Traveling with a wheelchair impacts every part of a family vacation: from choosing the destination to making dinner reservations. Wheelchair accessibility varies drastically by location and it can seem daunting to plan a vacation around our assistive devices. This should never limit families from experiencing new and exciting destinations! There are many family-friendly destinations around the world that are not only accessible, but also cater to the needs of people traveling with a disability.

Here are our top ten favorite U.S. family destinations that are perfect for wheelchair users, organized by travel style and location! 

If air travel is intimidating, check out our tips on taking your first flight with a disability, including all the things you need to know for navigating medical supplies, security, and boarding with an aisle chair.

Wheelchair Travel: Outdoor Destinations

#1. Best National Park with a Disability

National Parks are constantly improving accessibility and inclusion. Most parks have at least one wheelchair accessible trail, accessible restrooms, handicap parking, and accessible amenities to include all guests. 

Yellowstone National Park is the most inclusive park we’ve experienced for travelers with disabilities. Your chair is no barrier, here. Accessible parking, paved paths, and boardwalks lead to iconic spots like Old Faithful, Artist Point, and Grand Prismatic Spring. The need for boardwalk paths over bubbling ground has significantly improved general access for people with disabilities, but you can also see the clear intent in design. Ask for an accessibility guide when you arrive and you’ll receive a whole book of helpful information on accessible restrooms, trails, and amenities in each area of the park. They even have a beach wheelchair for waterfront areas! Visitors can borrow or rent mobility devices, and nearly every scenic stop has been designed with accessibility in mind.

Did you know there’s an airport inside this national park? We took a more budget friendly flight on Southwest airline through Bozeman. The airport had a fun Wyoming cabin feel and easy accessibility throughout.

Read our tips on Yellowstone with a disability on the blog.

The Adirondacks is another accessible outdoor favorite of ours. You’ll see the main highlight when you get to #9!

A Short Flight from the East Coast

#2. Diamond Mining and State Parks

Arkansas State Parks are stepping up in terms of accessibility, offering a range of outdoor experiences for all abilities. We stayed at DeGray Lake Resort State Park, where accessible features like roll-in showers, wide pathways, and wheelchair-accessible docks and boat tours made our visit comfortable. The resort also offers a wheelchair lift to a lakeside trail with stunning waterfront views and a pool with a chair lift. The staff were eager to offer assistance with any needs. 

Crater of Diamonds State Park, where you can dig for diamonds, also impressed us with its wheelchair-friendly paths and accessible wet-sifting stations. With Arkansas State Parks continuously improving accessibility, it’s a fantastic destination to explore the outdoors.

American, Delta, Southwest, United, Allegiant, and Frontier are the only airline options serving Clinton National Airport. It’s an easy east coast flight, but many of the parks are still a long drive from the airport.

Get our tips for wheelchair friendly travel in Arkansas State Parks on the travel blog.

#3. World Class Art and Family Fun with a Wheelchair User

Grand Rapids, Michigan offers a perfect blend of big-city amenities with small-town charm. Explore world-class art at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, which features fully accessible paths, exhibits, and tram tours. The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum provides barrier-free access to interactive exhibits, while Blandford Nature Center offers accessible forest trails and sensory bags for a nature-filled adventure. 

The city’s outdoor attractions, such as Grand Haven Beach, redefine accessibility with track chairs that allow wheelchair users to navigate the beach independently—an unparalleled experience in inclusivity for our child with a disability.

The accessibility in Grand Rapids extends to public transportation, with wheelchair-friendly buses and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport offering easy access flying into the city. Numerous parks, including John Ball Zoo, feature accessible paths and facilities, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the local wildlife and natural beauty. 

Find more information on the travel blog.

Wheelchair Accessible Beach Travel

#4. Travel to the best beach in the U.S.A.

Siesta Key, rated as the #1 beach in the U.S. and one of the most accessible beaches we’ve visited, provides free beach wheelchairs and mobi mats to help you get close to the water without hassle. With accessible restrooms and parking, plus no-sand access to concessions, this beach makes it easy for families with mobility needs to enjoy the sand and sun together with minimal assistance.

The greater Sarasota area also has the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Sarasota Jungle Gardens and plenty of cultural spots that cater to accessibility. At MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, the exhibits are wheelchair-friendly, with elevator access and handicap restrooms. Families can explore the history and magic of the circus at the John and Mable Ringling Museum, which also offers ADA trams and accessible grounds. Even downtown Sarasota is designed with accessibility in mind, from the ramped shop entrances in St. Armand’s Circle to the wide variety of accessible dining options throughout the city. 

Read about all our Sarasota favorites here!

Easy Access from a Major Airport

#5. The Most Accessible City We’ve Visited

Take a flight right into the city at IAD airport with your favorite airline. D.C. is a great destination for air travel because of the incredibly accessible metro and public transportation system.

D.C. is the most accessible city we’ve ever visited.  D.C. is a fantastic destination for everyone, with its accessible memorials, gardens, museums, and even a zoo – all free to enjoy! While hotels and parking can be pricey, there are ways to work around the costs. The city blends history with modern attractions and is near the top of accessible destination lists. Highlights include visiting iconic memorials, exploring one museum a day to avoid rushing, and even spending extra time at the National Zoo. Bringing snacks, finding strategic parking, and staying in town can help make your trip smoother and more enjoyable, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

For assistance in planning your accessible D.C. trip, check out the blog.

#6. West coast traveling with wheelchair

A flight into Los Angeles puts you minutes from one of our favorite accessible beaches. Southwest is our favorite airline choice for a plane to California, but LAX has a plethora of other airline options for flying in and out. Santa Monica has all of the essentials for an accessible beach trip – beach wheelchairs available from multiple locations, a mobi mat for ocean views, and spacious accessible restrooms. 

What makes Santa Monica our favorite accessible beach destination is how far above and beyond they go. There are multiple accessible parking options, with some spaces within easy rolling distance of the mobi mat. With multiple beach wheel chair pick up locations, offering different styles of chairs, including electric beach chairs, you have the freedom to explore different areas of the beach with each visit. The pier has plenty of accessible food options, tourist shops, and local artisans. Accessible dining options abound, both on the boardwalk and off. Accessible views extend far beyond the boardwalk along the wide, paved oceanfront walk. The beach has three all-abilities playgrounds. The Annenberg Community Beach House is a community destination that’s free to the public. They have a splash pad, playground, gallery, Marion Davies Guest House, beach courts & fields, community & cultural events, historic pool, free wi-fi, and more. This is one of the pick-up spots for beach wheelchairs.

Theme Parks for Wheelchair Travelers

#7. Theme Park Designed Specifically for Wheelchair User

This theme park was purposefully designed as an all-abilities space. Morgan’s Wonderland is the world’s first “ultra-accessible” theme park, where every single ride, playground, attraction, and amenity is fully accessible. My young son was able to navigate the entire day without assistance.

There are only a handful of rides in the park (race cars, a train, a ferris wheel, and a carousel), but plenty of fun for all day. There’s no need to transfer from your personal wheelchair for disabled passengers: you can roll right on to every ride and never leave your seat.

They have several all-abilities playgrounds, a sensory area, and the equivalence of a small children’s museum with a grocery store, weather station, digital art room, and arcade. They also have games and free fishing.

When it’s warm enough, they also run an impressive water park – which is also fully accessible!

Admission ticket for any guest with a disability is free. 

A flight into San Antonio gives you 12 airline options and an accessible airport experience.

#8. Disney World Tips for Wheelchair Accessibility

Disney World was our first family vacation as a family with disabilities. Planning any trip on our own felt overwhelming, and Disney’s accessibility programs made it a less daunting place to start.

All shows and restaurants, most attractions, and many rides are fully wheelchair accessible, with no need to transfer. Most remaining rides are accessible if you’re able to transfer to another seat. All resorts have accessible rooms and there are multiple accessible modes of transportation to the parks.

The staff are thoroughly trained to be prepared to meet a variety of needs, and if they can’t offer assistance, they will quickly find what you need. We’ve never experienced customer service like the service offered by Disney cast members at any park location. There are companion restrooms throughout the parks and the first aid locations all have cots that can double as adult-sized changing tables. They also have several resources for people with cognitive disabilities .

Disney World was a great place for us to start. Thanks to accessible accommodations, accessible transportation, and park programs for wheelchair assistance, all I needed to figure out was how to get there and where to eat!

If Disney World is a long flight for you, consider Disneyland’s California Adventure Park. This newer park is smaller but it offers more rides that don’t require the passenger to transfer. The newer construction also means that ADA rights are a part of the design. 

We’ve also had fantastic experiences at Great Wolf Lodge and Kings Island in Warren County, Ohio.

Mountain Retreats for Wheelchair Users

#9. Camping for All Abilities

Let’s jump away from the lights and noise of accessible theme parks into the silence of the Adirondack frontier. 

John Dillon Park is an accessible campground deep in the forest. They have fully accessible lean-tos (essentially a three-walled cabin, for other camping novices), accessible bathrooms, only accessible paths and trails, and… well, fully accessible everything from adventures like fishing and boating to essentials like sleeping and eating. We had no problem navigating every part of the park with our manual wheelchair without assistance.

This is another place where the trained staff make your trip easier. If there’s anything that you can’t do on your own in a wheelchair, ask for assistance. The staff are amazing and they’ll help as much as they can. They can even get your gear from the parking lot to your campsite.

Overnight camping is completely free, but you can also just use a day pass for hiking, fishing, boating, picnicking, or whatever style of outdoor retreat you need. Portable charging stations are available for your powered wheelchair. The guest center with electricity and running water stays open 24/7 in case of emergency.

#10 World’s Most Accessible Hotel for a Wheelchair User

Greenbrier Valley is home to the world’s most accessible hotel – The Schoolhouse Hotel . The boutique hotel, transformed from an old school, is thoughtfully designed to make every room and shared space exceptionally easy to navigate for the disabled traveler. The hotel goes beyond regulation to true inclusion. The hotel makes a great launch pad for exploring the rest of accessible Greenbrier Valley . From expansive accessible trails to a trending small town food scene with mostly zero-entry eateries, the area has a bit of something for everyone.

The Greenbrier is an upscale resort that has several accessible activities open to the public, including day passes to the spa.  Seasonal festivals add to the allure of the area, but there is something to do at any time of year and both the small towns and the great outdoors are surprisingly easy to navigate.

Best vacation with Southwest airline 

First, why Southwest airline? 

Baltimore is our closest airport and the starting point for almost every flight. I know air travel can be a nightmare for airline passengers with disabilities, but we’ve had the most positive experiences with Southwest airline. Their customer service goes a long way and the airline staff seem more ready to offer assistance than anyone else we’ve flown. Pre boarding gives us time and space to get settled on the airplane, stash our cushion and wheelchair parts, and settle in a seat together. Once onboard the plane, the flight crew connects with my kids as though each passenger is like family. They make flying as a family easy and I love that we are guaranteed a seat next to each other, without an extra fee (though I know the open seat system is changing). The lack of screens on each aircraft is well balanced by free snacks and drinks.

#11. Destination with a Reputation for Inclusion

A short drive from another Southwest Airline hub at the Phoenix airport, Mesa, Arizona is a destination that prioritizes accessibility and inclusion. As the nation’s first Autism Certified city, they believe that all visitors should be able to explore with confidence, knowing that they are welcomed. This extends beyond the Autism community to include people of all abilities.

While you’ll still have to do some planning in choosing your accommodations and activities, Visit Mesa makes it easy with a website that is full of information designed for planning accessible travel. You can easily find lodging and attractions that are a good fit for your needs. You can explore pre-made itineraries based on your needs, or pick out your favorites from the accessible directory. Accessibility information is easily available for outdoor adventures , arts experiences, indoor attractions, accessible transportation, and everything else that Mesa has to offer. They’re also leaders in the sunflower program, giving assistance to people traveling with invisible disabilities. 

**Before traveling by plane, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with the air carrier access act which makes it illegal for airlines to discriminate on the basis of a disability. Thanks to the air carrier access act, it’s within your rights to ask that your manual chair be kept on the plane, instead of tossed underneath or picked up at baggage claim area. While not all airplane wheelchair closets can store all types of chairs, it’s important to know your rights before you report to security or boarding. Service animals and anything medically necessary are allowed to fly free. You can contact Transportation Security Administration with any questions through the TSA Cares line at  (855) 787-2227. Aviation Consumer Protection also has a lot of helpful information online regarding the disabilities bill,  your rights with the air carrier, and how to report any concerns.. The Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights can be found here.**