we are considering renting a car and driving to our next stop after new york, baltimore to visit friends, and i was thinking there must be somewhere pleasant to stop on the coast, or inland a bit to have a nice overnight.

I have already been in philadelphia, and was hoping for somewhere smaller, and perhaps quainter for an evening.

any suggestions will be appreciated.

You do know that from NYC to Baltimore is only about 3 hours - and there's no need to stop anywhere?

If you're looking for some special activity or atmosphere perhaps you could be more specific.

What time of year? Are you looking for the beach? For a romantic inn? For antiquing or history or ???

yes i know there is no NEED to stop anywhere, but since i am unfamiliar with the area, i thought some local might know somewhere NICE to stop, to add something to our vacation instead of just going from point "a to b" without seeing anything but the highway.

i enjoy seeing new places and going to small suggested areas people recommend here on fodors.

this will be in august.. i really can't be more specific because i am open to any suggestions.
maybe it is a nice beach town,... maybe it is a nice historic village inland..
i, personally, don't know.. that is why i am asking.

i am sorry if my request for help is too vague. i hope i have cleared things up.

It's a hard question to answer because as nytraveler says, it's a short journey on the turnpikes/interstates. Any detour will add significant amount of time and distance. How much time and distnace are you willing to add?

But there are plenty of towns and communities along the NJ shores with beaches, lighthouses, etc... And Atlantic City of course. But NYC-Baltimore is 188 miles; while NYC-AC-Baltimore suddenly becomes 277 miles.

If you want to go more inland, you can visit Princeton, and then New Hope, PA on the Delaware River. Lots of antiques, crafts shops, etc there. But roads are slow there, and you can add a lot of travel time.

Closer to Baltimore, thre's Harve de Grace where the Susquenhanna River empties into Chesapeake Bay. It's just off I-95.

If it were me, I'd consider Bucks County (New Hope, Doylestown PA) area or the Wilmington/Brandywine area around Chadds Ford (Brandywine museum with Wyeth stuff) or Winterthur. Nice B&Bs, nice restaurants both places. Scenic stone architecture and fences, etc.

In MD, Havre De Grace is nice so is Chesapeake City both are 15/20 min off 95. If you want more of a Ches flavor consider traveling MD 213 around to US 50 and cross the bay. This takes you through Annapolis and then up I-97 to Balto. Will add about 1-1/2 hour travel time, lot of hotels to pick from if necessary

I've never been but have always wanted to visit Winterthur.

http://www.winterthur.org/visiting/directions.asp

thank you all so much for the detour ideas. depending on the weather, of course, i am sure we will do one of these suggestions since we are in no hurry to get there directly.

and thanks for that website, too. might get off to see that, also!

thank you all.

Brandywine area with Winterthur, Longwood Gardens, and the Wyeth Museum would make a great stop. You get art, historic house, and great gardens along with Revolutionary War history. We live only a couple of hours away and have on more than one occasion driven down and spent a couple of days there.
Take a look at:
http://www.thebrandywine.com

thanks for the great tips. am really looking forward to these options.

For the sake of full disclosure, I am not the biggest fan of New Hope...something slightly different and more "authentic" (IMHO) would be to stop in historic Bethlehem (very easily reached from I-78). The historic district is beautifully preserved and unique. Some excellent shops (among them the Moravian Cook and Book shop, the oldest bookstore in the United States and the cook shop is elegant, a lot more than pots and pans), a brewpub, a very good restaurant (The Edge), art galleries, etc. A perfect place to stop and explore for an afternoon and evening.
The next day, you can either pick up the turnpike and head down to Baltimore or go the back route (depending on how much time you want to spend) down route 100 and through lush Chester County.

Not to be the cynic when I read this thread the only thing I could think of was getting run over on I-95 for stopping! Yikes!

I'd just spend the extra time in NYC.

Keep in mind depending on time of year and day of week, you may find coastal hotels booked solid.

i am really enjoying the responses. it will be interesting to see what we end up doing.. who knows?

thanks again . sounds like there are a lot of scenic places along that route.