Family Reunion Destination Advice - Anywhere in North America for Parents' 80th Birthday

[reedm]

Would appreciate any and all ideas for the following:

My parents were in town for Christmas, and during their stay, my mom let me know they would like to treat the immediate family to a reunion this summer in celebration of their upcoming 80th (yes) birthdays. For the past several years, this has been a tradition in my dad's family, and they chose locations based upon ease of travel, access to activities, and availability of houses that could accommodate relatively large groups. Previous reunion locations include visited Estes Park Colorado and Pigeon Forge Tennessee.

While my mom is in great shape, and walks a great deal every day, my dad suffered a stroke a few years ago, so while he is able to walk a bit, he's not quite as adventurous or mobile as my mom. The youngest participant will be 12, and the rest will be high school/college age grandchildren.Parents are in their 40s/50s. A house that is suitable for fits 13 comfortably, while not a rigid requirement, would be great. 

My mom mentioned Costa Rica, since one of her friends raved about it, but we are open to just about anything. Unfortunately, ultra-long plane trips (Australia, etc., are not in the cards)

Thanks!

[dcs]

Maybe rent one of those monster sized houses on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  We have housed six families with kids in one with no problem.  You can drive right up which addresses mobility issues.  There are restaurants you can drive to or you can all share in cooking responsibilities which can be fun too.

[DaveO]

5 hours ago, dcs said:

Maybe rent one of those monster sized houses on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  We have housed six families with kids in one with no problem.  You can drive right up which addresses mobility issues.  There are restaurants you can drive to or you can all share in cooking responsibilities which can be fun too.

I agree with dcs above.   I/we've done this (in the Outer Banks and elsewhere) and it usually turns out excellent.  Had a conversation with a friend who did this over the New Years weekend at Deep Creek Lake/Wisp Mtn with a group of families.  The one downside in their case was that one child of one family had medical issues, thereby dampening the enjoyment for a larger group of folks.  I guess that can happen anywhere.

If everyone is close and friendly and enjoys chipping in a little for cooking, cleanup, its a terrific type of vacation and the Outer Banks is particularly enjoyable.

[Ericandblueboy]

Summers in the south are hot!  Costa Rica will be hot and rainy.  If you're thinking about staying n North America, then I suggest going north or west.

[Bart]

11 hours ago, dcs said:

 You can drive right up which addresses mobility issues.  

Many have elevators too

[astrid]

Temperature in Costa Rica in summer might be more comfortable in the highlands, but summer would be during rainy season.  Winter or spring would be better times if she has her heart set on it.

I would suggest Iceland as a possibility.  There is a lot to see for people with all ranges of mobility and interests.  6 hours of flight with direct flights out of DC area airports.  It's easy to get around there and lots of day trip possibilities from Reykjavik.  The long summer days could be an interesting novelty and the daytime highs rarely go above 80 degrees.  And excellent food and amenities everywhere.

There probably won't be as big of a selection of giant houses for rent compared to OBX, but I definitely seen nice rental apartment options online.  Scanning through Airbnb should give you some idea of what is available.

[Bart]

For something completely different you could do a western dude ranch sort of trip.  I'm not sure why I thought about it, but rereading this thread made me think of a place my wife and I went in the mid 90s called Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch.  http://www.idahorocky.com

My memory is a little fuzzy, but it was an absolutely beautiful property, with a ridiculously beautiful view of the Sawtooth Mountains off the front porch.  It had a main lodge and bunch of small cabins, so that may not be what you're looking for as you all won't be sharing the same space.  They have horseback riding and hiking and fishing and all those types of things (we only stayed one night and didn't do any of that), but they also had a huge pool that was heated by a natural hot spring.  That was awesome!

We went just after Labor Day the weather was amazing.  No humidity, pure blue skies, warm during the day, cool at night and perfect break from the summer heat here.  I imagine the weather in August would be similar.  The other thing that sticks with me other than the lack of humidity was the lack of traffic.  We were doing a half hiking/camping trip and half hotel trip and as we drove from place to place, we would drive for miles and miles without seeing a single car in either direction.

[Bart]

PS - I just looked at the rates.................It ain't cheap! 

[reedm]

1 hour ago, Bart said:

PS - I just looked at the rates.................It ain't cheap! 

That's a great idea. I was stationed in Idaho twice, and the Sawtooths are spectacular--arguably one of  the most underrated areas of the country. When most people think of Idaho, they think of potatoes or skinheads. Neither dominate the state.