I’m going to be driving from Houston to New York City. Day one will be Houston to New Orleans, LA.
Spend the night in New Orleans.
Day three night will be spent in Durham, North Carolina.
between New Orleans, and Durham, North Carolina, I am open to suggestions for places to drive through and see, while driving through.
My ride is a chevy cobalt 07 5 speed manual which has not given me any problems till now. I am going to get the oil changed before the trip, and get it pre inspected.
Thank you.
I think I’ll be parking my car at my office IN LONG ISLAND, and staying with my relatives in Manhattan. Parking in NYC sucks. Houston is MUCH better.
This sounds like a better question for AAA. They have travel planners that know all the routes and the sights and attractions to see along the way.
just a heads up, You’ll have to get it inspected here in the state by a ny licensed mechanic when you register it. 35 bucks if nothing is wrong. emissions standards are pretty strict.
Nashville is nice for a day, Knoxville is a pretty easy drive from New Orleans. Depends on how long you want to trip to take.
i’m from santa fe NM and usually get to NYC in three days but have never gone through North Carolina.
Basically you will be driving nine hours or so each day, so your tourism time is limited. Charlotte, Mobile and Atlanta have good tourism opportunities, if you have the time. We spent five days in Atlanta alone, with our grandson, and that wasn’t our first trip. Otherwise, decide on the spot what to see and when, based on the time you have and where you are.
Agree that public transit in NY City area is the way to go.
Drive some of the Natchez Trace if you get a chance, it’s historic, scenic, but slow (I think the speed limit is 30 or so). I did that when driving down to Houston to go to Rice - Go Owls!
If the Natchez Trace sounds interesting leave New Orleans on I 55 and exit to the Trace at Ridgeland. The speed limit is 50 and there are no stops for the 300 miles to Nashville. It will be a very quiet drive on a 2 lane road that is lined with trees overhanging the roadway for many miles. If you get bored of the Trace exit to US 72 near Florence Alabama and a GPS will route you through Huntsville, Knoxville and on to the I 81 near Bristol TN. I recently made the round trip from North Mississippi to Baltimore and enjoyed great weather and made good time. Have a good trip and be careful. Knoxville seems to be a speed trap for out of state travellers.
thanks all.go owls texases. nice to know.
Plan is ; Houston to New Orleans. Spend the night with family friends in New Orleans, LA.
Then New Orleans to Cookesville TN. Spend the night in either Cookesville, or Nashville. Hotel room.
Then Nashville to Durham , NC. Spend the night there at a friends/ Hotel.
Then Durham NC to Washington DC. Spend the night there.
Then Washingont DC to NYC.
My workplace is in Ronkonkona, NY, on long Island. While my relatives stay on Manhattan. I propose to park my car at my workplace, and stay the night at my relatives at Manhattan.
Thanks a lot.
go through Charottesville Va and see Thomas Jefferson home, that close take a short detour to Williamsburg, Va and enjoy the day and then Mt Vernon. D.C. is right there ahead of you.
I live in NC and have driven to NYC many times, but it has always been north from Charlotte via I-77 to Harrisburg PA and then east on the interstates. A very pleasant trip on lightly traveled roads. Takes about 12 hours and my record is 11.3 hours.
But you are leaving from Durham. You will likely take I-85 to I-95 in Virginia and then north to NY.
Traffic around Washington DC and Baltimore can be a nightmare. There’s nothing to be done.
Enter NYC from Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island. Follow the parkways to the Verrazano bridge to Brooklyn and then use the parkways to Ronkonkoma. You avoid Manhattan traffic. Have a safe trip, my friend.
I agree with SteveF. I live in the Dc/Baltimore area. Traffic is hideous. You will get stuck on I-95 between Richmond and DC unless you drive at night. It is best to drive through DC, but don’t get on I-295. Northbound traffic will be awful until you are half way to Baltimore, if you are lucky. If you make it that far, you can go through either of the tunnels or over the Francis Scott Key Bridge - all are tolls, but better than the western stretch of the Beltway (I-695). After you pass Baltimore, you will likely have at least 20 miles of heavy traffic. Then you get to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and a great long wait to get into New Jersey.
I would take I-59 to Chattanooga, I-75 to Knoxville, I-81 to just north of Harrisburg, PA and then take I-78 to NYC. You will not encounter any big city traffic after you leave New Orleans until you get the NYC. And the scenery is terrific.
One more thing about Baltimore/Washington traffic: it is the worst traffic in the USA - even worse than LA. You’ve been in traffic jams like this, but not ones that extend for up to 100 miles at rush hour. I drive I-95 from Baltimore to SC, and traffic is lousy most of the way.
jtsanders. I grew up in Mumbai, New Delhi, Varanasi, Madras, Baroda. Hideous traffic in the united states aint got nothing on THAT.
So, my roommate, who has been to the west coast millions of times driving, says;
carry extra engine oil and coolant.
Don’t get below a third of a tank of gas…you never know when the next stop is.
Eat less. Light. Lots of fluids. Stop frequently.
Comments?
Forget the oil and coolant. If you need them, you can get them on the way. But it is very unlikely you will need them. There are gas stops at almost every exit after you get on I-95. I am not familiar with the first half of the trip, but there is probably gas at most exits. Stop as often as you need to to remain alert, and take a good walk to relax your muscles. Lots of fluids makes sense. You might take a case of bottled water with you and a cooler. Fill the cooler with ice you buy along the way to cool down the water. If you don’t mind taking 3 to 4 hours to get through the Baltimore/Washington area at off peak hours, then use I-95. It could take a lot longer, though. It can take me 2 to 3 hours to get home along that route and I know all the detours. Leave Durham at about 7AM to hit DC around 11AM or leave at 4PM to hit DC around 8PM. You will get to NYC about 4 hours later. For the earlier departure, you may just miss Philadelphia and Wilmington rush hours. There are signs near the Delaware Memorial Bridge that warn you of backups. You can also go on I-95 to Philly and go around the east side and then past Trenton if the bridge is awful.
I never carry coolant, but always have a quart of oil in the trunk, mostly because it’s cheaper at walmart than at exit 322. And your route’s pretty developed, I’d keep it above 1/4 tank. #3? sure.
Instead of Durham, why not Ashville instead and see the Biltmore, you will not be disappointed.
Keith’s right, going up the mountains is way better than up the flatlands.
What attractions can be seen in Tennessee. I am going to see Nashville, and then take the road through the smoky mountain park to asheville and then to durham, NC.
So far, I am seeing This vanderbilt house. And the great smoky mountains. Anything else?
And, I am taking a lot of food like chips, Indian dry snacks, cocacola, kroger brand kola, chocolate and all from my local kroger, there was a sale. I foresee that food will be more expensive in Long Island. I believe hicksville is an Indian district.
the stuff about the oil/coolant and frequent fueling can be attested to traveling out west, not east. In the desert states, fuel stops can be few and far between, so filling up, and maybe even topping off, are advised. If the sign says “No gas for 150 miles”, you can bet it’s true.
There is Gatlinburg. It is a beautiful area, Dolly Parton grew up in this area. If you are into cast Iron cooking, the Lodge factory is on the way, near Gatlinburg. If you are coming up through Chattanooga, be sure to go up to Look Out mountain. There is the Tow Truck museum in Chattanooga.
In Nashville, go to the Grand Ol Opry Hotel. The atriums there are a real treat if you like a little horticulture.
At the Biltmore (the Vanderbuilt house), I took the behind the scenes tour. It is a look at the turn of the century technology. Since I worked in the power distribution industry, i was especially interested in its electrification. It was built during the “Current Wars” and had both DC and AC systems. They say the rooftop tour is awesome, it is their most popular. Nice thing is that its up in the mountains so it isn’t all that hot during the day. The gardens were designed by the famous Frederick Law Olmsted who designed Central park In NYC.
From Asheville, you can take the Blue ridge Parkway from the Smokies to the Shenandoah National park. Its a slow road, but very scenic. It has limited access so while the speed limit is low, you keep moving.