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7 East Coast Road Trip Ideas For a Family Vacation

The Northeast is the perfect region for a road trip. Filled with diverse cities and towns, the East Coast offers ski resorts, beaches, attractions, history, and so much more. If you are thinking of road tripping, and are looking for some inspiration, here are 7 East Coast road trip ideas.

Canada – Boston Road Trip

Street in Quebec City with horse and carriage in the corner
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If you live in the Northeast, there are several great Canadian destinations to visit, including Toronto, Niagara Falls, Montreal, and Quebec City. Our favorite road trip to Canada is from Boston to Quebec City. There are two main routes to take and to see more sites, you may want to take one route on the way there, and one route on the way back.

New England Road Trip

rockport massachusetts motif number 1 on waterfront, one of the best things to do in Rockport Massachusetts
Image Caption: Jodi Grundig/Family Travel Magazine

You could easily explore much of what New England has to offer with a road trip. For this type of trip, you’ll want to start and end at the same point. There are so many scenic drives as well as historic sites in the area. During the trip, you may want to stop at a few of these locations: Boston, Rockport, MA, Acadia National Park, Lincoln, NH, Cape Cod, Stowe, VT, North Conway, NH, and Portland, Maine.

Northeast – Florida Road Trip

Pier and beach from a distance with sun setting
Image Credit: Jodi Grundig/Family Travel Magazine

This journey, which can take about 24 hours, can seem very long. But there are also some great places to stop along the way. You’ll want to have several drivers or stop at least overnight to break things up. You can also make several stops, seeing varying sites along the way. For much of this trip, you’ll be traveling down I-95.

Northeast – Outer Banks, North Carolina

Beach with sun rising
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The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a popular summer destination. If you are thinking of traveling there, a road trip from the Northeast can be a great option. Overall, the trip will take about 12 hours (depending on where you depart from), and there are several stops you can make along the way, including NYC, Philadelphia, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach.

Boston-Washington DC Road Trip

Jefferson and Washington Memorials from a distance
Image Credit: Jodi Grundig/Family Travel Magazine

A few years ago, we drove from our home in the Boston area to Washington DC. This trip takes about 8 to 8 ½ hours if you drive straight through. However, if you are trying to make it more of a journey, there are several East Coast road trip stops you can make along the way.

Boston-NYC Road Trip

Harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the background
Image Credit: Jodi Grundig/Family Travel Magazine

It’s a short trip, but there are tons to see on the journey from Boston to New York City. It’s a bit longer, but if you are looking to see a few places along the way, I’d recommend taking Route 95. This trip will take you through Rhode Island and the coast of Connecticut.

Colonial buildings at Mount Vernon
Image Credit: Jodi Grundig/Family Travel Magazine

The East Coast is home to so many US history sites that you could easily plan a road trip right around those sites. One idea is a Hamilton road trip, which will take you to many of the sites mentioned in Hamilton: An American Musical. You can see more information on that road trip as well as the others mentioned here at this link.

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