East Coast Road Trip between 11/24 and 12/30ish

[gandr]

Hello!

While gas prices are going down, flights out west are still ridiculous and now we will most likely be moving our road trip east. We live in NYC, just across from the GW bridge (we will rent our car in NJ- cheaper!!!) and I was thinking that we could drive down as far as Savannah, GA. The hubbie and I love hiking, can get by on skis, he has a telescope for stargazing, but generally want to enjoy ourselves on what may be our last harrah before children.

We'll most likely stay in motels but definitely want to stay a few nights at some nicer places where it makes sense. I've heard great things about Charlottesville and Charleston but would love some ideas about other destinations.

Any ideas about destinations and activities would be swell. Thank you!

NOTE: We do not need to go down to Savannah, I have just heard it's nice and I think the weather may be a bit more reasonable. We are open to road trips in other directions (north, west, etc.) if we have enough suggestions and won't freeze our butts off!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The beauty of traveling down the coast at this time of year is that it is off-off-season. The beaches and towns are far less populated, the inns, rentals and B&Bs are far less expensive, and there's a chance to really enjoy the beauty of the natural setting and the lovely towns on the way. Yes, Charleston and Savannah are certainly worth a week or so each, and the other benefit of spending a week somewhere is that you can rent an entire house for not all that much more than a modest motel room. Once you pick some towns where you'll want to stay a bit, do a web search on {vacation rental townname}. These can be quite romantic and surprisingly affordable, and remember they generally come with kitchens so you save on meals as well.

Now where to go? I'm a fan of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula in general. My wife and I have had very pleasant experiences recently staying in Oxford, MD and Bethany Beach and Lewes, DE. Things you might enjoy in this area include the Chesapeake Maritime Museum, Assateague National Seashore, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Annapolis, and any number of quaint towns such as Chestertown, Oxford, Vienna, and others.

Next on the way south would be the Outer Banks of North Carolina. You should be able to find cottages available in Rodanthe, Avon or Buxton, but most of the attractions besides the beach are near the northern towns of Manteo, Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. If you stop for a while here, be sure to see Kitty Hawk, the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the Pea Island National Wildlife Center and, of course, the lighthouses.

In Charleston, see if there are any home tours on the events schedule, be sure to take the ferry out to Fort Sumter, and check out one or two of the old plantations out along the Ashley River Road, very romantic.

Anyway, I hope that gives you some ideas.

AZBuck

[gandr]

Hey there, AZBuck!

Thanks so much for your ecommendations. I am definitely going to hold onto them for the future.

We actually decided to fly west (we found flights south of $350) and do what we had originally hoped-- visit Joshua Tree and spend some time in Santa Barbara with friends. I will be posting another request for ideas so I would love to hear what you have to say!

I absolutely love this site and used it for our road trip in Arizona last year which was phenomenal.

Thanks again and happy holidays!