2015 summer vacation details: PA, MD, VA, DE, NJ, NY

[michigansandzil]

Hi all,
Sorry for the long post. This is our proposed vacation for 8-2015.

Our details: We are a family of 5. Adults are late 30s and kids are 12, 10, and 6. We like kid type activities, history, nature, military type things; but no art or sporting events. The two boys are scouts and my husband is the scout master, military stuff is very exciting.

Anyone familiar with these areas have insight for this plan? A great kid opportunity or route to avoid? Really anything at all to help us plan before we secure all the sites would be helpful.

We have 16 days for 1800 miles, 4 campgrounds, and 6 states. Yes, we're ambitious. 😉 I'm sure several will chime in about how I need more time at a specific location and I'm likely to agree but I have limited time and want to get it all in. I won't nail down exact schedules, spontaneity has lead to the most fun adventures for us, but I do need to book sites in the next couple of months, so I need a set route and dates at least.

We're coming from southern Michigan and are planning our vacation around a site I got on Assateague Island SP from Friday 8-14 until Wednesday 8-19.

Our tentative itinerary:
Friday 8-7. Leave MI after work and drive for a few hours.

Saturday 8-8. Gettysburg late afternoon. Visit as long as kids can tolerate, (they didn't like Chickamauga this spring). After Gettysburg, continue to Cherry Park campground in MD.

Sunday 8-9 and Monday 8-10. Tour DC via on off trolley. See touristy stuff: National Mall, Smithsonians, Archives, Washington Monument (too early to get tickets yet. Are tickets necessary or can you get tickets easily that morning?). What did your kids love about DC?

Tuesday 8-11. Baltimore- Fort McHenry, USS Constellation. What other activities are good ideas here? Is the aquarium a must see?

Wednesday 8-12. DC to Williamsburg Virginia. Visit Historical Jamestowne after dropping off the camper. Is the Williamsburg KOA a good location?

Thursday 8-13. Open day. The kids aren't coaster enthusiasts so we're not visiting Busch Gardens. How's the waterpark? Also considering Colonial Williamsburg. This seems very similar to Greenfield Village and Mackinac Island here in Michigan, and we may skip this entirely if it's a repeat of our usual events. Anyone familiar with Greenfield and Colonial Williamsburg and are they very different?

Friday 8-14. Williamsburg to Assateague Island. Stop at Norfolk Naval Base en route for a tour. Can we take the camper to the base? Anything else in Norfolk?

Friday 8-14 to Wednesday 8-19. Assateague Island. Do beachy stuff, (who knows how to go crabbing?). Hoping to see some dolphins and ocean animals new to the kids. Should we bring our bikes? Go to Delaware and take ferry to NJ. Visit the boardwalk so kids can go on rides and eat carnival food. Are Ocean City MD and Wildwood boardwalks very similar? Is it worthwile to visit both? Is there anyway to go deep sea fishing that doesn't cost 2k?!

Wednesday 8-19. Assateauge to Liberty Harbor NJ. Stop in Philly en route. Potentially leaving camper at Campus park and ride off route 76. Visit Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and drive across to see Battleship New Jersey.

Thursday 8-20 and Friday 8-21. Tour NYC via on off bus. How do we get to the bus? How's the ferry from Liberty Park to the statue of liberty? This entire part of the vacation is confusing to me. We want to see the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island, 911 Memorial, Times Square, and .....the American Girl Store. Everything else is up in the air. I think we'll be so overwhelmed that just sitting in the bus might be enough.

Saturday 8-22 to Sunday 8-23. Drive home.

Thanks in advance. Sorry for the novel, I understand if some fell asleep half way through.

[michigansandzil]

k1ngdlm wrote:
What site at Assateauge do you have? State or FED. What about the 2 BIG dogs? Spend all your time at OC boardwalk. Forget NJ.

I have an electric site at the state park.

The English Mastiff and rottweiler will be staying home with family for the trip. 😉

[k1ngdlm]

What site at Assateauge do you have? State or FED. What about the 2 BIG dogs? Spend all your time at OC boardwalk. Forget NJ.

[Bumpyroad]

michigansandzilla wrote:


I have friends that went to Disney and they had made an agenda for the sequence of the rides they were going to ride on. They stuck to it or had to refer to their itinerary if they needed to make changes.
.

actually I find that to be a genius of an idea. if you run from one end of disneyland to the other to get a ride, then dash back across the park for another, and repeat you spend 2/3 of your available time just running.
but then I also plan out my rV trips and stays leaving a day or so in the middle to adjust and alter plans.
bumpy

[michigansandzil]

D & M wrote:
The ferry to Statue of Liberty leaves from Liberty Park - a five/ten minute ride from Liberty Harbor marina/cg. It also stops at Ellis Island.

You have two options to go into Manhattan. You can walk up Marin Boulevard several blocks to the Grove Street PATH station. This will take you to wither 34th Street MTA hub where you can hop to several subway lines, or it will take you to the WTC site.

Or you can catch a water taxi that docks right at the marina. It will take you to the foot of Wall Street on the East River. From there you can enter the subway system or walk the surface street to a lot of stuff. The water taxi is my choice. Being dropped off right at my MH, as opposed to that walk back down Marin after schlepping around NTC all day, if worth the couple of bucks.

Your itinerary seems a little aggressive. I hope you can stick to the schedule. You may wish to consider saving one or two stops for another time, and not rush your stops. But either way I hope you have a ball.

Thanks for the suggestions. The water taxi seems like a good choice.

Yes I realize it's an aggressive agenda. I'm sure we won't do everything, sometimes just hanging at the campground swimming pool is great.
I like to have suggestions for the area but I won't plan out the day, we'll just see where it leads us. I do like to be prepared and I plan on getting tickets for the statue of Liberty crown tour, white house, etc. But I'm sure some of the best memories will be from someplace we least expect it.

I have friends that went to Disney and they had made an agenda for the sequence of the rides they were going to ride on. They stuck to it or had to refer to their itinerary if they needed to make changes.

To me, that's just ridiculous. Where's the spontaneity? What happened to walking down the lane and getting on a ride when it appealed to you, or skipping one because the line was too long?

To each their own. I want to make the most of every day and we enjoy new experiences, but I'm still on vacation.

[michigansandzil]

Drbolasky wrote:
IMHO Philadelphia is a dirty city and traffic is horrendous. Personally, I'd skip this and spend more time at some of the other attractions you have.

Lol. You could easily be talking about Detroit too. It really is a ghetto.

[D___M]

The ferry to Statue of Liberty leaves from Liberty Park - a five/ten minute ride from Liberty Harbor marina/cg. It also stops at Ellis Island.

You have two options to go into Manhattan. You can walk up Marin Boulevard several blocks to the Grove Street PATH station. This will take you to wither 34th Street MTA hub where you can hop to several subway lines, or it will take you to the WTC site.

Or you can catch a water taxi that docks right at the marina. It will take you to the foot of Wall Street on the East River. From there you can enter the subway system or walk the surface street to a lot of stuff. The water taxi is my choice. Being dropped off right at my MH, as opposed to that walk back down Marin after schlepping around NTC all day, if worth the couple of bucks.

Your itinerary seems a little aggressive. I hope you can stick to the schedule. You may wish to consider saving one or two stops for another time, and not rush your stops. But either way I hope you have a ball.

[Drbolasky]

I didn't read all the replies to your post, but here's our take:

Gettysburg - if you & the kids are in to military you will enjoy it here. And even if they get their fill of military there is lots of other things for them to do, and mom & dad, too. We like the Adams County Winery and the Round Barn, both just west of Gettysburg off of Rt. 30 near Cashtown. Our favorite eateries in Gettysburg are Kilwin's (for ice cream), Dunlap's (basic diner food) and Gen. Pickett's Buffet (and there is one waiter at Gen. Pickett's who can regale the whole family with lot's of interesting history about the battle).

You could spend a whole day at the Visitor's Center alone looking at the weapons, uniforms and other displays. Don't miss the cyclorama. You can tour the battlefield in a number of ways; we borrowed a CD that narrated the battle in chronological order - gives you a good idea of how the battle unfolded over the three days. You can even tour by horseback if so inclined.

Colonial Williamsburg - there is much more to this place than meets the eye. It's not just static displays; take in the demonstrations, musical & theatrical programs, re-enactments, etc. The fife & drum corps parade in the late evening is not to be missed. Our campground of choice in the area is American Heritage, but we've stayed at the KOA and it is nice, too. Sites tend to be small.

DC - You can get a Metro bus right at Cherry Hill CG that connects with the trains or go back up the highway to the Greenbelt Metro station. To me, the Metro is THE way to get around DC. Cherry Hill is a nice park, but remember you are in the middle of a densely populated urban area, so there will be highway noise. Sites are small.

Philadelphia - maybe because I live so close, the thought of stopping here doesn't float my boat. Yes, it's the "cradle of the Revolution" because of the things that happened here, but over all IMHO Philadelphia is a dirty city and traffic is horrendous. Personally, I'd skip this and spend more time at some of the other attractions you have on your list.

Yes, your itinerary is ambitious, but do-able. Enjoy & safe travels.

[woodworker215]

Yes it is my wife and I were just there less than a month ago. They are in the process of building an Education Center at the top of the hill in the flight path. You can still walk around at the bottom and talk to a Park volunteer.

[Bumpyroad]

Is Shanksville open after the fire?
bumpy

[woodworker215]

We have been to many of these places but in three or four trips.Here are some helpful thoughts. If you get a late start and want to stop along the Ohio Turnpike several of the rest areas have RV hook ups. Also think about stopping in Shanksville PA. at the 9/11 site. Gettysburg visitor center is a great place to start your tour. Cherry Hill is the place to stay while in DC. We have taken the bus from the campground to the Metro station. It takes you passed the University of Maryland and down side streets. It is faster to drive to the Greenbelt station and if a weekend I think you can park for free. The Metro is the way to get around in DC. There are many places to go in DC and most are free.Not sure if it's still this way but some tours had to be set up through your Congressman's office.
NYC we camped at Liberty Harbor in NJ and walked to the PATH station and took it into the city. They also have a ferry boat that takes commuters across the river to NYC.
Don't over do it and try to cram to much into one trip. Your making memories not enemies when children are over tired and grumpy

[RGar974417]

While at Williamsburg also do Yorktown and Jamestown.There is a nice state park across the river called Chippokes PLantation State park.Water and electric hookups and nice bath houses.One section of the campground is fairly new.There is a free ferry that will take you across the river. At Assateague,make sure you take in all the ranger programs.They have a nice fireside program at night on the beach. We stayed in the National Park section.No hookups but it has some grass and trees.We were in site C48 which is close to dump station and water fill and about 100ft from the bay.

[michigansandzil]

And the DC duck tours sound awesome! How cool for my school aged children from Michigan to be able to say they've been on the Potomac.

[michigansandzil]

Ok. I just bought tickets for Independence Hall! Nothing like being prepared. If we don't use them, I'm only out $7.50. Considering what this trip will cost, it's not even a drop in the bucket.
A couple of people suggested Norfolk may not be as easy as I thought with a camper. I figured we'd do the half hour bus tour and continue on our way between campsites.
Looking more closely, it seems like there's tons to do. Victory cruise and USS Wisconsin. They both look amazing. Had anyone done the cruise? Maybe we'll do our second day in Virginia in Norfolk and just commute back to the campground.
Wondering if we should find a campground closer to Norfolk and maybe stop by Jamestowne en route?
Anyone have suggestions for campgrounds closer to Norfolk and Jamestowne or should we just stick with Williamsburg?
Thanks for all of the suggestions!

[Flintstones]

Love your whole plan, sounds exactly like our vacations, go go go!
Williamsburg KOA is good, also American Heritage RV Park is good. Water Country USA in Williamsburg is excellent, as is Colonial Williamsburg, and Jamestown.

When you go to Maryland, you will enjoy the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, lunch at Kiptopeke State Park right after the Bridge is a good mid point and a really neat place, easy in and out.

In Maryland, you will love the Boardwalk in Ocean City, I know you have state park reservations, but your kids would love Frontiertown Campground in Ocean City, it's pricey but worth every penny.

Plenty to do in New Jersey/Cape May, but I would skip all of it and focus on Ocean City, Maryland and surroundings.

Philly is great, especially on your way to NYC (which is a great way to finish things out).