NYC to Savannah and Back...We want to drive down the coast: ideas or suggestions?

[vladigogo]

Hello,

Any ideas or suggestions would be great. We want to hug the coast on the way down, is that a good idea? We are leaving in May my wife and I and our 3 1/2 y/o daughter.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Depending on exactly when in May you'll be making this trip, it could be perfect almost perfect timing. Most of the hospitality workers will be rested up and eager to greet a new season of visitors. Most family travelers will still be waiting for schools to let out. The weather will be warm but not yet oppressive. So, absolutely - go. As for some ideas on what to see and do, check out the coastal route described here. I think your daughter would particularly like going down to Cape May, taking the ferry over to Lewes, and visiting Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge. I'd leave a minimum of three days for the drive down if you want to enjoy the coast and its sights, more if you really want a relaxing drive.

AZBuck

[vladigogo]

Great! Thank you so much for the help. We had no idea where to start planning....and now we do!

[rcostel]

Hello,

Any ideas or suggestions would be great. We want to hug the coast on the way down, is that a good idea? We are leaving in May my wife and I and our 3 1/2 y/o daughter.

If you go all way along the coast it can be pretty slow. I driven to Charleston multiple times as my daughter went to college there. You can pick up 17 s in Myrtle Beach and take it all the way to Savannah, its a nice drive. Charleston is beautiful, not so much for a young child but you will enjoy it. Check out the Middleton Place plantation and the the beaches. Hilton Head is also a nice stop.

[rcostel]

Also watch your speed in Maryland especially if you take the back roads 13 , 301. They will ticket you for anything over the posted limit. I know I got one in Maryland 55 in a 50

[Foy]

Hello vladigogo,

It's fairly time-consuming, and well out of the way, but one can literally drive "out to sea" along the NC Outer Banks (OBX). The OBX, from the southern end of Nag's Head all the way to Ocracoke, are nothing more than a wide sandbar some 35 miles out from the mainland at the farthest point. Even a young child would enjoy playing on the giant sand dune at Jockey's Ridge, walking out on the beach at any of the access points between Oregon Inlet and Buxton, the short ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke, the pony pen at Ocracoke, and the long ferry ride from Ocracoke to either Cedar Island or Swan Quarter.

Given your ultimate destination, you'd probably want Ocracoke-Cedar Island, and you could then hug the coast along Bogue Banks (Atlantic Beach, Salter Path, Emerald Isle) and pick up US 17 at Jacksonville.

The Cape May ferry and the Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferry each require or highly recommend reservations.

About a hour's drive below Chincoteague/Assateague on US 13 is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT). The south island along the CBBT is a designated rest stop and there you can visit a small restaurant/gift shop and walk out on a concrete pier. Naval and commercial ships pass within 200 yards of the pier, and the sight of them so close up is impressive for young and old alike.

Enjoy the planning and the trip.

Foy

[vladigogo]

Foy & Rcostel,

Thank you so much for this invaluable information....we will be sure to use it. As I map it out in more detail I may have some more specific questions. This is exactly the help we were needing!