues), and occasional unannounced maintenance adds to frustration. A few reviewers described website images as misleading about the property’s condition.
Noise and neighbor-related issues are important negative themes. Multiple reviewers described disruptive neighbors (TVs blaring late into the night, audible snoring through walls) and said that management’s remedies were temporary. This suggests soundproofing and enforcement of quiet-hours policies may be inconsistent. Another social friction point is the dog policy on the first floor: it has led to conflicts between pet owners and other residents, with suggestions from reviewers for resident meetings to address concerns.
Programming is strong during daytime weekdays, but some residents — particularly younger or more active seniors — express a desire for more weekend and evening activities. Overall, though, the activity calendar and social options are frequently named as major positives that create community and engagement. Prospective residents should note the waiting list and evaluate whether self-cooking, limited laundry access, occasional maintenance practices, and potential noise issues align with their needs. In summary, Gurnee Meadows is widely regarded as a friendly, clean, and community-oriented senior living option with good apartments and amenities, but it has some operational and infrastructure shortcomings that prospective residents should weigh (dining model, move-in logistics, elevator/laundry limitations, noise management, and occasional maintenance follow-through).
