Moving from SD to NJ in April - road trip

[Liza]

I'm moving back to the east coast in early April and would love some ideas on the best routes to take from San Diego to New Jersey. I am traveling with a friend and would like to go through AZ (visit Grand Canyon), TX, NC, Maryland to NJ. I would like advice on best places to travel in the in-between states - would it be too out of the way to visit New Orleans if I would like to travel for only 6-7 days? Other alternatives of cities to visit along the way with great food. This is my first cross country trip and need HELP!! Any assistance on routes, best cities to stay over night, and food finds would be great!!

[CT Roadtripper]

I'm brand new to this board and wish I knew about many days and wrong turns ago, so if it's not too presumptious, I would like to address your situation:

To include all your stops in the trip in 7 days is going to be a bit tricky. N'ahlins is too ambitious for a SD to Joisey trip in seven days. You can do it, but you'd be in the car the whole time and I don't care who you're driving with that's way too much togetherness.

However, the SD to NJ route by Interstate goes through some great cities full of good times and great food. If the Grand Canyon is a must and seeing a glimpse of Texas is enough, I would suggest:

Day 1 - Bright and early, drive to Phoenix. Extra ambitious, get to Flagstaff (guessing about a 7-8 hour drive - depends on if you're a student of the Jessica Tandy School of Driving or the Burt Reynolds School of Driving)

Day 2 - North to the Grand Canyon at sunrise. You don't have to "Clark Griswold" the Canyon, but don't take more than a couple hours there. Get back on your horse and head towards Albuquerque. Any city in BOLD type on an atlas is going to have AT LEAST five great restaurants. Hit Google and find out where the locals eat. Full parking lot with a line out the door is a good sign. That means great food, ample portions or free TVs, either way you win.

Day 3 - BIG DRIVING DAY - Cue the mix tapes and stock the cooler. Drive East on I-40. Although, the Interstate might not give you the real feel of the area as a U.S. Highway or State road, in seven days, you have no other choice but to get going.

Let's say a big driving day for a newbie is 10 hours. You can drive through Armarillo, Texas (check Texas off the list of things to see on your trip) and be in Oklahoma City in enough time to see the Oklahoma City Bombing Monument and secure lodging and have a nice dinner and explore some of the nightlife down in the Brickyard (good brewpub down there). You're going to lose an hour today going from MTZ to CTZ. Check the net for good Oklahoma City restaurants. I live off of Waffle House and Slim Jims on my trips, so I might not be the best one to ask about eating good food.

Day 4 - Get up early. Do you prefer the Blues or Country? If blues, drive 8-9 hours to Memphis. If country, drive 11 to Nashville. Check and stay for TWO days. Congratultions, you get a day off.

BLUES ROUTE: On day 4, if you're up at 6, on the road by 7, you can be in Elvis' living room by 3. Then you got the whole night to explore Beale St. and the following day to relax a bit.

COUNTRY ROUTE: Nashville is 200+ miles east of Memphis so it might be a little late to check out the Country Hall of Fame, but if Country's your bag, it's worth it. You made no mention if this was a shoestring budget, but if it's not the Opryland Hotel is an absolutely must see place for anyone in the Nashville area.

Day 5: See above - rest up

Day 6: Check out bright and early. Make it to your favorite N.C. destination. Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, etc. Should take a good chunk of the day. Not sure what you're looking for as far as N.C. goes.

Day 7: Go home to NJ.

As far as Maryland goes, you can skip the day off in Tennessee, but you're going to need a day off somewhere if this is your first road trip. Plus, living in New Jersey, Marlyand can be done on a weekend. Try the crab cakes and check out an Orioles game for me.

[PNW Judy]

CT Roadtripper,
Great post...love your writing style.

[Jane Reinhardt]

in august i will be moving from nashville, tennessee to southern oregon..ashland to be exact. I will be driving and was wondering if anyone could give me any good suggestions for a good road trip between here and there...I will be taking my time...no real rush to get there....and i would like to end up going south through washington state also...if anyone knows anything good to hit up along the way...please let me know...thanks

I'd go north through St Louis and keep going. See the Black Hills -- in August you could sample the wild life in Sturgis during the annual motorcycle rally if you're into that sort of glorious debauchery! Keep going north until you get to US2 in North Dakota, then take that west across Montana to Newport, WA. In Newport, take SR20 across the state to I-5.

On this route, you can see Glacier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, and many other landmarks and interesting sites! Then, you can drive right down the beach (US101) to get to your new home.

That's how I'd do it!

[anthony regina]

new orleans woul;d be a great stop you can take I 10 straight there then take a detour in mississipi for the Natchez trace parkway it will be the most peacful couple hours you have ever traveled and it will connect in with I 20

[imported_lauren]

I am traveling home with my son (8) and dog to Seattle, from Bloomginton Indiana. We want to go the Southern route, so we can stop in Northern California on the way. Any suggestions for routes or must see and do's along the way?