Summer trip somewhere... from Kansas to the New England Area.

[cajones565]

We are planning a trip for June/early July for 9 days, driving from Northwest Kansas to the Northeast area of the US. We have never really done anything like this and are wanting some ideas or recommendations for the planning process. We want to take a trip that doesn't include a lot of shopping (like normal) at the malls, but instead a lot of sight seeing and adventure :)
Please let us know if you have ideas!
Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The thing is, from northwestern Kansas it's a three day drive to New England, so I think you'll do best if you think of this trip as broken down into three roughly equal parts: getting there, being there, and getting home. If you take different routes there and back, the entire trip is one continuously new adventure. So, what are some possible routes that you can take? Described in a clockwise manor, one possibility is to first pip up north into Nebraska and get on I-80 eastbound all the way to Cleveland, then follow I-90 to western Massachusetts, the start of your New England portion. On that route, some highlights would be Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, maybe a quick detour to Niagara Falls or the Erie Canal, although you really don't have a lot of time for much more than quick stops near the highway.

Then you can choose from any number of great attractions in New England before setting out for home. A different route back might look something like I-84 out of southern New England to Scranton and a short jog down I-81 to I-80. Switch over to I-76 when I-80 becomes the Ohio Turnpike then another jog down I-71 to I-70 through St. Louis and on to Kansas and home. Highlights on that route would include The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, the Air Force Museum in Dayton, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, but again you're going to be pressed for time.

AZBuck