7 Weeks Coast to Coast

My buddy and I have been planning a USA roadtrip for the past few months and would love any advice or info on things we MUST see that we may have overlooked or not heard of at all. We've both travelled outside of the US, but haven't ever taken the time to explore our homeland. We have the time this summer so we're going to try and take advantage of it. Any feedback is much appreciated.

(We will be visiting many family members and friends which will explain some of the random stops)

A rough outline:(in order)

Northern California to LA
Los Angeles/San Diego (4 days)
El Paso, Tx (1 Day)
Carlsbad, NM (1 Day)
San Antonio, Corpus Christie, & Houston, TX (3 days)
New Orleans (2 Days)
Decatur, AL (1 Day)
Nashville, TN (2 Days)
Pigeon Forge, TN (1 Day)
Washington D.C. (3 Days)
Ocean City, MD (1 Day)
Philadelphia, PA (2 Days)
New York City (4 Days)
Boston, MA (3 Days)
Buffalo, NY (1 Day)
Toronto, Ontario (1 Day)
Detroit, MI (2 Days)
Chicago, IL (4 Days)
Minneapolis, MN (1 day)
Deadwood, SD (1 Day)
Yellowstone National Park (Not Sure where yet... 2 Days)
Glacier National Park (Again, Not sure... 2 Days)
Seattle, WA (4 Days)
Astoria, Oregon (2 Days)
Back to Northern California

It's basically the perimeter of the US minus some of the states from the South East. We plan on hitting many of the popular tourist spots on this trip but are also hoping to venture off the beaten path. We are looking for recommendations on any other cities or towns nearby any of the aforementioned that might be worth checking out. We are also hoping for any ideas on hotels or motels that might be comfortable and reasonably priced. Also... FOOD! If anyone has been to any great restaurants or bars we would love to know. (we especially love Mexican food) I checked out the section on this website devoted to "10 great diners"... We will definitely be stopping by some of those!

We are both really excited about spending this summer travelling through this large and diverse country.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

One thing I notice in this list - you don't give yourself a lot of time in some of the stops - such as Deadwood, SD - is about 12 hours, if not more, from Minneapolis.

Another item - San Diego to El Paso, about 13.5 hours.


Are these times (number of days) inclusive or exclusive of traveling in between destinations? I look at the list, and it definitely appears inclusive for 49 days. So, in situations like the one above, you will have little to no time to actually explore the area you are arriving in.

At this point you may want to redraft your outline, as there are some significant driving days in there.

Sounds like a wonderful time. Pike Market in Seattle is a must see. Lots of fresh food to take with you and great shopping and restaurants. One of the great places to people watch.