I have to stay one week in Washington DC nest Novemeber for job. Then I have 5 free weeks to travel (as I do every year in USA).
I planned to drive along the coast and fly back to France from Miami. IS IT A GOOD IDEA FOR A TRIP AT THIS PERIOD?
Alain (Paris, France)

I'm not sure I'd want to do it Alain because there's a lot of boring driving involved. I drove from NYC to Fla. and while I didn't have the freedom of 5 weeks and the ability to stop along the way, it's not so pleasant. The price of petrol here has also gotten very high (although I guess still cheaper than what you pay).

But if I did this, the main stops I'd want to make south of DC on the east coast would be Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. The outer banks of North Carolina are also supposed to be beautiful but not sure what it would be like that time of year. When I was driving from NY to Fla. I was told by GoTravel who knows the area well about a beautiful drive along highway 17 from Charleston South through the ACE basin.

I would also suggest going west to New Orleans if you haven't been there. From there you could go down through the panhandle of Fla. seeing the west coast of Fla., stop in Sarasota and Naples. Then head to the east coast. Definitely spend some time doing the Keys.

Just remember that the most interesting spots will not be near the highway and the main highway south I 95 is loaded with trucks. If you want to be discouraged, do a text search here for drive NY to Fla. and you'll find some posts to read.

I'm not sure what you're asking? Do you mean the weather?

If so - DC will be chilly - but it's not winter yet and you;re unlikely to run into snow or really bad weather even if you head north to NYC. If you go south of DC you should be fine - but it won;t be really warm until you get to Florida.

Also, without knowing where you've been before - or your interests - it's hard to make recos. If you want beaches you may want to head straight south - doing Charleston, savannah etc on the way. If you want to explore more you could head west, do New Orleans and then end up in Miami.

Bonjour, Alain~
I think November is a lovely time to drive anywhere on the East Coast, as you go south, hopefully there might be a tiny bit of color left in the trees.
Without stopping ( other than overnight), driving to Miami from DC would take you about 2 - 2 1/2 days..which should give you enough time to stop in Charleston or Savannah for a day. Is there somewhere special that you would like to stop and visit?
Florida will be nice weatherwise in November..

You should not have any major problems with weather. It shouldn't be cold at at all...think warmer than what your neighbors would be experiencing at that time! I'd suggest you consider seeing Charleston, SC; Memphis, TN; Atlanta, GA; Savannah, GA; New Orleans, LA, St. Augustine, FL. I'm not suggesting an itinerary here...some bouncing around if you tried to hit each one. But these are great cities to see.Enjoy!!

i agree with the advice on taking rt 17 s.you can pick it up near norfolk.suffolk,in virginia..almost all the way from there to georgia is a nice scenic ride through the sleepy south..some of my favorite stops to make along the way include washington n.c.,wilmington n.c. a neet city on the cape fear river the home many rebel blocade runners during the civil war..of course charlston is nice but to get the real flavor of the deep south visit beaufort s.c. a short drive off rt.17.. you can follow rt17,and 301 into fla..then pick up I10 to new orleans...the french influence in this city is quite pronounced.. have a safe trip..

Thanks for your advices

By "is it a goog idea..." I did'nt mean the weather but ladscapes, cities: the charm of the deep south
Alain

Gosh - Five WEEKS?!?!

I think after Charleston, I'd detour over to Nashville, TN, and then down to New Orleans, LA, before hitting Florida!

(Or, conversely, NYC in November is lots of fun, if you have never visited when the Christmas decorations start going up. You could drive North first, hitting Annapolis and Philadelphia, visit NYC, and then fly to Florida for the second half of your visit.)