Month: July 2018

Every year we go to Newport, RI to sail in the Thomas Clagett Regatta. It really is an awesome event for disabled sailors. The volunteers and the sponsors are just amazing and of course the competition is great. The reason we get to partake in this wonderful event is because of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation. If you live close to Chicago and want to participate in adaptive sailing, you need to check them out. It is truly a wonderful foundation and every year they send Gary and other adaptive sailors to several locations to compete in sailing races. And of course Newport, RI is one of the locations we get to travel to through the foundation.

They always put us up in the The Seamen’s Church Institute for lodging. It was originally built for sailors and fisherman, but now welcomes all types of visitors. There are two bathrooms that are shared among the guests. Two rooms and one of the bathrooms are ADA compliant. The rooms and bathrooms are very basic and nothing fancy, but very clean and  for us it works out perfectly. The hotel is close to the ferry that takes Gary to his sailing location at Fort Adams and is also right downtown. The bars and restaurants are just steps away. There is limited availability since there are just a few rooms, so you definitely need to book ahead. But we definitely recommend the Seamen’s Institute to anyone who is looking for something right downtown and doesn’t care if it’s not a five star hotel.

Here are some pictures of one of the ADA compliant rooms and the bathroom.

Newport is such a cute little area. Tons of bars and restaurants. Not the greatest with accessibility because of cobblestones and older buildings, but we definitely managed and had a great time. And despite the older buildings and cobblestones streets, there are still plenty of restaurants and bars that are ADA friendly. Just look at how beautiful it is!

Gary did finish second in his division! Spot him in the bright green shirt!

We have always loved Nashville and have been there multiple times, but have never been to the CMA Fest. It did not disappoint. There was so much to do everyday and so many artists. If you are a country music lover, this is a must. The stadium you see above was the Nissan Stadium and the main performance stage at night.  There were multiple locations to see different artists and handicap shuttle buses to take you around to each location. There were performances all day long starting relatively early and would go all the way until midnight. So there is plenty to do just at the festival, but it was pretty hot outside, so during the day we ventured out and did a few other things around Nashville. It was a perfect balance for us. In terms of accessibility, the fest was pretty well equipped. The shuttle buses were very convenient and the handicap seats were decent. The only issue we had was the seating arrangements at the Nissan Stadium. They would only allow you two seats for the handicap seating area and we had four people. It ended up working out as they didn’t give the surrounding seats to anyone, so we were all able to crash there every night. The biggest issue being wheelchair bound at this festival is just maneuvering through the crowds. There were so many people! Don’t let this deter you, it is worth the hassle. We would definitely recommend to check this festival out!