Chicago to Cape Cod family roadtrip

[jillcvance]

Hello, We are attempting our first family road trip (family of 4..kids 9 months and 3 yrs old) to stay with family in Cape Cod and wanted to know of any stops we should make sure we stop along the way...we want to go the "scenic route" and split up the drive. We love to camp and would love any suggestions also on family friendly campgrounds as well...cabin based or tent camping. Any short fun hikes along the way with beautiful views too. Thank you.

[glc]

Welcome to RTA!

How many days do you have to make this trip? Do you have an iPass?

[jillcvance]

thanks. we will be gone for about 9 days...yes we have I-pass

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Let's face it. The kids won't care about whether you take a scenic route or just stick to the Turnpikes. What they'll care about, at least the three-year old, is how often they get to run around and play rather than just sit in the car. To that end, taking scenic non-freeway roads helps in that you are more likely to find little local parks with playgrounds and you can stop sooner than every 25 miles or so when there's just exits and 'service areas' at your disposal. And of course, you avoid the tolls. On the other hand, non-toll Interstates can be scenic as well and offer exits far more frequently than turnpikes. So a RoadTrip such as you are envisioning has the best of both worlds for the adults and the kids. The downside is that it will take a bit longer.

My own preferred 'scenic' route through the Midwest combines some of the best of both worlds, using mostly four lane divided roads with decent speed limits that bypass the larger towns but still give ready access to the if need be. That would be US-30 to Fort Wayne, I-69/I-469 around the city, then back on US-30 to Mansfield OH. I-71/I-76/I-80 let you thread the needle through the Cleveland/Youngstown/Akron area to around Clarion PA. From there, PA-66 will take you north to US-6 across northern Pennsylvania. At Scranton, get on I-84 and take that to Hartford where you'll want to leave town on I-384 which becomes US-6 again towards Providence. Use I-295/I-95/I-495 around Providence and towards the Cape, MA-25 across the Bourne Bridge onto the Cape, and MA-6A/US-6 as far out onto the Cape as you want to go.

Three days would be sufficient to make such a drive a pleasant trip with relatively frequent stops for picnic lunches and to let the kids play. Overnight stops would be roughly around Akron OH (Cuyahoga Valley National Park has primitive camping) and Middletown NY (nearby Fahnestock State Park is your best bet for camping). And while there aren't many big name attractions through Indiana and Ohio on this route, it does give ready access to local parks, school playgrounds, state parks, and small towns. The eastern portion of the drive will take you past some great hiking spots: Leonard Harrison State Park home of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the New England Carousel Museum in Bristol CT, and of course Cape Cod National Seashore at your destination.

AZBuck

[glc]

Please note that if you must make the drive in only 2 days, you will need to stick with the direct Interstates - I-90 to I-495. That's a LOT of tolls, but I-pass works all the way.