Me, Husband, dog, 10 days starting in NJ. Where should we go?

We have driven cross country before, NJ,NY, Ohio, IN,IL,Io,N&SD, Wyoming, Ut,AZ, Co, NM, Ks. We camped out most of the way being that we were poor and still in college. Now we have a dog in the mix and bit more cash. We still want to camp out most of the way and want to see great, beautiful and weird places. We are interested in regional foods, funny accents, dog friendliness, unpredictable adventures, swimmin' holes, county fairs, hiking, breweries and strange local customs. So, I am looking for suggestions, folks to show us around their town, or just an event to go see. We want to have a tentative route but will probably not stick to it if we see a sign to somewhere that entices along the way. We would probably hit the road sometime late August.
Thanks in Advance.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I see two areas within relatively easy reach of New Jersey that would offer the chance to find what you seem to be looking for. The first would be the deep south including the coast of the Carolinas and a bit of the Appalachians. Certainly you would run into some local cuisine, different accents and a different pace of life. There are also many state parks and national forests for camping. The other area would be New England and the Maritimes of Canada. You would have to get passports and look into what documentation would be needed to take the dog across the border, but Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia again offer something uniquely different within just a few days' drive of New Jersey.

AZBuck