My mom will be 84 in September. She would like to go to the beach for her birthday, probably for the last time. I'd like suggestions to help make it great. Snowflakes inside. If any mefites have traveled to a seashore in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey or Virginia in recent years, especially as or with an elderly or disabled person, I'd love to hear what you recommend and don't recommend, in terms of beaches, hotels, and activities.
Her birthday is September 3rd but she'd like to do it a bit later in the month, thinking there will be fewer people then. I'm not so sure, seems like weekdays when kids are back in school would be fine? Neither of us wants a place overrun by tourists.
My mom uses a walker (or sometimes two canes), but she's said she is willing do a wheelchair for portions of this trip (yay) which will make her more mobile. We would either need to rent a wheelchair elsewhere and bring it, or go to a place that has them. I am guessing we'd want a nice boardwalk to wheel around, but if wheelchairs can genuinely work on the beach. I'm ok with pushing one. Ideally I'd like her to be able to go all the way down to the water if she wants to without endangering her.
She also needs oxygen from a big (not easily portable) tank 12+ hours a day. So this needs to be car travel only. I can lug the tank up some stairs to a hotel room, but don't want to be bothered with trying to get it onto and out of trains/planes/busses along with everything else.
We live in central Maryland, and have pets that we would probably only want to leave one overnight. So far we've discussed Ocean City (based on old memories, too touristy), Rehoboth and Dewey beaches. I'd welcome suggestions for other beaches as long as I can drive there in 4 hours at most (3 would be better).
She'd really like to see the sunrise and sunset over the water. Suggestions for hotels with genuinely unobstructed views would be great.
She's enjoyed going into little antique and taffy shops on a boardwalk on previous trips, so somewhere that has such would be nice but isn't absolutely necessary.
Years ago, we went on a cruise to Alaska together, and she loved the shore excursions such as a lift up a mountain, riding in a seaplane, and visiting a raptor preserve. If there is an activity in the same vein that is doable with wheelchair or very limited walking, that would be great, but also not strictly necessary.
Money is not (much of) an object. I want to make this great for her.
Her birthday is September 3rd but she'd like to do it a bit later in the month, thinking there will be fewer people then. I'm not so sure, seems like weekdays when kids are back in school would be fine? Neither of us wants a place overrun by tourists.
My mom uses a walker (or sometimes two canes), but she's said she is willing do a wheelchair for portions of this trip (yay) which will make her more mobile. We would either need to rent a wheelchair elsewhere and bring it, or go to a place that has them. I am guessing we'd want a nice boardwalk to wheel around, but if wheelchairs can genuinely work on the beach. I'm ok with pushing one. Ideally I'd like her to be able to go all the way down to the water if she wants to without endangering her.
She also needs oxygen from a big (not easily portable) tank 12+ hours a day. So this needs to be car travel only. I can lug the tank up some stairs to a hotel room, but don't want to be bothered with trying to get it onto and out of trains/planes/busses along with everything else.
We live in central Maryland, and have pets that we would probably only want to leave one overnight. So far we've discussed Ocean City (based on old memories, too touristy), Rehoboth and Dewey beaches. I'd welcome suggestions for other beaches as long as I can drive there in 4 hours at most (3 would be better).
She'd really like to see the sunrise and sunset over the water. Suggestions for hotels with genuinely unobstructed views would be great.
She's enjoyed going into little antique and taffy shops on a boardwalk on previous trips, so somewhere that has such would be nice but isn't absolutely necessary.
Years ago, we went on a cruise to Alaska together, and she loved the shore excursions such as a lift up a mountain, riding in a seaplane, and visiting a raptor preserve. If there is an activity in the same vein that is doable with wheelchair or very limited walking, that would be great, but also not strictly necessary.
Money is not (much of) an object. I want to make this great for her.