Where to go...East coast for a month (reverse snowbird)

[FLGup]

We live in S. FL and want to escape the summer heat. We love history and would like to find somewhere to book by the month (cheaper that way) and sight-see out from there. We don’t mind a motel night out if the sight-seeing takes us a bit far too.

A few years ago we loved our summer near Williamsburg, VA. There was so much to see from there.... and a weekend trip to DC to boot.

We were thinking this summer to head to somewhere near Gettysburg or Lancaster and Amish country with a trip by car to Philadelphia one weekend.

So.... Where would be the best places to stay for a month in that area and what things to see, etc.

And is this the best plan? Is there somewhere else we should be looking at?

[jfkmk]

Make a stop at Monticello on the way up from Williamsburg, it is amazing and well worth the stop. Luray Caverns, Skyline Drive as well

Each year we bring my parents to Lancaster. Sight and Sound theater is definitely worth seeing. We stay at Beacon Hill cg. It's not huge, and there are no amenities except for full hook up. We bring our camper and rent the park model for mom and dad. Makes for a fantastic weekend!

Someone mentioned Steamtown, which is worth it too. In Lancaster, there is also Strassburg for the rail museum.

Gettysburg is a destination for us every few years. If you enjoy historical places, it can't be beat.

The list goes on and on. I imagine you can spend an entire summer exploring the east coast and not get bored!

[LindaD]

Spring Gulch is nice if you choose the Lancaster area, don't know if I would want to spend a month in that area though, not a heck of a lot to do. You may wish to consider Long Island NY - although may be difficult to get a campsite there. You have some of the best beaches in the US and easy access to NYC if you choose to visit. plenty to do there. Rehoboth Beach is a great area to visit - beaches, shopping, restaurants, etc. When we visit there we stay at Delaware Seashore State Park, it has a walking path right to the Atlantic Ocean and is close to the boardwalk and also not far from Ocean City Maryland. Lake Placid area is nice as well as the Lake George area.

[ACZL]

Oh, forgot this as well. In PA, Allentown--home of Mack trucks/museum , Scranton--Steamtown USA Railroad/coal mines

[mdcamping]

Similar thread going on the next page, should give you some more ideas. 🙂

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29560173.cfm

Mike

[kerrlakeRoo]

Guppie, My thought is you aren't going far enough. With a month, take Busskipper's suggestion on the finger lakes for two weeks, then do a couple of 3-5 night stays in Vt, NH, and then Maine.
Just go north till ya dont sweat.

[Dick_B]

You can't go wrong out East; so much history. You could spend a week in Washington, DC, one week in Philadelphia, one week in Boston, one week in Maine...
For more ideas do a Google search for `_______ tourism' and put the city or state in the blank and read what the specialists recommend.

[dblr]

Also check out Country Acres in the Lancaster area, it is close to a lot of the tourist things to do. Spring Gulch is very nice but a large hill divides the campground but they are near Shady Maple. This area can get HOT in the summer as well and as said before the farther north usually the cooler it can be.

[soren]

flguppie wrote:
Wow, great suggestions!. Some great new areas to research. Keep these great ideas coming. Thanks.

Hey Soren, what camping places would you recommend in the Lancaster area?

Our favorite is Lake-in-the-Wood. The only negative is that it's a bit remote from all the action, in tourist country, as it's way up in the NE corner of the county. It is however, real close to the Shady Maple Smorgasbord, the Shady Maple market, and the big Goods store, which the locals joke about being "the Amish Wal-Mart". If you want to be closer to the center of the tourist area, Old Mill Stream is really nice. From the road, it looks like it should be a busy, noisy mess, since it's located next to a huge Kiddy Amusement park, on the main commercial stretch in the area (RT 30) but the campground is tucked in a rural valley, behind everything, and it's quiet and real nice. Our other go to choice, is Country Acres, located east on thirty in Paradise. It's conveniently located and really well run. finally, we haven't been there, but Spring Gulch is highly recommended by many.

Couple of points to think about if you are going to do an extended stretch here. As several have stated, it can be hot and humid here. Not Florida hot, but way hotter than you might imagine. The Chesapeake bay region from DC/Baltimore north to the Appalachians in PA. tends to be an odd little spear of southern climate. It's common to find a lot nicer summer weather, and much uglier winters, just a few miles north of here. The other issue is that eight million visitors end up in the county every year. Most of this tourism is located in the Amish area, east of the city. I never tried to book a week, or month in a CG here, but I do know that during the summer, most are quite full, and fairly expensive.

[soren]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

soren wrote:
The PA. Grand Canyon and the whole "northern Tier" area (defined as the counties touching the NYS border, Bradford, Tioga, Potter,etc) is a great place to stay.

Sinnemahoning...........at least 40 wonderful miles from any hope of cell service or internet.

It sure is. I'm guessing a lot of folks would be really surprised to learn how truly remote that part of the world is. Renovo, the biggest town in a thirty mile radius, got it's first cell tower, a few years back, a quarter century after rural areas of the Pocono mountains, to the east, had good coverage, I have found a few places where a township's entire governmental presence is a town hall, the size of a garden shed. A bit west of there, our future daughter in law, a recent university grad, did her first eight years of public school in a two room schoolhouse, on a gravel road.

[Ralph_Cramden]

soren wrote:
The PA. Grand Canyon and the whole "northern Tier" area (defined as the counties touching the NYS border, Bradford, Tioga, Potter,etc) is a great place to stay.

Sinnemahoning...........at least 40 wonderful miles from any hope of cell service or internet.

[Busskipper]

flguppie wrote:
We live in S. FL and want to escape the summer heat. We love history and would like to find somewhere to book by the month (cheaper that way) and sight-see out from there. We don’t mind a motel night out if the sight-seeing takes us a bit far too.

A few years ago we loved our summer near Williamsburg, VA. There was so much to see from there.... and a weekend trip to DC to boot.

We were thinking this summer to head to somewhere near Gettysburg or Lancaster and Amish country with a trip by car to Philadelphia one weekend.

So.... Where would be the best places to stay for a month in that area and what things to see, etc.

And is this the best plan? Is there somewhere else we should be looking at?

Having lived and traveled all through the East Coast I'd Suggest either closer - Lake Toxaway/Cashiers area (RT 64 in the mountains, cooler) biggest issue is you might just need to get a place here every summer, it's that nice!

Rehoboth Beach area, water - good food - beach - we still get everyone together there for two weeks for the last 40 years.

Upstate NY, Finger Lakes - or up by Lake Placid - just a beautifully amazing area, with lots of History and great people.

Summer in the rest of the East is just Hot and Muggy - that's why we love Colorado.

JMHO,

[FLGup]

Wow, great suggestions!. Some great new areas to research. Keep these great ideas coming. Thanks.

Hey Soren, what camping places would you recommend in the Lancaster area?

[ACZL]

I think Harley-Davidson has a plant near Lancaster. New Holland farm equipment has a plant, well, in New Holland. Don't pass up Shady Maple Restaurant. Cabelas nearby as well.

[Veebyes]

The further north you go the better. Think Maine or the Maritimes. The other option is altitude. Along the Blue Ridge, the higher the better.