In no particular order:
B&O Train Museum in Baltimore
National Museum of Health and Medicine in D.C.
Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Museum near Chantilly, VA
Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, VA
Bristol Motor Speedway, TN
Blowing Rock, N.C.
You might enjoy some of these places. And whether you would admit to knowing about them, there is always someone that will find them worth the trip. BTW, the 3 museums at the head of the list are really incredible.
Thanks for the suggestions - they are all going in the master list. The train museum sounds particularly interesting. Also the natural bridge. I’ll check up on some more of the stuff when I get home tonight.
Find out where the oil is leaking from.
Many people seem to think long road trips are hard on cars. It’s actually quite the opposite. Short trips are hard on cars, while long open road driving is the easiest. It’s not like a person running a marathon, for a car cruising on the Interstate at 60+ MPH is like a walk in the park for a human. Take the previous advice about having the car checked over, especially check on the timing belt, and then don’t worry about it. Check the oil at every gas stop, but don’t add oil unless it needs a full quart. It’s bad to overfill the oil.
Near Natural Bridge (which is amazing) is a nifty little place called Foam Henge. Use your imagination, and follow the signs off of Interstate 81.
FYI, if you do get a radar detector (and I think they are not all that useful) you should know they are illegal to use in Virginia and can get you a nice fat ticket. They used to confiscate them, but I don’t think they do that any more. Stash the detector in the trunk when driving in VA.
If you are in the Natural Bridge area, and not in a hurry, take the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while. It’s slow, but a pleasant drive with scenic overlooks and some interesting attractions along the way. If you are trying to make time, the BRP is not for you.
I like it.
I like RT. 81 through Pa. from RT. 84 through Ct. N.Y. I don’t remember the exact way from 84 to 81 but you have a map. Don’t trust Mapquest for the exact directions when you get near to where you are going. I cut out 17 minutes from a 35 minute drive in San Diego by looking at a current map. Don’t take six turns to get to a street that has a highway exit leading right to it. Don’t take 290 through Worcester Ma. between 11:00 and 1:00, lunch hour can be dangerous. Don’t stop in Ma. if you have a choice. Gas stations are sometimes a long way from the highway. Stop to eat anywhere in Ct. The rest of the trip is a mystery as to where to stop but somebody knows where. Don’t lie to the police. Don’t carry a gun through Ma.
I found the website for the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it looks really cool. Do you know if the camp sites are open in Feb/March? I should really look up and see when our Spring Break is. My train of thought is that March in North Carolina must be a lot like June here in New Hampshire.
One piece of advice: Don’t overload the car. This advice applies to any car that one would take on a trip. There is a tendency on a trip that you are contemplating for each passenger to take along all as much as possible. There will be laundramats along the way. Set a limit as to how much each person is allowed to take. Overloading a car increases the risk of problems through poor handling and tire failure.
One piece of advice: Don’t overload the car. This advice applies to any car that one would take on a trip. There is a tendency on a trip that you are contemplating for each passenger to take along all as much as possible. There will be laundramats along the way. Set a limit as to how much each person is allowed to take. Overloading a car increases the risk of problems through poor handling and tire failure.
Won’t you be the envy of all the kids at school when you return in April?
“What did you do, Caroline?”
“Oh, we drove to a train museum in Baltimore!”
J/K, it sounds like fun.
My 98 Pathfinder which my daughter now drives has over 310k miles on it. It’s well maintained…I wouldn’t hesitate driving this to California and back.
Well, considering that our final destination is the abandoned luggage store, we’ll have a few stories like that.
In Feb and Mar there is some chance the Blue Ridge Parkway itself will be closed. The campsites certainly will be. If there is snow or ice on the Parkway they just close it, literally, with big gates. They don’t plow or anything, so if there is snow it stays there until it melts naturally. I got kicked off the BRP last April 15th due to snow, and I was in North Carolina at the time. On the other hand, there hasn’t been any this Fall and Winter so far so it’s still wide open. Oh, and they only close sections, so parts can be closed and other parts open.
Places to see? From NH I’d plan my first stop in Boston or Salem. Both cool places, good bars in both. Next I’d hit Philadelphia and run up the “Rocky” steps. Get a cheesesteak and look for South Street. Next I’d go to Balitmore, Inner Harbor. Neat place. Next I’d drive to Annapolis . . . beautiful little town. Drive to Virginia Beach, look for “the bridge”. You’ll enjoy this ride. How about visiting Kitty Hawk next? Holy cow! You’ll have a blast! Music? Depends on your age . . . why not borrow or buy a satellite radio set-up and switch around a bit? Have a blast! Rocketman
A friend and I took a road trip in 1998 in my 1970 Plymouth Valiant. We started in western NC and drove out to Las Vegas, taking detours along the way, such as visiting Billy the Kid’s grave, so we ended up on some long remote stretches of road. Then we drove from Las Vegas up to Yellowstone Nat’l Park, encountering many twisty, high-elevation roads [read: 4-wheel drum brakes]. We had NO cell phones [Do you think a cell phone would work when you’re stranded out near Four Corners or the Meteor Crater?] and NO credit/gas cards, with about $1000 between us. We changed the oil in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Arizona after about 3000 miles. Then, I drove the car back across Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, etc. back to NC. I did have to replace the timing chain, because it broke while in Yellowstone. [We lived and worked in Roosevelt for the summer, so I had time to do it myself - you will pay dearly for towing/service in or around the park because there are so few options.] I was fortunate in that the timing chain broke as I was parking my car in Roosevelt, and not out in the middle of nowhere. Looking back, yeah we took some risks, but that’s what makes a trip an adventure, right?
That is not an old car. Have AAA Plus, for a 100 mile tow. Absolute worse case, you rent a small truck and tow the car back home, after an AAA Plus tow into next town with Hertz/Budget/Avis, etc.
But, most of that is unlikely, and forget about all those repairs to consider - There are mechanics everywhere, and you’ll have time to spend the day in whatever town an issue arises. What’s the problem? A new town, and a new mechanic!!!
Hope you took the trip, and just took extra oil!
Of course he lives in southern Oregon
Just kidding. I see your handle indicates you live in NH.
Howdy, Can you afford to be without a car? or replace this one if the trip kills it? If so have it serviced check the fluids at every fill up on the trip and have a great time. If not do not take it instead baby it to get you around loacally until you can get a newer car. Consider getting a rental car- rent pretty cheap for a week. Parent willing to rent ya one as if under 25? may have hard time renting one .