Summer family road trip-- ideas and advice please!!!

amother

Violet

Wed, May 03 2017, 9:11 am

Our family is hoping to take a 7-10 day road trip in August iyH. We'd love to explore a few states and stay overnight in hotels. My kids range from a baby up until age 14. They are all really excited about it! We're just not sure where we are going! We are considering driving out west some (starting in NY) or down south. It would be so nice to drive to Florida but I don't think it's worth driving that many hours when we aren't going for that long. We are also looking to keep costs down. Has anyone who's done this have some ideas? Any tips or advice would also be greatly appreciated!!

amother

Blush

Wed, May 03 2017, 10:04 am

We've done long road trips with kids. It's tough; kids get bored. Even with non-stop DVDs. I pack each kid a full backpack of activities, according to their age and interests.... a couple good books to read, mazes and work puzzles, yes and no invisible ink books, coloring books with crayons, small puzzles, magnetic games, a small notebook with pencil to keep a journal. And we find out where there are playgrounds and stop at least once per day at a playground where everyone can run around for a while.
As to specific itinerary, can't help you there. I'm in south FL. Takes us forever just to get out of the state.

doctorima

Wed, May 03 2017, 10:24 am

We've done such trips, although usually with a longer time frame. You definitely want to see nice places, but from outside the car, not inside! Avoid the temptation to try to pack in too much, and spend too much of each day driving, and ending up tired each day from all the running around. 7-10 days for a roundtrip is definitely not enough time for a fun trip to Florida, unless you would consider flying back with the kids at that point, and having DH drive back.

Otherwise, if you can only go 3-5 days in each direction, there's not a ton of exciting stuff in PA/PH or VA/NC. Sure, there's fun stuff to do, but nothing "wow" that will be a trip highlight. I would instead suggest going up to Niagara Falls, with a few nice stops along the way. From there, head east to Montreal and Quebec (you could also squeeze in Toronto, but that may be pushing it), and then down through VT/NH.

If you've been to Niagara before, I'd sooner do 7-10 days to Cape Cod/NH/VT and maybe Acadia than the options you mentioned.

Iymnok

Wed, May 03 2017, 10:29 am

Choose how long of driving stretches you can have and how many per day. Figure out how far that could be and choose 2-3 attractions and a shabbos destination.
It takes about 8hrs of driving to get to Cleveland. So there's that general area. I'd do that drive over two days with something to see on the way, say 2-3 hours out.
And so on south and east.

amother

Violet

Wed, May 03 2017, 10:30 am

Thanks so much for your replies. We were hoping to get in some palm trees- my kids have never been to Florida.. but I hear what you're saying. We've done Niagara but Vermont and New Hampshire are worth looking into.

isrmss91

Wed, May 03 2017, 10:34 am

You have so many choices!! Driving down south sounds nice. You will be driving to loads of states, If you don't want to go to far, about 7 hour drive, you can go to Virginia. There are a few amusement parks, or you can even go to and see old Williamsburg, (Virginia, that is)
Or west, maybe to Chicago. You can stop in Pittsburgh along the way, and other small jewish communities.
Or go North, New Hampshire and Vermont are beautiful, especially if you are into scenic areas of interest, like the mountains. Have a wonderful time!!

isrmss91

Wed, May 03 2017, 10:40 am

We actually did Boston quite a few years back, with a bunch of kids and twin babies. It was fun. Only 4 hours away. There are places to eat and a minyan.
The New England aquarium is nice and there are ferries you can hope on and off. We found an amusement park in New Hampshire, not to far from Boston. Canobie Lake Park. It was pretty waspy and not a yid in sight, but we had fun. Oh the memories.

doctorima

Wed, May 03 2017, 11:06 am

Driving RT to Florida in 10 days (which is max 9 because of Shabbos) will not be fun for anybody. If it's palm trees you're after, you can probably find them north of Florida, though I'm not sure I'd plan a trip around that. I think New England has lots of great options and will minimize your driving. You can go to Mystic, Newport, Boston, Jiminy Peak in the Berkshires, Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield MA, enjoy beautiful nature in NH/VT, and if you want to push, go as far as Acadia, or else cut over to Lake Placid or Lake George and come down the Thruway. Also figure out where you plan to spend Shabbos and work around that. Remember, less is more!

amother

Powderblue

Wed, May 03 2017, 11:22 am

I've done from Miami to Brooklyn
It takes 2 days with a stop in 1/2 way point, Releigh North Carolina.
Only girls trip so we did a lot of the outlet malls on the 95
Lots of hotels on the way.
Pick up coupon books at the rest stops.

If I was going with the whole family, I would concentrate on where I wanted to be for Shabbat, and work my trip around that.

Also, take a cooler and fill up with refreshing fruit along the way.
Make sure everyone stays well hydrated to avoid crankiness.
Yes, you'll need to stop more often for bathroom breaks, but it will also be good to stretch your legs a bit.

If you do end up going to Miami, Oleta Park has a beach area that's mostly quiet on weekdays (you still have to wear a coverup just in case) also has kayaking fishing area and you can rent out cabins for a night or 2,if you are into camping.
Also it's only a 5 min drive to the NMB frum area.

mommish613

Wed, May 03 2017, 11:28 am

doctorima wrote:

If you do end up near lake George area check out Ausable Chasm- amazing amazing beautiful place for kids of all ages!

sky

Wed, May 03 2017, 11:30 am

I wouldn't plan on more then 4 (broken into 2 hour segments) hours of driving per day - otherwise it won't be too much fun.
Round trip that gives you 20 hours of driving in each direction max (5 days - 4 hours driving per day).
I don't know that going to Miami is a good idea - but maybe you can drive to Jacksonville, FL and spend shabbos there. Or even Savanna or Atlanta GA. There are probably gorgous sites to see along the way.

Or Vermont and New Hampshire sound amazing and could be done with a lot less driving.

Ausuble Chasm is Fantastic - we've done with all ages - but you need a baby carrier. They let me take a pretty young baby on the boat as long as they fit in a life jacket. That Whole drive up to Montreal is gorgeous - not so long with lots of gorgous stops. There is also a car ferry you can take to Vermont along the way so you can spend some time there. Spend shabbos in Trout Lake north of Montreal. You can also visit 1000 islands.

pause

Wed, May 03 2017, 11:55 am

mommish613 wrote:

If you do end up near lake George area check out Ausable Chasm- amazing amazing beautiful place for kids of all ages!

Ausable Chasm is near Lake Placid, about 1.5 hours from Lake George.

perquacky

Wed, May 03 2017, 1:49 pm

Drive north--it's cooler! We are huge fans of New Hampshire in the summertime. So much to do there for all ages. And it's stunningly beautiful. You could do NH, VT, and ME.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, May 03 2017, 3:16 pm

Involve your kids in the planning! We drove across the country when we moved from the West Coast to the East coast many years ago. We got a lot of tour books from AAA and let the kids have some input into our stops along the way. Our younger son, who was turning 9 and very good with maps, was our official "navigator."

amother

Ivory

Wed, May 03 2017, 3:25 pm

I drove down to Florida for sukkos a few times. This past year took 24 hours to boca. U can go to orlando.only 15 hours and lots of fun. Williamsburg Virginia was also amazing. I am doing Niagara falls with my kids this summer iyh. 3 kids. 6 4 and baby

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, May 03 2017, 3:40 pm

If you want to drive to "Europe", do Quebec city. It is absolutely beautiful, amazing sights. Nature, history, fun all wrapped up in a touristy place with a very exotic flavor. Check out Montmorency falls, the aquarium, La Citadelle etc.

studying_torah

Wed, May 03 2017, 3:42 pm

Don't only drive along the main highways, it gets mind numbingly dull, so try to switch up with a scenic route, or some fun stops along the way. Also stop before everyone gets antsy/starts fighting. Plan on lots of bathroom breaks, btw.
Realize that some fighting is normal though, and not everyone will enjoy every part of the trip.
Oh and take along bags, wet wipes, change of clothes that is easy to access and lots of paper towels in case someone gets car sick unexpectedly.
Make sure your vehicle is large enough to seat everyone comfortably, it's hard to drive a long time when squished. A few pillows & blankets in the car can be a lifesaver (a/c is chilly, back gets stiff, someone wants to rest, etc).
From our experience with hotels, not every place will accommodate a large family. They may have a limit on the # of ppl in a room, and unlike yrs ago, not all hotels can promise 2 rooms w a connecting door.
I'd actually plan on less per day, rather than more. Driving or sitting in a car gets very exhausting and u don't want everyone too tired to enjoy.

Iymnok

Wed, May 03 2017, 3:55 pm

You could bring a ball, jump rope or a set of horseshoes to play on the grass of the rest areas. Or have everyone play tag. A 10-30 min stop could really recharge everyone.
There are road trip books and games out there.
Onetrip, my sister made a sign that said "please honk" on one side and "thank you" on the other. Whoever was sitting in the front tried to get the other drivers to honk. We had so much fun with it!
Our favorite game was dots.
Also finding license plates and unique vanity plates.
Travel scrabble was fun once we started to hit high school.
We had a great time on the road, but we were six kids in a 15 seater van, so we really stretched out.

amother

Babypink

Wed, May 03 2017, 4:14 pm

I have found that the most fun part of these trips is the planning. Once all the kids are actually sitting in the car for so many hours, it gets very shleppy and the kids start kvetching. Maybe its just us, but that has been my experience on long trips.