Driving the U.S with kids

Old Aug 7th, 2013, 08:18 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Driving the U.S with kids

I am looking at taking a driving tour with 3 kids (ages 7,11,12) next summer. I am not sure where to go. Last summer we drove the Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Gettysburg area and loved it. Any suggestions on places in the U.S. we should go and see? We will have 2-3 weeks to do it. Staying in hotels.
Thanks
NBOARN is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 08:26 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 7,342
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Your question is broad. Try the west coast this time or New England. Luckily, you have tons of time to figure this out.
vjpblovesitaly is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 08:28 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,304
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Where are you starting from? Driving your own car or flying somewhere and renting? What kinds of things interest your family?
WhereAreWe is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 08:40 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'd highly recommend a West Coast trip with kids those ages and the time you have for this trip.

Ex:

San Diego - 3 days
Theme Parks around LA - 3 days
LA - 2 days
Coast - 2-3 days
Monterey - 2 days
San Francisco - 3 days
Yosemite (for which you'll need to make reservations SOON - they open up reservations a year in advance) - 2-3 days
Lake Tahoe - 2-3 days of R & R
sf7307 is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 09:36 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,876
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I like the west coast trip a lot.
Could also go east toward Arizona and New Mexico. See Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Indian villages, on toward Mesa Verde--sort of an Indian theme.
Gretchen is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 09:40 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,830
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Since we don't know a starting point, how about the Northwest.

With 2-3 weeks you can see Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills, Yellowstone & Grand Teto Nat. Park, then to Glacier Nat. Park. Cross ID and WA to Seattle and maybe even take a venture into British Columbia, say Vancouver and/or Victoria.

You can make a great trip in that amount of time, just pick the region.
boom_boom is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 10:39 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 1,055
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree... Go west, young man! The Calif trip outlined above would be great. So would a tour of some national parks, which I feel every American should see in their lifetime. Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, etc would make a great trip out of Las Vegas. Or Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, Glacier, etc also makes a wonderful trip (though more driving). However, you may have trouble getting hotels within the parks... They often book up a year in advance. Staying in-park makes a difference in some places more than others. For example, you really want to be in-park in Grand Canyon, but it's easy and efficient to lodge outside the park in Zion.
msteacher is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 10:48 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Are you a very active family? We tend to prefer walks and hikes over theme parks and museums, and so that is what the following recommendations are based on.

New England is great. You could spend the time in Cape Cod (visiting Provincetown, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket), Boston, the coast of Maine (including Boothbay Harbor, Bar Harbor, and Acadia). A week alone could be spent in Acadia. There are a lot of walking paths and hiking trails. There are kayaking and cliff climbing trips.

Colorado is great as well. Visit Crested Butte and Breckenridge, Boulder and Denver.

I love the New Mexico, Utah and Arizona area, but you have to be careful because it can get insanely hot in places over the summer. Bryce and Zion National Parks are definite "musts" in a person's lifetime, and don't tend to get as hot as the Canyonlands near Moab, Utah. But they do still get hot. Arizona is ridiculously hot in the summer. So, as much as I love that little corner of the country, I would avoid it in the summer unless you plan on spending a lot of time in your car.
hancai1997 is offline  
Old Aug 7th, 2013, 11:46 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It would help to know if you like outdoorsy things more or museums/monuments more. And how you feel about the heat.

A lot of the west is a desert (yes, even LA) and can be unbearably hot in the summer - although LA is just sort of regular hot with bad air.

The more norther national parks are more temperate - bus VERY busy.

And New England with Boston would be fantastic. Een consider going over to NY to the Adirondacks - noting else like them - for cabins, lakes, fishing, boating - but with lots of cute little towns nearby (they were there before the park - unlike in the west).
nytraveler is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
yukon311
United States
9
May 25th, 2016 01:05 PM
shanek
United States
93
Apr 6th, 2010 11:42 AM
Elise
United States
42
Jan 6th, 2003 10:43 AM
banu
United States
8
Jun 21st, 2002 06:24 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -