Where do we go in North America?
 

Where to go in North America where we haven’t been? (Been to Manhattan, DC, Vegas, San Diego, San Fran., Yosemite, Banff/Jasper etc, Vancouver, Van. Island.) 2 x 55 year olds happy to drive. Main interests: SCENIC DRIVES. Also interested in wildlife, ‘landmarks’, music, and being our own boss (ie: Not into hectic 2 week bus tours where you have to go where you’re taken).

Have you visited NC and SC? Beautiful mountains and beaches, lots of history, fun kayak trips through marshes where you could see dolphin. What are your dates?

Thanks suewoo. Dates are open but limited to between 2 & 3 weeks.

New Mexico is beautiful in the fall!

Or how about the national parks in Utah - Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef?

Lee Ann

How about the Pacific Northwest - Seattle, Portland, the Colombia River Gorge, maybe take a detour over to the San Juan Islands.

Scenic drives you haven't mentioned include the Redwoods, Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge, Yellowstone, Grand Teton NP, Rocky Mountains NP, Ouray to Durango CO, Arches, Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon.

HTTY

Well it looks like you've missed New England and upstate New York - both of which have fantastic views (from the rocky Maine coast to green mountains and rolling hilly farmland - never mind Niagara Falls), lots of landmarks (check out boston Freedom Trail, Concord/Lexington etc). But while this is great in spring (after mud), summer, much of the fall and winter (if you want winter sports) - late fall is not the best time. (No leaves, cold but not true winter yet.) (By the way if you opt for Niagara Falls you should pair it with Toronto - not New York.)

But - you do have to drive for this whole trip to work.

Also great for a road trip is a lot of VA (Williamsburg, Monticello and take the skyline drive) and heading a little further south.

This is a reliable source of information about scenic drives: http://www.rd.com/travel/the-most-sc...in-america-all

HTTY

How about a Great Lakes loop drive beginning/ending in Chicago? You could use this map as a general route guide or tweak it to your liking:

(map)
http://www.canadiansky.co.uk/enlarge...666&image=alt1

(synopsis)
http://www.canadiansky.co.uk/selfdri...s-tour-666.htm

^ Those links are from an online travel agency that offers such a tour -- I'm not promoting them (I've never heard of them), just using their map as a template that you could personally customize for a independent self-drive. The informational blurbs will give a little background of what you might see along such a route.

Best times to do this are probably mid-May to late June or mid-Sept to mid Oct. I say that because summers can be very hot and humid w/ lots of bugs - but if you like hot weather then the summer is also a great time to do this - and summer festivals will be in full swing. May into June is usually verdant/blooming and the weather is comfortable, although severe storms (with tornadic activity) can pop up. Sept. into Oct. should give you some colorful foliage but of course it will be a cooler time of year.

With some research on your part, all the main interests you listed could easily be be covered in this drive. The 'scenic drives' one is a given. Chicago is a great American city that you need to explore for several days. It has a vast & varied music scene. Most larger college towns you go through will also have an arts & music scene. If you go through Cleveland, of course there is the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame to visit.

If you do decide to go in summer, planning to be in the US for the 4th Of July and in Canada for Canada Day (01 July) would be festive and interesting especially if you've never experienced them. Or you could plan to be in Detroit or Windsor where the fireworks on the Detroit River celebrate both holidays. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor...eedom_Festival

This is a fun website for seeking out quirky landmarks and things along the routes of a roadtrip: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

I'll second the Pacific Northwest (Southwest?) as best meeting your needs. Scenic drives and wildlife can be found in dozens of places, but your added search for landmarks and music means you'll need civilization nearby. The area around Seattle and Vancouver are an excellent mix of these.

If a caleigh would satisfy your need for "music," then I can also recommend the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. There's plenty of scenic drives, wildlife, and landmarks, and you can DEFINTELY be your own boss.

I agree with nytraveler. New England is just beautiful but you would want to go either in the spring or early summer,at least as far as Cape Cod area is concerned.It is very busy in July and August.There is plenty to see and do in Boston and from there head down to Cape Cod area. Also you could ferry over to Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard if you have time. Cape Cod is my all time favorite including Nantucket Island. It has natural beauty and interesting history. Happy travels.

With music interest spring/fall

fly into DC carrentals.com to Front Royal

Skyline Drive to blueridgeparkway.org Smokies

Knoxville Nashville(country music) scenictrace.com

to Natchez and the Big Easy for Cajun Zydeco

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXId-5dYJjE

or

historic66.com route

bigtexan.com

Santa Fe Taos

visitsedona.com

Grand Canyon El Tovar

Vegas LA...

classic.mapquest.com

roadtripusa.com many other options...

southern Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado: Plenty of scenery and culture. Or more generally, the mountain states:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7624514560099/

Fly to Charleston, SC which is one of America's greatest cities. Rent a car and visit historic Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA. You could go on further S to Sea Island and Amelia Island, FL. Stay at The Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island. Have a great trip.

Yellowstone National Park

PNW and surrounds is a good suggestion: 5-6 nights in Seattle then rent a car and head out to Olympic National Park (2-3 nights split between two of the park lodges), then perhaps San Juan Islands before returning to Seattle for trip home.

I also like Quebec: 5-6 nights in Montreal, then rent a car and head to Quebec City for 2 nights (it's NOT a day trip!), then a few days driving along scenic routes along with some hiking/wildlife and finally drive back to Montreal to return car and head home. A cheaper option for this might be to fly in/out of Burlington VT (a little less than 2 hours from Montreal) and keep car entire time. It may be cheaper even with the longer car rental because of savings from flying to/from Burlington - do the overall pricing/math.

Santa Fe and Taos, N.M. then up thru Colorado-Creede, Lake City, Gunnison then uo to the northern part of Colorado to Vail and Aspen.