Roadtrip - East Coast Drive from New York to Miami

[kristian79]

Hey

Me and my girlfrend coming to USA from Norway for 4 weeks holiday/roadtrip in july. We´re drive all the way from New York to Miami for 16 days. Here are our plan so fare:

https://maps.google.no/maps?f=d&sour...&mra=ls&num=10
Here are our schedule plan:

1 juli New York
2 juli New York
3 juli New York
4 juli New York
5 juli New York
6 juli New York - We have already book the hotell in New York
7 juli Philadelphia
8 juli Washington DC
9 juli Washington DC
10 juli Dover
11 juli Virginia Beach
12 juli Elizabeth City
13 juli Charlotte
14 juli Charlotte
15 juli Atlanta
16 juli Atlanta
17 juli Charleston
18 juli Savannah
19 juli Jacksonville
20 juli Orlando
21 juli Orlando
22 juli Tampa
23 juli Miami
24 juli Miami
25 juli Miami
26 juli Miami

Any tips? Other Cities we have to visit? Tips to what do in the cities? Road we should drive. We hope for many good advise.

Thanks for your help.

L&K

[Lifemagician]

Hi Kristian, and welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.

You may find it easier, and more economical to pick up a rental car when you are about to leave DC. New York and Washington in particular have very good public transport, parking can be hard to get and is expensive. There are good train and bus services between these cities.

Only other comment I would make is, why stop in Miami? Have you thought of visiting Everglades NP and going out on the Keys? The overseas highway is a very nice and interesting trip as you pass over all the Keys, each with its own attractions. Key West is the most southern tip of the 48 States, and only 90 miles from Cuba. It has a vibrant downtown and tourist area and trips out to the smaller islands and reefs..

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

I totally concur with Lifey: get the rental car after you're finished with DC. Parking in NYC starts at $40/day, if you're lucky to find it at all or that cheap. Public transportation is excellent in NYC, with buses-subway-taxis.

Is there a reason you have focused on cities after NYC/Phila/DC?

An idea: after DC, take I-66 west. At Front Royal, catch Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park down to I-64 at Waynesboro. It's a beautiful drive! Then you can take I-81/I-77/I-26/I-95 south to Florida. Going via Skyline Drive, that's about a 3 day drive.

On the way back up, catch I-95 again until you get to just north of Savannah. Take US 17/US-13/US-113, where you can take the jog in MD over to Chincoteague/Assateague (or many other beaches in the Maryland/Delaware area). Bear in mind, the US highways will be slower going. They're almost completely 2-lanes and go through a lot of little towns with stop signs and traffic lights. It took us 3 days of 9 hour days to get from Jacksonville FL to north central NJ via that route, this past summer.


Donna

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

The trip you've laid out is certainly something that could be done. The only thing that stands out to me, however, is that the only thing you seemed to be concerned about is visiting major cities.

That would get a little dull after a while for me, and I'd certainly want to also include time in places like National Parks and Historic Sites, in addition to cities. But if cities are what you are interested in, then I think you've got a reasonable plan.

[kristian79]

Hi Midwest Michael

We are open to change or plans, if you have some good advise about places to see? The only cities we know that we are going to visit ar: New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Orland and Miami. We want to see: normal american life, place we dont see on the TV. Old American history, some beaches, small Towns, national parks.

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Welcome to the RTA Forum!

The trip you've laid out is certainly something that could be done. The only thing that stands out to me, however, is that the only thing you seemed to be concerned about is visiting major cities.

That would get a little dull after a while for me, and I'd certainly want to also include time in places like National Parks and Historic Sites, in addition to cities. But if cities are what you are interested in, then I think you've got a reasonable plan.

[kristian79]

Hi DonnaR57

Our plans are to rent the car when we are leaving New York. Philadelphia, DC, Orlando and Miami are settled. We are flying home frome Miami. We are open for advise about the rest of the road route. What is it to see in Skyline Drive? Hiking? Guided tours? Other things? Where should we drive after the National Park. What to see, where to stay, cities to visit? How is the coast line?

I totally concur with Lifey: get the rental car after you're finished with DC. Parking in NYC starts at $40/day, if you're lucky to find it at all or that cheap. Public transportation is excellent in NYC, with buses-subway-taxis.

Is there a reason you have focused on cities after NYC/Phila/DC?

An idea: after DC, take I-66 west. At Front Royal, catch Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park down to I-64 at Waynesboro. It's a beautiful drive! Then you can take I-81/I-77/I-26/I-95 south to Florida. Going via Skyline Drive, that's about a 3 day drive.

On the way back up, catch I-95 again until you get to just north of Savannah. Take US 17/US-13/US-113, where you can take the jog in MD over to Chincoteague/Assateague (or many other beaches in the Maryland/Delaware area). Bear in mind, the US highways will be slower going. They're almost completely 2-lanes and go through a lot of little towns with stop signs and traffic lights. It took us 3 days of 9 hour days to get from Jacksonville FL to north central NJ via that route, this past summer.


Donna

[DonnaR57]

Skyline Drive is part of Shenandoah National Park. You are driving on the top of mountains (not at all scary). You pull out at designated turnouts and parking areas, to see the views. The road and the Appalachian Trail parallel each other in this section; the AT even crosses the road about 11 or 12 times in this 105 mile drive. You can park and hike down the trail for a few hundred feet or even a few miles, depending on your time.

The route I suggested passes by several Civil War sites. If you check the Map Center here on RTA, you'll find any one of a hundred places you could see that is outside of the cities.


Donna