NY to FL by car in August; Suggestions?

[Fitzriley]

We have decided to travel by car this year instead of flying. We have 4 nights at Hyatt Bonita Springs in Naples, FL starting Sunday night. Renting a car in NY and leaving Friday for a Sunday check in. Check out is Thursday and the car is rented until Sunday. Traveling with our 2 kids, 13 and 11, so we are looking to spend a few days on either side exploring the Eastern states. We have been to Williamsburg tons, am thinking more of Savannah, Charleston, St Augustine. They are pretty far down. Looking for ideas for good places to visit on our way down and back that might be fun for all and educational for some?? Of course, we will have to stop in DC, but not sure I want to spend the night there.

Any great places you have stopped at on the way that we shouldn't miss? I did this years ago with my now 24 yo daughter, and we loved the trip. Looking to do the same for my younger kids.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Joan

 

[ronparise]

Annapolis and/or Baltimore,

 

[Passepartout]

Good air conditioning, DVD players for the kids and Prozak! This trip just doesn't appeal to my sense of 'vacation' at all.

Best wishes for a safe and uneventful journey.

Jim

 

[Fitzriley]

Good air conditioning, DVD players for the kids and Prozak! This trip just doesn't appeal to my sense of 'vacation' at all.

Best wishes for a safe and uneventful journey.

Jim

LOL, Jim,

My kids are very seasoned travelers and are actually quite enjoyable on a long trip. They have their electronics when they need them, but enjoy the travel as much as we do. I drive to Ohio every year sans husband, just to visit my sister, and it is a great time with just me and the kids. My son is in charge of the map and my daughter is in charge of the camera. They help plan the trip and tell me when to slow down for the view or stop for something that looked really, really cool. They also talk me through my fear of driving over bridges, so I couldn't do it without them!

We are renting a luxury car, so we'll have all the necessities! But I get that some just wouldn't enjoy this at all.

 

[Passepartout]

My kids are very seasoned travelers and are actually quite enjoyable on a long trip.

We are renting a luxury car, so we'll have all the necessities! But I get that some just wouldn't enjoy this at all.

You are fortunate. Since they have seen the Colonial period history through the lens of Williamsburg, DC and the North, I'd wonder about going a little further West, and down the Shenandoah valley. There are Luray Caverns http://www.luraycaverns.com/ a whole bunch of Civil War sites that they would have heard about in School. I know it's some miles out of the way, but how often do you get to discover someplace new with your kids. You can continue South through E. Tennessee, and into Georgia. Good practice for your map reader. And a bonus.....fewer bridges.

We'll have our grands (11-13) road tripping through Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier N.P.s in an RV. this late Summer, too.

Jim

 

[wcfr1]

Mighty 8th Air Force museum near Savannah.
http://mightyeighth.org/

 

[Fitzriley]

Jim,

We were actually thinking of going a bit west on the trip down, the Luray Caverns look fabulous and are definitely going to be added to the trip. Thanks for the link, the kids will love it.

I wish we had the time to RV through Yellowstone. That's been a fantasy for a long time.

Joan

 

[siesta]

Clark W Griswald comes to mind

 

[Talent312]

Clark W Griswold comes to mind

:hysterical: :rofl:
I always wondered what his wife (Beverly D'Angelo) ever saw in Clark (Chevy Chase).

 

[justnosy]

we're driving too...

What a coincidence!!! I'm Joan too and my kids will be 14, 11 and 11 when we drive to Orlando in August! (from NY too)

Here's a link for you: http://www.i95exitguide.com/

My kids like road trips too! I gave them the option of flying or driving and they said drive we're going to do the two day drive. I think going down we're looking at staying around Savannah...and then on the way back I would like to stay overnight near DC.

Sorry I can't give you any suggestions on places to see and things to do but the previous posts have lots of good suggestions...I don't get much vacation time so it's rush there and back.

 

[dundey]

That makes 3 of us!
Our "kids" are a bit older - 17 and 21.
We leave on 8/11 from NJ.

My daughter is heading to Disney to do a semester internship and of course we'll help her get started there!

Outer Banks would be a great diversion for a couple days if you have the time.
Charleston, Savannah are also great as is the area of Wilmington and Carolina Beach in southern NC.

 

[jehb2]

Texas to Canada and back

We drove round trip from Texas to Canada with our two elementary age children and had a total blast. We spent time in Atlanta, Raleigh, DC, NYC, Montreal, and Niagara Falls. My kids still talk about the trip.