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We are taking a road trip starting about May 10, from Hilton Head North, probably all the way up into southern Canada...for sure to Bar Harbor. We will appreciate any guidance about things NOT to miss, things/places we could easily miss not knowing the areas. If you have intimate knowledge for some of the areas, input will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!! Bill & Elsa
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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You didn't give much info to start, so here are my suggestions.
South to North:
Come up I-95 and hit South of the Border (http://www.pedroland.com/( (broken link), just for cheesy roadside Americana. Head east through NC and stop in Asheville, Boone, or Blowing Rock NC for the mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Come on up I-77, stop in Blacksburg and pay respects at the Virginia Tech memorial (have to put in a plug for the best college in America - my alma mater ). Then head up I-81 to I-65 and across After Mountain to Charlottesville. Stop at a few wineries around there, assuming you drink wine. Get off I-64 in Shadwell and follow rt 22 to rt 231 to Gordonsville (a couple more wineries along the way). Then follow rt 15 to rt 20 to rt 3 to Fredericksburg, stopping at Wilderness and/or Chansellorville Battlefield. Get back on I-95 and head up to DC. Stop at the Marine memorial near Quantico then go up to DC and see the sites there. Then up I-95 to I-83 to rt 30 and Lancaster, PA for some Amish county. Then head up to Scanton and pay homage to Dunder Mifflin paper company and see the Poconos. Maybe after that head up to New York and the Catskills, then New York City. From there, back in I-95 to Newport, RI and see the big mansions and the Cliff Walk, maybe stopping by Foxwoods casino on your way if thats your thing. Then on to Boston and/or Cape Cod. Then head up to Portland, ME, Acadia, and Bar Harbor, ME. I'd also suggest a swing by Moosehead lake and hiking up Mt Kineo.
whew.. thats a couple weeks worth there Probably 4-6 hours driving between each stop. Its hard not to put in a plug for the lakes in East Tennessee and the mountains and hot springs in West Virginia, but alas, I couldn't figure it into the route. Berkeley Springs could be added after DC, perhaps skilling Amish County and just heading straight up I-81 after that.
Last edited by rubytue; 04-07-2008 at 07:27 PM..
Reason: more links
One of the most incredible places we've ever been to was in far southeastern New Brunswick. It's an island called Grand Manan Island (reachable by ferry.) Granted, we are birdwatchers, but the serene beauty of the place was incredible. The place to catch the ferry is very close to the border with Maine (if I remember correctly, it was a 30 minute drive.) We enjoyed it there more than Bar Harbor, but that could be because I remember Bar Harbor from my childhood and it has really changed. WAY too many people for our liking, though the sunset on Cadillac Mountain is pretty great.
If you're going as far as Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island is beyond incredible. We did a trip that started in Maine, we drove up the coast to New Brunswick, stayed several nights on Grand Manan Island, then a few nights in Sackville NB via Fundy National Park (to see the southern migration of millions of sandpipers,) then on to Cape Breton Island. We hiked there, saw lots of deer, and stayed in a little cabin near the French town of Cheticamp. After we left Cape Breton Island, we went down the east coast of Nova Scotia to Yarmouth and then took the all-day ferry from there down to Portland Maine. That was the last trip we did pre-kids and it was a WONDERFUL one!
Another place I like in Maine is Deere Isle and the town of Stonington at the bottom of Deer Isle. If ever there is a place that represents Maine to me, it's Deere Isle. Great photography opportunities there (the bridge leading from the mainland to Little Deere Isle is a photographer's dream, as is the lighthouse.)
If you're into history, the town of Harper's Ferry West Virginia has lots of that, and it's a quaint, hilly little place. Civil war history (john Brown, to be exact.) There are LOTS of civil war history places (Gettysburg being a major site.)
Have some bluecrab while in Maryland (my home state,) preferably at a hole- in-the-wall joint, not a chain restaurant.
So, those are just my opinions. I hope you have a wonderful and safe trip!
You didn't give much info to start, so here are my suggestions.
South to North:
Come up I-95 and hit South of the Border (http://www.pedroland.com/( (broken link), just for cheesy roadside Americana. Head east through NC and stop in Asheville, Boone, or Blowing Rock NC for the mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Come on up I-77, stop in Blacksburg and pay respects at the Virginia Tech memorial (have to put in a plug for the best college in America - my alma mater ). Then head up I-81 to I-65 and across After Mountain to Charlottesville. Stop at a few wineries around there, assuming you drink wine. Get off I-64 in Shadwell and follow rt 22 to rt 231 to Gordonsville (a couple more wineries along the way). Then follow rt 15 to rt 20 to rt 3 to Fredericksburg, stopping at Wilderness and/or Chansellorville Battlefield. Get back on I-95 and head up to DC. Stop at the Marine memorial near Quantico then go up to DC and see the sites there. Then up I-95 to I-83 to rt 30 and Lancaster, PA for some Amish county. Then head up to Scanton and pay homage to Dunder Mifflin paper company and see the Poconos. Maybe after that head up to New York and the Catskills, then New York City. From there, back in I-95 to Newport, RI and see the big mansions and the Cliff Walk, maybe stopping by Foxwoods casino on your way if thats your thing. Then on to Boston and/or Cape Cod. Then head up to Portland, ME, Acadia, and Bar Harbor, ME. I'd also suggest a swing by Moosehead lake and hiking up Mt Kineo.
whew.. thats a couple weeks worth there Probably 4-6 hours driving between each stop. Its hard not to put in a plug for the lakes in East Tennessee and the mountains and hot springs in West Virginia, but alas, I couldn't figure it into the route. Berkeley Springs could be added after DC, perhaps skilling Amish County and just heading straight up I-81 after that.
WHEW!!!! Great places but talk about taking the longest way possible...
As a child, we traveled to Gettysburg and Lancaster, PA (Amish County) often and I loved it - still do . Of course, Williamsburg and Jamestown are not to be missed (Yorktown was rather boring).
It just kind of depends what you like - history, antiquing, wineries, big cities.
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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Quote:
Originally Posted by njkate
WHEW!!!! Great places but talk about taking the longest way possible...
So true, but Bill & Elsa gave absolutley no information as to where they are from, how long they had, or what type of things they wanted to see. So I gave my fantasy road trip (Actually, I have been to all those places over about 10 years). Since I would guess there are more Elsas in Europe than the US, I also made a bit of an assumption that there is a possibility they are on one of those wonderfully long vacations Europeans get. If so, I'm totally jealous!!
You're right...we didn't give you much info, so we'll try to do better! We are Realtors in New Mexico, are semi-retired, and are taking this trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We took a cruise a couple years ago from NY (spent 3 days in NY, so we probably will want to spend some more time there to see some of the things we missed, since it was raining the whole time we were there) up into Canada and back along the coast during the Fall, hoping to see the foliage. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of rain that year, and a very late Fall, so we didn't see much of the "normal" beautiful foliage. However, we did get just a taste of the coastal cities, towns, villages, countryside and sea coast since each Port of Call was for no more than 8 hours. Just enough to make us want to see more.
Bill is an amateur photographer, and so expects to spend a great deal of time capaturing the landscape, seascapes, light houses, interesting old buildings, churches, bridges, etc. We enjoy hiking of easy to moderate difficutly...are probably not in good enough condition to take strenous hikes of any great length.
We enjoy the local restaurants, try to stay away from chains if at all possible. May want to picnic along the coast when we find places that lend themselves to that. We love to stay in B&Bs, or small inns, versus chain hotels or motels.
Our plan is to have absolutely no schedule. If we find an area that we really like we may stay several days. We plan to keep going until we start missing our bed at home, possibly to the end of May, or the first week of June.
We will be spending a few days with friends in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and probably take the train into NY from there.
When we've reached as far North as we are going to go, (when we start REALLY wanting our bed back home) we will go back to Niagra Falls, visit a cousin in Chicago, and back to New Mexico.
Does that help any? Any ideas of places/sights/things-to-do, etc. NOT to miss will be appreciated.
Ok, if you are FROM out west, and starting in Hilton Head SC - I would stop in Myrtle Beach Broadway at the Beach for a GREAT time. It is like a mini Disney World.
Make sure that one day, you go south and head to Savannah and Charleston. Those are great historical places.
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). Then head up I-81 to I-65 and across After Mountain to Charlottesville. Stop at a few 
Things not to miss on an East Coast Road Trip
