8 Stunning Wheelchair-Accessible Vacation Spots You’ll Want to Visit ASAP

Did you think wheelchair-accessible vacation spots were hard to come by?… Not today!

If you’re a wheelchair user, there are many places you can’t visit, even in your own town, let alone the rest of the country!

Living with a disability is already difficult enough, and finding a wheelchair-accessible vacation spot becomes 1,000 times more challenging when you also love traveling and want a vacation.

The “Americans With Disabilities Act” requires cities, businesses, and institutions to make their facilities accessible to ALL. That includes public transit like buses and subways. And it also refers to infrastructure, including stairways, sidewalks, and elevators.

At the same time, this even includes hotels, restaurants, stores, schools, movie theaters, museums, etc.

But even though this act has been in effect since 1990 and was amended in 2009, many locations and spaces across the US aren’t fully compliant, making traveling tricky at times. Don’t worry. We’re here to help.

Whether you’re looking for yourself or planning on taking someone you care for on vacation, these 8 wheelchair-accessible vacation spots will give you the right mix of relaxation and adventure, all in a safe and easy-to-access way.

Click “Next” to view the beautiful places!

Washington, DC

Washington, DC, is one of our favorite wheelchair-accessible vacation spots to visit! It’s full of rich history, and many of the best attractions there are free!

To top it all off, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority was called one of “the most-accessible public transportation systems in the world” a few years ago. The wide sidewalks downtown make it more wheelchair-friendly than most cities this size.

Combine that with the fact that the Metro has elevators at each stop, van transport when elevators are down, kneeling buses, and a ruling to make 100% of taxis wheelchair-accessible, and DC will surely impress you.

Almost every attraction you can think of in the nation’s capital makes it easy for strollers and wheelchairs to get through.

Las Vegas, NV

If you haven’t made it to Vegas yet, now’s the time to do it! The shows and casinos on the Vegas Strip ARE wheelchair-accessible. The city is flat, the sidewalks are broad, and the weather is generally fair.

There’s a sprawling paratransit system, which is open to wheelchair users, and fares for people in wheelchairs on buses are only a dollar. Even the monorail here is wheelchair-accessible.

And what’s even better is that there are plenty of accessible attractions, including the malls, the Neon Museum, the Bellagio fountain, Fremont Street, Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden, and Dolphin Habitat.

This city is also the host of the bi-yearly NASCAR weekend events, which take place in March and September. This three-day event is an authentic experience for racing fans.

The Las Vegas Speedway is also a fully accessible venue, making navigating with your mobility device effortless.

Denver, CO

Don’t let the mountains or the Mile-High City nickname fool you: Public transportation makes this place one of the most wheelchair-accessible vacation spots in our country.

While it’s true that Denver can get snowy and cold, the public transportation system here goes to great lengths to make it fully accessible. All trains and light rail include ramps and priority seating.

And even though the Access-a-Ride paratransit service mandates one to three days’ notice, it’s available in dusk-to-dawn and dawn-to-dusk shifts. It also goes anywhere within a three-quarter-mile radius of standard transit, and it’s also open to out-of-town visitors.

So if you’ve been holding off on visiting this gorgeous city…now’s your time!

Albuquerque, NM

As an already fairly flat city, Albuquerque is one of the most wheelchair-accessible vacation spots in the United States. All its buses are wheelchair-friendly, and the Sun Van curb-to-curb service can help out those who aren’t able to ride the bus.

Fares for individuals in wheelchairs are approximately a third of the standard fee, and all New Mexico Rail Runner express train stations are wheelchair-accessible. Nob Hill, the incredible Balloon Fiesta, and most other attractions are accessible by wheelchair.

But don’t bother looking for an accessible taxicab, though, because you won’t find one. A rental van is, sadly, the best way to drive around this beautiful city.

Los Angeles, CA

Well-known as the City of Angels, this warm and sunny city full of Hollywood glamour is a “Must-See” at least once in this lifetime. The main attraction, Universal Studios in Hollywood, has a lot of wheelchair-accessible rides along with the services of language interpreters.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is another wheelchair-accessible draw because you can quickly appreciate the entire tour without getting out of your seat. The Grove and The Getty Center are also some of the city’s most wheelchair-accessible vacation spots to visit.

Besides all that, many beaches in LA offer free beach wheelchair rentals so you can enjoy the sand and sea just like everybody else!

On top of that, all the buses are built for wheelchair access, rail stations have elevators or ramps, and all wheelchair-using passengers pay a lower fee. The Consolidated Transportation Services Agency also has a free fare and seven-day-a-week rideshare programs.

Boston, MA

You might get a few complaints from the locals about the T. But don’t listen to that. It runs better than the subway in the Big Apple, and above- and below-ground trains have fantastic wheelchair access.

In fact, a lawsuit against New York City mentioned that most T stations in this tourist-friendly city are wheelchair-accessible.

And the situation has gotten even better in recent years, with 90% of stations friendly to those needing wheelchair access and the T updating platforms and elevators wherever possible.

But the best part? The Freedom Trail is one of the most wheelchair-accessible vacation spots in the country.

At the same time, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Museum of Fine Art, the Public Garden, the Esplanade, and Boston Common are all easy to navigate with strollers and wheelchairs.

Richmond, VA

Back in 2011, only about 30% of the city was within reach of public transit. But that’s been changing quickly. In fact, this city’s high-frequency bus rapid transit system launched recently along more than a dozen of its stops.

Passengers who need wheelchair access pay a mere 75 cents for each ride and have access to a fleet that’s now 100% wheelchair-friendly. Buses run late into the night, and there are 80 passenger vehicles that are dedicated entirely to curb-to-curb paratransit.

That makes this an easy to get navigate wheelchair-accessible vacation spot. So this is the perfect time for you to visit the Maymont Victorian estate, the Kings Dominion theme park, take a leisurely stroll on the canal, and the Edgar Allan Poe museum.

Philadelphia, PA

You should NEVER miss out on a visit to historic Philadelphia! Attractions like the Constitution Center, Liberty Bell, Museum of the American Revolution, Franklin Institute, and even the art museum are wheelchair accessible.

If you enjoy markets, you should go to the Reading Terminal Market! It’s an enclosed market, so you can visit it no matter the weather. It’s one of the most wheelchair-accessible vacation spots, and you can quickly enter at any of the entrances.

There are several wheelchair-accessible restrooms throughout the market, as well. This city’s transit HAS access. But we’ll admit that it has work to do.

Roughly 70% of the buses and trains are wheelchair-accessible, and much of that improvement has only come in recent years.

While SEPTA’s bus system is 100% accessible, passengers have lobbied for improvement at train stations, particularly for regional rail. The PATCO rail line fares slightly better, but the city still has many other accessible options.

When planning your next trip, we recommend purchasing this Seat Cushion Pillow from Amazon to help you stay more comfortable on your adventures.

And if you liked this post, be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments below. We also recommend checking out: 48 Charming Small Towns You Haven’t Heard of (But Should Visit ASAP)