Two grandmas conquer Massachusetts

When you think about retirement and grandparenthood, you might think of Jazzercise at the senior center and knitting circles on Tuesday afternoons, but for two local grandmothers, this season of their lives is about reinventing themselves, exploring new things and inspiring others as well as themselves.

Beth Sobiloff, 74, and Marcia Rothwell, 81, are the stars of their own travel show, “Two Grannies on the Road.” Created by Ms. Sobiloff, the show follows the “two grannies” on their travels as they pursue their goal of visiting all 351 towns in Massachusetts.

The show airs on Plymouth Area Community Television as well as other cities in Massachusetts. It has also aired on local television stations in Texas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

In each city they visit, the pair interview local business owners, attend city events, and eat local food while learning about the city's history, always ending their jam-packed day with an ice cream cone.

“Hopefully we can capture the feel of the whole city, not just part of it, not just the history,” Ms. Rothwell said. “We're trying to capture everything and put it into a half-hour show,” Ms. Sobiloff added.

The holiday that started it all

The Two Grannies project began in 2008 when Ms. Sobiloff realized she hadn't taken a vacation in the eight years since starting her web design business. She was single at the time and her youngest child had just graduated from college, so it was time to start a new adventure, Ms. Sobiloff said.

“I always wanted to travel across the country in an RV with my kids and never had the opportunity,” Ms. Sobiloff said. “And then I thought, 'Wait a minute, I have a job I can do from anywhere. Maybe I can find a way to work and play at the same time.'”

In anticipation of the work-from-home and van-living trends that emerged during the pandemic, Ms. Sobiloff approached one of her friends, Virginia Just, who wanted to do a travel show, with the idea.

“I've talked about doing camping cooking shows on the road and sending them to Food Network,” she said.

With Ms. Just on board and a freshly launched website, the pair began looking for sponsors for their trip. However, after two years of rejected proposals and failing to find sponsors, the pair decided to take a new direction and use the resources available to them.

“I realized that you could basically do a local TV show for free,” Ms. Sobiloff said. For a small membership fee, she could borrow the equipment and learn how to use it.

At that time, the two grandmothers' show revolved around people who were similar to them. “We had a lot of friends our age who had lost their jobs. […] before they were ready to retire,” Ms. Sobiloff said.

“We said, 'Let's do a show where we interview baby boomers who have reinvented themselves and tell their stories to inspire other baby boomers to live their dreams. It's never too late,'” Ms. Sobiloff said.

With support from East Bridgewater Community Television, Ms. Sobiloff and Ms. Just traveled to various cities to interview baby boomers and devote a segment of the show, titled “Road Trip,” to exploring the city.

This format of the show continued for four years with a break in the middle until Ms. Just retired from the show. During this time, the Grannies began filming in Plymouth for Plymouth Area Community Television. For a short time, Ms. Sobiloff continued the show on her own, focusing more on traveling and inviting “Gastomas” onto the show.

The second grandma to host with Ms. Sobiloff, Debbie Thelen, started as a guest grandma and became a regular co-host when Ms. Sobiloff proposed the project to visit every town in Massachusetts. In 2018, Ms. Sobiloff and Ms. Thelen began visiting every town, pausing the project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Thelen retired from the show in 2022. Ms. Rothwell joined after she and Ms. Sobiloff met at a women's luncheon. “She said, 'This is right up my alley,'” Ms. Sobiloff recalled.

84 completed, 267 still to go

In total, the grandmas have visited 84 of Massachusetts' 351 cities, traveling in a minivan bearing their logo, affectionately known as the “Grandma Mobile.” Their most recent visit was to Halifax on August 1.

There is no set pattern for the next city they will visit, the grandmas said. Sometimes they are invited by cities to speak at community centers, and sometimes they plan their visits around local festivals, and sometimes they visit several cities in one trip.

Before the grandmas head to a particular city, Ms. Rothwell plans and researches their stops, including restaurants, attractions and local shops. “I go on Facebook and visit the city forums,” Ms. Rothwell said.

By getting recommendations from community members on Facebook rather than travel websites, the grannies discover more hidden gems and popular local spots and get a better feel for the city, Ms Rothwell added. “This way we learn all kinds of interesting things that sometimes even community members don't know about,” she said.

After selecting a few recommendations, Ms. Rothwell contacts businesses and the local historical society to set up interviews. During their travels, the Grannies have visited farms, nonprofit organizations, many restaurants and historical sites.

Wherever they go, the grannies are welcomed by the locals with warmth and enthusiasm. “We get to see people at their best. It really gives you faith in human nature and people again,” says Ms Sobiloff.

Ms. Sobiloff, who edits the show herself, also contacts the local television station in each city and asks for volunteers to help with filming and editing.

The grandmas had exciting adventures while filming their show and met many interesting people. In April, the grandmas took part in the Athol-Orange River Rat Race, an 8.4-kilometer canoe race on the Millers River.

The Grannies were invited to the competition after a local business, Billy Goat Boats, sponsored the pair a canoe with their logo on the side. Although the Grannies came in last place, they said they had fun and enjoyed the view.

In Hubbardston, the couple visited the owner of the world's largest collection of Back to the Future memorabilia. In Oxford, they visited the Clara Barton Camp, a summer camp for children with diabetes. In Halifax, the grandmas learned the fascinating story of a local curiosity: Standish Legs, a statue of Myles Standish, whose upper body was broken off by a lightning strike.

Although Ms. Sobiloff and Ms. Rothwell are from Plymouth and Sagamore Beach, respectively, they have only visited five of the 15 towns on Cape Cod: Sandwich, Falmouth, Dennis, Yarmouth and Chatham.

“We don't do that in the summer,” says Ms Rothwell, adding that traffic makes visiting the towns difficult and that many travellers prefer to visit Cape towns in the off-season.

“They were all funny and warm and [have] “Great stories,” said Mrs. Sobiloff.

Two grandmas on a mission

During their many adventures, the grandmas learned a lot about Massachusetts and the spirit of the state's small towns.

Ms. Sobiloff especially appreciates the history she has learned and the local farms she has visited during her travels. “The history is incredible. You don't find anything like that in California; it's too new,” she said. She added, “I've learned to appreciate the local farmers. They are the hardest working people in the world.”

Ms. Rothwell, who grew up in Connecticut, added that she has learned a lot about Massachusetts on her travels: “I learn so much. It's a great learning experience, even if you've lived here your whole life.”

The two grandmas have several goals and messages they want to convey to their viewers. The most important ones? To inspire others to get out and explore the world, live healthy, and always have goals.

“I think it’s important for people to realise that you don’t have to spend a lot of money [to travel]. And that they can see and do so much,” said Ms Rothwell.

“Travelling within your own state is still travelling,” added Ms Sobiloff.

Ms. Sobiloff spoke about the goal of her project. “I think people always have to have goals, no matter how old they are or what situation they are in. You have to have goals. You have to have a goal,” said Ms. Sobiloff.

The influence of grandmas

The grandmas currently have 10,000 followers on Facebook and over 1,000 followers on YouTube and Instagram. Their most popular YouTube video has more than 15,000 views.

Although they know there are creators with far more followers, the grandmas are proud of what they have created and the impact they have had. “I know people who have gone places they wouldn't have gone if they hadn't seen our posts,” Ms. Sobiloff said. “We're reaching the people who want to see it.”

When asked if they had been recognized in public, Ms Rothwell replied: “All the time,” adding that the distinctive “Granny Mobile” attracted some of that attention.

Nineteen local businesses have sponsored the grandmothers' trips, but welcome more as their show grows.

“If we have sponsors or even volunteers […]we could do more. We could visit more cities, we could publish more content,” Ms Sobiloff said.

The two have talked about expanding their content on TikTok, writing a travel guide for Massachusetts, and starting a club similar to the 251 Club of Vermont that brings together others who want to visit every city in the state.

“We can both envision ourselves returning to the original 'Two Grannies' mission in the future and doing something across the country,” Ms. Sobiloff said.

Overall, the Omas' love for their state is overwhelming and inspiring. Although they do not yet have a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Travel and Tourism, Ms. Sobiloff said, “We are ambassadors for tourism in Massachusetts.”

The grandmas are looking forward to visiting Tanglewood, their 85th city, on August 25th.