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Hi, My wife & I are coming to America on July 4th 2016. This will be our first visit of many. We're staying in New York for the first 3 days, then travelling on July 8th 2016 to Miami, arriving in Miami on July 12th 2016. We like to know of any great Cultural places to visit on our way down & places to stay.
Many Thanks
Lost_Lancs
Welcome to RTA forums!
Are you planning this with paper maps? If not, that's the next step in your planning: get paper maps or a road atlas. You can order the latter from a link below and you'll have it in a couple of weeks, if you can't buy one locally. You can't rely on the electronic maps to give you the information that a good atlas or set of paper maps can.
Donna
As I'm sure you know, 'cultural places' are pretty much limited to large metropolitan areas. New York, Philadelphia and Washington will be your primary stops with attractions such as (but not limited to):
New York: Broadway, Lincoln Center, MOMA
Philadelphia: Academy of Music, Museum of Art, Institute of Classical Architecture and Art
Washington DC: National Gallery of Art, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic, Washington Ballet, the Smithsonian Institution
Farther south, 'culture' may take on a different meaning and perhaps one closer to what you had in mind in your question.
Richmond: Cultural Festivals
Charleston: Charleston Cultural Events
Savannah: "The Big Calendar"
In any case, there is more than one way to get from New York to Miami, and perhaps you might want to consider taking a route other than I-95 to tap into the local cultures between those two cities.
AZBuck
Philadelphia, PA, Washington, DC, Richmond, VA (Williamsburg-Jamestowne, VA), Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and of course, St. Augustine, FL.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news but traveling along the East Coast during the summer, on I-95 or the beach highways (e.g., Rt. 1 or US 1) is rich with beach traffic from Friday through Sunday evening. The traffic back-ups can be brutal.
Philadelphia and DC are very accessible via Amtrak train from New York City. Washington, D.C., is easily good for 2-3 days.
It is possible to continue on via train to Charleston and Savannah, both lovely southern cities. Train service is only once or twice a day but might fit your itinerary. The train continues on to Miami.
You might find it easier to fly from D.C. to Miami.
"Cultural" come in many flavors... do you mean art, history, cuisine?
When you are travelling with good detailed maps, there will always be an alternative route to take. Besides, if you really want to enjoy the trip, I would stay well away from I-95. The year I drove route 1 along the Atlantic coast (Jul/Aug), there were a couple of hold ups with traffic, but never so much that I wished I was on another road. All it takes is a little patience and an appreciation of the area through which you are driving. Be flexible and make sure you have enough time not to have to rush.
I loved it, and just took everything in my stride. The longest waits were for the ferry at a couple of points.
I would agree with taking the train as far as DC.
Lifey
There are NOT always good alternative routes. Especially on weekends during peak summer beach traffic up and down the coast. Trust me, I am local to the region and have driven in and about from New Jersey to Florida during all the seasons and weekends in peak summer can be terrible. During the mid-summer week, Mon-Thu, you can try some alternative routes (during non-rush hour periods in the Delaware to North Carolina areas).
Of course, if you want to drive on the western side of the Shenandoah/Appalachian mountain range that is an alternative route but will take you far, far away from the sites mentioned thus far (e.g., Richmond, VA, Williamsburg-Jamestowne, VA, Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and St. Augustine, FL).
Charlottesville, VA and Asheville, NC, might be options. Just figure out your traffic rich escape from Washington, D.C.! Amtrak has several trains to Richmond, VA, if that is on your radar.