How does this vacation route sound?

[modern_family]

In the next few days we will be reserving our big summer vacation with our 7 and 10 year old. I will be taking about 2.5 weeks off and this is what we have so far (destinations only, there are a couple of overnight stops in between) A few of the travel days are long (9 hours), but I need to make up time so we can enjoy our destinations

Starting in Tampa..

Natural Bridge / caverns in VA (Jellystone)

Hershey Park. (Hershey campground)

Niagara falls.. (Niagara falls campground)

NYC. (liberty harbor campground)

Washington DC.. (Cherry hill campground)

Back to Tampa....

The campgrounds were chosen by their PROXIMITY to the attractions, I dont want to do any more driving than I have to.

Any suggestions? Thoughts?

[ependydad]

D & M wrote:
I sounds like a nice trip, but maybe a little overambitious. If eliminating driving and commute times were the goal, you picked your CGs wisely. Each destination that you are talking about will take up a couple of days at least and you don't want to waste time commuting.

When I go to NYC (Liberty Harbor) I spend several days schlepping around the City. The museums and other tourist "stuff" can easily eat up lots of time. The caverns and Niagara Falls not so much, but worth the trip.

Hint for DC; don't drive into the city. Use the WMATA Metro. The folks at the campground will give you the scoop on that.

I agree with everything D&M said.

[ependydad]

A quick check of Google Maps (actual destinations mapped out) shows it to be over 2,900 miles.

Simply taking out the Niagara Falls leg cuts out 600 miles of that. If it were me, I'd have to think long and hard about excluding that from my itinerary. 3,000 miles in 17 days just seems like it would wear on me.

[D___M]

I sounds like a nice trip, but maybe a little overambitious. Just looking at your itinerary. it looks you have at least 9 travels days.

If eliminating driving and commute times were the goal, you picked your CGs wisely. Each destination that you are talking about will take up a couple of days at least and you don't want to waste time commuting.

When I go to NYC (Liberty Harbor) I spend several days schlepping around the City. The museums and other tourist "stuff" can easily eat up lots of time. The caverns and Niagara Falls not so much, but worth the trip.

Hint for DC; don't drive into the city. Use the WMATA Metro. The folks at the campground will give you the scoop on that.

[JamesBr]

Jellystone at Luray is a really nice campground. If your comming from I81, just be known the mountain pass will get your adrenaline going if your not used to steep grades. But I never had an issue with the bus and exhaust brake. I have not taken the 5th where there yet, but the tow/haul has done well on similar up and down grades so I am not worried.

Leaving from Niagra to NYC, I might try to avoid I80 near NYC depending on the time of the day, but it is the most direct route once you get south of Buffalo.

[modern_family]

Thanks all.. I actually grew up in northern jersey and spent a lot time in NYC, so I will agree with the GWB and traffic. We will be coming in from niagara and going through northern NJ to liberty island. ( visiting some old friends) so, I am thinking that will be ok.

[michigansandzil]

Sounds fun. I was actually just researching top rated campgrounds and cherry hill kept coming up.
While you're visiting Hershey Park you could stop by Gettysburg as well. They are combined on my 'to do' list simply due to their proximity to each other; they are an hour away.

The trip sounds great and I'm sure the kids will love it. Enjoy!!

[Merrykalia]

Summer before last, we STARTED in Virginia, went to Luray (Jellystone), but never made it to the caverns. The kids loved Jellystone and we did, too. Left there and headed to Hershey (High Meadow Campground) and were there from Sunday until Wednesday. We "did" the park for the four hour evening on Sunday, but Monday was cold (high 50s), so we waited until Tuesday for our all day at the park. The park is OK, but, yes, the proximity as well as the shuttle and ability to purchase discounted tickets makes up for the small sites.

Left there and headed for Maine. Overnighted in CT, then on to Maine for 5 days, and then headed back south. Stayed in RI for a few nights, then on to Liberty Harbor to do NYC. It's not much of a campground, but you can't beat the proximity and ease of getting into the city. No matter what time we came back to the campground, from 10 pm until as late as 1 am, we never felt uneasy about walking from the PATH to the campground. It is located in easy walking distance to restaurants, so other than a trip to Walmart, our TV never moved from it's spot.

And I second what GENECOP said. We were supposedly 3 1/2 hours from NYC when we left our campground in RI. It took us over 9 hours to get to Liberty Harbor and those were stop and go, then stop for 10 minutes, go for 2, stop for 5, go for 1, etc.

We then headed on to Charleston, SC for a week before heading to Hunting Island for 10 days and then, finally, home.

It was 45 wonderful, interesting and exciting days.

[gat75]

We stayed at C Hill in Wash DC the spring of 2012. Beautiful, well laid out CG, the only thing is that there is a freeway that surrounds at least 2 sides that is very noisy. I would ask for a quite spot, probably closer to the front of CG. We came in on a Sunday evening around 2:pm, traffic was probably as low as it gets during the week.

[GENECOP]

Your Brave, heading into the thick of it.....the only thing I would absolutely not do would be the I95 GW Bridge thing......work your way around that mess even if it adds hours to your drive....that one stretch of road will take years off the life of your Rig and probably add a little more grey hair to your head.....