<p>Doubleplay, I think that it is a wonderful idea! I know that if it were my mother, however, she would dislike the beach homes and Disney. My mother enjoys a quick stroll along the beach and she is done. She would find Disney uninteresting, as well at too hot and crowded. My mother sounds a bit like fourkidsmom’s mother. My mother likes doing things (art galleries, museums, nice restaurants, theatre). I think that everyone in the family (food snobs etc.) should sacrafice a little to make the “birthday girl” happy! After all it is her BD and a very special one too! She should be the center of attention for this trip!</p>
<p>fourkidsmom, Is your Mom in pretty good health/physical condition? Just wondering in the “things to do” category what she would be up to doing? </p>
<p>I love the Outer Banks, grew up an hour and a half away from Kitty Hawk. My in-laws are there so we go a couple of times a year. There is a ton of stuff to do at the Outer Banks but don’t know how much an 80 year old would enjoy. Duck is nice but to be more in the “middle of things” one of the big houses in South Nags Head might be a good choice too. The nearest airport would be Norfolk Va. about an hour away
Love Holden Beach (been going for 20 years) but not too much to do down there (maybe that’s why I love it).</p>
<p>How about Charleston,S.C. area ? You could stay at the beach and have historic Charlseston close by or vice versa.</p>
<p>Rehobeth actually has a very nice art association, but their big outdoor show is usually in August. We actually usually stay at Dewey Beach which has a lot of college kids and bars as well as families. My favorite vacation was when my parents booked a farmhouse in Normandy for two weeks. We saw D-day beachs, shopped at the local farmer’s market, went to Mont St. Michel and Bayeux and took a trip to one of the famous beach/cliff where Monet painted. It was fabulous.</p>
<p>You know, another idea is a big ski center (obviously, it will be off season). We go to Mt. Tremblant (Quebec) now and then - and I always think it looks like it would be fun in the summer. There are lots of great hotels and condos, outdoor pools/hot tubs, a fun touristy all-pedestrian town, excellent French food (it almost feels like Europe), lots of golfing, hiking, etc. </p>
<p>Side trips could be done to Montreal, and old Quebec City.</p>
<p>Check it out:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tremblant.ca/activities/summer/index-e.htm[/url]”>http://www.tremblant.ca/activities/summer/index-e.htm</a></p>
<p>(I’m talking MYSELF into this now!!! LOL)</p>
<p>not all cities are out, but chicago is a been there done that- although it still is a good idea. My mom has that impossible list of wants, but nothing seems right either. We thought it was a great idea- Laguna but she’s finding fault with that. (We have done Disney with her twice and would do it again, my s and b would not go there. On the other hand, maybe that’s a reason to plan it!) Then we had San Fran but now she’s questioning that. Montreal is another one my sister suggested, but it’s not non stop and it’s an expensive flight. I’m turning this over willingly to someone my mom knows as a travel agent. Let them figure this out. On the other hand- I love the outer banks idea for us. I’m keeping those names and may be down there yet.</p>
<p>fourkidsmom…to add to your list. At the Outer Banks our family has used Sun Realty for years. <a href=“http://www.sunrealtync.com%5B/url%5D”>www.sunrealtync.com</a></p>
<p>If your willing to come to California. Consider Santa Barbara or Carmel.</p>
<p>If your Mom’s objecting to every option presented her, then please read my final paragraphs of this long post. I think I might have hit upon a possible unspoken agenda here: G’ma’s worried about either loneliness or ambulation.
Or it IS spoken aplenty! Depends on your Mom. It’s really nice of you to plan a multi-generational vacation 
</p>
<p>I thought of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where I lived year-round for many years long ago. You can fly right in to Hyannis, often connecting through Boston by air. Crowds, including along the roads between the towns, become a factor by summer once schools let out, however, increasing in intensity right up until LAbor Day.
There’s the National Seashore along the southtowns, plus all kinds of beautiful art shows, from Welfleet to Provincetown along the north. Cape Cod’s water is warmER along its southern spine, but at that time of year only your young folks would probably venture in on either side. Ocean water holds heat so it actually warms up later in the spring, and stays warm longer into September. Anyway, unlike the NC, SC beaches which are genuinely warm, Cape Cod southern beaches are “approachable” for swimming in June, but delightful by late July-end of Sept. So be careful of friends’ advice on swimmability, it’s personal (I only like a warm bath or hot tub, myself now, but used to jump into Polar Bear swims in younger years.) Remember that the month they visited a beach can affect their memory of the swimmability. </p>
<p>There’s also BLock Island, Rhode Island, which you reach by ferry boat. We scheduled our parents’ 50th anniversary there, but unfortunately my Dad got very sick there and had to be flown off the island, the beginning of his demise, so REALLY think about stuff like that with the elderly. It was really a beautiful place but we could hardly tell b/c it was such a bad experience re: health and “evacuation.” I do treasure our very last family photo taken on that beach; my Mom was smart enough to schedule a photographer. Consider that during your trip to anywhere. Anyway, I thought Block Isalnd was beautiful but has “nothing to do” so perhaps wrong for this round. </p>
<p>Hey, how about: Newport, Rhode Island? PLENTY to see there if Mom can walk, touring all those old mansions of the Gilded Age, and botanical gardens. Great for foodies; it’s a rich person’s playground, actually. Or if your Mom’s a Kennedy fan take a boat over to see how Jackie Kennedy Onassis grew up; I found it very moving, really, not to mention beautiful. </p>
<p>If Mom’s concerned about what do you DO by the beach, I’d definitely tell every single one of those grandchildren that in return for the PRIVILEGE of being flown in to an oceanside retreat, they MUST set up a schedule to spend time with their Grandma. Leave her alone for NO HOURS. They must do her bidding: play cards, talk, show her their pictures, or walk her around to see the seaside sites (tongue-twister).</p>
<p>Otherwise, they could run in all directions and leave grandma feeling pretty miserable. The grandkids are her built-in entertainment but THEY MUST know this ahead of time. I’m sure they’re good kids and would do this.</p>
<p>That’s how I’d set up the week, anyway. But I’m a “grandma-rules-all” kind of gal; they won’t be here forever, and the first ones who’ll cry that they “wished they knew grandma better” are often the younger teens.</p>
<p>That said, I know a family who flew everyone in to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving Dinner where the entertainment is non-stop. National entertainment acts and not just gambling. I hope I NEVER go there…but the grandma that went along had a good time. The Dad said it was less expensive than getting all those college-age kids into a medium sized airport like Buffalo for Thanksgiving. </p>
<p>This is a deeply traditional family, so it was quite a departure for them re: Turkey and All the Trimmings (in a restaurant). </p>
<p>Nonetheless, it Worked for them, so am passing it along.</p>
<p>one more idea,
if Grandma loves plays or musicals, a theater-resort town such as Saratoga Springs, NY
or the Shaw Festival in Ontario (shows all kinds of plays, not just Shaw) plus nearby quaint shopping in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario has a British flavor; feels like a real adventure
Jacob’s Pillow/Tanglewood for dance and Boston Symphony ORchestra/Pops concerts-on-the-lawn…
Has to work with your mom’s interests and the performing arts calendars in each place, all by google</p>
<p>If I’m misjudging your mom’s interests, it occurred to me after writing “Saratoga Springs” that also has horse-racing!</p>