Road trip from DC to NYC--help with itinerary?
 

My husband and I, with two daughters (14 and 12) are going ton a road trip from DC to NYC. We have 3 nights between DC and NYC and wondering which cities/towns we should overnight in.

We are from overseas so anything will be exciting for the girls.

We have done numerous road trips in the States, but mostly in the west coast. We are spending a few days in DC and ten days in NYC. We just need help on the road trip part.

Thanks for any input you can share!

Take the train from Washington to Philadelphia perhaps and forget the car.

What time of year? What types of things are you interested in seeing/doing? Only cities/towns?

Washington to NYC is a particularly unpleasant driving route, so depending on answers to the questions above, taking the train might be best.

What's the "road trip" part? DC to NYC is just over four hours, it's not a long drive. If you want to visit some other place, you can either day trip from DC or NYC or just drive to wherever - Gettysburg, Philly, Baltimore - any of which is a short drive from DC. It's not like your DC-NYC drive is equivalent to Seattle-San Francisco.

I would add that having a car IN New York City can end up being a pricey proposition given the cost of parking in some places. I mentioned Philadelphia since you say that the kids would be interested in just about anything and it is right on the way to New York and enjoys excellent rail service from Washington.

There are, as mentioned above, a whole lot of places more or less "between" the two cities (some are geographically more out of the way than others including places at the beach) which might be appropriate if we had some more information.

If you have any interest in history I would stop in Gettysburg (but do see the movie Gettysburg beforehand so it makes more sense)and in Phily.

But do not pick up the car until you leave DC and drop it as soon as you get to NYC (where it is useless and expensive - not just for the rental but for about $40 a day parking while it jut sits there).

Thanks for all your responses so far. More information:

1. We don't need to see beaches--just cities, college towns, perhaps countryside.

2. We are not keeping the car in either DC or NYC. ANd I know that DC to NYC is only 4 hours--but as we have 4 nights to kill between the two cities, I was hoping to make 3 stops in 3 different places, with our last night being in Sloatsburg, NY visiting friends.

3. We are returning the car somewhere there and taking the bus into Manhattan. It would definitely be unwise to have the car in the city. Our NYC trip is all planned out with summer camps and activities.

4. This trip is in July--as in, starting in 2 days (yes, over the July 4 weekend!)

5. I would love to show the kids anything historic, and i myself love antiques.

Thanks again!

Baltimore Museum of Art and the Baltimore Harbor waterfront
Longwood Gardens and Winterthur Museum near Wilmington, DE
Brandywine Valley on PA-DE border
Philadelphia (Museum of Art, Rodin Museum, independence Hall)
Valley Forge, PA
New Hope, PA art and antiques
Delaware Water Gap, NJ -- who knew NJ could be so woodsy!

Good suggestions from Ackislander.

Of particular note:

Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Aquarium

Longwood if a massive, impressive arboretum is of interest (make sure to take in the building that houses the organ); Winterthur for an interesting tour of the home of one of the DuPonts

Valley Forge Park and Independence Hall for history

New Hope if you're looking for an artsy little town

Really good suggestions from Ack and vin.

The big variable will be, IMO, the availability of places to stay and the number of new best friends you are going to be traveling with on the road given that it is a holiday weekend. Philly may be packed b/c of Independence Day. I'd steer clear of Interstate 95 where ever possible. If either Baltimore or Philly become one of your destinations, consider taking the train from DC and picking up a car when leaving either of those cities.

Thanks for all your suggestions. There is so much to see between DC and NYC!

This is what we did in the 3 nights we had to get from once place to another. We got a rental car as we left DC and drove from:

1. DC to Philly- Overnight in Philly (Home2 by Hilton) then spent the next day at the Reading market then Independence Hall. Enjoyed a full day of the July 3 festivities which made our being in Philly more meaningful. Got in a quick visit to UPenn and strolled around the campus.
2. Late afternoon drive to Mahwah NJ (only because we were visiting family there)- stopped by Baltimore inner harbor for dinner-- chanced upon a concert, enjoyed sunset at the harbor.
3. Two nights in Mahwah NJ (Fairfield Inn)- next day visited family in Sloatsburg and celebrated July 4, then evening shopping at Woodbury commons outlet mall (still caught the July 4 sales!), next day drove into NYC checked into our NYC hotel (Cassa) and then dropped off the car.

We were expecting horrible traffic, but we didn't encounter much. Booked the hotel stays just a couple of days before using Booking.com.

Wish we had more days to see more things. I would've wanted to pass by Gettysburg, Lancaster and also visit New Hope, and the other places that were mentioned in this thread. Now that I can visualize the route and the things to see, there must be a next time. Thanks again!

For your next time, I would say the Brandywine Valley is a must. It is elegant countryside,and there is a wonderful mid-range hotel there, called the Inn at Montchanin.

We've stayed there twice and enjoyed beautiful gardens, Longwood included, which takes most of a day to see, as well as the famous Winterthur house and vast gardens.

Sorry I didn't see this sooner!