maribethp

We are thinking of driving from pa to arizona to spend about 3 weeks there. we have all the time in the world to drive there and would like some ideas as to how to make the trip interesting. from pa to az. once in az, we have manyy ideas. also we will travel in mid february. thanks

starrs

My choices would be -
Reading to Mill Run PA - less than 4 hours
Visit Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

Mill Run to Mammoth Cave - less than 8 hours
Visit Mammoth Cave
Maybe do the Bourbon Trail if you haven't

Mammoth Cave to Little Rock - about 6 hours
Visit the Clinton Presidential Library

Little Rock to Amarillo - about 8 hours
Just a decent place to spend the night

Amarillo to Santa Fe - about 4 hours
Spend a couple of days in the area around Santa Fe
Lots to see and do

Santa Fe to the south rim of the Grand Canyon -
less than 7 hours, but do more sightseeing in the area and spend a couple of days there

GC to Sedona - 2 hours
Spend a couple of days in the area too

Sedona to wherever it is you are going in AZ - not far

Go to Taliesin West outside Scottsdale AZ. The night tour is a great time to see the house and the desert night sky

Those are drive times to break up the trip. Add time in the stops to see things (with the exception of Amarillo)

maribethp

Thank you so much,Starrs. Those short jaunts work well for us since we both have joint replacements.Is any part of this plan route 66?

HappyTrvlr

Amarillo is only a place to sleep. We ordered pizza delivery to hotel room as we didn't even want to drive around. You may want to get south of I-40 sooner to avoid winter weather, ice storms.
Where in AZ do you plan to stay? Phoenix/Scottsdale area, then I-40 is best as far as mileage but still can have severe winter conditions. If south in Tucson, Take I-25 south of I-40 to I-10, accessing it via the Hatch cutoff down to Deming,to be driving in safer conditions weather wise.
Have you considered flying and getting a long term car rental?

tomfuller

If you want to drive a section of the old US 66 in New Mexico, it will have to be between Seligman (se- LIG - man) and Kingman north of I-40. I-40 covers the old route except for this section. Along the route you can stop to see Grand Canyon Caverns near Yampai.

starrs

We enjoyed driving a short section of Route 66 and stayed in a teepee hotel room at the Wig Wam motel.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66..._holbrook.html

http://www.galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam/

To be honest, a little bit of Route 66 was enough for us.

This site may be helpful -
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/listofsites66.html

maribethp

No flight. I heard 66 is a letdown,, too. We may stay near sedona because my brother is there.

starrs

If you have no particular destination in mind, consider the area around Strawberry if you just want to hang out in a quiet place. We drove down from Winslow to Scottsdale on back roads and I loved the high country and Tonto National Forest. Check out vrbo.com for some rental options. When I go back again, I'd love to rent a place in the area.

maribethp

is strawberry near a bigger town? flagstaff is too cold.

maribethp

I just read about Strawberry and lodging and it looks great, but it is at 600 feet and will be 20-30 degrees cooler than Phoenix, etc. Is there a place nearby at a lower elevation? Then we could spend days there, but not stay there.

starrs

Well, that's pretty much the rest of AZ.

Browse vrbo.

maribethp

I meant is there another low altitude area, warmer, that you really like?

starrs

Someone else may have suggestions.

maribethp

ok

HappyTrvlr

AZ is very mountainous and night temperatures plummet in the desert.
Sedona may have snow. I've been in a snowstorm there in March.
Phoenix will be warmer but it is winter. AZ is not tropical.

HappyTrvlr

Tucson is at a higher altitude than Phoenix and the border at Nogales is even higher.

spirobulldog

I'll add some to starrs list

Consider Corvette Museum and Corvette Factory in Bowling Green, not far from Mammoth Cave. The Wild Cave tour at Mammoth is spectacular, but isn't for everyone. The Lantern Tour at night is also a good one with a lot of historical emphasis.

If you haven't been to Nashville, it is worth a couple of days.
See Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman, perhaps take in a Grand Ole Opry Show, Don't miss The Hermitage(Andrew Jackson home)
Good eats--Nashville is known for Hot Chicken. I like The Loveless Cafe. Las Paletas(popsicles-yes, they are that good)

If you haven't been to Memphis
See Graceland/Elvis, Sun Studio, Beale Street, The Peabody Ducks
Places to Eat-Blues City Cafe, Peabody Sunday Brunch, Gus's Fried Chicken, Rendevouz BBQ, Huey's

There are some interesting place in Arkansas.
Clinton Library-already mentioned
Petit Jean State Park--See Cedar Falls
Buffalo National River-This is my very favorite hidden gem in the US. Upper River is the best, and in Feb. the waterfalls are normally running very nicely. I can list many hikes at different levels, if you are interested.

I'm not that crazy about Hot Springs, but a lot of people love it. Horse Racing there is going at that time of year. Plus, the National Park, and visit the Bathe Houses. Eat at McClouds' BBQ, a favorite of Clinton.

Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas is free and fabulous. Has been open a couple of years and fully funded by Walmart/Waltons.

In Oklahoma City--see the Bombing Memorial
Eat at Big Truck Taco(now in a building) or Cattlemen's Steakhouse

If you go south/Tucson, then come back the southern route.
See Carlsbad Caverns(much much better than Mammoth-I've been to both multiple times. Again, the 2 wild cave tours here are great. There are many different tours both here and at Mammoth. I've done all of them, some of them 4 or 5 times.
Also visit Guadalupe National Park, which is less than an hour away from Carlsbad. One of the least visited national parks in lower 48.

The one thing you could get into is snow/ice in Feb. coming through I-40. If so, then travel is horrific, as the snowplowing/ice clearing isn't much. Things usually clear within 48 hours though. Just be weather aware and you won't have any problems.

We are going to Tucson/Saguaro National Park at the end of March. We plan on seeing Sabino Canyon(Seven Falls), Karchtner Caverns, Saquaro West and East, The Sonoran Museum(which is really more like a zoo), Mount Lemmon "night sky" observatory, the Farmers Market, Mission San Xavier.

tomfuller

Yuma has about the lowest elevation you will find in Arizona.
I'm planning on being there for several days in February.

maribethp

spiro, thanks so much, many items of interest. we will have 2 dogs with us, so not so much museums as seeing natural wonders, eating, and hiking.

DebitNM

Most National Parks don't allow dogs.