8 Destinations to Celebrate the Big 5-Oh

​For mountain magic: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee 

If cozying up in a mountain cabin with your crew to celebrate your day sounds idyllic, head to the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg. 

​Learn the secrets of authentic Appalachian cuisine during a class at Smoky Mountain School of Cooking, rise early on your big birthday for a sunrise hike within Great Smoky Mountains National Park or plan your visit to coincide with a multiday art workshop (perhaps basket weaving, pottery or tapestry weaving) at Gatlinburg’s celebrated Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, one of the oldest craft schools in Tennessee. 

​To stay, browse through cabin rentals via Mountain Laurel Chalets to find the perfect base of operations for your group. 

​Overseas splurge: Dolomite Mountains, Italy

Gina DiPrima, owner and luxury travel adviser at Prima Italy, points to northern Italy’s Dolomite Mountains as a destination for “comfortably challenging both your mind and body, and feeding your soul with some of the best gourmet food in Italy.” The Dolomites region is known for skiing and challenging hiking trails. “But from spring through fall, you can hike along gentle trails and challenging ascents,” she says. If you’re up for even more of a challenge, consider trying a via ferrata (Italian for “iron path”), says DiPrima, who tackled one of the climbing paths with cables and rebar that you can clip into for safety for her own 50th birthday. “Reaching the top of the mountain filled me with an enormous sense of physical and mental achievement,” she says.

​Accommodations in the Dolomites range from rustic cabins to wellness hotels and five-star lodging. In the latter category, Forestis has a penthouse with its own private saunas and pools and priceless mountain views to match the celebratory mood.

​For foodies: Napa Valley, California 

For travelers who want to pair exceptional dining experiences with their travels, gone are the days of having dinner and calling it a day, Swasbrook says. “People want to have a cooking class with a chef and wine pairings,” she adds. “There are always components of education and adventure, especially in this age group. They want to learn and be active.” 

​​California’s Napa Valley region offers everything from affordable vacation rentals to luxury inns. You can book a celebratory dinner aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train’s observation dining car as you roll through vineyards, take a hands-on cooking class incorporating seasonal local produce at Silverado Cooking School, and hire a driver to take your group wine-tasting through Napa’s famed vineyards. 

​Overseas splurge: Cape Town, South Africa

Maya George, founder of Our Black Passports, points to South Africa’s Western Cape region as “wine and foodie central” for a 50th birthday bash. Rent a classic car with a chauffeur to arrive in style from Cape Town to the Stellenbosch or Constantia wine lands. Cape Town’s regular Food Jams events are culinary parties curated by top chefs at which you’re paired with strangers and challenged to cook an amazing meal together, creating lots of camaraderie.   

​For a five-star stay and special occasion dinner, try the oceanfront Twelve Apostles Hotel. The chic on-site Azure Restaurant serves local seafood that is sustainably caught in surrounding waters. 

A small group of hikers make their way through the red rocks in Sedona, Arizona; a scuba diver with a Hawksbill sea turtle in Turks and Caicos

Alamy

​For health and wellness: Sedona, Arizona 

Swasbrook says yoga and wellness retreats are popular among her clients turning 50. “They’re making sure that there are gyms where they’re staying, hiring a yoga instructor or asking about hiking options where they can exercise with a sense of place,” she notes. 

​Sedona is a favorite domestic destination where you can tailor a wellness vacation to be as luxurious or DIY as you like. Go hiking through the region’s red rocks and vortexes on your own, take a local yoga class in town, and book into one of the creekside vacation homes at the Junipine Resort, complete with full kitchens, for a relaxing stay.

​You also can go big with a wellness retreat tailor made for you with spa treatments, mindfulness experiences and outdoor adventures (including hot-air balloon adventures) in the mix at the storied Enchantment Resort.

Overseas splurge: Turks and Caicos 

The coral islands of Turks and Caicos abound with wellness resorts that maximize soothing sea views made for meditating to the sound of gently lapping waves. The private island resort Como Parrot Cay includes 1,000 acres of Caribbean wilderness and offers a private Pilates studio and yoga pavilion and a world-class spa with unique treatments made with Dead Sea mud and marine algae. 

​The Shore Club’s private oceanfront villas fronting Long Bay Beach make for a relaxing pied-à-terre, especially if you’re traveling with a group. You may not want to leave, so consider hiring a private chef and your own yoga instructor.