Road Trip from NYC in Early August for 10 Days

[toidness]

My wife and I are planning a road trip for 10 days. leaving from NYC and returning to NYC. Any recommendation on the best route to go? We really prefer small towns, different landscapes, B&Bs, and seclusion. We were thinking of US-2 going west and returning on US-20. Not sure how far west we can go with only 10 days. We want the trip to be as relaxing and laid-back as possible.

[Mark Sedenquist]

We want the trip to be as relaxing and laid-back as possible.

I love these sort of road trip challenges. The best advice is, of course, to not drive very far. I would think you could limit your self to a two-day driving radius range from NYC and find some peace and quiet and hunker down. Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum. Here are some day trip ideas from NYC (as a place to start thinking about routes) and then perhaps just expand the range a bit.

Here are several threads of ideas within this magic circle. I suggest you read them and we can provide (maybe) some more specific ideas...

New England road trips
The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is another possibility.
And a couple more

Mark

[pancakesx]

Where is US-2 in NY state? I have never heard of it and can't find it on a map.

Route 20 can be a nice drive across the state. I live south of Buffalo off Rt. 20 and have driven as far east as the finger lakes. It goes from being a 5 lane 55mph road to a slow Main St. drive. There are some good diners/restaurants between Buffalo and the fingers on this road too. My biggest suggestion is to research some of the finger lakes region for some fun ideas, it is gorgeous out there and lots to do for all types of people.

I have also driven a good portion of 20 from Buffalo to Chicago and would also recommend that.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I've driven on US-2 in Maine and Montana, and always thought it was connected somehow... But the Great Lakes are in the way. There is a small section of US-2 in New York (but it's less than a mile in length). Look at this map up by Rouses Point....

Excellent work noticing that!

Mark

[AZBuck]

US-2 exists for all of about 1 mile in the far northeast corner of New York State from where it enters the state from Vermont on Bridge Road, to where it terminates at the junction with US-11 in Rouses Point maybe ¾ of a mile south of the Canadian border. US-2 then 'disappears' for quite a while before reappearing at Sault Ste. Marie in the UP of Michigan. I suspect that what toidness had in mind was following the Trans-Canada Highway from Rouses Point, NY to Sault Ste. Marie, MI as being the equivalent of following US-2.

AZBuck

[toidness]

I know this is a complete change from my original post. but more clarity has come and we realize what is possible within a 10 day time frame. What about an Appalachian trail road trip. Was thinking of driving from NJ down the Appalachians route to Georgia than head east to Savannah and drive back up along the coast.

We love to drive so are fine with doing 5 to 6 hours a day (more if needed on some). And would probably shoot straight back up to NYC after Virginia (we’ve been to a lot of the shore towns from DE to NJ).

As for what would love to see in the Appalachians are the scenery, hopefully not touristy/crowded sites, local culture, and maybe some good local food. (I did want to do a barbeque tour of the south, but lost that one to my wife)

Also, how is the weather during that time. Would a convertible be too hot during the August summer.

Would anyone recommend a great guide or resource besides this site that might gives us a better idea of what to expect and see?

Thanks again.

[AZBuck]

This general request for an East Coast trip has come up before, but I couldn't find any detailed description of it with links in any of the previous discussions, so let's rectify that and gather up some resources for a RoadTrip that involves following the Appalachian Mountains one way (south as described here) and the Atlantic Coast the other (northbound). I'll cover roughly New York City to Orlando.

Generally, I-81 will form the backbone of the trip south at least until North Carolina, and I-84, I-80 and/or I-78 provide connections to it from New England and New York. The first jewel on this leg is on the northern reaches of the northern reaches of the Delaware River. Farther south, in central Pennsylvania are two distinctly different towns worth considering: Hershey and Gettysburg. Then in Maryland and West Virginia are two more Civil War sites, Antietam and Harpers Ferry, as well as a pre-Revolutionary fort.

Working south into Virginia brings you to some of the jewels of this route, Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Also on or near these routes are quaint towns like Lexington, historic homes such as Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland.

Continuing to work down the Appalachians brings you to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from where my suggested route leaves the mountains and heads down through western Georgia following roughly US-27 and US-19 through Warm Springs and Andersonville, and to the Gulf Coast at Cedar Key.

Crossing Florida through Orlando brings you to the start of the coastal route and a tour of the Kennedy Space Center. Then go from the future to our oldest past with a visit to St. Augustine, some untouched beach, or an even more primeval location.

Hugging the coast would next bring you to two great example of urban southern charm: Savannah and Charleston. Then continuing up US-17 would bring you to a honky-tonk coast - the Grand Strand. In North Carolina, a ferry ride will take you 'offshore' to the Outer Banks, home to Blackbeard, America's first English Colony, and the world's first airplane flight.

Returning to the mainland, next up is the Tidewater area of Virginia with three great historic locations within a stone's throw of each other: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Then it's back to Norfolk and across the mouth of the Chesapeake on the Bay Bridge Tunnel and onto the Delmarva Peninsula, home to wildlife, maritime history, and even another NASA launch facility. Finally an ocean going ferry ride brings you back to the southern tip of New Jersey where you can either make some more shoreline stops or travel through the Pine Barrens to return to New York.

And keep in mind that the above are just the highlights!

AZBuck

[toidness]

Thank you all for your assistance. It really helped with our planning.

I have mapped out our trip and but have a couple questions/concerns.

here's a rough itinerary:

Day 1
NYC to Front Royal (will stop at Harper's Ferry and Charles Town)
Day 2 to Day 5
will make our way down the Blue Ridge Parkway from Front Royal to somewhere around Blowing Rock, NC
Day 5
Blowing Rock to Savannah, GA
Day 6
Savannah, GA
Day 7
Savannah, GA to Charleston, SC
Day 8
Charleston, SC up the coast on US-17 to either Beaufort, NC or some coastal town.
Day 9
Head back to NYC

QUESTIONS:
1. is Front Royal the best place to start before the Blue Ridge Parway?
2. Day 2 to Day 5: What would be some good places to set-up for the night as we travel down the blue ridge parkway. I was looking at maybe Stauton, VA, Flyod, VA, Little Switzerland, NC to break up the trip.
3. I know the speed limit on the Blue Ridge Parkway is 30miles/hr. is there any section you would suggest skipping and taking a different route?
4. Are we missing the good parts (scenery) of the blue ridge parkway if we leave from little Switzerland east to Savannah instead on heading further down into GA before heading to Savannah?
5. Besides Beaufort, NC, is there any coastal town you would recommend that is quiet and not heavily populated? Not doing the outer banks (that will be our next trip).

CONCERNS:
1. Are we trying to be too aggressive here with our schedule. I'm concern the first leg might be all driving.

[panchodog]

3. I know the speed limit on the Blue Ridge Parkway is 30miles/hr. is there any section you would suggest skipping and taking a different route?

I know this is an old thread, but just wanted to correct this misinformation. The speed limit on the Blue Ridge Parkway is generally 45mph.

[rangerruss53]

Thanks for the information it is very helpful. We have made a rough start to our itinerary. We were thinking 4 nights New York, 1 night Philadelphia, 2 nights Washington and 3nights at the end of our trip in Orlando which gives us 6 nights to get from washington to orlando. Is this enough time without too much rushing. We would really like to spend some time in shenandoah national park and the blue ridge parkway both of which look great. I would welcome any advice or suggestions.

Thanks Russell