road trip with elderly mom
 

HELP----- I'm wanting to take my mom on a fun 'road trip' within the next few weeks, to sightsee and do things- BUT there are a few [handicaps] so to speak. Other than the normal 'elderly' things such as she can't stand/walk for extended amounts of time, isn't one to want to go to/hang at bars and clubs (duh! lol) and can't do strenuous activities--- there's a couple of other things to take into consideration. She does NOT 'do' water things (obviously, a 'beach destination' isn't in the cards) and she can't take extreme heat (so walking in full sun or going to 'outside flea markets' wouldn't be a good suggestion.

She (as do I) loves sightseeing and experiencing places she's not seen or been to, and for a 78 year old woman, she's pretty hip and somewhat active: into fashion and quite vain so the idea of allowing me to push her in a wheelchair if she got tired AINT GONNA FLY. I've already argued with her about that, but she refuses to do that. ugh. SO- I'm at a loss.

Oklahoma is borrrrr-ing, and over the years, we've done and seen most of what Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi have to offer. I can't think of ANYreason to go to Kansas, and all I can think of on the eastern/southern coast is beach. (we've done Florida/Disney over a dozen times in the past).

Suggestions? We live in Tulsa now, but originally from Dallas.
Would reallllly appreciate any ideas.
Thank you!!!
:-) rwhitaker

Dos it have to a road trip starting from home in OK?

Could you fly somewhere like or San Francisco or Portland or Seattle, do a road trip from there, and fly home?

Wichita is a nice city to explore. A nice zoo, botanical gardens, some great hotels, a nice waterfront & old town area, The Museum of World Treasures, a theatre that might have a musical she'd like to see, and there's an Old West Museum. Also some antique shopping and some outlet shopping. The Nature Trail has some easy paths for seniors with plenty of places to sit and rest.

The heat might be a problem at this time of year.

How about Des Moines, Iowa and a bridges-of-Madison-county drive?

Louisiana? You can get to Arkansas pretty quick from Tulsa and the drive down 1 or 71 in La. takes you thru some really nice plantations and other scenery.

You could go as far south as you wanted before looping back

Agree - why do a road trip in summer in the worst of the heat when she hates hot weather?

If it were me I would fly to a cooler part of the country and do a road trip in New England or the Pacific northwest. Much better weather and a lot more to see and do.

Have you thought about Branson? I suppose so if you've done most of Missouri.

If you are going that way, Mason City IA is a surprise. It is a small town, but has a couple of neat visitor attractions.

You can visit Meredith Wilson's childhood home and a very nice museum next door (Music Man). There is also the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed hotel still in operation and a FLW home that is open for visitors.

We went there in conjunction with a weekend trip to Cedar Rapids IA. Cedar Rapids has some interesting museums.

Thank all of you thus far, for your suggestions. Branson- been there, done that (was almost a second home for us all, while my kids were growing up!).
Flying somewhere and renting a car sounds WONDERFUL, but too expensive. I could check prices on airfare to make sure, but I would imagine air fares to anywhere up in the New England area would be super high, when I'm talking only a few weeks away for when we're wanting to go. If I didn't work (I'm a teacher) then I would DEFinately not be taking a trip with Mama during the summertime. I'd wait another couple of months and go in Sept when it cooled off.
Wichita is a thought. I'll check out that idea. But I would really love to do a Pacific Northwest trip if I could swing the cost! I doubt it's feasible though.
If anyone comes up with other ideas- I'm certainly needing them, so bring em on. In the meantime- I'll be doing some internet research. lol
:-)

Ever been to Memphis (Graceland, Beale St)? It is about 6.5 to 7 hours from Tulsa (via Little Rock).
The Amtrak "City of New Orleans" leaves Memphis about 10:40PM every night and gets to Chicago about 9AM the next morning. The fare for a bedroom or roomette is in the
$280 to $350 range for the 2 of you.
Chicago is a great city to tour and also the hub of the Amtrak network if you wanted to extend the trip to any number of cities east and west of Chicago.

Have you considered a cruise from Galveston - which map quest tells me is about an 8 hour drive from Tulsa. Cruises work well for people with limited mobility and there are summer cruises available for 4-10 days. Cruises can be quite economical compared to hotel/meals/activities.

What about Colorado, where you could escape some summer heat and take some beautiful drives? You could take the interstate route through Kansas. Lots of possibilities from there.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is also pretty if you have never been up that way. Have heard the museum in Bentonville is outstanding, but have not been.

What about Santa Fe, NM? In the mountains so not too hot, this time of year lots of festivals going on plus the Opera, good regional food, Indian pueblos to visit, drive the high road to Taos one day.

Loving some of these suggestions! Excited to further check out several things that've been mentioned!! Thank ya'll so much!!
We've been to Memphis before, as well as Eureka Springs- but the Amtrak idea is AWESOME! That's something I'd not thought of!!
What a cool experience that would be, and it opens up a lot of possibilities for travel to different locations! I'll have to look up all of the destination points. Also, the Santa Fe suggestion is a good one- festivals, Opera, etc... all something to consider as well. I'm not familiar with any museum in Bentonville, but thats easy enough to check on.
Thank you again, to everyone that's responded! I really appreciate it!
:-)

If anyone tries to get me onto an overnight train when I'm 78 years old, shoot 'em for me.

I like the Santa Fe area for a road trip. You could get to Tucumcari - drive two or three hours, stop for lunch then another two or three hours and stop for the night. Then in three hours or so you would be in Santa Fe. Check what's happening there before you decide which time to go.

On the way back, maybe go to Amarillo for the stop on the way home.

Santa Fe is a great idea.

Lee Ann