15 Standout Apartment Amenities To Help You Find Your Community

Once upon a time, if an apartment building had a pool, it was uptown. These days it takes a lot more than that to stand out. Today's top rental trends center on features that help you make friends and spend time with neighbors, from on-site restaurants and co-working spaces, to community happy hours and crafting rooms — supplies included. 

With this in mind, we’ve compiled some of the best apartment amenities you can find when searching for a place to rent on Zillow.

1. On-site wine tastings

Some apartments offer you the chance to “go out” while staying in, thanks to bars located in the building. The Lodge in Marlborough, Massachusetts, has its own residents-only bar called The Night Owl with beer on tap, so you can sip with your neighbors and friends, poolside or inside.

And if you’re a really big wine enthusiast, some properties offer private, resident-only wine tastings, like Allaso Vineyards in Albuquerque. This apartment complex boasts that New Mexico is America’s oldest wine region and they want to pay homage, so they also give residents their own wine lockers, and have grapevines on site.

2. Pet hydrotherapy

More renters are looking for apartments that suit their fur baby’s needs as well as their own. When searching for rentals on Zillow, you can filter for apartments that allow cats, small dogs, or large dogs. 

A small patch of grass outside won’t cut it anymore. Now properties like the High Ridge Apartments in Athens, Georgia offer a dog park, complete with a teeter totter and some hoops where you can really help your dog get their steps in and let their energy out.

Some places take it a step further and include multiple pet-focused amenities, like how the Astoria Apartments near Tacoma offer a pet hydrotherapy room as well as a "bark park" where their dog can run out all their energy. The former is an in-house doggy spa where owners can freshen up their pooches after a muddy day at the park.

3. Arcades

What better way to meet new people than playing Pac-Man in co-op mode in your own apartment building? Renting in this Boston, Massachusetts, building will give you that chance (Pac-Man game included), along with some sky-high views. Another building in Long Island City, New York, includes lots of two-player games, like air hockey and virtual car racing. Maybe you’ll make enough friends to host a residents-only foosball tournament.

4. Coworking spaces

More on-site coworking amenities are now included in apartment buildings as we've settled into the WFH/hybrid era. Artem apartments in Miami offer a fully wired work-from-home lounge as well as private rooms where you can Zoom and earn your paycheck without spending the day at the local coffee shop like some amateur WFHer. Catalyst, an apartment building in Chicago, has an expansive coworking space with private rooms, shared tables and sofas with mini tables to park your laptop. 

In each case, you're just an elevator ride away from your apartment. You can easily check on the pets and the plants, or indulge in the WFHer's favorite activity: a 25-minute nap.

5. Art rooms and maker spaces

Some buildings have spaces to scratch your arts and crafts itch alongside your crafty neighbors. 

The Sycamore Village apartments in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, offers an arts and crafts room as well as a sewing room where you can host a paint and wine night for your friends, or create whole new outfits from scratch. 

6. Salons

Getting a salon experience without having to battle traffic or commute can be a game changer. Veneto Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, offers a salon as well as spa services to really prepare you for a day (or night) out. Maybe you’ll meet your next bestie while you’re getting your hair done side-by–side. That could happen at the Camden Highland Village complex in Houston, Texas, too, which also offers some services to get you looking good.

7. Pelotons

The fitness world offers lots of opportunities to meet new people, and when your building has state-of-the-art Peloton equipment, you could become friends with other sweaty gym-goers. In Utah, the 120 & 220 Bend building has Peloton stationary bikes and Peloton rowing machines. The Preserve at Cantera apartments in Warrenville, Illinois, offer a Peloton-focused spin studio.

8. Private bowling alleys

How about a quirky perk? At the Flats on the A in Aurora, Colorado, you can challenge your neighbors to a few frames in the residents-only, two-lane alley. Maybe you could join (or start) an in-house bowling league! The Ashley in New York City has a couple lanes for their resident bowlers as well, just an elevator ride away.

9. Music and podcast studios

Keep your rock star dreams alive or share your thoughts with the world in a special studio. AMLI at the Ballpark north of Dallas offers a podcast studio stocked with audio equipment for two hosts — or a host and a guest, if you want to be the star. Meanwhile AMP 30 apartments in San Diego has made music the whole theme of its complex, from a lounge inspired by the world of music, to a recording studio where you can jam out and make some beautiful beats of your own. 

10. Libraries

Few spaces offer a sense of cozy and calm the way home libraries do. Having an in-house library could support a book club, and possibly lead to some lasting friendships. This building in New York City has a library stocked with plenty of books and some soft lighting to read by. And the AMLI Ridgegate apartments in Lone Tree, Colorado, have a library attached to an indoor-outdoor lounge, where residents can read by a fireplace or under the sun. 

11. Spas

Relaxing at home takes on a new meaning when you’ve got high-end pampering services in your building. For example, the Madison Place Apartments in Covington, Kentucky, have a sauna and an on-site massage therapist for residents. (A sauna could be a good place to strike up conversation with your fellow sweaty renters!) And this apartment building in New York City creates space for mindfulness with a serene, high-ceiling meditation room featuring a backlit Himalayan Salt wall. 

12. Fields and courts

Golf enthusiasts can perfect their swings indoors at the Woodford on Mockingbird complex in Midland, Texas, offering a full-sized golf simulator with room for an audience. The Heights at Legend Hills in Clearfield, Utah, include pickleball courts so residents can have some friendly competition. Some apartments offer several sporting spots, like the Fountains Apartments in Des Moines, Iowa, which has tennis courts, indoor racquetball courts, and table tennis. 

13. Private movie theaters

Going to the movies isn’t for everyone. Having to pay $20 for popcorn and dealing with sticky floors can turn some people off from going to the theater. But some apartments, like Kraewood Flats in Northfield, Minnesota, have their own mini movie theater so you don’t have to. Kraewood’s has eight overstuffed recliners with built-in cup holders and a large projector screen for your enjoyment. Plus, busting out laughing at the same scene as your neighbor could be the start of a beautiful friendship. 

Westlake at Morganton Apartments in Fayetteville, North Carolina, also encourages its residents to bond over film in its four-level theater, equipped with theater lighting and posters of its latest showings.

14. Farmer’s markets

Having a place to find fresh fruit and new friends can be very convenient. The Belterra rental homes at Tres Lagos in McAllen, Texas, has its own farmer’s market for the community where residents can support small businesses and meet their neighbors on a Sunday morning. Ora Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale is right next to a local farmer’s market as well, meaning you can take the short walk over with a neighbor and chat about finding the perfect tomato.

15. Playrooms for the kids

Being a parent can present certain challenges in meeting new people, but having a dedicated play zone for your kids in your building can help. The Signum apartment complex in Brooklyn, New York, offers a large playroom with a climbing wall, toys, and a TV, while Avalon Esterra Park apartments in Redmond, Washington boasts a playroom with mini playground sets, tables for drawing, and some sofas for down time.