Newlyweds - First Roadtrip (Need Help)

[jrey508]

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I just got married back in January and we are planning our very first out of state road trip. We live in South Florida and we are planning to take a two week trip up to Washington D.C. and back. The route will be up I95 to DC and then back through the state hitting Atlanta and coming back down. Almost like a circle.

We are asking if anyone knows of interesting spots to stop on the way up/down. This includes great photo ops, restaurants, museums, tours, historical spots, parks, etc. We both love history so old is good and we don't mind detouring to see new stuff. Again, we never had a chance to travel before we got married so we are really looking to see and do as much was possible.

Places we already want to go are Savannah, Charleston, Willmington, Asheville, Atlanta and D.C. (if you know of any other places we should check out please let me know). Also, if you know of things to do in the places I mentioned and places you recommend we would greatly appreciate it. Any help is apperciated.

THANK YOU!!!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I-95 through the South is a mildly scenic road, but it's primary purpose is to connect major metropolitan centers and to serve as a commercial artery. I would also note that none of the places you mention as possible destinations, with the exceptions of Washington and Savannah, are actually on or even particularly close to I-95. I would therefore first suggest that you look at these two alternatives to that main route, and secondly suggest that you slow down and take several days for the drive each way and enjoy the trip.

AZBuck

[3RsMom]

AZBuck's East Coast loop is an EXCELLENT route - I think I will follow it myself should my travels take me further up the East Coast. I throw in for your consideration Charleston, SC. If you like history, this is a great place for it. Fort Sumter, first shot of the Civil War, is a short ferry-ride from the city. The Hunley submarine is on display at Warren Lasch Conservation Center - www.hunley.org. The South Carolina aquarium sits at the shipping port, offering incredible views o of the bay. Visit what used to be the slave market which is now an incredible boutique market. Wonderful architecture and southern hosipitality on display whether walking (highly recommeded) or riding in a horse-drawn carriage through the city. Seafood abounds at this popular romantic (honeymoon) city - Hyman's, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and A.W. Shucks, to name a few.

Charlestoncvb.com is the site to visit for detailed info.

Have fun!

3RsMom

[jrey508]

Thank you AZBuck for the link and the advice in taking the back roads. Do you know of any side things to see in the locations mentioned? Mom and Pop restaurants or things we have to check out in the area we are going to? Any help again is appreciated. We are trying to get everything squared away early so we are not rushing through it. Would like to relax on this trip :-)

[panchodog]

I'd avoid I-95 if you can. It's pretty boring in the Carolinas for sure and Virginia, too. It is fast, though, at least up until about Fredricksburg.

Oh, if you didn't already know, DC traffic (and Atlanta traffic, too) is horrible, but DC is a cool place so worth slogging through it if you haven't been before, but you really can't count on your travel time corresponding to what google says around there. It took me about 3.5 hrs to go from Fairfax county VA to Fredericksburg VA last summer — shoulda taken about an hour. There wasn't a wreck or anything, just a big fat traffic jam. On the way up it was smooth sailing, though, so you just never know.

When are you planning on taking this trip? You could go to Southport NC (cute town, good seafood) and take the ferry (you can drive your car on) over to Ft Fisher (historical site), there's also the NC Aquarium there at Ft Fisher and on up to Wilmington. Wilmington is a fun town, but it's similar to Charleston and Savannah though not quite as...something, historical? big? It is home to the WWII battleship North Carolina which you can tour, though, and I do think it's a town worth a stop, but I'm afraid it might pale a bit in comparison to Charleston and Savannah, I guess. It's a fun old town, though, with it's own history and definitely a nice place to visit. There used to be a wild alligator who liked to hang out near the battleship, but I guess that's nothing too exciting for a south Florida resident. There are some very nice restaurants down by the river.

I won't repeat the info AZBuck gave on the other thread as I generally think he hit the high spots. Good advice there.