nyc > austin in an rv, 5 days max

we plan on driving from NYC > Austin, TX in mid Sept. All of the map sites want me to go south on I-81, west on I-40, the south on I-35. I have done this before and am not crazy about going this way...Since I have never really been thru the midwest, I was thinking of going west, then south...

Can anyone recommend good stops along the way, i.e. food, quirky places, or anything out of the ordinary? Since I am pressed for time, I can't really go too far out of the way, but I don't mind taking a local road in the same general direction that I will be traveling....

I look forward to hearing any and all suggestions...

Thanks in advance!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The thing about software is that it is a slave to the 'best' route, even if it's only slightly better than some other alternative. In your case there is another route that is only 115 miles longer (out of about 1800) that does exactly what you want. Take I-78 out of New York and then hook up with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Harrisburg. Continue on I-70 when it leaves the Turnpike southeast of Pittsburgh and take that to St Louis. From there, I-44 will take you to Oklahoma City and the junction with I-35 for the rest of the drive to Austin. Clearly, the beginning and end of this route3 will be familiar to you, but the bulk of it will be new road. So get out a good atlas and see what's along that general route that might appeal to you

AZBuck

thanks for the advice, azbuck! This looks like a good way to go, and doesn't add too many miles...

Thanks!