breathe

Two adults with two teenagers:
5 nights NYC (only four full days due to travel)
2 nights Philadelphia
2 nights Gettysburg
2 nights Williamsburg
3 nights DC

Is two nights in Gettysburg too much? Should I give NYC 4 nights and add another night to DC? We like to do all of the tourist things; see all of the major sights. We want this to be educational as well as fun. I'd love your opinion. Also we are going in August. I know I know. It is going to be hot and crowded.

leahinsc

Are your teens boys or girls? What ages? Seems like you have historic sites on the agenda - is that your interest or theirs? Amusement parks?

breathe

Boy (15), girl (14). I think we all are interested in the historic sites, as well as shopping, swimming, etc. I read about a water park in Willimasburg and we can do a day trip from NYC to the beach. So my question is: Is two nights in Gettysburg too much? Should I give NYC 4 nights and add another night to DC?

J62

When I travel I always find it preferable to stay in the same hotel more than one night so you don't have to immediately get up, pack up and check out every single day.

On the way from NYC to Phl. you could do a day trip to the Jersey Shore. Island Beach state park is the prettiest beach and it wouldn't be too far out of your way. It's about 2hrs from downtown NYC to IB state park, then about 2hrs from there to Phl. Of course you can drive non-stop NYC to Phl in far less time - about 2hrs if you want to make a bee line.

2 nights in Phl is good. If you want to get into the US Mint you have to do some pre-arranging for security reasons. Contact your local US congressman and they can arrange a tour for you pretty easy, some even do this on a web site. 2-3 weeks notice is required.

Gettysburg: 1 day is enough to tour the battlefield area, but you could spend 2 nights in the area so you have a place to hang out & relax, swim in the pool, etc after walking around civil war battlefields on a hot afternoon.

theresac

One night spent in Gettsyburg would work as long as you had a full day to see the battlefields. YOu can drive into DC fron G'burg in about 1.5 hours (as long as you wait until after rush hour.) Have dinner in G'burg around 6ish , then drive down to DC to check into your hotel.

GoTravel

Holy Cow! You all going to be worn out! You have so much crammed into two weeks are you really going to be able to enjoy your time in these places?

Personally, I'd split the time between New York City and DC. There is tons to do in both those towns that could easily take 14 days.

wantsomesun

I would agree you are trying to pack alot into your time and August will be HOT, so you may find yourselves trying to do to much.

I would rethink the NY and DC part of the trip and maybe stop in Philly on your way to DC. From NYC, Philly is about an 1 1/2 hours.

YOu kids might really enjoy a day at the beach on Fire Island, and it's even fun getting there. Long Island Railroad has packages including train/cab/ferry to Fire Island, and I would suggest going to the Sunken Forest, it is literally a forest inbetween sand dunes. There is a beautifully kept walkway through the forest and on a very hot day, it's a nice cool walk. You will probably see some deer, a fox, tons of birds and some sea life. The National Park Service maintains a ranger station there and there is also a life guard on duty. When you get off the ferry there is also a little cafe for food/drinks and tee shirts/gifts.

If one of your interests is shopping there is an amazing mall just north of Philly called Franklin Mall, with over a mile of stores inclosed. Be good for school clothing shopping in August. I bought a really beautiful leather jacket there recently for $20.

The landmarks in Philly are certainly worth a stop as well, the Liberty Bell, the Museums, Constitution Hall, Betsy Ross's home, Ben Franklins home and more. There is also an excellent Zoo in Philly as well.

Hope this helps, and have a fun time planning your trip.

ellen_griswold

I most definitely think you can do it, should do it, and that you'll have a GREAT time. We've done very similar trips to those locations also in the hot crowded summer, and know you can see and do alot in your allotted time.

However, i'd limit G'burg to one day max and Phl to 1.5 days, then add the extra 1.5 days to NYC. IMO you can never have enough time in the city.