This was a shorter road trip over Spring Break. And our first with a friend. We started our drive over to Vicksburg national military Park & USS Cairo museum. The USS Cairo is inside the Vicksburg park, and super cool. It was perfectly preserved in the mud.
From Vicksburg, we finished our driving for the day down to Biloxi.
West beach boardwalk – A great place for a stroll by the beach.
Le Cafe Beignet – Be sure to google to see if it’s reopened. Great restaurant.
Biloxi lighthouse & beach – Great beach area. Very clean. There’s a cute pier. There are a few interesting things in the area. These include the lighthouse, Fred Haise statue, and Civil Rights Wade In plaque. It was a little chilly for us but there were some brave swimmers.
Beauvoir – Last home of confederate president Jefferson Davis. And a great look into an Antebellum home.
Institute for marine mammal studies – Honestly, not something I would recommend. Probably better for much younger kids. We did this first thing in the morning but I listed it last because I’d skip it.
Day 3
Camellia Grill – our favorite
Bourbon Street
Longwood Estate
Fingerprints in the handmade bricks
Natchez Historic Home
Our B&B – The Burn
Downtown Natchez
The Mississippi River
Dinner at The Castle
The Castle
Our plan was the Ship island Excursion, but it was canceled due to weather. We did get to do this on a later trip & I highly recommend. But for this trip, we went on over to New Orleans then up to Natchez.
There’s lots to do in Natchez. We really fell in love with this quaint small town. We toured as many of the Natchez Pilgrimage Tours as we could. We loved a walk down by the Mississippi River and the downtown area.
We stayed at our first ever B&B. We picked The Burn. Such a fun experience. And a fabulous breakfast. We also did a snack break at The Castle. A great restaurant with such a unique history & atmosphere.
Since our overall timeline got bumped up, we decided to go ahead and start home early. We tried to go see Natchez National Park but it wasn’t open. So, we called this trip good and headed on home.
Late flight out to Boston. We wanted to go the night before so we had all of our first full day to explore. We flew in as late as we could and stayed out by the airport.
Day 2 – Boston
Old State House
Bell in Hand Tavern
Faneuil Hall
Boston Common
Cheers
Sam Adams Taproom
UBER / SUBWAY: To hotel (Blue line to State). – All subway references are close to our hotel. I highly recommend staying downtown. It’s close to a lot of the sites & centrally located for subway access. Get a 7 day MBTA Charlieticket at a kiosk from any station.
SITES. Freedom Trail. Walking distance. Tickets at the door.
Old State House (opens 10a)
Boston Massacre Memorial – a plaque in the sidewalk outside the Old State House.
Faneuil Hall – This one is a market downstairs & historic upstairs.
Lunch: Bell in hand Tavern – a favorite every time I go to Boston. A common theme among our restaurant choices is they are very old. This tavern has been around since 1795.
SITES. Freedom Trail. Walking distance. Tickets at the door.
Old Corner Bookstore – Exterior is historic. Walk by.
Old South Meeting House – I like this one
Granary Burying Ground (closes @ 4p) – Probably my favorite of the freedom site Cemeteries. Lots of famous figured buried here.
King’s Chapel & Burying Ground (walk by)
Park Street Church (walk by)
Massachusetts State House (walk by)
Boston Common (walk through) – This is a large park. Stroll through for some great photo ops. It’ll be close to Cheers.
Walk down Acorn Street – We wanted to see the architecture. It was a block off the main road, but we loved seeing the buildings.
BREAK: Cheers – They had a replica of the set upstairs. We walked around and took pictures. I’ve eaten here before and do recommend it.
UBER to hotel
BAR: Sam Adams Taproom – We didn’t have time on this trip for the brewery. So, we checked out the taproom instead.
SUBWAY: State station. Orange line to community college.
DINNER: Warren Tavern – My first time here. I loved it!! Built in 1780. Bunker Hill Monument is also fairly close by.
SUBWAY: Orange line to State Station
Day 3 – Boston
USS Constitution
USS Constitution
John Harvard
Van Gogh in the Harvard Art Museum
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Frames holding the spot for 2 of the stolen art pieces
Lolita’s
SUBWAY: Blue line. State Station to Aquarium.
COFFEE: The Pink Carrot – To be honest, we wanted to go to Polcari’s but it wasn’t open. Super glad we found this place instead. It’s adorable and had what we needed (good coffee!).
Old North Church (opens 10a) – Always a favorite for me. Do the underground crypt tour if it’s open!
Paul Revere’s House – Also a favorite of mine.
UBER: to USS Constitution – I love this boat. Be sure to check the website for ticket requirements. They’ve been different just about every time I’ve been.
Harvard Art Museum – Tickets at the door. This is where our plan fell apart. We LOVED this museum and wasn’t expecting it. We spent a lot more time here than expected. We were going to go down past MIT. We also planned to see Fenway Park on our way to Stewart Gardner. However, we enjoyed the Art Museum too much.
STOP: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Bag restriction 12” x 12”) – Our plan continued to fall apart. This place was amazing and crazy at the same time. We loved it. We had seen the Netflix documentary about this museum and wanted to go. Very glad we did. Don’t skip this one. I would suggest planning this on a day with Fenway rather than Cambridge.
SUNSET CRUISE: Uber to Classic Harbor line – Our previous two stops took longer than expected. We waited until the last second to get an Uber. Plus, it was heavy traffic time. This was the most intense Uber ride I’ve ever had. The cruise itself was a highlight. It was a casual boat ride through the harbor. The best part is getting to watch the USS Constitution fire the cannon to signal sunset.
DINNER: Uber to Lolita Fort Point – This restaurant was awesome. It was a later dinner and we did family style small bites. Loved the atmosphere!
UBER: to hotel
Day 4 – Salem
Rockafella’s
The Witch House
Union Oyster House
Green Dragon
SUBWAY: State Station Orange to North Station. Transfer to purple train (Newburyport/Rockport) to Salem. Get the MBTA app and pre-buy tickets for the round trip to Salem.
SITES: (walk around)
Howard Street Cemetery (where Giles Corey was pressed to death)
Downtown – Downtown Salem is adorable. It’s a great place to take a casual stroll and do some shopping.
LUNCH: Rockafellas – Love this restaurant. Order the Crab Cake BLT and thank me later.
The Witch house (12p-3:30p; $9 at door) – The only remaining historical building from the times of the trials. This house belonged to the judge.
Charter Street Cemetery / The burying site Cemetery & memorial – They have a memorial for the witch trials at the entrance. But there are some interesting and old graves to see. Including a Mayflower passenger.
BAR: Village Tavern – It started raining on us at the cemetery. So, we ducked into this nearby tavern for a break.
Witch Pix – yes, we did and we loved it! While sitting in the Tavern, we saw this was nearby. And our group of 40-somethings thought this would be fun. We had a blast! Our husbands thought we were crazy but we stand by our choice.
7:30 SUBWAY: Purple line to Swamscott. Transfer to North State
Dinner – Union Oyster House / Green Dragon Tavern – The group split up for this dinner. Not everybody wanted Oysters. I would highly recommend the Oyster House. It has a wider menu than expected,. Those of us who went did want the oysters and they were fabulous. This is the oldest restaurant in Boston (est 1826). The group at Green Dragon didn’t have a good experience.
Day 5 – Newport, RI
The Mooring
One of the mansions
Section of the Cliff Walk
Seaside drive
White Horse Tavern
Dinner
WALK/SUBWAY (State to Downtown to South Station)
AMTRAK: South Station to Kingston.
CAR: Limousines of Newport & Providence to Newport – best decision to hire a driver. We had the car and driver for the whole day. Split between the group this was the most effective & affordable way to get around. And this company was great.
Newport Mansions – Buy tickets at the door. We bought a pass for multiple mansions. As many as were open the day we were there.
Cliff walk – This spans most of the coast. Great views.
Southern Coastal Drive – Our driver took us down this highway. He pointed out some homes owned by famous people and we stopped where we wanted for pictures.
Castle hill lighthouse – We stopped and took the short walk to this lighthouse. This was the only stop we got out of the car. The weather was cold and rainy.
Bowen’s wharf – We rounded the day with time back at Bowen’s Wharf. Great area to walk around for shopping or sit at a bar for a drink.
DINNER: White Horse Tavern – Another very old restaurant. Oldest in the US, 10th oldest in the world (serving since 1673). This was our one “nice” restaurant for the trip. It’s fabulous. The dress is business casual attire, which includes slacks, denim trousers, blazers, button down shirts, sweaters, dresses. No athletic wear.
AMTRAK: Our car took us back to Kingston station for the ride to South Station.
We went to the Keys to spend Thanksgiving with some close friends. So they knew all the great spots to go. Many of these spots look like “holes-in-the-wall”. But they were the best! Be sure to rent a car and visit the other keys. Here’s the list of our highlights from our time.
Key West
Mile Marker 0
Sunset at Mallory Square
Key West Christmas Tree
Butterfly Conservatory
6-toed Cat
Pier
Animal at Hurricane Hole
Southern Most Point
Hemingway House
Fort Zachary Taylor
Cat at Hemingway House
The Rainbow Tree
Mile Marker 0 – Corner of Fleming & Whitehead
“The Rainbow Tree” / The Kapok Tree – In front of the Monroe County Courthouse
Southern most point in US – Stand in line if you want to, but we took a quick picture from the side.
Emma Carrero Cates Pier & Ponce de Leon Beach – Near the Southern most Point buoy
Hemingway Home – Tour the house and play with the 6-toed cats
Boondocks – Ramrod Key. Where we played our traditional round of mini golf.
Spend time out on the water. We were there with friends who had a boat. But there are plenty of options to charter a boat. The water never gets too deep.
A couple of things we didn’t get to on our trip, but looked fun
10 states! 1 epic road trip. We started with a flight to DC then saw everything we could. Our daughter says we didn’t miss any historical blade of grass. lol. This is one of my road trips I get asked most often to share. We packed a lot into 9 days. It would be easy to split much of this up into shorter trips & see more things in one area. I included notes for things we didn’t do to help give inspiration for your trip.
Day 1
Ford’s Theater
The Hope Diamond
Mummy in the Smithsonian of Natural History
Photo Op in the Smithsonian of American History
President Lincoln’s top hat
First Ladies’ exhibit
Dorothy’s Ruby slippers
Having fun walking around
US Capitol
White House
Ford’s Theater – Tickets are required. We didn’t visit The Petersen House (where President Lincoln died). There was a very long line even early in the morning. But it’s just across the street.
National Archives Museum – Go see our original US Constitution and other founding documents. Free, but required reservation. It’s a quick stop. They have a nice museum with lots of other great history. No pictures allowed (so none in this post).
Smithsonian Museum of American History: A wide variety of American history. The original Star-Spangled banner, Dorothy’s ruby slippers and so much more.
Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space – My personal favorite. It was closed when we were there but they had moved most things out to their annex. We get there later in our trip.
Things to walk around & see – DC is a great place to walk around & take in the sites. For anything you’d want a tour, check individual websites for rules. We just wanted to see the buildings on this trip. I’d been before and been in most of the buildings. My family wasn’t interested in going in. We split these up over two days.
Supreme Court
US Capital
White House
WWII Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial
FDR Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
Day 2
Arlington National Cemetery
Picnic lunch from a food truck on the National Mall
WWII Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Korean Memorial
MLK Memorial
FDR Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
National Cathedral
On the door of the National Cathedral
South Africa Embasy
Washington Harbor with Watergate Hotel in the background
Bit of a heavy start to the day, but highly recommend.
Arlington National Cemetery – Free entry. We took the subway out there. Once in, they have a hop-on-hop-off system for getting around. Some of the more popular stops.
Welcome Center
Changing of the Guard
JFK Grave
Arlington House – do go inside. Check with ticket requirements.
General Pershing’s Grave – highest ranking officer in Arlington
Pentagon – close by Arlington.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum – Reservations are required and they can be hard to get. This is a heavy museum but highly recommend. I still have strong memories of going as a younger kid. Be sure to check early & often for reservations.
National Mall – Fun to grab a picnic lunch from one of the food trucks.
Washington Monument – I’ve never gone to the top.
National Cathedral – It was closed for remodeling when we were there, but I love this building.
Walk down Embassy Row – It’s a long walk. But, so fun to see all the very different buildings for each country.
Washington Harbor – Great place to stop & sit to grab some dinner. Also, Watergate Hotel is within view.
Georgetown
Lafayette Square
Some options for evening activities (if buildings & monuments have become too much):
Time to pick-up the car rental and start the road trip!
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center With the Air & Space museum closed they had moved things to this building. This is the normal Annex building for the museum. I would recommend going even when the museum is open. There are great things to see.
Antietam National Battlefield (Maryland). Great history. There is an observation tower. It’s not from the period, but still old. Be sure to walk to the top to see the views.
Gettysburg National Military Park (Pennsylvania) – MASSIVE! You’ll do the driving tour around the full park. We stopped at a good number of the memorials. For the Gettysburg Address, they don’t actually know where President Lincoln stood. Because at the time, the speech was considered bad. After seeing the battlefield, I recommend going downtown for lunch. It’s a super cute downtown.
Fort Marcy – This was obviously a special stop for us
Back to DC to drive around and see the monuments lit up at night
Day 4
Fort McHenry
Brandywine Creek
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
General Washington’s Headquarters
Replica Huts at Valley Forge
Baltimore (Maryland)
Fort McHenry – Where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner.
Edgar Allen Poe House & Museum – we skipped this but it was on my wish list
Star Spangled Banner Flag House – closed the day we were here
Brandywine Creek State Park – Wilmington (Delaware). It was tough finding things in Delaware. We took a little walk through this park. It was very pretty.
Longwood Gardens (Pennsylvania) – Wow. This was more popular than we were expecting. But the site is really beautiful. We don’t do a lot of gardens, but really glad we did this one. Tickets required.
Valley Forge (Pennsylvania) – They do have replicas of the huts used at the time. But the highlight for us was General Washington’s Headquarters. It’s still the original.
Hotel in Philadelphia
Day 5
The Liberty Bell
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Yale University
Philadelphia
Independence Hall – Where the Declaration of Independence was signed. I didn’t know advanced reservations were required. So we didn’t get to go in on this trip. Be sure to check the site for current requirements. Requires advanced reservation.
Rocky Steps & Statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art – We didn’t stop for the photo Op, but wanted to call out it’s there.
Washington Crossing Historic Site (Pennsylvania / New Jersey border) – Site where General Washington crossed the Delaware River. We enjoyed this area. There are a few different interesting things in the area.
Yale University – We enjoyed walking around the beautiful campus. Be sure to check out the famous Skull & Bones.
Amistad Memorial
Long Wharf
Day 6
The Cliff Walk
The Breakers – Behind the staircase
A room inside The Breakers
Bowen’s Wharf
Plymouth Rock
The Barking Crab
Newport (Rhode Island) – a new personal favorite. I’ll have a few other recommendations from a later girls’ trip back to this area.
Cliff Walk – This is a long walking path along the coast line. We walked a section of it starting at the beach. Once we got up to the mansions we also walked a portion of it there.
Newport Mansions – There are a few of these available. I haven’t picked a favorite yet. The Breakers is probably the most popular. It’s a Vanderbilt mansion. I recommend getting a pass to see as many as you have time to.
Bowen’s Wharf – This is a great place to take a break. Grab something to eat & shop
Plymouth Rock (Massachusetts) – It’s really just a quick photo Op. There is a replica boat nearby but we just wanted to see the spot where the pilgrims landed.
Boston (Massachusetts) – This is where we got a hotel for the remainder of the trip. From here, it’s easy to take day trips.
Harvard / MIT – On a future trip I talk more about the Harvard Art Museum. We didn’t see it on this trip, but I need to call it out. It was incredible. On this trip, we just wanted to see the two campuses.
Hotel: Boston
PRO TIP: Driving in Boston is difficult at best. Our hotel was close to the airport. To just get around town, I recommend using the subway.
Bell in Hand Tavern – Highly recommend. Great restaurant & very old. It’s been a long-time favorite of mine and anybody I’ve been with enjoys it.
USS Constitution – I love the USS Constitution. “Old Ironsides”. So fun to go aboard and explore. There is also a modern ship that was included in the tour. Ticket rules seem to change every time I’ve been. Be sure to read ahead.
Freedom Trail – These are mostly grouped together and generally walkable. However, they have early hours. So it’s hard to get them all in one day. Some are separate tickets. Some can be grouped together.
Old North Church – add the Crypt tour
Paul Revere’s House – loved this
Faneuil Hall – Marketplace downstairs, historial upstairs
Old State House & Boston Massacre site – The site is a plaque in the sidewalk in front of the Old State House. The building itself has some great history inside.
Granary Burying Ground – The more famous of the cemeteries on this list.
Boston common – the large park
Old South Meeting Hall
Massachusetts State House – the current state capital. We didn’t tour.
Park Street Church
King’s Chapel & King’s Chapel Burying Ground
Boston Latin School / Benjamin Franklin Statue
Old Corner Bookstore – The building structure is historical, but nothing inside was preserved. It was a Chipotle last time I was in Boston.
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground – Closer to Paul Revere’s House.
Bunker Hill Monument – out by the USS Constitution.
Cheers Bar – After walking down Boston Common you’ll be close.
Other things in the area we didn’t do on this trip:
The House of the Seven Gables – And birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne. You get to explore all through the house. Nathaniel was raised right next door to the house that gave him the inspiration for his book. Tickets required.
Salem Witch Museum – I only put this one here to warn don’t go. It’s a wax figurines with a voice over detailing the history of the witch trials. Then a small exhibit of the history of witches in pop culture. They did have one beam original to the building where the trials took place is all. It’s a tourist trap.
Downtown Salem – super cute downtown. I really liked Salem.
Old Burying Point / Salem Witch Memorial – Charter Street Cemetery. The memorial is on the walk in. But there are some notable graves. Including a Mayflower Pilgrim.
The Witch House – Home of the judge of the witch trials. This I highly recommend. Great view of life in the times. Plus the only real connection from the era still available.
Portland Observatory – we didn’t go in, but wanted to see it.
Wadsworth-Longfellow House – again, didn’t go in but wanted to see it.
DiMillo’s on the Water – If you also want Maine lobster while in Maine. A boat converted into a restaurant permanently docked. It’s a staple of Portland.
Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves (New Hampshire) – Highlight of the trip. This is when I first got asked how I find these places. Just beautiful. And the trail was super easy. Nice wooden walkway. Tickets required.
Ben & Jerry’s Factory (Vermont) – The tour was closed, but we loved the ice cream. And flavor graveyard.
This trip had an delayed start. I unexpectedly lost a close family member earlier in the week. We had planned to start our loop closer in Tennessee. But we had to shift things around and start in North Carolina. Then we picked up those things in Tennessee on the way back. We had to miss some things we wanted, but kept the biggest highlights for us.
Day 1
Biltmore Estate
Library
Bowling alley
With the delayed start, we had to finish driving most of Day 1.
Biltmore House – Vanderbilt home in Asheville, North Carolina. Timed tickets required. Incredible look at history. They were already setting up the Christmas trees in Mid-October. Would be fun to see this even closer to Christmas. They also change the gardens with each season.
Bodie Island Lighthouse – There are several lighthouses around the Outerbanks. This was the one we picked. If you want to go inside, tickets were available at Cape Hatteras visitors center.
Kitty hawk & Kill Devil Hills– The flight happened at what is now called Kill Devil Hills. You can see where the first flights happened & the museum is really cool.
Corolla, NC – We generally loved the OuterBanks. Great coastal towns. Corolla should be a must visit. Famous for its Spanish wild horses. You can easily see them just by driving around the town. And do spend some time walking on this beautiful beach. There are also some interesting houses built right on the sand. PRO TIP: The map shows a road for the beach but it is just a beach. And it does not go through to Virginia. You can drive down the beach but takes some special knowledge. A friend of mine lived there & they took us out driving on the beach.
From the Outerbanks, we went into Virginia Beach. We have some family there so they took us to a great local restaurant. Then we spent our time hanging out at their house, but here’s some things I’d found to do. First landing state park, Cape Henry Lighthouse, the Boardwalk. Also, another beautiful beach.
Day 3
Colonial Williamsburg – crafters still using the old methods
Colonial Williamsburg
Historic Jamestowne – site of original colony
Historic Jamestowne
Historic Jamestowne – John Smith looking over the bay
Jamestown Settlement – replica of the original boats
Colonial Williamsburg – Kids & adults will enjoy this. They have people telling stories of the times. There are also craftspeople who still use the original arts. It’s a fun place to walk around. The historic section is only a few blocks and the nearby downtown is also very cute. Also, across the street is historic William & Mary.
Historic Jamestowne– the original settlement site. I preferred this to the Jamestown Settlement. There is still active archaeology being done. Very cool to see our American origins.
Jamestown Settlement – living history museum. Here they have created a replica of the original ships & section of life in the times. This is more kid-friendly than Historic Jamestowne. Very interactive. Our daughter was old enough that we didn’t spend too much time here.
Yorktown Battlefield – Surprisingly, we skipped the battlefield & museum. To head on up to Mount Vernon.
(VA) Richmond – we decided to spend more time at the Historic Triangle and skipped Richmond. But here’s some fun things we had found.
St. John’s Church
Edgar Allan Poe Museum
White House of the Confederacy
Grand Kugel
Hollywood Cemetery: James Monroe, John Tyler, Jefferson Davis, Confederate soldiers
Chimborazo Hospital – Richmond National Battlefield Park
Connecticut the Indian
(VA) Alexandria
Mount Vernon Tour – DON’T SKIP! We loved Mount Vernon. We made the last tour of the day and the place was pretty quiet. You’ll get to see the house & the grounds. Be sure to visit his guarded tomb. You’ll learn he preferred to be referred to as General Washington rather than President. Some unexpected highlights for us: they preserved the bed where he died & his dentures. Timed tickets required.
(WV) Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry National Park – Adorable small town. We found a restaurant & enjoyed walking around the town & historic sites. Also, this is about the half-way point of the Appalachian Trail. We passed a couple of hikers while we were there. The Potomac & Shenandoah Rivers meet here which makes for an incredible view. This became one of my daughter’s favorite towns we’ve visited. But we love cute small towns.
(VA)Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s House. Don’t skip. This place was WAY more busy than Mount Vernon. But you learn a lot about our 3rd president. He was an interesting and complicated figure. For example, he built his bed into the wall to save space. He learned and tinkered with so many different hobbies. Plus, he had a wide variety of interests. And it was his personal book collection that started the Library of Congress. There had been recent news about Jefferson & Sally Hemings. So any of the exhibits related to his history with her or slavery were jam packed. It’s also interesting how much he loved his University of Virginia. He kept a hole in the trees so he could see it. They keep that hole today. Requires timed tickets.
(VA) Appomattox – Courthouse & McLean House. This is something we had to sacrifice with our missed start. But we have family in the area and can go back. I would make this a quick stop.
Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Tour – This looked really fun. We skipped so we could get an early start. But, I would suggest looking if this fits your itinerary.
Hatfield & McCoy feud sites – We loved this! They span from Sarah Ann, WV, through Pikeville, KY. We used the map & drove ourselves. BUT, there are some cool looking ATV tours with a guide. You’d probably get better information from one of these & it looked fun.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park – We skipped this as well. Tough decisions had to be made with our shortened trip. It wasn’t terribly out of the way from the direct drive. So we drove close by.
Harland Sanders Cafe – Another casualty of our compressed trip. We originally were going up to Lexington and this was on the way. It’s the original KFC in Corbin, KY.
Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, TN – To be honest, not our personal favorites. The entire area is a very popular tourist area. I would compare it to Branson, MO. We found some good places to eat & fun things to do. Of course, we had to do the Titanic Museum. My daughter is still obsessed, remember?
The Lost Sea – Wow! You should certainly plan your route around this attraction. It’s a massive lake underground. It was a unique experience we all enjoyed. Tickets are required.
NASHVILLE – Western Las Vegas. If you’ve never been, this should be on your wish list. There’s so much to do & see. Here’s some of our favorites.
Grand Ole Opry – Worth it. Fan of country music or not, this should be top of your list for Nashville. The history of this institution is great. They will typically know who the headliner will be well in advance. However, the rest of the schedule may not be published. Tickets are required. PRO TIP: the opry is now outside of downtown & near a shopping mall. Traffic will be horrendous when leaving.
Country Music Hall of Fame – Again, fan of country music or not this was great. They have great history on display.
Parthenon – Exact size replica of the one in Greece. Just a fun stop.
Ryman Auditorium – take a tour, watch a show, or just see this historic building.
Broadway St – live music is everywhere. Take a walk down Broadway & stop in anywhere.
Tour buses – these were everywhere & looked like a blast. If this were a couples trip or girls trip, this would be on my list.
Day 7
Lorraine Motel – Civil Rights Museum
Site of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination
A bus from the Freedom Riders era
Beale Street
BB King’s BBQ
Sun Records
Graceland
The Jungle Room
Elvis’ grave
His pink Cadillac
Tour his private plane
Memphis, TN
National Civil Rights Museum – site of Martin Luther King Jr assassination. We started our day here. Very somber. but highly recommend.
Beale Street – we did lunch here to avoid the crowds. BB King’s Blues Club is the famous restaurant.
Sun Records Sun Studio – Swing by in the morning for tickets later in the same day. They didn’t have tours the day we were there.
Graceland – Tickets required. we spent about 3 hours here & saw all of it. The house, the museum, the plane. There’s just so much and it’s all good.
From Memphis, we started our drive home and called this road trip a success. Even with some last minute changes we kept all the highlights we wanted. And have great memories.
This was an exciting vacation to plan. Organizing how to fit in some of the big highlights in America. We saw Mount Rushmore, Devil’s tower, Yellow Stone, Grand Tetons, & more. I hope you make some version of this trip. It’s one of my favorites. Here’s the details of our vacation.
Day 1
Kicked off the pictures with a quick stop in Nebraska
Missile
Missile site in the middle of South Dakota pasture
Command Post of the missiles
Badlands – It was super windy
Historic Sod House in the Badlands
View of the Badlands
Wall Drug
Mammoth Site
Our cabin in Custer State Park
Mount Rushmore
Crazy Horse
Mountain Goat in the Badlands
Found a fun photo op in the Badlands
This trip started with an overnight drive from Oklahoma north to South Dakota. We stopped for a quick photo in Nebraska on the way. Once we got to our first destination, everything is very close together. Making this a jam packed day 1.
Minuteman missile National Historic Site – This might not be high on the search results for South Dakota. But this should be high on your plan. Stop in the National Park’s office for the museum and information for where to see one of the missiles. We wanted to tour the control center but it was closed. Check out the link to see what’s needed to reserve tickets.
Badlands National Park – Only 15 minutes from Minuteman Site. This is a very large park with a variety of nature sites & historic information. We did the main Loop Road. We spent about 2 hours with a few stops on the drive. Coming from the Minuteman Site you’ll go South to North. Which will put you right by our next stop.
Wall Drug Store – The city of Wall, South Dakota, is home to this well known stop. The store is practically a full city block. There’s something for everybody. A great place for a quick break & recharge.
Mammoth site – Really excited I found this. They are still actively digging this site. You get to see fossils from the ice age & learn about the science behind this discovery. It’s about an hour & a half from Wall Drug. And is a slight turn off the path to Mount Rushmore. But I suggest fitting it in this order for the road trip.
Mount Rushmore – The big headline of the day. From Mammoth Site it’s about an hour back north. Parking will be crazy. See if you can spot the 5th face in the mountain. We also enjoyed the sculpture studio.
Crazy Horse – The statue is actively being carved into the mountain. This is practically right next to Mount Rushmore. There’s plenty of options for how to spend time here. They even offer a tour to the top of the mountain if you want to get up close.
Custer State Park – Where we stayed the night. We got a cabin in the Camp BlueBell Campground. We drove the Wildlife loop. And ate dinner at the restaurant. Great place to stay.
Day 2
Sturgis Bike Rally
Devils Tower
Not the best attempt at this fun photo trick.
We made it to North Dakota
The fun continued in nearby Deadwood & Sturgis as we made our way north.
Deadwood – This historic town is about an hour from the Cabin. We stopped first at Mount Moriah cemetery. This is where Wild Bill & Calamity Jane are buried. Plus, it has a great Birdseye view of the down. We then headed downtown for a stroll. A highlight for us was the Historic Saloon #10. We went downstairs to the original location of the bar for a photo op. We also learned the history of what happened.
Sturgis – Famous for the Bike Rally. Which… we didn’t know was the weekend of our trip. As we were coming north we saw tons of bikes. So I looked and sure enough, we were headed to the rally. We had some fun planned, but the rally was better. Sturgis is roughly 30 minutes from Deadwood.
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming – We followed the bikes and made our way over to Devil’s Tower. It’s and easy 2 hour drive from Sturgis. This site is crazy. You see it well in the distance and it just gets massive the closer you get. There are usually people climbing the side and we had fun watching some while we were there. We walked around it & the views looking out are incredible. We climbed up a few of the rocks on the base. And tried the classic photo illusion of falling from the top.
Bowman, ND – For us, North Dakota was a required stop. Trying to go all 50 states. If this isn’t importation, I would skip this leg. The drive was shockingly desolate & long. It was fun to think about what life is like for those who live there. If you are going this way, we drove into Bowman, North Dakota. It’s a cute small town with great charm.
Day 3
Buffalo at Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Custer’s Last Stand
Little Big Horn Battlefield
This is a slower paced day. Montana is a big state so there’s a lot of driving. But it’s good to have some days with less activities. This way you can rest up before the next jam-packed day. I suggest finding a place to stop every so often to try to break it up. But windshield time can be some of the best bonding time for families.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park -We obviously love National Parks. This was an interesting one. The COVID impact struck us again here though. Some of the things were closed. We did the South Unit Scenic Drive and got real close to a bison. If you skip this park, I’ve heard the Eastern part of North Dakota is really cool. It may be good to look at incorporating Fargo with a Minnesota itinerary.
Little Bighorn Battlefield – Custer’s Last Stand! Now you’ll understand the phrase “die on that hill”. This place is MASSIVE. It gives a great understanding of what happened here. It’s a driving tour with lots of options to get out for pictures & history lessons.
Billings, MT – This is a stop we made to break up the drive. It’s close to the Battlefield & will put you on I-90. I’m glad we weren’t making this drive in the winter. The snow fences along the drive make that look intimidating. But this is a popular route for road trips. You’ll have fun watching the landscape.
Bozeman, MT – This is the town we chose to spend the night. It got us ready to start the big show, Yellowstone, the next day.
Day 4 & 5 – Yellowstone
Great entry to Yellowstone
Cupid Spring Yellowstone – Photo Op
Grand Prismatic Springs
Yellowstone River.
Old Faithful
Geothermal Activity in Yellowstone
Cody Wyoming KOA
Giant Chess at the KOA
There will be too many pictures to pick from when you’re done here. Everybody should spend at least 2 days here once in their life. Without polling my family, I would say this was our favorite US National park.
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center – Honestly, I would skip this. But… you’re guaranteed to see bears. And it’s on the way into Yellowstone. Check out the site to decide if you want to include this in your vacation.
Yellowstone – PRO TIP: Download the National Parks App before getting into the park. There is little to no cell reception. The app is a great way to find everything you want to see.
We did the North Loop Day 1 and the South Loop Day 2
Some of our favorites: Mammoth Hot Springs, Undine/Wraith Falls, Mud Volcano, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful (& the Inn), Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone Grand Canyon.
We grabbed lunch at the Inn & prepared ourselves for the show. Sure enough, Old Faithful was right on time. We did grab seats fairly early and glad we did. We got front row.
Use that app to help pick which stops you want to make. You could easily spend a full week here. We had to make some tough decisions for which stops to skip.
Cody, WY – Between these two days we stayed at the KOA in Cody. We love a good camping experience for this trip. It’s about an hour from the park. Also, cody also has many great sites to see that we didn’t plan for this trip. We enjoyed a family cook out, then played some of the games around the park. Great memories.
Finish Day 5
Mamma bear and 3 cubs
Grand Teton National Park
Wildfire between Wyoming and Colorado
The grand finale with a surprise. Yellowstone connects with Grand Teton so it’s 2 parks for 1.
Grand Teton – This is where we saw a mama bear with 3 cubs! We did Signal Mountain, Jenny Lake, Snake River, Oxbow Bend, Jackson Lake. PRO TIP: If you haven’t ready my Grand Canyon post I’ll repeat this one here. It’s important. If you see cars pulled over, keep your eyes peeled. There’s probably wildlife nearby. These bears, though, were right in plain sight. Plus, the park rangers were out there directing traffic. They had drawn a big crowd. And they were so cute! PRO TIP: Put your phone on video mode & keep rolling. You’ll be more likely to catch a good shot you can save. Trying to click photo and capture the exact moment can be difficult. Especially because you’re in a moving car while they are also moving.
Jackson Hole – The highway out of Grand Teton will put you right to Jackson, Wyoming. I wanted to see the 3 Million Dollar Bar but we didn’t get to. This is a well-known ski area so there are plenty of restaurants and stops to pick.
From here, we started our drive home with a stop in Colorado to see family. We had some things on a list of stops we could make. The Flaming Gorge looked most interesting to me personally. However, at this point, we were ready to start home. Plus, there was a large wildfire in the area. So we scooted our way to the family’s house.
This is another one of my short posts from the early days. We went to visit my sister for a quick ski trip.
Keystone
Coors Brewery – Golden Colorado
Golden, Colorado – We did take some time to visit Golden, Colorado. We wanted to visit the Coors brewery, but loved the town. It has a super cute downtown.
Denver, Colorado – We stayed with my sister. So not too many specific notes to call out.
Keystone – This was a great ski resort. And to be fair, I am not a skier. I love the mountains, the lodge & people watching. I did make a couple of runs though. We stayed at one of the lodging options they have. One night we looked for a last minute restaurant. We found Keystone Ranch. We weren’t prepared. We expected a typical restaurant near a ski resort. This is very formal dining. I do highly recommend it. Just be sure to pack a nice dress.
This is a place I’ve been to a handful of times. Happily, there isn’t one itinerary I loved most. So I decided to write this NOLA post a little different. It’s organized in a way you can choose what you want & get the information you need.
Day time Downtown
I’ll start with some fun things to pick from for daytime.
Cruising down the Mississippi
Marie Laveau’s Tomb
Poet in Jackson Square
The poem we got
From the WW2 museum
Riverboat Cruise
Ride the Streetcars – Top of my list. It’s a great way to see a lot of the city. It also helps you reach some of those sites that are too far to walk. We usually prebuy the 1-day Jazzy Pass (I think it cost $3). These move slow & make several stops. So it’s a relaxing way to get around. The website has lots of information for where to buy passes.
St. Charles line (12) – Probably the most popular line. We hop on at Carondelete & Canal st. It’s a longer ride. You’ll see residential neighborhoods, Tulane & Loyola Universities. This is how to get to our favorite restaurant, Camellia Grill. The Carrollton & St Charles stop is right in front of the restaurant.
Riverfront line (49) – This line runs most of the riverfront. We usually get on at Canal Street and go out to the French Market.
Saint Louis Cemetery No 1 – It may seem strange, but it’s a favorite. This is more than a cemetery tour. You learn great history & see some famous graves. Marie Laveau is the more popular tomb. Tickets are required.
Jackson Square – We like walking around Jackson Square. Lots of street performers. We even had a poem written for a friend. There’s also St. Louis Cathedral. There’s plenty of restaurants on the square. Plus, it’s a great connection between the Riverfront & Bourbon St.
Mississippi River River Front – We usually walk down Canal St until we reach the River. It’s a peaceful place & we enjoy seeing the Mississippi. The area closer to Steamboat Natchez has a mall.
Cruise down the Mississippi with Steamboat Natchez – Love this! It’s a nice casual cruise down the Mississippi. They point out lots of interesting things. And there’s a stop or two to get out and explpre some historical sites. The entire cruise took about about 2.5 hours. Tickets are required.
WW2 Museum – We finally did this on our last trip through NOLA. It is massive. We didn’t have a lot of time so I would recommend planning at least 2 hours (and that’s sprinting through). I know some people who have split a visit here over two days.
Night Time Downtown
What NOLA is known for.
Bourbon Street
Our balcony room over Bourbon Street
Gallery on Royal Street
Ghost Tour
Carousel Bar
Sugar Bowl
Preservation Hall
Bourbon street – obviously! We love taking in the experience of Bourbon Street. It was a later trip that we finally got a balcony room overlooking the Street. That is an experience in itself. It was fun tossing beads down. But getting to watch Bourbon for a while was the best part. So many good bars & restaurants.
Preservation Hall – We did this on a family trip. Super fun. The show was about an hour long with lots packed in. It’s a small space. Very historic. Tickets are required.
Ghost tour – This was part of a couples’ trip. There are a lot of options so I didn’t put one link in particular. We did a haunted pub crawl. This is just a fun time. We still get good laughs out of remembering this. Tickets are required. They can be bought a little last minute. So you can check out options after you get to NOLA.
Carousel Bar – Loved seeing this. It’s shockingly pretty. This bar is located inside Hotel Monteleone. There is an actual spinning carousel that you stand on to order. They still serve prohibition era drinks.
Royal Street – We sometimes enjoy getting off Bourbon for a while. Bourbon can get very crowed. We found we enjoy Royal Street for a more calm night stroll. It’s only one block off Bourbon. There are incredible galleries & shops.
Sugar Bowl at Casears Superdome – It’s unusual for me to point out the bigger event venues. But I need to call this one out because it was the reason for one of our trips. We went to NOLA for the Sugar Bowl (yes, we won!). It’s an easy walk from Bourbon Street.
Restaurants
The real reason to go to New Orleans.
Camellia Grill
Cafe du Monde
Napoleon’s House
Ernst Cafe
Felix’s
Walk in anywhere – While I do have my personal favorites, NOLA is a place you can walk in anywhere and eat a DELICIOUS meal.
Camellia Grill – Take the streetcar. Stop on your drive in or out of town. Just be sure to eat here once. The inside is a classic diner setting. Prepare yourself, there will be a line. It’s worth it. Walk to the daiquiri bar across the street and sip while you wait.
Cafe du Monde – The famous beignets. There are plenty of beignets around NOLA, but these are famous for a reason. We went to the location by the Riverwalk. They had a “to go” line that moved fast.
Napoleon’s House – This house was built for Napoleon. Even though he never made it there you can enjoy it. It’s beautiful. And the food was good.
Felix’s Oyster Bar or Acme Oyster House – Oysters are everywhere. These are the two more popular restaurants. And they are across the street from each other.
Ernst cafe – This place was highly recommended by a friend. So glad we went. It’s a smaller place. I thought of it as a classic NOLA favorite that has been kept under the radar. And prices can’t be beat.
Gumbo Shop – So good I actually bought some of the sauce to bring home. There will be a line here. And Gumbo is in the name so you know it’s good.
Pizza & Daiquiris – There will be plenty of times during your stay you’ll be glad they’re everywhere.
Around New Orleans
We have enjoyed visiting sites around New Orleans during most of our trips. Here’s a few of our favorites.
NYE in Shreveport
Swamp tour – best we could do in the sun
Gator!
Oak Alley Plantation
Shreveport – A good place stop on the drive.
Shreveport – So not in the NOLA area, but a good spot to stop for the night to break up the drive. We enjoyed checking out the floating casinos.
Oak Alley Plantation – This had been on my wish list for a while. We finally got the chance to stop by on our final big family road trip. We came by as we left NOLA and enjoyed it. Tickets are required. The tour lasted about an hour. And there’s plenty to walk around & see outside of the tour. It’s about an hour outside of NOLA.
Swamp Tour with Cajun Encounters – a fan favorite. You’ll boat around and see bald eagles, pigs, raccoons & GATORS! Our first visit was in the colder months. So we didn’t see as many as we did on a future trip. Tickets are required. It’s about 45 minutes outside of New Orleans. And you’ll get to pass over Lake Pontchartrain. The town of Slidell nearby has good restaurants.
San Juan Puerto Rico – the hat makes my face look weird, but it’s a cute fedora
For this trip, I stepped out my norm. The only planning I did was book the flights & hotels. We wanted to find what to do & where to go from the locals rather than researching & planning.
Puerto Rico (going) – We asked people on the flight & at the hotel where we should go. The first recommendation was to take the bus & go see the San Juan Historical Site. We also had a few restaurants & local bars recommended to us. One of the restaurants was a new place by a well-known chef in the area. That got us into the downtown area and we had some fun walking around. The other restaurant was a local favorite. It had a more mom-and-pop vibe. There was some covered outdoor seating near the beach. We then ended the day walking on the beach near the hotel.
Saint Croix – We booked an all-inclusive resort and enjoyed being lazy on the beach for most of the first day. For day 2, we found a cab driver who would drive us all around the island. We got to Udall point (further east point in the US). During this ride we saw the entire island and learned about the rum factories. We walked around downtown & found a local restaurant. Then an easy walk back to the hotel.
Puerto Rico (return) – For the return trip, I booked a hotel in a different area. It was not as good of an area as the first day. This part of the town was more commercial & urban. We did find a local grocery store and bought some anise to try back in the hotel. There were a few local spots in the area but mostly we stayed close to the hotel & enjoyed relaxing before coming home.
This post follows my more recent 4-day girls’ trip, with memories from a few other trips sprinkled in. My itinerary will have more details on “how-to” other places not mentioned in this post.
Day 1
Times Square
Street Food
Broadway Wicked
Junior’s cheesecake
Connolly’s Pub
Arriving – I prefer to fly through LaGuardia. There are no airports on Manhattan & I find this the easier airport. To get to the hotel, just take a taxi or Uber. The drive will take approximately 30 minutes.
Times Square – I loved my daughter’s reaction the first time she saw Times Square. So fun to see all the lights at night. Grab a bite from a street vendor & enjoy the stroll.
Broadway – Broadway is right off Times Square. Pick a show and enjoy the magic. You can pre-buy tickets directly from the official site. Alternatively, check out the TKTS booth in Times Square for last minute deals.
Juniors – Did you see the size of slice?! No wonder it’s famous. There’s usually a long line for the grab & go, but it moves fast.
Connolly’s Pub – So happy we found this pub on a girls trip. Thankfully, it was next door to our hotel. It became a place where we felt like Cheers. Enjoyed meeting the regulars and felt perfectly at home.
Day 2
Nobody likes waiting for the subway
Statue of Liberty
Full size replica
View inside the pedestal
Ellis Island
9/11 Memorial
9/11 Museum
Chinatown
Dim Sum
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton themed Beetlehouse
Grand Central Station
Serendipity
Bar 54
Subway – I strongly encourage the subway to get down to this part of NYC. It’s much cheaper and super easy. A good tip to navigate the NYC subway is to change the setting on your phone’s Maps app to Transit. That will show you where the stations are & the routes.
The Statue of Liberty – The National Park Service uses City Cruises. This is (currently) the legitimate site for tickets. Do buy them ahead of time! The line is ridiculous. You also have to go through TSA level security so plan for that time. I plan this first in the day to try to avoid the crowd. My daughter & I did do the Pedestal Tour and we enjoyed that. I’ve never done the walk up to the crown. Plus, you’ll get to stop at Ellis Island.
911 Memorial & Museum – somber. When I took my daughter, the museum wasn’t open yet. But I got to visit it with the girls trip. It’s massive, and it’s heavy.
Chinatown – I love Chinatown. Looking for good buys? Just walk down the streets. Vendors are pretty much everywhere. Don’t be scared if they ask you to follow them. They took our group to a side street connected to their warehouse. We did all stay together though. Also, I had fun with my daughter when we tried an authentic Dim Sum restaurant. That was an unforgettable experience. We don’t know what we ate but we made great memories there.
BeetleHouse – If you love Tim Burton, you must try BeetleHouse. Every inch is kept in the theme & we had so much fun trying all the different drinks. Plus, the food was really good. It wasn’t just a fun, themed restaurant but a good restaurant.
Grand Central Station – You don’t need to spend too much time here. Be sure to grab a picture in the iconic terminal.
Serendipity – This was a must-do for one of the ladies on our girls’ trip, and I’m glad it was. Super cute. We stopped by for a little evening dessert and loved it. The desserts are massive & delicious.
Bar 54 – Highest rooftop bar in NYC. We enjoyed ending the night with a drink & the view.
Day 3
Macy’s
Wooden Escalator
Empire State Building
Chelsea Market
Gallow Green
Sleep no More
Macy’s – If all you do is see the window displays it’s worth a walk by. But I do recommend going inside to find the original wooden escalators.
Empire State Building – When I took my daughter, we did a night tour. Thankfully, I had bought the express pass because the line wrapped around the building. Having learned that less, for the girls’ trip we did ESB first thing when hey opened. If you want to avoid the crowds, go in the morning. But the night views are spectacular, but do pay for the Express Pass.
Chelsea Market – I love walking through this market. It is large, and some businesses in here are very well known. There’s shopping and places to sit & eat. Plan to spend enough time to just walk from one end to the other.
Sleep no More with dinner before at Gallow Green – So Gallow Green wasn’t our favorite food. However, it’s super cute and connected to the show. Sleep no More was a request from one of the ladies on our girls’ trip. She had been before. This was our favorite experience by far. I don’t want to spoil any of the fun but this should be a must-do on any NYC itinerary.
Day 4
Tavern on the Green
Central Park
Friends
Strawberry Fields
Radio City Music Hall Rockettes
Rockefeller Center
FAO Schwartz
NYC Public Library
Original Winnie the Pooh & Friends
Tavern on the Green – Need some of the best coffee to get you through this trip? It’s at Tavern on the Green. This is also where I once had my first ever Oysters. This restaurant has great history, and even better food.
Central Park – Take the carriage ride. They’ll get you to all the good sites and share information during the ride. Of course, we had to see the “Friends Fountain”. And Strawberry Fields is he memorial for John Lennon.
Radio City Music Hall – For the trip with my daughter & I, we were here at Christmas time. So the Rockettes’ show was a don’t miss.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Beautiful building. Worth a quick walk inside to see.
Rockefeller Center – Beautiful any time of year.
FAO Schwarz – The “Big” piano is back! Kids of all ages will love a trip inside FAO Schwarz.
New York Public Library – I finally got inside the library on a quick weekend trip to NYC. Super glad I did so I can add it to my recommendations. Check out what exhibits they have when you’re there. We got to see the original Winnie the Pooh & Friends. Plus, another beautiful building.
Hollyday Planner 