[Laner]

- Stay off the Interstates unless you need to move long and fast.

- The tertiary connectors to small cities often go over beautiful mountain vistas that have little towns with great weather.

- Be wherever you are going by 3pm and hit up a nice little local pub and take in the action. Getting to know people is one of the greatest things about America; People. Take advantage of being around the friendliest people in the world.

- If you overnight on the road, do it in small towns of 100,000 or less. Again, the Interstate rules somewhat applies here too.

- It seems as thought your Sundays are going to be in big cities, but if they are spent in smaller towns, go to morning church service. In places up around the north west, they are usually followed by picnics at hidden lakes or swimming holes.

- On the road outside major cities, stay in good rated downtown hotels. Most will have an interesting history and many are owned by wonderful families with ties to the place.

I will have the 4x4 packed for most of August and will be taking the family camping through Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Some of the greatest places in the world.

[Dr. Howard]

Laner and others are correct with their non-interstate advice if you can make it. The highways are pre-interstate offer some great sight seeing as they used to be the main route's before the 60s.

For the Nashville to Charlotte route: The foothills and blue ridge parkway are not going to be options in December, you've got ice and snow that shut them down. The interstate through the mountains from TN to NC is a great view even without it. If you are looking for sights, I would recommend taking the following route: Nashville to Chattanooga to Knoxville to Charlotte.

Chattanooga has Signal Mountain and Rock City, which are both excellent visits. Its a good stop wheras Nashville direct to knoxville through Crossville is a very boring drive.

Chattanooga would let you get onto highway 411, which you can follow to the small town of maryville south of knoxville. It runs along the bottom of the smoky mountains and offers a better view than the interstate. Also, anywhere you stop for gas or food you'll see and hear people with authentic country accents that are 10x stronger than the city dwellers. You'll also go by Benton's country hams which sells the best bacon I've had anywhere.

Your Chicago to Minneapolis drive is in the summer, which is a great time to travel, and will put most of your driving time in Wisconsin. If you are following the interstate route, stop at the Norske Nook in Osseo. It is a Norwegian restaurant and bakery, with huge slices of pie made by old grandma's in the back. There is also an option to take a more scenic route along the Mississippi river on the Minnesota side.

I would suggest re-posting travel/route/stop/stay suggestions a week or two in advance of each leg on this thread as I'm sure you'll get bombarded with suggestions for the whole trip otherwise. For example, I've driven various legs of Minneapolis to Charlotte NC many times and would likely go overboard on the details too far in advance.

[MrLemon]

(05-13-2019 09:43 AM)Chetthebaker Wrote:  

the rangers were throwing bits of dynamite in the water to scare off predator sea lions.

That is a roadside attraction I'd pay to see.

Also if you go to Texas you can participate in a helicopter hog hunting expedition. Texans loathe the wild pigs infesting their ranches and use bazookas, explosives, and submachine guns mounted on helicopters to blow them to little gobbets of pork. All legal. That will make you proud to be 'Mercan.

[CDRhodes]

I would make a side trip to Savannah. The architecture is great and it’s an excellent town to walk, provided you stay in certain areas. I can recommend an excellent walking tour guide. Olympia Cafe is the best food on River St, followed closely by Kevin Barry’s. Do not bother with Lady and Sons; the food is average at best, and you won’t be able to get in anyway. For low key drinks, I recommend 1790 lounge. If I were still in the game, I would not miss the endless stream of bachelorette parties which pass through Savannah Smiles piano bar. From downtown, you can drive out to Fort Pulaski historic site or check out Wormsloe. Both are relaxing and scenic.

[heavy]

That part of the Midwest is pretty flat and boring.

Break it up by swinging by Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. It's no Rockies, but it's not too far from your route, and there are some pretty cool hikes around the area...ravines, outcroppings, and views of the Illinois River.



Again, compared to your other adventures it's not gonna blow your mind, but it would be a good break up from the corn fields. It's a couple hours west of Chicago.

[Gallego2006]

Some recommendations off the top of my head from past road trips:

Wisconsin
-- Madison (gorgeous city in the summer)
-- House on the Rock (featured in the book "American Gods")

Nebraska
-- Carhenge (replica of Stonehenge w/ cars)
-- Scottsbluff (and see what a "bluff" is)

Colorado
-- Downtown Boulder (Great view of the Rockies)
-- Downtown Denver (Washington Park is nice; lots of local ice cream shops scattered across the city)

Wyoming
-- Casper (lots of history here -- downtown feels like the old West)

Oregon
-- Crater Lake National Park -- Majestic place... worth an overnight stay:

[PantyPeeler]

Tail of the dragon. Its mainly a draw for motorcycles but is a fun ride in a car too. NC GA line.

https://tailofthedragon.com/

Largest truck stop in the world. Lots of trucking history and tricked out trucks.

https://iowa80truckstop.com/

Missions around San Antonio. Early catholic missions built forts and settled in the area. The Alamo is a very small mission and the only one that charges a fee to visit (crowded, did not visit). These are a great way to spend an hour or two walking around a historic site. One still has its original church and holds mass on Sunday. Was never very crowded whenever I visited.

https://www.nps.gov/saan/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

Its a lot of driving and its unlikely that adding "only an hour or so" to your route will be very appealing, unless its a full day of sightseeing. Also, plan to avoid hitting rush hour traffic to make your trip more enjoyable. Having options to stop either before or after major cities depending on the time of day you will arrive can save you from a lot of stress.

[Tail Gunner]

I would recommend that you concentrate on eating the finest great-value cuisine as you travel through the Country. Every region has its own specialty. Use Yelp and other resources to identify the best bargain local food joints. It does not need to be expensive. Some of the best food is located in hole-in-the-wall joints.

Pizza in the tri-state area (NY, CT, NJ). Cheese steak in Philly. Deep dish pizza in Chicago. Peking duck in China Town in San Francisco. Smoked beef brisket in Texas. Cajon and Creole food in New Orleans. Pork BBQ in Tenesee and North Carolina. Cuban food in Florida. Soul food in the deep south. This is just off the top of my head.

As a secondary travel goal, this could be the culinary trip of a life time. You gotta eat, anyhow. You may as well do it right.

[scotian]

I drove through Wisconsin last summer and have never seen so many dead deer on the side of the road in my life, so be mindful of wildlife while driving, a dash cam could be useful. As with any long road trip make sure that you “stop and smell the roses” some of the best moments are when you stop at a small cafe or shop and take a few moments to interact with the locals.

[PantyPeeler]

(05-13-2019 07:16 PM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

I would recommend that you concentrate on eating the finest great-value cuisine as you travel through the Country. Every region has its own specialty. Use Yelp and other resources to identify the best bargain local food joints. It does not need to be expensive. Some of the best food is located in hole-in-the-wall joints.

Pizza in the tri-state area (NY, CT, NJ). Cheese steak in Philly. Deep dish pizza in Chicago. Peking duck in China Town in San Francisco. Smoked beef brisket in Texas. Cajon and Creole food in New Orleans. Pork BBQ in Tenesee and North Carolina. Cuban food in Florida. Soul food in the deep south. This is just off the top of my head.

As a secondary travel goal, this could be the culinary trip of a life time. You gotta eat, anyhow. You may as well do it right.

Texas is famous for steak and has steak houses all over the place. Also, Tex-Mex.

[godzilla]

Washington (state)

Looks like you're driving through the Palouse. Check out Palouse Falls or Dry Falls State Park.

Philly

Food
-Federal Donuts
-Paesano's
-Pho place in South Philly
(keeping it cheap here)

Run up the Art Museum

If you want to do see the worst of the opioid crisis, take a drive down Kensington Ave.
then go into Fishtown and grab a shot and a beer for 3-5 bucks somewhere.

North Carolina

Thought Ashville was cool, but it is super hipster, might not be your style.

[2negative]

The cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC.

[Mark Fletcher]

Taking the main road through the Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee/NC is one of the most scenic drives I've done in the east, and the park itself is great. Beautiful mountains, dozens of waterfalls, lots of wildlife. The park also has Cade's Cove, a valley in the mountains full of historic cabin structures predating the civil war. The time of year you'll be in the area there won't be many crowds, and in the Cove it's easy to feel like you've traveled back in time. The Baskins Creek Falls trail ends with a great waterfall and you're pretty much walking through a burned forest from the fire in 2016. A lot of solitude there. I'd say the Smokies have some of the best nature in the eastern U.S.

Like others have said, New Orleans is definitely worth checking out. A Louisiana swamp tour is great too, if you like the idea of being within spitting distance of alligators twice your size.

[aeroektar]

I wish I was going to be home for the Boston part of the tour, you guys should have yourselves an old school New England feast, clambake, lobsters, and plenty of cold beers. For full effect leave Boston and do it right on one of the beaches to the South, or get a campsite right by the beach and have a fire and drink all night. That's what living up there's all about.

[Nonpareil]

I can offer some insight on Orlando and the Hotlanta area, natural scenes.

Obviously avoid Disney World like the plague unless you want to be surrounded by fat moms and their ingrate hell spawn who they thought naming 'Korinth' or 'Magnus' (male) or 'Khaleesi' or 'Destiny' (female) was a good idea and also it's fuck expensive (when I was a kid my dad said a day at Disney World was about $300 for the whole family - my sister with an equally sized family of her own says its 'at least a grand' now).

Wekiva Springs State Park (Url), though a November stop might be a little late for a swim in the year round 72 degree water the place has hiking trails and boardwalks, but I'd most recommend a canoe down the river if you're with a friend, beautiful place in Apopka only about 45 minutes from downtown Orlando.

Athens is about sixty miles from Atlanta, small and pastoral College town that's produced some big names in music (REM, The B-52s). Liberal yes, but not full on Clown World Liberal like Austin or Portland.

Chill and mill downtown and chop the numerous - and on my last visit very friendly - University of Georgia coeds and eat at the almost equally numerous restaurants that serve from last visit mainly Mexican and southern fare (ribs, slaw, fried chicken).

Wekiva can easily be done in a day, Athens you might want to overnight.

Oh and if you're going through the Great Smokies...unless you have hours to kill, stay off the Blue Ridge Parkway - consider yourself warned.

[PantyPeeler]

(05-13-2019 11:55 AM)Laner Wrote:  

- Stay off the Interstates unless you need to move long and fast.

- The tertiary connectors to small cities often go over beautiful mountain vistas that have little towns with great weather.

There is a reason they built the interstates. Travel between major cities is what they were designed for.

Many smaller highways have fallen into disrepair and/or are undergoing time consuming major road construction.

Many of these highways do bring you into small towns. These small towns are mostly dilapidated dung holes with small town sheriffs enforcing a 30 mph speed limit.

Hotels away from the interstate are going to be disappointing and similarly priced to major chains. Cell phone service can be spotty.

If you drive 5 minutes from the interstate, in many parts of the US, you can get the rural america feel without having to endure seemingly endless miles of stop lights and small town speed limits.

The cities you are visiting have plenty to do and see. If it were me, I'd mostly sprint between those cities and find a suitable hotel outside the city to be a base for day trips.

[brianmark]

(05-13-2019 07:13 PM)PantyPeeler Wrote:  

Tail of the dragon. Its mainly a draw for motorcycles but is a fun ride in a car too. NC GA line.

https://tailofthedragon.com/

PantyPeeler, I will check out "Tail of the Dragon." I still haven't been to the Smoky Mountains either. So will see them on the same trip.

Roosh, I'd check out some border towns. I think you're going right through El Paso. I'd talk to some border guards or just locals and see what their thoughts are about immigration. I think this would be interesting if you are writing a book about your travels.

As previously recommended to stay off the interstates, you should also stay away from any chain hotels. They absolutely provide nothing interesting. They are mainly full of business travelers or families with kids. If you are not staying with friends, you should seek interesting hotels: older, historic, or unique, colorful hotels. Most of these will be cheaper than the chains anyway. Some interesting places to stay may be on AirBnB. Even if one these turns out to not be good, it is always more interesting than the Holiday Inn, Days Inn, or Super 8. If you stay in some B-n-Bs you can talk to some people and get a feel for America and what's on people's minds.

[mickeyd]

Speaking from what ive done or heard of in the southeast:

-See if you can catch a rocket launch in Cape Canaveral. They are fairly regular but are weather dependent (they dont launch on windy days). Otherwise, Kennedy space center is very much worth a visit. right next to that is Merritt Island Wildlife and playalinda beach.

- The oldest fort in the united states is Castillo de san marcos in St. Augustine. Cool place to see the first colonial history. St. Augustine is a nice small city as well to check out.

-Low country coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Lots of natural beauty here and preserved islands with a mixture of plants and wildlife. Slave and colonial history is big here. Lots of lessons to be learned in the history of slavery.

- A big SEC football game matchup is a spectacle, everyone comes out for it. Since youre coming here in fall thats college football season.

-Blue ridge parkway in NC is a very nice easy drive, amazing views, and with cultural areas all around it although some things are tourist traps.

- Outer Banks, NC scenic beaches, beach and fishing culture, check out the ports to see what the catch of the day is and have a nice meal at a restaurant that serves local seafood.

-If you want to feel pure fear of the United States just go to an air show and feel what its like to be a taliban fighter for one day.

- keep a lookout for agricultural festivals. fun , food, and very knowledgeable people in some of those festivals when it comes to gardening and horticulture.

[The Black Knight]

1. Goto Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado - About 90 minutes from Denver.



2. Stay in Estes Park right next to RMNP at the historic Stanley Hotel; the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining.





3. Go on a nature drive/hike throughout The Rockies and explore.

Trust me dude... after driving through boring ass Nebraska and eastern Colorado, you will feel like you're in Heaven. The Rockies are simply majestic and when you finally see them through the hazy summer sky in the distance, after hours and hours of nothingness, it will feel amazing. One of my most fondest memories; taking in The Rockies and exploring all its natural glory.

From this:



To this:


To finally this:



I need to get back there some time.