Austin to Maine: Which way & what to do?

[Pippinbrandybuck]

We're planning a June road trip from Austin, Texas to Acadia Park in Bar Harbour, Maine. There are many interstates and routes we could take. What do you recommend? I'd like to stop in Hershey PN to go the the theme park for my kids, 13 and 17, and my husband wants to revisit the Smoky Mountains. We have about 2 weeks. Also, maybe a Broadway musical.

All help is appreciated. thanks, as

[Pippinbrandybuck]

Also, are there routes with less traffic if we're going up along the eastern coast? thanks, as

[AZBuck]

There ARE a numer of choices for this, aren't there? But to include all the places you've mentioned, my route of choice would be I-35 to Dallas, I-30 to Little Rock, I-40 to Knoxville, I-81 up the Appalachians to Harrisburg, I-78 into New York, then up through New England on I-684, I-84, I-90, I-495, I-95 and finally, good old US-1 to Acadia. This routing takes you near or through the Great Smokies, Hershey and NYC, and avoids most of the traffic headaches on the east coast. There is no way to avoid NYC AND see a Broadway show!

There are also a number of places and roads along this way that have been recommended before, including Memphis for food and music, the Blue Ridge Parkway for a scenic road parallel to I-81 (the 2-lane Parkway runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge, I-81 runs up the Shenandoah Valley just to the west), and Gettysburg National Battlefield for a bit of essential American history. With two weeks you may have a lttle time to explore along the way as well as see the places you've listed.

AZBuck