kokotg wrote:
Thanks, everyone! Sounds like planning ahead is key.
I guess I should say that another concern I have, aside from just breaking up long drives (and we don't plan on terribly long days....we're making tentative plans for a 3 1/2 week trip next summer, and the longest driving day as it stands now is 7 hours, and that's to get home on the last day....but with a 3 year old even 4 or 5 hours can seem like forever :)).....is when there's something we want to stop and see along the way but we can't or don't want to devote an overnight stop to it.
One example (the one that prompted me to start the thread) is a day on next year's itinerary where we're planning to drive from Greensboro, NC to Charlottesville, VA...the total drive is only 180 miles, so maybe a little over 3 hours. But we'd love to stop and see Appomattox Court House on the way (about an hour from Charlottesville). In just a car, it'd be a no brainer; perfect place to stop for a couple of hours, have a picnic, kids could get a Junior Ranger badge, etc. But I'm worried it won't be nearly so reasonable with the trailer....the website says they have bus parking for groups, but I don't know if they like to give out their bus parking to people who just have vehicles the same SIZE as a bus but with just 6 people in them. I know we'll have to adjust how we travel somewhat; I guess I'm just trying to get a feel for how many things like that it's reasonable to still expect to be able to do.
We like our stops. The silly/goofy things are nice to break up the monotony. I travel with a 3 year old and an 11 year old. But, the stops are for me- not them. With some activities, naps, and electronic devices- they'll go for a long long time.
We find stops in a variety of ways:
- Good ole fashioned roadside signs.
-
Roadside America if I look before hand; I'll swing the route to pickup something. I don't find it's a good "underway" resource.
-
RoadTrippers.com has been my most recent favorite.
For each of these, we'll generally use Google Maps aerial views to check the parking situation. If I'm looking ahead of time, it's me that scopes it out. If we're on the road, my wife will. The funnest ones are when I see a roadside sign and dive for an exit- she generally has between the exit and the attraction to tell me if we'll fit! It's our own version of Mission Improbable. :D
Sure it makes the drive longer, but if you plan for stops- it's totally bearable. We once stopped at South of the Border for a good 2 hours between lunch (yuck!) and their Reptile House (cool!).
A pull-off at Key West. It was the only one that I felt comfortable that I could get in and back out of.

World's tallest covered wagon:

Planet Sub got us because of their quirky billboards (we had lunch plans and broke them):
Lunch stop at Planet Sub - all because of their billboard ad that proclaimed they are the sub shop with a v-dub.World's Largest Rocking Chair:
We saw the sign for the "World's Largest Rocking Chair" and couldn't help but stop. There was a Rt. 66 Outpost there.