50th Anniversary Ideas

Personally, my first thought was D.C. too. Another idea that would be less walking but still packed with history is Philadelphia.

ha! What time of year? My dad is a history buff and he loved Gettysburg. 

I don't think it's weird - especially if it's easier for them to have you help with plans. You can always set up some activities just for them - a special dinner or something. But I think after 50 years of marriage, they are probably pretty low key about it (I'm probably biased because my parents are celebrating their 50th this year and they are super low key).

If they do Philly - one of the Hop On/Hop Off buses might be good for them. It's a good way to see the city without a lot of walking and then they can use it get to the different attractions. 

We did a last minute bus tour in NYC this past weekend (MIL has limited mobility as well) and it was easy to navigate. 

I may be the only one who feels this way and of course I don't know your parents. But,We had our 50th last year and no way would I have wanted my kids to plan it for me.

None of our kids live near us and we dont get to see.them very often. They are busy and so are we.

We planned a trip near one of our kids, visited them a little, but spent most of the time on our own in a condo and in the blue ridge mountains.

The last 4 days, we rented a house big enough for the whole family on an island in south Carolina
I think everyone had a great time...I know we did.

I've been thinking about the exact same thing. My parent's 50th is next year, and to book something like a cruise, you get the best prices early. I'm debating between going back to Arkansas where they went on their honeymoon (this is the cheapest option), going on an Alaskan cruise (the most expensive option), or doing a Caribbean cruise from New Orleans. Any trip would include the whole family - parents, my brother and his daughter, and me and my daughter - only 6 of us. I think this is what they would enjoy most, though my mom hates when I spend a lot of money on them. I would want to book then tell them it is a done deal, though I've been asking pointed questions like, "Wouldn't it be fun to visit Scotland?" [Answer: Yes, but there is so much here to see.] and, "If you could visit anywhere, where would it be?" [Not sure].

I am going to get closer to their anniversary this year to really ask them what they want. I was thinking either small party-large trip or large party-small trip.

What about an event instead of a trip? A woman I know just turned 90 and has 5 adult kids and some adult grand kids. Her husband passed away about 2 years ago. She loves basketball and is a Warriors fan so she got a box at one of the games and brought along 24 people to help her celebrate. Actually, it probably cost the same amount as a trip

What about Seattle? It's beautiful, not too far away, lots to do.

How would they feel about a national park? I planned a 50th anniversary trip for my parents, with similar limitations/interests, two years ago. We did a group trip (adult kids and grandkids) with them to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The weather was great - not too hot - and both parks were very accessible even for people with somewhat limited mobility. My parents found the history of the parks and the gateway towns very interesting, and the natural beauty and wildlife couldn't be beat.

For most national parks reservations open up a year in advance and for popular places like Yellowstone during peak visitation, they book pretty quickly. There are often many cancellations (we've stayed multiple times at places in the park last minute), but guessing you wouldn't want to plan a trip around "possible" accommodations.

Yellowstone has a lot more lodging options across a price range. IIRC, the Tetons only has one lodge in park and it's $$$. Most people stay in Jackson.

It's nice to stay in the park to have the advantage of being close to everything and cutting down on driving, but you might be more comfortable in a rental house outside the park if you have a group. We've rented a place several times right outside the southeast entrance of Yellowstone in a little place called Cooke City. It's further from some of the attractions in Yellowstone, but convenient to the Beartooth Mountains and day trips on the Beartooth Highway and to Cody (there's a nice museum there that has a lot of historical info and we did a trolley tour a few years back in Cody that had a lot of history tidbits of the area too). 

Yellowstone and the Tetons are pretty ideal parks for somebody with limited mobility - a lot of roadside attractions and viewpoints and some scenic drives. 

I personally, wouldn't want to have someone else, choose where I should go. I prefer to pick the destination myself.

What about doing a simple "open house", on a weekend afternoon, around the Anniversary date. You could give them their gift (travel funds, airline/hotel gift cards, etc..) at that time, you could wrap it in luggage or box with a US Map. (Or, you could have the peas send you pamphlet booklets or post cards from various areas). Then they could choose where they want to go, and plan it for a cooler month (September, October).

Simple "open house"....coffee, lemonade, water, tea, soda, wine,  and fruit platter, cheese & crackers, chips&dip. meatballs, etc... Display a some photos of them from throughout the years. Friends and Family could drop by for a visit.

I think it's a good idea to do some basic groundwork and present several ideas, then they can choose. I know if I was doing a trip with my parents, they would be happy if I took care of logistics and planning (which I have done before). Heck, my husband still buys his parents plane tickets for them every time they travel (they provide the credit card info and he purchases them online because they aren't comfortable doing it).