New York to Dallas

Hi Everyone, my wife and I are flying into NY plan to spend 4 nights there then hire a car and driving over 3.5 weeks to Dallas.
I have a basic route planned out but being unfamiliar with the US I feel I may be missing out some must see areas. Our plan is to take it easy over the 3.5 weeks and go with the flow. Any ideas would be most welcome.
The main plan is to drive to Dallas trying to visit areas such as Washington, Richmond, a few beaches in North/South Carolina head south towards Florida and by Jacksonville head West to Pensacola and a few stops along the way to new Orleans. From New Orleans to head on to Dallas to catch a flight to LA.
Is it worth maybe going to Georgia/Atlanta instead of the beaches in South Carolina?

I know this route is very vague but any imput would be welcome.

A rough guess at the mileage of this trip is around 2200 miles, which would put your average mileage at around 100 miles / day, figuring in for the four days you will be spending in NYC. I put a relaxing travel day at anything under four hours - ~220 miles.

My vote in VA would be, instead of heading along the coast, to go along the Shenandoah Valley area - which is along I-81. You could head over to Front Royal on I-66, take Skyline Drive to Waynesboro then head into Richmond on I-64. Otherwise, if you choose the direct route from Washington to Richmond, I would recommend stopping in downtown Fredericksburg, which is a nice place to spend a day. Don't be fooled by the outskirts of town and the shopping plazas - the center is much different.

Had you planned on possibly spending some time on Cape Hatteras in North Carolina?

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Is it worth maybe going to Georgia/Atlanta instead of the beaches in South Carolina?

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That depends - Atlanta is a bustling metropolis with all the good and ill that the name implies. Are you more interested in spending time relaxing along the beach, or do you want to be in an area that may offer a more diverse experience? I know that in the Summer in the South, I'd opt for being on the beach.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You could make the drive from NY to Dallas in as little as 3 days if you made it a speed run, so having 3 weeks will give you plenty of time to explore the East Coast.

It seems like you might be missing out on the mountains, so I might try to fit in some time at the Great Smokey Mountains or Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. From there, you could cut back to the coast, and check out the beaches.

I also don't think you have to make Atlanta or the SC Beaches and either/or thing. With your timeframe, I think you could have time to do both.

Thanks for the input guys feels 1 month on the east coast is not enough but I have to do the west coast in the same amount of time to, I was looking into Fredericksburg and maybe Williamsburg, maybe even Willmington, Myrtle beach, Charleston and St Augustine.
Blue Mountains sounds like a plan, are the blue mountains just a scenic route or are there touristy things to do out there?
Really I would like to experience American country life, see those small towns you see in the movies where everyone in the dinner knows each other. Im also big fan of beaches being South African and growing up in the Cape, was contimplating Orlando and Disneyworld but decided to wait for Disneyland in California.

Is going up to Boston after NY worth a trip or should I rather explore the Hamptons and Jersey?

Boston is full of history and a good city to walk around in. You can easily get a good feel for the city in a day, and there is plenty of good places to eat, sites to see, and things to do in Boston. You could also spend some time in Plymouth, or head out onto Cape Cod.

The Blue Ridge Parkway gets 20 million visitors a year - but on a typical day driving along this road, you won't feel clustered in - sometimes you may not even see another vehicle for a few miles. There are touristy things to do along the road as well, much of it related to the Appalachian heritage in the area. You could even make a long drive connecting the Skyline Drive into the Blue Ridge Parkway if you wished.

The small towns of which you speak are generally to be found away from the Interstates.

May I suggest getting off I-10 when you are travelling from New Orleans to Dallas and take Highway 90 through Cajun country in South Louisiana. Then you can take highway 171 north from Lake Charles to Shreveport. And finally catch Highway 80 from Shreveport to Dallas. Those are all well traveled roads that have the added attractions of going through small town Louisiana/Texas, without ever being too far from a major interstate.


Laura