Leta,

Just so you know, whether you pick a particular state when you post your question, it all shows up on the main board. So repeating the question under a different state won't help you.

If you're not getting enough help, just go back to your question, post a reply to it, and this will bring it back to the top of the list of threads so that more people will see it.

Good luck!

While the East Coast states are smaller than what you are used to (i.e., Oklahoma), they are larger than you think! There is no way you can use any location as a home base to visit all the sites you mention!
For example, you could stay in Providence, RI or eastern Connecticut and take day trips (separately) to Mystic and Newport.
Or, you can stay in Boston and take a day trip to Gloucester.
Except for these two examples, there is no home base that will afford you the opportunity to visit any of the major cities you list.Your list includes cities at least 90 minutes (New York and Philadelphia) apart. Boston and New York are about 4 hours apart by train.

Maybe I'm biased, having grown up on the coast, but Mystic AND Gloucester AND Newport? Leta, fishing villages (even ones with tourist attractions and really big houses) just aren't that exciting, especially to older teen-age boys.

Consider, too, not just the time spent getting from Point A to Points B, C, D, E, F, G and H, but also the exhaustion that will built up from nonstop travel.

I agree with the other posters. Choose two or three cities and spend a bit more time there. My suggestion would be four days in DC (that'll give you time to see two or three of the Smithsonian museums, Congress and a few smaller sights), four days in NYC (major sights, a show, a couple of museums), three days in Boston (a Red Sox game, if you can get tickets; a whale-watching tour, if it's the right time of year; a day walking the Freedom Trail; maybe a day trip by train to Salem) and three days of travel.

The #1 rule of travel: Everything takes longer than you think it will take.

Check with the airline to see if you can fly into DC but fly back from Boston or Providence or NYC. This summer I'm flying into Seattle but going back from Anchorage and some friends said they didn't realize you could fly back from a different city. I agree that you are trying to see too many things. From RI you could make day trips to Mystic, Gloucester and Boston. Maybe your sons would prefer some beach time.

Thank you for your responses. After reading suggestions, we will pick at least 2 states to take trips from after leaving D.C. This was just what I wanted to know about.
In defense to "hey", the boys are the ones that wanted to see Gloucester of Perfect Storm fame and they wanted to see the mansions also (they've always been fasinated with big houses). We've seen tons of baseball games over the country (no disrespect to the Red Sox) and been on numerous beach vacations. We all want to come East specifically to see the historical sights that you can only see there. Keep in mind that cities 90 min. - 2 hours apart are nothing for us in Oklahoma. We drive that far to go to the lake for the day or to Oklahoma City at night for a game or concert.
Since we probably won't be making this trip again with our sons, we are hitting the main sights while there. Except for D.C., we figure 2 days per city will be fine. Keep in mind we are not trying to see everything, just the highlights. We have a lot of energy!

From D.C. to NYC is about 225 miles. From NYC to Boston is about 215 miles. Keeping this in mind here is how I would plan the trip. First, I would fly to D.C and fly home from Boston or vice versa.
A car is not needed in D.C. - public transportation is more than adequate From D.C.I would go to Philadelphia using the train. I would not return to D.C. A car is not needed in Philadelphia From Philadelphia next stop would be NYC. I would use a train or bus to make the trip. When in NYC a car would not be needed. Actually, it would be a detriment.

I would then fly, take a train or bus to Boston and use Boston as a base for visiting the New England sites. I would rent a car in Boston to visit Mystic, Newport and Gloucester.

Really can't agree with the idea of renting a car in Boston. I wouldn't have had one on a bet because those "round-abouts" or whatever they call them there are definitely not for the faint-of-heart. I would still use public transportation in Boston and set up a more rural location for my day trips. We went out of Stockbridge and it worked well. Let's face it, driving in major New England cities is NOT like driving in Oklahoma. Take a smaller area and add a bigger population and that equals major traffic. Do agree that you need at least 3 or 4 days in DC. We spent the better part on one just in the Holocaust Museum (a must do)and then there is the Smithsonian, the Vietnam Memorial, oh the list goes on and on. We stayed in Crystal City outside DC and found public transportation very easy to use. You certainly don't want a car THERE. As for NYC you (and your boys) probablly should see it but as far as I am concerned it is just a very big city with a Statue of Liberty and a Times Square. Naturally if it is important to you to see a real Broadway show, go for it (I HAD to see Phantom of the Opera in London) but I can happily await the arrival of the road shows to Chicago for most. Loved most the small towns we visited on our New England trip. Mystic was great, as was Salem. Guess you could call me a cemetary buff but there was so much history to be learned just wandering through the old cemetaries in the whaling ports along the way. I will be taking a bus tour of "Autumn in New England" in October (a bit hokey) but will let you know if I find any other sites worth a visit.

Whoops, meant Sturbridge, not Stockbridge and can't find a way in to correct the word.