NYC to Orlando

[mandrover]

Hi we are going to be on vacation later this month from the UK, we are having a few days in NYC and then driving down to Orlando in four days so we can see a bit more of the USA. we are wondering where is good to stay on the route down for the 3 nights and what to see. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thankyou

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

I just did the reverse of that trip, going from Orlando up to the NJ area (about 50 miles west of NYC). This is what we did:

Day 1: We left Orlando and went over to Kennedy Space Center, visiting that. Then we drove up to Jacksonville and spent the night there. (Best Western Jacksonville Airport -- decent place.)

Day 2: We drove up I-95 into southern South Carolina, where we took off on US-17. Beautiful drive, mostly rural, but with lots of stop lights and signs to slow you down -- particularly as you get closer to Myrtle Beach, SC. We overnighted in So. Myrtle Beach.

Day 3: We drove up US-17 to US-13...also slow, beautiful, and rural...into Chesapeake, VA, which is City. We didn't stop to see anything because it was a Sunday and what we wanted to see was either closed completely or only open for a few hours (and didn't coincide with our passing time). But there are two plantations along the route. One was Hope Plantation in NC. I can't remember the other one's name, and it's bookmarked on my laptop which is in the shop.

Day 4: Chesapeake to northern NJ via US-13, MD-113, then I-295 and a myriad of US routes including my husband's nemesis, US-206. (You could use the Garden State, probably. It would have taken us out of the way.) Along this route was Chincoteague and Assateague Islands (we got to see two of the wild horses), Goddard Wallops Island Facility (NASA) Museum, and Philadelphia is just a short skip away.


Donna

[mandrover]

Thats brilliant, thankyou.

[Lifemagician]

Since you have a little time, you may like to check out some of the great coastal attractions, anywhere between Atlantic City NJ, and the Kennedy Space Centre.

Starting in NJ, there are the beaches and resort towns all the way from Atlantic City to Cape May. A great - albeit slow - drive. (This runs parralel with the Garden State Pkwy, so you can choose at any time to hop on/off it, for faster progress.) From Cape May there is the ferry to Lewes DE. Then hwy 1 (a divided road) goes all the way to Ocean City MD. At many places you will be a stone's throw from the Atlantic Ocean.

Highway 13 through VA will take you to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, and onto Chesapeake City. There is the Fisherman's Pier at the south end of the tunnel, as well as a neat little gift and coffee shop. Worth a stroll.

Further south in the Carolinas there are the outerbanks, from Kitty Hawk to Ocracoke. This involves ferries which it is wise to book a day before hand... though I didn't, and still got on.

All of these make a great trip south, with a wide variety of places to visit. But you might like to pick and choose, and do any one of them, or small sections (where possible). Some years ago I drove the coast road from Atlantic City to Key West, and can highly recommend it for its variety and scenery.

Lifey

[mandrover]

Thanks thats great info. Any good places to stay?

[Lifemagician]

Any good places to stay?

When it comes to hotels and motels, I am not exactly the most appropriate person to ask. I rarely use them. However, a good map will show you all the places along the route you are planning to take. Pop them into the RTA reservations window (on the right of this page), and check out to see what there is that suits you. No knowing what gems your research will unearth.

Lifey

p.s. I just put Kitty Hawk into the RTA hotel reservations, and it came up with 9 hotels in Kitty Hawk, as well as another 11 in nearby locations. I have no doubt other places will bring up similar results.