Atlantic Coast summer fun

Hi Road Trip,

Me and my partner are planning on coming over from England to the States in Summer 2011.I know it sounds pretty far away but trying to get things organised now.
We'll be flying into JFK and spending two weeks driving down to Miami. We know along the way we want to stop off in Philly, Washington, Savannah and Jacksonville - we pretty much have Florida sorted with trips to Tampa and Key West before heading back up to Miami.

However between Washington and Savannah we are a little stuck. As we will be doing alot of beaches in Florida we aren't really looking at much coast stuff in between. We're looking for either scenic towns or under-rated places, ie: ones where people wouldn't necessarily think of heading. We'd also like to visit a typically American town, we heard something about Dillon 'South of the Border,' do you know anything about this?

Any guidance would be great thanks,

Steph :-)

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Hi Steph --

Thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA -- you are quite the forward-planner! Two weeks down the East Coast should be plenty of time to explore and find the things you're looking for. I don't cover Philly in my Road Trip USA books (though it is a fascinating city, with tons of history and character and excellent museums), but I do cover Savannah and Key West, and the whole coastal route in a new book (out this month!) on the Atlantic Coast. On Sale at Amazon Co UK for under £5!!

Such a deal! :-)

I also cover Washington DC on the website and in my "big book" under US50, my "Loneliest Road" route. DC is a great place to learn about and experience the USA -- but it can be very hot and very humid in the summer time. Smaller towns and other cities you might enjoy near the coast include Cape May NJ, Rehoboth DE (a popular summer escape from DC), Richmond VA and what they call the historic triangle down to Colonial Williamsburg; Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras, in North Carolina; and the twin Beiaforts in north and South Carolina, and of course Charleston (which is very pretty, and a slightly "posher" version of Savannah GA.) None of these is a really a "beach town" like their Florida cousins -- they are a completely different species. Further inland, the town of Charlottesville VA is also well worth a look -- I cover this under the "Appalachian Trail" in my Road Trip USA routes and book -- great fun to explore, and full of history, natural beauty and lively "college town" culture.

South of the Border, however, isn't really in this league -- it is more like a giant motorway service station, which lots of kitschy amusements and souvenir stands; good for a break if you are racing down I-95, but not really a town or even a proper "destination" by any stretch of the imagination.

Enjoy the trip-planing, and Happy Trails,



Jamie Jensen
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Road Trip USA

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PS: The picture above is of the Lollipop Motel in Wildwood NJ -- which along with neighboring Cape May makes a great stop between NYC and Philly!