Honeymoon Road Trip - SF to Boston

Hi Jamie,

I'm getting married in August and my dream honeymoon is to drive across America. I've never done it, but have always wanted to. Since my fiance and I have already traveled around the world together this is the perfect time to see our own country.

We have a few ideas about what we'd like to do, but I definitely need some advice, here goes:

We'd like to rent a car (so we only drive one way and can fly back) at our home in San Francisco then drive to Woods Hole, MA. In Woods Hole we'll take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard for a few days before flying back to CA from Boston. On the drive from CA to MA I'd like to stop at the Grand Canyon (never been!); Tulsa, OK (to visit family), and Memphis & Nashville, TN (for the music and the King!).

1. If we spend a day or two at each stop along the way how many days will it take to drive to MA?

2. Also, is there anything along that route we should make sure NOT to miss, or NOT to be suckered into?

3. And finally, I'd love to read one (or more) of your books. If this is the trip we'd like to take which book should I read. It seems like our grand honeymoon adventure falls in between a few of your routs so I'm not sure.

Thanks so much, for taking the time to read this, for your help and for the fabulous website! (I love the homepage with the map and routes, its great!)

~Courtney


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Hi Courtney --

Thank you for writing in to Road Trip USA - and sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I'm glad you like the website, and I hope you'll get the chance to check out the Road Trip USA book, which presents even more info in an even more appealing way. (Or so I like to think...)

First, some affirmation, too: I think it's wonderful idea to celebrate your marriage by touring the great union of states that makes up the US of A.

Now, some advice. Since you want to see the Grand Canyon, have you thought about starting your trip with a flight to Las Vegas, and getting a car there? You didn't say if you're getting married in SF or where, but for some people Las Vegas is an ideal "wedding night" destination. Lots of super romantic, super deluxe honeymoon suites are available in all those decadent hotels!

And hopping a plane sure seems more romantic than starting off married life stuck in San Jose traffic on Highway 101...

After the Grand Canyon, next stop: Tulsa. The road you take is a classic: Route 66, which winds from the Grand Canyon east across New Mexico thru Santa Fe et al, right into Tulsa (which has some cool Art Deco towers, if you like that sort of thing).

Then you can stay south and make your way to Memphis, which more than Nashville is the place to pay your respects to The King. In fact, both Elvis and MLK are significant figures here -- and the live music is fantastic.

And August is actually the peak season for Elvis tourism in Memphis , with all sorts of events and celebrations occurring in the week leading up to the August 16th anniversary of his demise (nearly 35 years ago).

From Memphis you can veer northeasterly towards Woods Hole, perhaps following along the Appalachian Trail -- via the Blue Ridge Parkway and other great roads, then making your way out to Cape Cod. I cover this whole route in the "big book" of Road Trip USA, and more recently in a minibook just on the Appalachian Trail route.

Hope all this info helps you plan a great Honeymoon road trip. Congrats, and Happy Trails,


Jamie Jensen
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Road Trip USA