USA road trip east coast | USA road trip planner | USA travel blogs | USA tourism destinations | Travel Tips

-: USA road trip east coast 

You need to know :-

When you're contemplating to visiting the gorgeous lighthouses, coast and forest highways and awesome food around the New England states or perhaps heading further south to the iconic attractions such as Walt Disney World in Florida, there is something quite spectacular about the East coast in the US that makes this such an attractive destination for many reasons. Road tripping is undoubtedly the best way to experience the best that United States has to offer. 

We are all familiar with New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Texas and Miami etc. but what about those lesser known destinations that are frequently hidden among these larger counterparts? Unfortunately.. flying into these major metropolitan areas means 

that.. you frequently miss the smaller, hidden gems but by hitting the open road.. this enables you to stumble across attractions and locations you may never have considered previously.

If not, don’t worry.. because this post has equally spectacular attractions, so regardless of whether your travels take you East or West, we are convinced that the US has something for everyone waiting just around the corner. From gorgeous beaches along the Atlantic Ocean to epic mesmerizing landscapes, you can be sure that any East coast road trip won’t leave you disappointed.

USA Road Trips Planner -

Road tripping has always been a popular pastime for the  traveler and let’s be honest, it’s certainly with good reason.. Affordable gas prices, miles and miles of open road with a myriad of charming attractions along every itinerary and of course, a desire to explore the unknown is always going to be enough inspiration to justify hopping inside your car and experiencing this road trip phenomenon.

Just as we saw with the West coast, the East coast is littered with plenty of options, far more than we could ever cover in a post like this. So how do you even begin to filter out the best of the best? It’s all down to personal perspective, hence.. the reason we called upon some fellow travel experts to give their honest opinions as to where you cannot afford to miss when you start contemplating the best road trips along the East coast.

Here are the itineraries..  

1. Washington DC to Charleston

2. Boston to Miami

3. Miami to Key West, FL

Washington DC to Charleston -

A road trip from Washington DC to Charleston is in order if you have any interest in American history, theme parks, tree lined highways and topping it all off with relaxing on the beach.

Start with the attractions in Washington DC that are really light on your budget. Most museums are free. You can also contact your congressman to get tickets to the White House and Capitol Building tours.

Leaving DC.. stop in Williamsburg for a few days. As an added bonus, the drive is beautiful when the trees that line the highway are full of leaves and even more amazing when they are turning colors in the fall.

Take a day or two at the world-class theme park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and a day at Water Country USA to cool down in the water and enjoy some thrills. Spend some time exploring Historic Williamsburg by taking a ghost tour at night. For breakfast, make sure you don’t miss a local dinner for simple, affordable eats with a local flare like the Colonial Pancake House.

Leaving Williamsburg, it is up to you how much time you want to spend in North Carolina. You may just want to power through the 6-hour drive or stop in Raleigh or even make a detour to spend some time in Charlotte or Asheville.

Arriving in Charleston there is plenty to see, but make sure you spend some time on one of the nearby beaches relaxing. Walk around admiring the centuries-old mansions and cobblestone streets and make sure you enjoy some of the delicious southern cuisines.

Boston to Miami -

With family and friends up and down the east coast, I frequently hop in the car with buddies to drive good old Route 95. While it’s a solid 24-hours of driving if you go straight through from Boston to Miami, there are a many things to see along the road..

The best way to tackle this long route is to do so in three days. Try a medium-sized drive the first day, a longer one the second, then another longish one the third.

You can go through NYC.. but you’ll want to avoid big cities and traffic as much as possible and It’s a fun place for just a night of good food, drink and trying your hand at the casinos. But don’t overdo it; you’ve got 11 hours to Charleston, South Carolina next.

Get an early start and enjoy a little bit of this fun southern city overnight. From there.. Miami, Florida, is another 8-hour around. You can see a few funny landmarks on this leg, including the “kitschy but crazy” South of the Border truck stop.

If you want to switch it up on the way back, consider an overnight in Savannah, which is 8 hours from Miami. Friends driving together to make the long haul all the way to Boston in one day like we did taking shifts, but I advise enjoying one more overnight in between, such as Richmond, Virginia or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Miami to Key West -

Key West is the southernmost point of the United States, being just 150 kms away from Cuba. The distance to Miami is more than that, up to 200 kms, which means about 4 hours of driving without stopping.

I recommend that.. after leaving Miami, stop in Little Havana to get a taste of Cuba, but also in Coral Gables where are the most beautiful banyan trees and gorgeous villas. Then, you will cross 30 islands, the most famous being Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and The Lower Keys. You can stop in each of them to try out water sports or to delight yourself with traditional cuisine.

Also on this route, you will cross the famous Seven Mile Bridge which offers spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. I can say this is the highlight of this road trip. There are many attractions in Key West.

Perhaps taking some time to admire the amazing sunsets in Key West, tasting the famous Key Lime, or strolling along the lush streets full of colorful and cheerful Floridian houses will entice you to drive all the way.

Visa Guidelines -   Click here

Feel free to mail me to hazraniladri1997@gmail.com for more information and sample itinerary.