I have a week in July to do a quick driving tour (the tourist thing). Am based in Columbus Ohio and have no knowledge of the States. Any sugestions where to go and what to see. Have two teenage daughters so there must be a bit of "do" as well as "see".

How much time are you willing to devote to driving?
Can you get to Washington DC?
The Virginia and West Virginia countryside is a beautiful sidelight.

How about Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head? There would be plenty of things for teenage girls there.

If you want scenery, check out the Blue Ridge parkway. Runs north/south through the western part of North Carolina and Virginia.

Myrtle Beach would be a great destination for your teenage daughters. There is plenty to do. The Forest Dunes is an especially nice place to stay.

My family has been to Virginia Beach a couple of times. I have been to many beaches from the Caribbean to Hawaii and it is a great beach. The water sure does not look like Hawaii or the Caribbean but the beach is excellent and clean and the strip in front of the beach really hops at night. It also has a boardwalk where you can rent bikes or take your rollarblades and go along the beach.

Maybe the Dells area of Wisconsin? Very family oriented resort area, though it might cater to younger children.

I must reply to the 'check out the Dells' suggestion.
We went there 5 or 6 years ago and were amazed at how human beings could turn such a beautiful part of the state into such a trashy/cheesy tourist trap. T-shirt shops, mini-golf, trinket stands and half dressed trailer folk densely (pun intended) lining the streets. Yecccchhh!

What about Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee? Beautiful scenery and hiking, and your daughters would like the outlet shopping in Pigeon Forge. Gatlinburg probably matches the Wisconsin Dells for "cheesiness" but the the rest of the area is gorgeous. Asheville, North Carolina is a nice city in the mountains but would be a little further away.

Or in the other direction, how about Chicago?

It also matters what your girls like to do. When I was a teeneager, I was most excited about New York City. I loved the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Empire State building. My parents also took me to a play and we had lots of great dinners from delis to sushi. The City is emptier in the summer as well. You could always combine this with a stop somewhere more natural for a day or two.

Museums. Beaches. Shopping. History. Baseball. Boat rides. Architecture. Bike riding. Ethnic restaurants. Art. Botanic gardens. Outdoor concerts. Ethnic diversity. Show your daughters the world ... just by visiting Chicago.

Visit Chicago! There is so much to see and do: museums, beaches, restaurants, shopping, boat rides

Have to agree with the 2nd Dells poster, I live about an hour away and will NEVER go there durning the summer. Just a big tourist trap rip-off. Have been there many times off-season, and they literally roll up the sidewalks in winter, but the prices are right that time of year. Prepare to be price gouged if you go there in July.

The Smokey Mountains are tacky, over crowded and one big tourist trap! Whoever suggested them is either a time shares salesperson or has some other monetary stake in the place. If I were you, I would take the girls to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head. Teenager girls love the beach. Forget the museum stuff they would be bored silly....

Is that a bit of a generalization, perhaps?
"Teenager (sic) girls love the beach...forget the museums they'd be bored silly"?

Sounds like something my father in law would say. (Are you reading Fodor's behind our backs, Fred?).

D.C., NYC, Chicago, and my favorite city Philadelphia all have a lot to offer. You could spend an entire week in any of these cities and not see everything, but what I might try to go to D.C. for a few days then go to Philadelphia for a few days since they are less than two hours apart. You would learn a lot about the US, both past and present.

This isn't really a suggestion for your driving tour, but some Saturday that you don't know what to do go up to Cleveland, about 2 1/2 hours away. Cleveland has a fantastic art museum and there also is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You could do both of those things in one day. Or maybe go to a baseball game. You might want to ask someone about Put-in-Bay, I've never been there, so I can't really recommend it, but I've heard other people say it's nice.

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