Jill_K

Please help! Have 16yo dd who has no interest in history, museums, etc. 14 yo ds easy to please. Driving from Durham (wedding) to Charleston (always wanted to go) then headed back toward home in NY. Thinking RIchmond and Annapolis. Ideas of what to do or an alternative itinerary.

obxgirl

What does your daughter like to do?

mayhem

University of Virginia in Charlottesville? (I know it's out of the way, but Charlottesville's great) Naval Academy in Annapolis (also just a wonderful place to spend a day)

longhorn55

If you are willing to make a detour from your route to Jockey Ridge State Park near Kill Devil Hills, NC, your family can do a 3-hour hang gliding course with Kitty Hawk Kites. We did this on a Spring Break trip with our teens a few years ago and we all had a blast!

schlegal1

Charlottesville is a good stop--shop and eat on the downtown mall to appease your daughter. Check out UVA and Monticello. Perhaps catch a concert or movie at the Paramount theater.

What does your daughter like?

Richmond has great food and shopping, too. And you can tour the state capitol. There are also plenty of live music venues.

If she likes walks/outdoors then a visit to the Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens would be nice: http://www.lewisginter.org/

Maymont might be nice--the house is cool and historic but interesting so your daughter might not find it too boring and the grounds are cool:
https://www.maymont.org/

schlegal1

Also--while I enjoyed Annapolis it is pretty big on history--what is of interest to you there? I might suggest Baltimore's Inner Harbor as an alternative--shopping, food, and a terrific aquarium.

Sassafrass

Love the hang gliding idea.

Suggest Williamsburg as the number one stop: fun, good food, good shopping, Busch Gardens and history in a fun way. Much better for teens than Annapolis.

Like Baltimore more than Annapolis also.

Myrtle Beach is super touristy, but fun with lots to do, decent food, good shopping.

Fredericksburg is also interesting.

Jill_K

Thanks for all of your responses. Any recs. for hotel near highway for overnight on our way to Durham. Between Fredricksburg and Richmond.

Thanks again.

Jill_K

One more question...

Any ideas for upscale resort from NC to northern VA - more of a place to relax than just sleep for 2 nights

obxgirl

Any recs. for hotel near highway for overnight on our way to Durham. Between Fredricksburg and Richmond.

I'd book your chain hotel of choice in either Fredericksburg or Richmond. They're only an hour apart and there isn't much near the highway in-between that isn't replicated in F or R with access to better services and food.

Any ideas for upscale resort from NC to northern VA - more of a place to relax than just sleep for 2 nights

That covers some territory. How far off of I85 or I95 are you willing to go?

schlegal1

Agreed--upscale like

The Homestead (far off your path of travel)? Boar's Head Inn? Keswick Hall?

http://www.thehomestead.com/

http://www.boarsheadinn.com/

http://www.keswick.com/keswick_hall.aspx

Jill_K

Thanks for all of these great ideas! I'll investigate.

Gretchen

There is lots of good shopping in Charleston for your teens--and FOOD. Fun places to eat over at Shem Creek. And I'm not trying to "parent" for you, but it could be that the 16yo needs to be pushed a bit. The history in Charleston is often architectural and just charming. And in April it will be florally magical.
You might enjoy an upscale beach resort at Wrightsville Beach or one of the beaches north of Wrightsville. At least walking on the beach and sunning by the pool would be possible.