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.
Road trips can be a great way to be more impulsive in your travel because you aren’t going to be bound by flight reservations. They can also be a wonderful way to save money on your vacation. When road-tripping, you don’t have to pay for airline tickets or rent a car.
If you are thinking of road tripping, and are looking for some inspiration, here are 7 East Coast road trip ideas. I’ve selected specific start and end points for demonstration, but keep in mind that you can adjust these trips based on where you live and where you want to end up. If you are looking for an epic East Coast road trip itinerary, you may consider combining some of these road trips along the East Coast to make a longer trip.
Here are some tips for long road trips if you plan to be in your car for a while.
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7 of the Best East Coast Road Trip Ideas
Canada – Boston Road Trip
I have so many fond memories of traveling to Canada each summer from my home in Rhode Island. 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.
The first route takes about 7 hours and goes through the White Mountains National Forest. We typically try to stay overnight part of the way through that trip – usually stopping in Lincoln, New Hampshire.
Our pick in Lincoln, NH is the Mountain Club on Loon
- Great location
- Nice family rooms
- Indoor and outdoor pools
The second route takes about an extra half hour and goes through Maine, including the southern coast of Maine. Although it isn’t halfway, you may consider staying in Portland, Maine. There’s so much to do, including some fantastic restaurants and great shops.
Our pick in Portland Maine is the Press Hotel
- Great location
- Fantastic theme with some great fun touches
- Member of the Autograph Collection
If you’d rather visit Montreal, you’ll travel through both New Hampshire and Vermont. A good stopping point is right on the NH/Vermont border, near Hanover, NH. That trip, from Boston to Montreal, takes a little over 5 hours. It can definitely be done in a day, but it’s also nice to stop over in New Hampshire/Vermont on your way.
See hotels in Montreal
See hotels in Hanover, NH
New England Road Trip
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 your trip, you may want to visit the following places:
- Boston, MA
- Rockport, MA
- Lake Winnipesaukee, NH
- Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor
- Lincoln, NH
- Cape Cod, MA
- North Conway, NH
- Stowe, VT
- Portland, Maine
- New Haven, CT
- Mystic, CT
- Newport, RI
A few years ago, we did a culinary road trip from Portland, Maine to New Haven, CT. This trip was a great way to sample some delicious food and see some fabulous museums. Make sure you do research in advance to figure out which attractions you definitely want to see on this type of trip.
If you aren’t from the New England area, I’d recommend starting and ending your trip in Boston. It’s a good central location, and that’s the largest of the airports in the area. Getting a flight to Boston from most larger United States airports is pretty easy.
Northeast – Florida Road Trip
When I was a kid, my family road-tripped from our home in Rhode Island down to the Orlando area in Florida several times. This journey, which takes about 24 hours, can seem very long. But there are also some great places to stop along the way.
To break things up, you’ll want to have several drivers or stop at least overnight. You can also make several stops, seeing varying sites along the way.
For much of this trip, you’ll be traveling down I-95. Ideas for stops include:
- New York City
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Washington DC
- Richmond, Virginia
- Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Savannah, Georgia
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Daytona Beach, Florida
- St. Augustine, Florida (the oldest city in the United States)
Other popular spots, like Bethany Beach Delaware, and Charleston South Carolina, would be detours of the route. But if they are must-dos, definitely built some time for those side trips.
Typically, we would do this type of road trip to visit Walt Disney World. However, you could definitely go beyond that, and visit the Southernmost point of the United States, all the way in the Florida Keys at Key West. Just keep in mind that you will likely need to make several overnight stops. Those are best reserved in advance for the best availability.
Northeast – Outer Banks, North Carolina
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.
- New York City, NY
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
Boston-Washington DC Road Trip
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.
- Hartford, Connecticut
- New Haven, Connecticut
- New York City, NY
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
During our trip, we decided to leave after school on the last day before spring break. So, we drive in the evening until we reached Greenwich, CT. We stayed overnight there and then continued on to DC. On our way back, we wanted to get home, so we drove the whole way back straight through.
If you want to stop at multiple cities for a longer stay, I’d recommend stopping in NYC and Philadelphia. These two large US cities offer so many attractions and historical sites that they are great for a family vacation.
Our pick in Philadelphia is the Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia City Center
- Fun boutique hotel
- Unique rooms
- Fantastic location
Boston-NYC Road Trip
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.
On your trip, you can stop in Mystic, Connecticut, and New Haven, Connecticut to visit their attractions and eat the delicious local food (don’t miss trying the iconic New Haven pizza).
You can easily do this trip in one day. If you do choose to do that, I’d recommend picking one attraction in Mystic to visit. With younger kids, the Mystic Aquarium is probably the best choice. It’s one of my favorite aquariums and is usually a big hit with kids.
Revolutionary War/Hamilton Road Trip
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.
For this road trip, I’d recommend the following stops. This itinerary starts in the south and moves north, but of course, you could do it in the opposite direction.
- Yorktown Battlefield Virginia (Mentioned in the song Yorktown (the World Turned Upside Down)
- Monticello (Mentioned in the song What Did I Miss?) – Charlottesville, VA)
- James Madison’s Montpelier (not explicitly mentioned in the musical, but Madison is a main character in the second act)
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon (Mentioned in Right Hand Man and Stay Alive)
- Washington Monument/Thomas Jefferson Memorial (Washington Monument mentioned in Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story)
- The Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- Weehawken, NJ (Mentioned in My Obedient Servant)
- Richard Rodgers Theater, NYC
