travellyn

At that time of year, for most places outside a few major cities in the USA, $80-85 will get you something between fair and really nice. There aren't many places where you'll even have the option of sharing a bath. Be aware that we have room taxes added on to the quoted cost for a room. They can be as high as 15%. $40-$50, including taxes, will be plenty to spend for a motel in some rural areas, leaving you more $ for the more expensive areas.

Weather in the Rocky Mountains can be very unpredictable until mid-April; March is our snowiest month. Luckily, it doesn't look like you'll get that far west until past mid-April.

Quinty

I will try this one more time. My laptop zapped itself in the middle of my response!

I am a very experienced roadtripper, and have been to all but 1 state in the US (Maine).

The basics, etc.
thrill rides: Atlanta, St. Louis and Los Angeles all have Six Flags Amusement Parks. They are all fun, but if you want extreme, then Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles is the one for you. Some of those rides should be illegal!

In D.C. you might be able to catch the cherry blossoms (very pretty) and hit the Smithsonian/monuments, Carolinas have very pretty mountains and rolling hills, Georgian estate homes are pretty neat, go to an alligator farm in FL and see the pretty beaches on the Gulf coast, Alabama has some outstanding fried food and be sure to order some sweet tea, MS has the floating casinos but mostly murky water, LA - New Orleans French Quarter, Arkansas and Oklahoma - haven't visited any sights there but the roads sure are bumpy. I hope const. is done by the time you get there if you're taking 40.

Missouri is back to the rolling hills and you can go up in the Arch in St. Louis. SD has Mt. Rushmore which will probably be a lot smaller than you expect, WY has Yellowstone (watch out for those buffalo) and Old Faithful geyser. Also, call ahead a day or two at least for a hotel around Yellowstone - had a problem with that once.

Maybe you can do some late season skiing in the rockies of CO. UT is one of the prettiest states IMO because of the rocks and clean landscape. The Salt Lake is stinky though, so bring a gas mask! (just kidding).
New Mexico's red rocks and plateaus are very unique and a nice sight at dawn if you're headed through early.

Don't miss the Grand Canyon (I prefer south rim) and Las Vegas. California must sees are Yosemite, either Redwoods or Sequoias, and the cliffs of the seaside.
Santa Barbara is a fun college town that you may want to spend a day tootling around as well and SF is outstanding. If you're in LA, you'll probably want to hit Mann's Chinese theater where all the stars hand/footprints are, the observatory is a nice view of LA, the tar pits have that archeological edge (bones of mastadons and sabre tooth tigers).

I have really skipped around here so if you have specific questions let me know. Your budget is certainly enough for hotels. I disagree that you should pick a smaller route. You can do it, and passing through is not bad. At least you got to see it!

Marie

LOTS of historical stuff in DC and VA. You could easily spend 2 weeks in DC alone. Be sure to at least hit the highlights of DC – visit several of the Smithsonian museums, the Washington, Lincoln and Vietnam War Memorials. For some living history visit Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. For thrill rides in Williamsburg go to Busch Gardens. It is probably a little out of your way, but try to drive through the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee or North Carolina. Later in your trip you will drive over the Rocky Mountains, but the Smokies are different. Tour Boone Hall near Charleston, SC to get an idea of what a southern plantation was like. In Charleston tour Fort Sumter. Further down the coast stop in Savannah, Georgia. In Florida, you will want to visit Orlando, of course, but don’t spend all your time there. Drive south of Orlando and take a tour of the Everglades. If you have time, I highly recommend you drive all the way down to Key West. When you get back to northern Florida, stay on Highway 98 in the panhandle – it’s a very pretty drive all the way to LA. I can’t give you much advice on the rest of the states except Iowa. In Iowa I recommend 2 stops – Winterset, IA to see the covered bridges and Living History Farms in Des Moines, IA.

URL/ Website links for more information:
www.si.edu – Smithsonian museums
www.williamsburg.com – Williamsburg, Virginia
www.nps.gov – America’s National Parks (Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone)
www.boonehallplantation.com – Boone Hall Plantation
www.charlestoncvb.com – Charleston, South Carolina
www.savannah-visit.com - Savannah, Georgia
www.madisoncounty.com – Winterset, Iowa
www.lhf.org – Living History Farms, Iowa

designmr

If you do indeed plan to pass through Oklahoma City, you'll find the National Memorial moving, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum intriguing, Remington Park racetrack exhilarating, and Enterprise Square (interactive economics museum and White Water (water park) fun! Bricktown in downtown is a good place to eat, lounge, and take in a water taxi.

resipsaloquitur

More about AAA and alternate sources of travel info. There is an AAA office on 15th street NW in Washington DC - check www.aaa.com for exact address).

Another source of travel info are bookstores. The two big US chain bookstores have downtown DC branches which are within reasonable walking distance of the main tourist areas ("museums and monuments")- Borders Books (14th St NW) and Barnes & Noble (12th St. NW)(check websites for exact addresses). These stores will have a wide selection of specialized guide books to different US regions, states, cities, scenic routes, historical attractions like plantation homes and Civil War battle fields, National Parks, amusement parks, and cities in the US, as well as hotel/motel and "road food" guides. Plus, these stores sell some maps and road atlases. (There's also a good independent map store somewhere nearby, but I just can't recall the address)

The National Geographic Society publishes an extensive selection of US travel guides and maps in addition to the famous magazine. These publications can be bought at the Society's headquarters Explorer's Hall (17th and M Streets) in Washington DC - and the Explorer's Hall itself has interesting exhibits and be a fun place for a quick visit.

You can get some good ideas for the rest of your trip just browsing in these places, and if you do buy a book or map, they will be much cheaper than buying than buying off the websites and having the items shipped all the way to Norway.

seniormsuedu

well, if it were me....go directly to chicago for a couple of days, museums, ride the el etc, then on to colorado with one night in nebraska. visit denver and area, go south to santa fe, n.mex., spend a few days.

drive to pagosa springs colorado, durango, mesa verde, moab, utah. spend a few days, tour arches nat. park and canyonlands. on to torrey via green river, spend a day or two hiking capitol gorge. drive the marvelous scenic highway 22 to bryce, spend a day, then on to zion national. spend at least 2-3 days for hikes.

from there i would go to page, arizona and take the boat ride, grand canyon then to las vegas. las vegas through death valley then to yosemite valley and san francisco or wherever.

i would read up on history if possible. your hotel budget sounds right, cheaper in the southwest, more expensive in chicago and california. look up motel chains on the web for prices. i would also buy a national park pass for $50 that you can get in any natl. park.

the western u.s. will blow your mind. can i come too?

RufusTFirefly

For a couple of 50's style experiences:

Wall Drug in Wall, SD

Harold Warp's Pioneer Village, Minden, NE

Seeker

Thanks again to all those that replied

We`ve been researching quite abit these past weeks and one thing that is on our minds is the crime.. We come from a country that has minimal crime and so are sceptical about the big cities in the US.

We dont want to make this trip into some big city adventure, but we have to visit some of them. We know we have to keep the car locked at all times and never stop anywhere in bad city neighbourhoods and always keep your guard up (this will be a new experience).

What to you recommend we do when we want to visit a city? We thought of staying at a motel on the outskirts of the city and then travel by public transportation to whatever destination we had in mind. One reads about staying out of bad neighbourhoods, but I reckon its not exactly easy to know which is which for a couple of foreigners.

I hope some of you can enlighten us here. Tension is growing ever stronger.
Only three weeks to go now.

Thanks in advance.

travellyn

It's important to be aware of the possibility of crime, but most USA cities are usually safe. There aren't that many "bad" neighborhoods in any given urban area.

Living for 20 years in Houston, and working mostly in the middle of town, the only crime I experienced was being pickpocketed once while boarding a city bus.

I've traveled fairly extensively, even doing stupid things like walking alone at night in big cities, and have had nothing else happen to me.

A USA guide book, like Let's Go, is likely to tell you infamous neighborhoods to avoid, also general safety tips. If you walk with someone else, avoid drug deals, don't hitchhike, avoid lonely ATMs, and don't flash cash around, you've probably protected yourself as much as anyone in the USA would.

Yes, avoid certain areas, lock your doors, and be aware of your surroundings, but don't let yourself worry so much that you can't enjoy the places you go.

Seeker

Wow, that was quick!
Ok, hope you can answer a couple more questions
Is there tourist information available at specific places? Like right at the border of a new state? How is the condition of roads other than interstates? Are these worth driving for scenery?
We`ve put up a specific travel route for us to follow, but that makes us wonder that we might miss something (of course.. we wont be able to experience everything).

travellyn

Yes, there are tourist information centers at most state lines, also in most major cities and national parks.

US and state highways are smaller than interstates, but generally well-maintained. They are less likely to have controlled access, and may be 2 lane roads, but the speed limits are usually 55-70mph. They do tend to be more scenic. While driving these roads, you may have to stop fairly often at stoplights in towns, since you don't drive over or around towns like you would on interstates.

Interstates are good to use if you just want to get somewhere fast, but with what you're doing, the secondary roads would probably be a lot more interesting.

Syv

Lots of replies. Might I also suggest seeing as many National Parks as possible on your route.

Look them up at www.nps.gov/parks

You can click on the map and find all the ones where you'll be going and read all about them. Just buy a National Parks Pass for $50 at the first park entry gate which gives all in your vehicle entry to ALL national parks / national historical sites / national monuments & lasts one year before expiry.

www.byways.org/travel/

- gives you all of the national scenic byways. You can request a free map.

You'll not want to miss the national parks across southern Utah - especially Zion and Bryce, the Grand Canyon, and Sequoia or Redwoods in California area.

In North Carolina area --- Great Smokey Mountains National Park / Blue Ridge Parkway scenic route. In Vicksburg Mississippi, there is a tour through the town past all of the old historical homes/buildings, and there is a national civil war memorial/cemetery. From New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Louisiana - there are many historical plantations/homes/farms that you can drive by or tour for a minimal fee.

For amusement parks / thrill rides - check out www.sixflags.com for all of their locations throughout the U.S.A.

Enjoy your trip!