Clockwise circuit from Atlanta

[Peter Thody]

After much deliberation and humming and ha-ing, we have confirmed dates for this year's American Adventure, arriving in Atlanta in the middle of August and taking a fraction under 3 weeks to explore some of the Eastern states. I've sketched out most of our must-sees and would-really-like-to-sees in Google maps and am planning the following:

North through Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana before turning right and following the Historic National Road eastwards for as long as we're enjoying it. We then need to make our way to Princeton, before heading back south again, this time via the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I aim to keep things as loose as possible in terms of routes and timings but the one thing we do need to do is call into Princeton to say hi to my sister. I'm reckoning on taking around 8 days from Atlanta to Princeton. Is there a route that might be more fun that others to get there? Maybe across the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and then up the coast?

We then need to get from Princeton to Shenandoah. Maybe this would be the time to follow the coast (to Williamsburg)? My wife would like to take in the Lincoln Memorial if possible or maybe this would be better tacked onto the end of the National Road section?

Please feel free to comment on any other aspects of our proposed circuit (AZBuck - I'd particularly value any input you might have), but it's this top right section that I'm a little uncertain about.

Peter