My husband is a history buff and we like to center our vacations around places rich with US history. We are planning a 7-10 day trip in July. What are some suggestions for a fun vacation spot but filled with history? We live in Michigan and would like it to be a driving trip. We don't have kids. Thanks for your help!!

My vote would be for the Boston area. If you go there, make sure to visit Plimoth Plantation. Incredible place! Their website is plimothplantation.com

The Boston area is chock full of historic places -- the Freedom Trail, Lexington and Concord, Salem, etc., etc. But there are also lots of other fun things to do. Like seeing a Red Sox game!

It takes us two days (about 14 to 16 hours on the road, depending on how much we stop, how long it takes us to eat, etc.) when we take our daughter to school in western Massachusetts from Chicago. So if you figure two days out, two days back, you'd still have plenty of time to explore the area.

I'd suggest a drive through Virginia, D.C. suburbs, Alexandria, Mt. Vernon, Gunston Hall, (then a day in Baltimore to Ft. McHenry & I believe their is Antienam and Gettysburg, PA) Of course you could drive up to Philadelphia which is 2-3 hrs from Baltimore not far from the D.C. area, Monticello, Williamsburg, 50 miles south of D.C. to Fredericksburg. I know that there is a northern Virginia town somewhere around Rt 40 that had 12 major civil war battles, can't think of the name. You might also want to do some research on the Underground Railroad there may be historic sites about buildings where slaves were kept finding their way north and into Canada. I'm sure there are some in Virginia.

I have never been to Philadelphia before and was considering that as part or all of the trip. Can anyone make any suggestions about the Philadelphia area? Thanks CAPH52 and Stephanie. I will look into the places you've listed and try to build off of that!

Historic travel is so exciting to plan. Wow I am excited for your aeventrue. Please keep us posted. It can include a wide variety of interests. Does military history interest your husband? Revolutionary or Civil Wars? Historic Trails, as suggested above, Freedom Trail, Natchez Trace, Lewis & Clark? Architecture? I start to search at http://historictraveler.away.com/pri...tary/index.adp
and also for general info http://www.historytravel.com/
If you enjoy historic hotels try
http://www.historichotels.org/.
Good luck with your planning

rbw....thank you sooo much. Those websites sound great. I'm going to go and check them out now!!!

In Philadelphia you should start at the Visitors Center to get tickets to go to Independence Hall. They are free, but give you a specific time to visit. The Liberty Bell and the Constitution Center are all in the same area. In fact, most of the historic sites are in the same area. There are some bus tours and walking tours available also.
Go to www.gophila.com for a lot of great info.
While you're in the Phila. area you could also visit Valley Forge Park for even more history.

Thanks Schmerl - how many days should I plan for Philly?

It depends on how much you want to see. I know you're doing a mainly "historic" tour, but Phila.'a Art Museum is fantastic. As is the Franklin Institute. If you want to see Valley Forge, that's about a 40 minute drive from the city (can be much more during high traffic hours). The historic district of Phila. can probably be done in two days or so. Some people can spend most of the day at the Constitution Center--others just rush through.

If you happen to end up in Fredricksburg, VA..check out the battlefields in the area, especially the sunken road, absolutely fascinating. Have a great trip.

I'm really not clear on whether you're looking to stay in one central location, "a fun vacation spot...filled with history" or a road trip, but you will be able to find both options along the east coast. If you choose to spend most of your time in a major US city....Philadelphia, Boston, or DC, expect those destinations to be very warm and crowded with tourists in July. If your heart is set on Philadelphia, you may want to extend the scope of your trip a bit by stopping at Gettysburg PA and touring the Civil War battlefield there. I'd also recommend the Lancaster PA area for its Amish connections and the Strasburg RR Museum. You might also want to visit Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine Battlefield (American Rev) in PA as well as Winterthur Museum & Gardens in Deleware which are all located SW of Philadelphia within a two hour drive time of the historic area. The Germantown area which is northwest of the historic area might be of interest as this was the location of Washington's 'summer home' when the government was located in Philadelphia. Germantown's also the site of an American Rev battle. The historic Chew House still stands from that time period and is being renovated.

In addition to the wonderful road trip suggestions listed by rbw, you might also want to consider driving the Shenandoah Valley, scenic 'bread basket of the Confederacy' and site of many Civil War battles. Before entering the valley, visit the CW medical museum in Fredrick and the Antietan Battlefield, both in MD. Then stop at the historic town of Harpers Ferry W VA, site of John Brown's capture by Lieutenant Robert E Lee before heading south to Winchester VA , a town that changed hands over 70 times during the CW. Stay off the interstate, stopping at the New Market Battlefield, Lexington with its connections to Jackson & Lee, and Natural Bridge to Roanoke. You may also want to include side trips to Jefferson's home near Charottesville and the D Day Memorial in Beford.

Take a look at the recent book Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. She traces paths related to four presidential assassinations (Lincoln, McKinley and i'm not awake enough at the moment to remember the others!) - Even if it doesn't serve as a roadmap for your upcoming trip, it's an entertaining - (that's right!)- read that packs in a whole lot of history.

If you visit Gettysburg, you might want to include Harper's Ferry which is just about an hour or two southeast and well worth an afternoon visit.

Tdmort,

The suggestions you have so far are excellent... the Eastern seaboard is awash with 13-colonies time period history. In order to keep your trip relatively relaxed, I'd recommend focusing your attention on a particular corner of the eastern seaboard.

LOWER MID-ATLANTIC. Williamsburg, Richmond, Washington DC and in-between (old town Alexandria, Manassas, Jamestown, Fredericksburg). This trip would give a nice taste of early-13-colonies history, and Civil War times with a South-North balance.

UPPER MID-ATLANTIC. DC, Baltimore, Annapolis, Philadelphia (Antietam and Gettysburg if Civil War is of interest). Even though below the Mason-Dixon Line, this is Yankee history and more urban-focused than my first suggestion, could be combined with lots of good eating & preserved neighborhood exploring.

NEW ENGLAND. I know this area the least having only visited Boston & Vermont years back, definitely awash in history though from Salem to Plymouth to Boston. You'll have no trouble keeping busy.

Not US history per se, but definitely tied in would be...

QUEBEC/ONTARIO. Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Kingston. Rich, historic, puts US history in a different perspective... esp. with the colliding French & English powers at Plains of Abraham. Modern Quebec is a living reminder of the evolution of patterns of colonization that are not visible from much of the USA.

All doable in a 7-10 day trip.

I would go to DC and see the Smithsonian and the sights surrounding. Then head down to Richmond and Williamsburg and surrounding Yorktown and Jamestown. Busch Gardens is in Williamsburg which is a nice day off from history,but also a nice walking park with all of the countries. You can also hit Virginia Beach for a beach day or two. Then, I would drive home heading west into the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is a very pretty drive.
There is so much history in Virginia between the civil war and revolutionary war sites.

I can also suggest you consider Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The original Moravian settlement, Old Salem, has been refurbished and is an excellent place to see living American history. www.oldsalem.org

I have a historical correction for the post by retired_teacher (I love being able to correct teachers!). Robert E. Lee was a Lieutenant Colonel, not a Lieutenant when he commanded the US troops that ended John Brown's "invasion" of the Harper's Ferry Arsenal.

I second his/her suggestions regarding the Shenendoah Valley, both for its history and its beauty. I also agree with the suggestions for visits to Harper's Ferry and the Antietam Battlefield.

It may be too far to travel but our country's oldest city, St. Augustine, (founded in 1565) is a great place for history buffs.

http://www.staugustinelinks.com/st-a...ne-history.asp

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/staugustine/intro.htm

Wow....this is awesome!! Thank you all so much!! I can't wait to show my husband all of the wonderful suggestions. I welcome any more suggestions. Thanks Retired_Teacher for your Shenandoah Valley suggestion. I'll have to go google it now!

Great suggestions!

If you come to Shenandoah Valley area, as suggested by retired teacher, Winchester also has the brand new Museum of the Shenandoah Valley which would be a great stop before heading south through the Valley. As mentioned, it changed hands over 70 times during the Civil War and Stonewall Jackson had his headquarters' here for a while. As a young man, George Washington spent time in the area as a surveyor.

Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry, New Market, Charlottesville and more make this area great for history buffs.

So many great choices...have fun whatever you do! Happy travels.