Summer 2020 road trip - suggestions

[Wjohns02]

We are planning a three week road trip during June. One of the big items on the list is Niagara Falls. Coming from western NC we could go up I77 through WV and on up. Crossover somewhere through NY and come home in I 95 with stops in NYC and DC. We’ve also thought going closer to the eastern shore and experiencing some of the northern beach towns. My wife and will be traveling with a 13 and 16 year old and want to make sure we hit areas that would interest them.

As you can see the agenda is pretty wide open. Looking for suggestions from people who have traveled in any of those areas that you would recommend.

Appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.

[Horsedoc]

Hope you have a great trip. Driving thru NY City and DC you will do a LOT of stopping. I hear 'interstate speeds'. From my experience that term does not mean what it means in the rural areas of our country.
Made the mistake of taking 95 south thru NYC on a friday around 5 PM. (advice from a customer on the amount of time and miles we would save)
Cross Bronx Expressway - is not!

[marites62]

It sounds like a nice trip!
Here are a couple suggestions:
- Gettysburg
- Letchworth State Park in New York is beautiful.
- I second visiting Watkins Glen State Park in New York - Beautiful glen and hiking trails, clean campground, and large olympic size swimming pool
- We stayed at Four Mile Creek State Park when we visited the Niagara Falls area. Beautiful view of Lake Ontario, clean, and well-maintained. One of our favorite campgrounds.
For beaches on the East coast, have you ever considered Cape Cod? Lots of campgrounds and beaches are beautiful plus a number of lighthouses.
Like everyone has said - do not drive into NY, Boston, or DC with your rig. Take your tow vehicle or better yet, public transportation.
Have fun planning!

[Wjohns02]

Agesilaus - mind sharing where you stayed near Boston for camping. Cherry Hill is nice, stayed there before and will likely do so this trip.

[Orion]

Don't forget to have the correct documentation to cross to the Canadian side. There is a lot more to do on that side and the view of the Falls is much better. Nearly every photo you see of the Falls has been taken from the Canadian side.

[agesilaus]

Just some comments on Pennsylvania, three spots that may interest your kids:

Railroad museum I haven't been but I know some people who have and they really liked it.

Hershey Chocolate world This one we have visited, I was underwhelmed but I'm not the target audience. You kids probably will like it.

And no link Gettysburg battle field, a real cut above other national battlegrounds from what I've been told. I haven't been there but it's on my list if we ever make it back into that area.

These are all in the eastern part of the state. One other thing the popular spot to stay at for DC is Cherry Hill CG in Maryland. They have buses that go into the Metro station that take you right down into the National Mall. They sell passes right in the cg office.

You do NOT want to drive into DC or NYC or Boston for that matter. We stayed across the bay for Boston and rode the ferry into the downtown area.

[Wjohns02]

All great suggestions. Thanks for the input. Beginning to draw out our trip.

[dblr]

Also check out the Wellsboro area in Pa. also referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pa. it would be on your way.

Another vote for Knoebels and even Darien Lake amusement park, camping within walking distance of the park and also possibly on your way.

[DrewE]

Some possible things to consider in no particular order...

Knoebels in Elysburg, PA is fantastic and affordable. Plenty of camping around the area including one of their campgrounds that is as close as is humanly possible.

Watkins Glen is neat (the actual Glen in the state park).

Boston is worth a visit. Avoid driving in the city if possible. Driving under it is better, at least when it isn't rush hour, but propane is not permitted in the tunnels. Lots of history and museums, etc.

NYC could occupy all three weeks without much trouble. (Same for Washington, DC...perhaps even more so there.) I personally like camping at Floyd Bennett Field, though I do not enjoy getting there and back so much!

Philly has noteworthy historical sites and cultural institutions as well.

In DC, go to the Udvar-Hazy Center if you can (on the grounds of Dulles airport). It is a massive annex to the Air and Space Museum with an impressive collection of aircraft on display, many quite rare and unique. There are of course a large number of fine museums in Washington, whether part of the Smithsonian or not.

[SpeakEasy]

Cooperstown, NY for Baseball Hall of Fame?

-Speak

[Wjohns02]

Agree on DC. We’ve been a couple of times but there are always things to do there. We would actually love the Maine option but agree, not sure if we have enough time.

Thanks for the feedback

[agesilaus]

DC is 3 or 4 days to see most of it, in summer it is hotter than hades. Have no opinion on NYC we always avoided it. We stopped at Finger Lakes on the way to Niagara but that probably is not of interest to teens. Boston is the stop we included on that trip with a side trip up to Lexington for the American history tour. It is also darned hot. We continued on up to Maine but that is probably too far for your time available.