We did a Mississippi Riverboat cruise many years ago when the kids were young teens, and all had blast. The kinds of boats available are going to be smaller than ocean type cruises. you always have something to look at as you go down the river. The stops at the various towns are in general made for all abilities. Sadly the organization we used, Riverbarge, is no longer in existence, but I know there are others.
HImom, stayed in the Kimpton downtown and also ate there often. It is a great location and has avery good restaurant
I can’t find where/if you mentioned what time of the year you want to go. Unless you like cold weather - or snow - I don’t think I"d consider Chicago anytime before April - sometimes there can be snow in the first 1/2 of April. Just an FYI.
That said, if Chicago was desirable Eataly offers some inexpensive cooking classes.
https://www.eataly.com/us_en/classes-and-events/chicago
We were in Chicago several times, at various times of the year and had very hot to pretty cold (for me)—T-shirt weather to needing my ski jacket. We never had snow. June/July and Oct/Nov.
The downtown Chicago Kimpton Hotel had a zagat-rated restaurant, if I’m recalling correctly. We probably ate at least a meal there every day. They also had a free wine cocktail hour every evening.
One day we saw them filming a Chicago Fire TV show right near our hotel.
We had snow in Chicago in May this year…sigh.
@mom60 - I don’t really have any other suggestions but I wanted to offer my sympathy and good wishes. Sometimes it’s really hard to plan theses family trips (…ask me how I know…) and it’s even harder being the family moderator/peacemaker.
Bless you for trying to make this work!
@scout59 I appreciate the good wishes.
I had a very honest conversation with my sister yesterday. I expressed my concerns about her going to New York. I told her I’d hate for her to slip on an icy sidewalk and again be set back again mobility wise. We left it at if she decides last minute she is up to it she will book a flight and a 2nd hotel room. What also came out of the conversation was that she doesn’t want time to continue to pass where her whole life revolves around her health. I was honest about some of the things that haven’t worked in the past when we have traveled together. We agreed that NY will probably not happen for her but that we could plan a trip or two in the future. They could be on the calendar and something she could look forward to. We also decided that we should start small. Trips that if she needed to cancel last minute don’t lose us all a lot of money. Maybe trips that are driving distance.
I also discovered she isn’t interested in nature or just scenic drives. She likes museums, theatre, dining out (she is a foodie, I’m not), cooking classes, people watching, browsing interesting neighborhoods, house, architecture and garden tours. She thinks she can at times walk but stairs are difficult. She isn’t against a bit of golf if she has a cart or even a driving range. My other sister also can golf. I don’t but I’m open to trying.
She is going to go through her travel magazines and travel folders and make a list of places that interest her and that she thinks are doable. I feel good about where we stand at this point. I was feeling anxious trying to make things work for NY. Ideas on the penciled list include Palm Springs, Napa. She also mentioned Chicago.
I love all the ideas and experiences you all have shared. Much appreciated.
I love the way you talked with her.
@mom60, you certainly elicited an impressive amount of information in one conversation!
I think your sister sounds super interesting and has so many great interests! You go “sis” - go enjoy life!