<BR>Ellen, <BR> <BR>We did the southwest thing last year - Albuquerque, durango/mesa verde, pagosa springs, santa fe and then went on to vegas and did Zion, bryce, lake powell and grand canyon. great vacation. <BR> <BR>New England trip was only 6 days (11-12 would have been great). Drive up the coast of Maine was great and not crowded (midweek and we missed the foliage seekers). We loved Ogunquit and Kennebunkport. Took folks suggestions and ate at Captain Nunans in Kennebunkport (kind of a hole in the wall but great lobster). Down to Marblehead (great town not to be missed) and then to Boston for two days. If you do go to this area may want to stay outside of Boston and take subway in - Boston traffic is a nightmare). One suggestion that we did not take was to Stay at Captain Bills (I think that is the name it was posted on another site) in Swampscott right outside Boston. We drove by and looked great (great view and good accomodations for kids) Left Boston and drove to NH & Vermont - Brattleboro, Stowe, (take the back roads 5 & 7 I think) and then Highway 4 into Quechee and Woodstock. (lots of covered bridges, a mini grand canyon in quechee, great antique stores, lots of cool sites). We stayed at Kendron Valley Inn in South Woodstock. Would be a great place to take kids - Our accomodations had a huge king bed on the lower level with fireplace and on upper level a kitchen with another bedroom. Inn also has ponds and horseback riding. Wanted to continue North into mountains but no time. <BR> <BR>KATY TRAIL QUESTION - <BR>The Katy trail is a 200 mile long flat hiking and biking trail that passes through some of Missouri's scenic bottomlands, following the Missouri River and limistone bluffs for much of the way and passing through many small towns. Used to be the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad so that is why so flat. (got this from website www.katytrail.showmestate.com. <BR>Begins in St. charles (great area/suburb of St. Louis), continues through Missouri Wine County, (Augusta, Marthasville - (beautiful area especially in fall) and continues on through Hermann (more antique malls and wineries, Rocheport (another great area with wineries, antique malls, and Columbia (University of Mo) and Sedalia.

Ellen, <BR> <BR>the name of the place in Swampscott is Captain Jacks.

This thread sure makes me want to hit the road. <BR> <BR>A couple of thoughts...to "cuple' who asked about driving from LA to DC...if that was a legit question, you need to allow way more than 6 days to do so (o/w). Also a car rental will likely hit you with a sizable drop-off fee. <BR> <BR>Karen: Think about some read-aloud times in the car (in addition to books on tape). You could take turns reading from one book, or each have a favorite that you share with the others in the car. More 'interactive' if you will than on-tape listening. Try to give yourself several days in Chicago - it's a terrific city for kids...from the action at Navy Pier to a boat ride on the Chicago River to a visit to Oak Street beach (such a beach they'll never see again, rimmed by high-rises and skyscrapers), and on and on. <BR> <BR>Ellen: When you make that swing east, if you or 'audrey' are Little Women fans, be sure to put the town of Concord on your itinerary. That's where you'll find the home of Louisa Mae Alcott - it just brings to life the pages of her book, right down to the original drawings preserved on the bedroom woodwork by sister Mae (Amy). Concord is also the stomping grounds of Thoreau, Emerson and others, if anyone in the family has an esp literary bent...and a delightful New England hamlet, regardless.

I forgot: Karen - do fersure make a stop at Springfield; the Lincoln home and tomb are well worth it. And, coming back from the west, you might be able to hit another Presidential home - U.S. Grant's is in Galena, just east of the Iowa line.

I was researching some info. for our trip out West and read some responses to your post. Some advice from a Minnesotan....skip or limit the trip to the mall and take a trip to Duluth. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive North of the Twin Cities and is on the Western tip of Lake Superior. It is always refreshing cool in the summer and resembles a mini San Francisco with the 700 foot hills rising above the lake. Our family has spent many great weekends up there and it is really a hidden treasure in the Upper Mid-West.

Great ideas...marking for myself.

Buy MadLibs to play. My kids &amp; friends always loved this on our long cross-country drives. It's just a game on paper resulting in funny stories. We also played games like 20 questions. Makes the time go fast &amp; makes better memories than music, headphones &amp; movies. You will be in the car a lot!

Seeing that this post is nine years old, did we ever get a trip report?