Traveling 48 States - What to See

Before I start, yes I know there are 50 states in America, but we are not going to have enough time to do Hawai and Alaska, it will take an extra week just to do those 2.

My best friend and I are both 25. To cover the country in 6 weeks is going to involve us doing stupid amounts of driving, we estimate we will cover around 17,000 miles, and probably spend about 6 - 7 hours a day driving. We are not going for a relaxing holiday... We are going on the mother of all road trips, a proper boys adventure, and we want to try and see as much of America as physically possible, to take thousand of photo's, and to have a holiday which we will never forget.

We are going to be starting in Boston, and then going round the country anti-clockwise, driving through every state. We have planned to go and see all of the well known palces such as the grand canoen, mount rushmore, golden gate bridge to name but a few. I have never been to America, and to honest I am not that knowledable about places to visit, so I am looking for any suggestions on great places to go, and exciting things to do.

We have 6 weeks... taking into account we will get there in the afternoon being jetlagged, and a will only have half a day on the last day, we will have 41 days to travel 48 states... Our route at present will do this in 15,150 miles, and we have allowed 17,000. We now want to make sure we can see as much as possible, and not get and have somebody ask "did you go to.....where ever", and us to say no, we didn't think about that, or we didn't know where that was"

So please give me as many suggestions of landmarks (similar to the few I have mentioned above), places to visit (anywhere you think will be interesting, historical) exciting adventures (we are planning on going on that incredibly high rollercoaster, although its name has slipped my mind at present). Any suggestions would be much appreciated, and if you could also mention what state the suggestions are in that would be really helpful.

I will be starting up a blog of all my plans, and places we will visit, and our route, and costs and budgets for everything, so if anyone is interested in what I am doing (or maybe would like a few idea for a similar trip themselves), and wants to know how the plans are going, and wants to keep a track then please email me at , and as soon as I get it started I will forward you the web address of it.

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Man... this sounds awesome. I actually spent a summer planning "The Great American Road Trip" that I was going to do by GreyHound bus... but instead decided to split it up in multiple trips.
Although 17,000 miles sounds like a lot... it's really not. I went from Illinois to California and back in 9 das, and from Illinois to Maine and back in about 2.5 weeks and saw so much on both trips it was awesome. A lot of driving, but very manageable.

Starting in Boston is easy... you can easily from there hit Cape Cod (Massachusettes), NYC, Philly (Pennsylvania), and then DC. I did this in reverse order and it was fabulous. I don't think my blogs have a lot of directional reference, but if you'd want to look at them they might be a good idea of how fast you can get through the drive. Just make sure you have enough money (cash) for the toll roads/bridges and be prepared for congestion and construction... there's a lot of all of this on the east coast.

Heading south along the east coast will also afford you the opportunity to see some of the great American South. I HIGHLY recommend Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA... both are incredibly historic, magnificently beautiful southern towns. Miami, FL and the Everglades are also beautiful places to visit. Also in the south is New Orleans (Louisiana) and Memphis and Nashville (both in Tennessee), all three of which are great places to visit... especially if you like music. I haven't been to New Orleans recently (since Hurricane Katrina destroyed it) so I don't know what that's like right now... but Memphis and Nashville are always a good time. Eat a lot of BBQ in Memphis and see the Grand 'Ole Opry in Nashville.

In the midwest... you won't find big-named attractions so close together like you do in the east coast. But Chicago, IL (my hometown) is a WONDERFUL place to visit, and Milwaukee in Wisconsin is a good town if you like bars and beer. Indiana and Ohio have some interesting places... the Indiana Dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan are pretty nice and Ohio has a lot of amusement parks (Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Geagua Lake.

I feel like I'm rambling... so I'll finish up by suggesting that when you are in the west, drive down Highway 1 in California. It'll take more time but it's incredible. I've got some pictures up from that too, so check that out if you want.

All in all... like howdy suggested... get in contact with as much tourist-related sites as you can. You can request brochures from all the states, and they all have their own tourism websites too. The way I plan most of my trips, especially large trips, is to start researching and compiling a list of anything and everything that I'd want to see (even if you don't end up seeing everything you write down). You can use wikipedia, travel sites such as tripadvisor.com, and even travelblog (which is a great resource since everything is a big hierarchy of places)! Then, try to find a huge, wall sized map of the US and start drawing routes, making notes, and getting excited! It's gonna be the trip of a lifetime.

I don't mean to keep on talking/writing... but feel free to send me a message with questions. I've been to all the lower 48 states during my lifetime and even though I still have a lot to see... I've seen a lot here! 😊 Happy planning!! Reply to this

Thanks for all the advice and tips so far. I am from the UK. I have sent off about 30 emails yesterday to various different tourist boards (I still have plenty more to send). If I get time this weekend I will start typing up my blog to give everyone some more details about what we have planned so far, and list any of the info I have got get, which will should anyone else who is planning a similar trip. I agree with ILCHICAG tho, about getting as much info about all of the stuff to see in each state, because I know we wont have time to see everything, but then we can prioritise what we see, and leave off what we haven't got time for. What we want to be able to say when we get back is that we did all 48 states (we would of liked to do all 50, but it will take an extra week to do Hawaii and Alaska, and we can get any more time off work). And by doing the 48 states will of course experience many beautiful sites and have such a good time.

Also thanks for all those links CAPSFAN2002, I shall have a proper look at those this evening. Reply to this

I admire your sense of adventure and your youthful enthusiasm but as someone who has “been there, done that” I would like to offer you some thoughts. If you only want bragging rights that you’ve been in each of the lower 48 states then I say, “Go for it” and forget about seeking out recommendations of places to visit. You won’t have time to see them. However, if you want to visit the U.S. and see some of what it has to offer, you might want to rethink your quest.
My wife and I have toured the 48 but we did a quadrant at a time taking 2 months for each corner of the country. Just getting around this vast country takes a lot of driving time. It takes 5 days of hard driving to get across the country not counting the congestion on either coast. It’s another 2 days to get from North to South if you can stay on a good freeway. And that doesn’t even get you through the L.A. mess. And the East Coast is even worse, driving wise.
Many of the recommended spots to visit such as The Blue Mountains, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Mt. Rushmore, which are must-see scenic spots, are isolated and far from interstate freeways. It would take most of a day to drive to each location, take a quick picture and get back in the car. That doesn’t allow time to hike, climb, learn about, enjoy, etc. the beautiful attraction.
As for the cities such as D.C. San Francisco, L.A., New York, there’s a lot of traffic congestion in and around these vast metropolitan areas. Imagine driving to London and back from Scotland in a day and having time to properly visit the city . California, alone, is almost twice the size of the UK.
I don’t want to discourage your plans but you said, “you want to see the well known spots,” and “visit as much as possible” while hitting every state. I think you’d be disappointed with the driving times and distances over here.
Have fun on however you spend your 6 weeks in the Colonies. We just got back from our 4th trip to England - loved it.
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Hi John! Unfortunately I am going to have to concur with 2Travel Bugs on this one. We just finished a 10 week road-trip across the US visiting the sites you wish to see (Grand Canyon, Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Rushmore) as well as many more and we did not come close to visiting all 48 states (only 17 this time, on another week long trip we hit 7). Since you do indeed want to be able to visit all 48 states (which you can do in 6 weeks just with a lot of driving, not a lot of site-seeing) I would recommend looking for attractions that are closer to major highways as has already been suggested. For places like Golden Gate Bridge that is easy, since it's on a major roadway, but most national parks (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Mt. Rushmore) are isolated and take a day to get to all by themselves.

That said, here are my suggestions of quick-and-easy roadside viewpoints that keep you moving but also let you see the landscape:

- Badlands National Park off I-90 (there is a scenic detour onto Highway 240 that lets you drive through the more scenic area of the park and then loop right back to I-90). That should be enough of South Dakota for you. I would recommend that over Mt. Rushmore.
- Cadalliac Ranch off I-40 near Amarillo, Texas (super quick access onto and off the freeway and it is rather fun to see)
- Mammoth Cave off I-65 in Kentucky OR a quick tour of a bourbon distillary also off I-65 in Kentucky (Mammoth Cave is the largest known cave network in the world and Kentucky Bourbon is the only original American spirit) OR take scenic US-68 for a little slower, but more scenic drive through the Bluegrass (where Thoroughbred horse farms line the roadways).
- Drive through Petrified Forest, NP via I-40 in Arizona rather than Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon is a trip in itself. You will most likely NOT enjoy it if you drive there/back in a day or even two. Opt for
- Canyonlands NP or Arches NP off I-70 in Utah instead. Closer to the major roads and also very impressive.
- Traffic in Seattle is less of a mess than traffic in other major cities on the West Coast, with the exception of Portland. It also happens to be a junction of I-90 (going East/West) and I-5 (going north /south).

DO get the free state roadmaps at the visitor center each time you cross a state line (also a good time to use the restroom and stretch your legs). DO also pick up the lodging coupon book found at these same visitor centers for cheaper highway motels/hotels. DO keep plenty of water and a small cooler in your vehicle for snacks and such (6 week road trip + 6 weeks American fast-food = bad idea). DON'T buy snacks at the gas-station and convenience store, you will play twice as much. These are my suggestions. I'm sure I'll think of more. I don't want to be that person that says "Hey, read my blog!" but ... we just finished a lengthy US road-trip hitting many places you may (or may not) want to see that I'm in the process of updating. Might be worth a glance to see if there is a place you want to go, or to read about a place you may decide you don't want to go after-all.

Also, if you post your intended route you will probably get better feedback and interesting/easily accessed attractions. Otherwise you're going to get a thousand and one suggestions leading you all over the place. Everyone is likely to have their favorite destination if all you want is US attractions. America's Scenic ByWays lists a lot of the scenic routes across the country. Reply to this

I feel like by doing that much in such a short time you must either forfeit doing things, or forfeit sleep.
My suggestions (I tried to write ones that might not be so obvious)
Maine- Portland, the portland headlight, and the LLBean store are both musts in any trip to Maine
Vermont- the Ben & Jerry's factory, lake champlain
Massachusetts- in Boston: the Sam Adams brewery, the cheers bar, Quincey Markey, the Duck Tours, Harvard, Newbury Street; out of Boston: cape cod (esp Provincetown), Martha's Vinyard, Salem
Rhode Island- Newport
Connecticutt- Mystic
There is a ferry (which i think cars can get on?, if not then there is a bridge) that takes you from Connecticutt to Long Island, New York- then you can drive through the Hamptons and see the huge mansions
New York- in the city: coney island, Williamsburg, washington square park, Katz Deli; the rest of the state: new paltz, ithaca, howard taverns
New Jersey- Six Flags Great Adventure
Pennsylvania- Hershey Park, Amish Country, Philidelphia
Virginia- Virginia Beach
North Carolina- Myrtle Beach
Georgia- the world's largest aquarium is in Atlanta, and they have 2 whale sharks!
Florida- Disney World, Universal Studios, Miami and South Beach, the Keys (esp. Key West)

Make sure you visit a waffle house when in the south.
Of course, the Mall of America
Look for big things! like giant things that are always stop-offs that you see in movies
also,play the license plate game while driving: try to find all 50 lisence plates, and keep track!

Ok, that's all I got. Hope it was helpful. Have fun!

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Ok, it has been quite a few months since I last posted anything on here. Everything seems to be coming together nicely now, with everything booked adn just over a month left until we go. We have a a fairly good idea of where we are going to go, and what we want to see.

I have now got my website up and running (It still needs things doing as it has only been up a few days). On here we will be keeping a regular blog as we go round, detailing what we have seen and done, where we have been, and our experiences. I have also added a gallery section so you will be able to see all of the photo's we take.

So please have a look on the website - www.sixweeks.co.uk

You can also check out our facebook group - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23599366757

Thanks for all of your suggestion, and I look forward to sharing our experiences with you all very soon.

John x Reply to this

Hello,

Well i must say that travelling to 48 states or for that matter even 15 states if USA is not an easy task. You have to be spot on with your schedule and hope that nothing goes wrong in terms of your personal health and also things in general like airline issues and so on...

Well i think you can refer to the following blogs for some details so as to where you should go in a particular state : -

Colorado Blog
Ohio Blog
Hawaii Blog
Louisiana Blog
Illinois Blog

I hope you like my references and do lemme know,
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My sister and I are going to do the same thing execpt we are going to go for a year.. so I would love to hear about your trip and what you end up doing and the sights you go and see. Reply to this