Thinking of doing a road trip across the US

[karadan]

I really want to visit America again. This time, instead of it being a holiday, i'd like it to be something a little more substantial. I'd like to do a road trip. It won't be until next year at least but you can never start planning something like this too early.

It has been almost seven years since i went travelling and i'm getting fidgety again. I want a visceral experience, stories to tell and above all, a rollicking good time with people i've never met before.

Where would you guys suggest are the good parts of the country to travel through? Any places i possibly shouldn't visit?

[McQ]

Two things:

1. Don't drink Bud. Drink beer instead.

2. Never, EVER hang out with anyone, man or woman, who still has a Mullet! Or did at one time. Or even contemplated it.

Two more things:

1. See one and two above.

2. "Fish and Chips" in the U.S. are not what you expect.

 

Ok, in all seriousness....one and two should probably still be followed. Visit Chicago, San Francisco, Charleston, S.C., and Philadelphia (I threw Philly in there just so the Americans on the historic tours there can see you and taunt you with the whole independence thing).

Now, in all serious seriousness: Visit those cities I mentioned, and then make sure you hit some of the natural wonders of the country: Grand Canyon, Sequoia National Forest, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Everglades (I'm assuming you have unlimited funds and time, of course!).

This is a wish list of course, but it's a start. Driving is a great way to see the country if you have time and an ass like a rock.

[karadan]

Hehe. Thanks for the advice

I'll probably be able to get 3 months in total. That should be enough time to see some great places. The grand canyon will definitely be on the agenda. I'd also like to see yellowstone and a proportion of the rockies. I've done Florida before so i'll probably skip the everglades this time. I've never really been to a proper high-rise city before so i like the idea of Chicago. I've heard lots of good stuff about that city. I'd definitely love to see the Sears tower. Architecture is a great love of mine.

I guess i like the idea of the little places inbetween the big sights. Little stuff like visiting a diner in a small town as i'm passing through. Making small-talk with the locals. Eating real American pancakes to the sound of country and western. I'll probably do a journal. It would be my own little 'Straight Story' :pop:

[Ihateyoumike]

I may be a little biased here, but I would recommend coming to my home state of Oregon. If you like small, laid back towns with friendly people, we have them. If you want to see some of the most beautiful scenery including forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and everything else, we've got them. I have been through almost every state in the western U.S. and I am still blown away at the beauty of this state.
If you decide to make it to Oregon, I would definitely recommend taking a trip to Crater Lake. It is the deepest lake in the United States and the bluest water I have ever seen. It was formed when Mount Mazama erupted around 5700BC. Here are a couple of pictures I took last time I was there about 2 years ago.

Picture does not do justice to just how blue the water really is.

Me by the lake wearing a goofy grin. )

Anyway, that's my recommendation. You will not be disappointed should you choose to visit.
Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry for Crater Lake: Crater Lake wikipedia

P.S. Sorry, I don't have a mullet, but I guarantee you would see somebody with one if you come to my town.

[Tanker]

I'm biased like Ihateyoumike, visit Oregon if you get the chance I've been alot of places in the U.S., aside from the east coast, and I have to say It's my favorite state. We have everything natural you could want and we border Nevada (yay gambeling) and Cali and are pretty close to yellow stone and the grand tetons. I don't however recomend Mt rushmoore I thought it was very underwhelming (you expect a mountain it's more of a hill. you could get to the top in 10 minutes). One of the great things about America is because of our size you could see almost anything you desire, man made or natural, and meet every kind of person imaginable.

[Whitney]

Karadan,

If you want to be able to stop at local diners check out http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive ... index.html You could use it as a guide to plan stops along your trip.  Btw, if you use route 66 to go across country it will take you through a lot of small towns; however, it's not a very quick route.

[karadan]

I may be a little biased here, but I would recommend coming to my home state of Oregon. If you like small, laid back towns with friendly people, we have them. If you want to see some of the most beautiful scenery including forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and everything else, we've got them. I have been through almost every state in the western U.S. and I am still blown away at the beauty of this state.
If you decide to make it to Oregon, I would definitely recommend taking a trip to Crater Lake. It is the deepest lake in the United States and the bluest water I have ever seen. It was formed when Mount Mazama erupted around 5700BC. Here are a couple of pictures I took last time I was there about 2 years ago.

Picture does not do justice to just how blue the water really is.

Me by the lake wearing a goofy grin. )

Anyway, that's my recommendation. You will not be disappointed should you choose to visit.
Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry for Crater Lake: Crater Lake wikipedia

P.S. Sorry, I don't have a mullet, but I guarantee you would see somebody with one if you come to my town.

I'm sold!

[McQ]

Well, if it's local color you're looking for, then we have some real interesting food and people here in Pennsylvania. Not many places where a horse and buggy are a common means of transportation.
And the food.....oh man, the food!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Dutch

http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml

Oh, and if you go to Chicago (my very favorite American city), and you are into architecture, be sure to visit the John Hancock Tower. Shorter than the Sears Tower, but much cooler architecture.

[Whitney]

I could give you an architectural tour in Dallas...there are a lot of big name architect buildings here.  We also have a very large arts district.

[curiosityandthecat]

If you want to see the American college experience, come to Ohio University. Consistently #3 on the Party School list because the students are always too hungover to go fill out the survey.  

[VanReal]

Oky, if you want architecture and are going to be here a bit I would definitely recommend stopping through Charlottesville and Shenandoah in the blue ridge of Virginia.  There are also no options other than small town diners there, in Charlottesvile I recommend either Little John's or The White Spot on Main Street (can't miss them).  Also you will want to stop by Spudnuts on your way out to grab some potato flour donuts.  Make sure you check out the Rotunda on campus at UVA (also on Main St) it's still there and classes are still held inside, and depending on how you drive out from Shenandoah you can stop by Moticello which will leave you in awe.

Some things in the states I think worth seeing, the Redwoods (especially the one with the highway running through it), and hit Montana even if for a drive through, you can see for miles and there is no speed limit (maybe not a big deal for you).  The National parks mentioned are also good spots.  If you go through Arizona and/or Nevada keep an eye out for brown historic markers, lots of need things to see from our true natives especially the cliff cities.

Stop through Dallas and meet Whitney and I for coffee:)

Malibu and Venice Beach are always intersting spots, even if you only go once.  Same with Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles.

San Diego is pretty, must see Hotel Coronado if you stop through there.

If you go to Pennsylvania like suggested above definitely stop at the puritan villages for chocolate silk pie, it may make you believe in Heaven.  (Kidding, but close)

Stay away from West Virginia.

Minnesota is beautiful if you are an outdoor person, great hiking, camping, etc.  (If you go to Illinois it's not that far.)

I'm jealous, there are so many places I still haven't seen.

[ACSlater]

I could give you an architectural tour in Dallas...there are a lot of big name architect buildings here.  We also have a very large arts district.

I concur. And you can't complain about the food choices either. Just have to know where to look.

[Cemetery]

Hubby & I drove from North Carolina to Wisconsin & it was fascinating to watch the landscaping change from hills & mountains to very, very flat land. I think the entire time we were in Indiana, all we saw was corn & flat asphalt.  It got boring driving through there.  However, we had a great time.  There isn't much to do around Green Bay, WI, but Appleton, WI is a nice little town.  It's cold there most of the year, but the people are friendly & the cheese is WONDERFUL.  We didn't see any cows while we were there (hiding, maybe?), but the cheese was just amazing.  Also, Wisconsin is known for its beer.  

Baltimore is a fun city & is a one-time home to Edgar Allen Poe.  Part of the new downtown area has "Raven" themed sculptures & Poe's grave site is downtown. Also, the waterfront there has a HUGE Hard Rock Cafe & a bookstore with several stories.  There are some great restaurants there as well.  While you're at it, you may want to visit D.C. & stop by the White House & the Smithsonian.  There are colorful people in both D.C. (& NYC).  Just know that these larger cities take longer to peruse!

I wasn't really impressed with Nashville, TN or Gatlingburg, TN.  I wouldn't recommend visiting there, but maybe that's your thing.  Memphis is supposed to be nice & you can see Graceland!  Tennessee seems to be even MORE religious than North Carolina & you'll see plenty of "Church of Christ" churches there.

Charleston, WV is a very quaint little town.  Hubby & I visited the downtown area & it's quite charming.  There are some cool sculptures & a nice little area where you can sit & watch the day pass you by.  We went to a very nice steakhouse near the mall & even walked around the mall for awhile.  The people there are friendly and if you want small town charm, look no further.  Plus, I really like the mountainous area around Charleston.  The mountains are fun to drive through too.

If you want to visit North Carolina, you may wish to visit Asheville & go to the Biltmore House.  It's a house the Vanderbilt family built in the late 19th century and it is always open to visitors (for a fee).  Their web site is here: http://www.biltmore.com/.  Asheville is a small city & has a nice little downtown with a Spanish tapas restaurant (I think it's still there) & lots of arts & crafts.  After leaving Asheville, you may enjoy driving through the Blue Ridge Parkway (http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/), where you can see wildlife & waterfalls almost everywhere you turn.  This drive is definitely a scenic route!

Anyway, there are a few suggestions for the east coast, at least.  

~C

[Whitney]

Unless you are an Elvis fan or just really like looking at strangely decorated houses, Graceland doesn'nt need to be on your have too see list...it can be nice to drive through though.  As you cross the bride into Memphis there is a very small replica of the Mississippi river which you can visit.  It's basically a very long to scale model that terminates into a pool that represents the gulf of mexico...I thought it was pretty cool.

I also thought the Biltmore house was interesting but I was very young when I saw it.  So, I'll have to see it again when I'm in NC next time.  If I remember correctly, Asheville has a fun arts village (it could have been some other NC mountain town, I'll have to ask my mom or sister).  The place I'm thinking of is wherever the Peace Frogs shirts came from; it was starting to become very commercialized the last time I was there so I hope it still has some of the charm left.

My absolute favorite place in the US is the North Carolina Outer Banks...you can see where the Wright Brothers first flew, they have dunes, light houses, free range wild horses, and beautiful beaches.   If you decide to go there I can tell you specifically which places to check out depending on your time frame.

[Tom62]

My absolute favorite place in the US is the North Carolina Outer Banks...you can see where the Wright Brothers first flew, they have dunes, light houses, free range wild horses, and beautiful beaches.   If you decide to go there I can tell you specifically which places to check out depending on your time frame.

I fully agree with Whitney. My wife and I spent our vacation there last year and it was marvelous. On the way to (or back from) the Outer Banks another nice place to visit is Colonial Williamsburg (http://www.history.org/). If you are not so much interested in seeing historical places, but want to have some good old fun you could visit Bush Garden Europe in Williamsburg.