Northeast American History tour with kids... suggestions

[oldtrucksrul]

Hello all,

My family and I are in the planning stages of our summer vacation. My children's ages are 11, 9 and 3. We will beginning our trip from Dallas on or around June 15 and will return August 10ish. Our very rough simplified plan is Kansas City, Nashville, Chattanooga, hit the east coast in South Carolina and follow the coast north, Outer banks, Norfolk, Williamsburg , DC, Philadelphia, Hotel it in NYC, Adirondacks etc. As the title suggests we will be correlating this with America History.

I'm guessing 5 days in DC, what kid friendly tours are recommend and which ones should be reserved now?

I'm looking for suggestions along our route for specific things to do, can't miss / must see or specific campgrounds. We prefer National, State, County parks and have the ability to boondock for a night or two. Private campground suggestions near city centers for convenience.

Typically we don't like to make reservations or have schedules to stick too but, I feel this year we should make reservations due to the congestion of these areas in the summer.

Our typical pattern, to avoid big crowds, is to hit the crowded areas during the week and off the beaten path on the weekend.

We travel in our 2009 Classic 27fb.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[HiHoAgRV]

Originally Posted by oldtrucksrul

Hello all,

My family and I are in the planning stages of our summer vacation. My children's ages are 11, 9 and 3. We will beginning our trip from Dallas on or around June 15 and will return August 10ish. Our very rough simplified plan is Kansas City, Nashville, Chattanooga, hit the east coast in South Carolina and follow the coast north, Outer banks, Norfolk, Williamsburg , DC, Philadelphia, Hotel it in NYC, Adirondacks etc. As the title suggests we will be correlating this with America History.

I'm guessing 5 days in DC, what kid friendly tours are recommend and which ones should be reserved now?

I'm looking for suggestions along our route for specific things to do, can't miss / must see or specific campgrounds. We prefer National, State, County parks and have the ability to boondock for a night or two. Private campground suggestions near city centers for convenience.

Typically we don't like to make reservations or have schedules to stick too but, I feel this year we should make reservations due to the congestion of these areas in the summer.

Our typical pattern, to avoid big crowds, is to hit the crowded areas during the week and off the beaten path on the weekend.

We travel in our 2009 Classic 27fb.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

An alternate route might be I-20 east, stop in Vicksburg if you are interested in seeing the Civil War National park. Then over toward Jackson, up the Natchez trace to Nashville, lots of stops with interesting history. There are some boondocking parks on the Trace. The only drawback to the trace is the pace. If you are an Interstate Burner, the slower speed can be an adjustment.

[Lily&Me]

Yes, you want reservations in the summer.

I would start your East Coast in Georgia, take the ferry from Saint Mary's to Cumberland Island, spend a day hiking around the ancient live oak forests and beach, and see the wild horses.

I also recommend the Penn Center/Gullah History center in Beaufort, SC...teach them a little history.

Have a great time!

Maggie

[DaveMc]

Here's a link to the Kids Rally in eastern Tennessee June 18th-21st if you've got some flexibility in your dates: http://www.airforums.com/forums/cale...18;&e=1482&c=1

This thread also has a little info: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...ly-162108.html

Looks like you'll be through there just after that, though! Looks like you're planning an awesome trip!

Dave

[coasttocoast]

Charleston-lots of history, refined city, Fort Sumpter, Yorktown, shopping, food, Middleton and Magnolia Plantation
Myrtle Beach- Redneck Riviera
Philadelphia- Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes, Christ Church, Ben Franklin
Charlottesville, VA- Monticello
Are you sure you want to visit the south in the summer where it will be 100 degrees?

[coasttocoast]

i forgot to mention Savannah- skip it and go to Charleston

[coasttocoast]

And finally, Biltmore House in Asheville, NC

[oldtrucksrul]

Thanks everyone for the replies!!

We will be stopping in KC to see old neighbors from when we lived there. Natchez Trace is a great idea, I'll look into that.

I like the idea of the ferry and the kids would love seeing wild horses!

I'll look into the kids rally they'd enjoy that!

I love Beaufort and Charleston.

Keep em coming!

[coasttocoast]

What is the value of the Barnes collection?
Today, the collection is estimated to be worth between $20 and $30 billion. Although John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were vastly wealthier than Albert Barnes, the current value of the assets of the Barnes Foundation are 10 to 20 times greater than the Carnegie Corporation or the Rockefeller Corporation.
There are more Impressionist paintings here than anywhere outside of France.

[coasttocoast]

Crystal Bridges, Bentonville, AR

[VT Wanderer]

Just a few Eastern recs: Gettysburg (and other major battle fields); USMA at West Point; NYC Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc.; Roosevelt Manson Hyde Park NY; in Mass. Cape Cod; Freedom Trail; Green Mtns. in VT; White Mountains in NH; Acadia National Park in Maine.

[DavidsonOverlander]

Consider Greenbelt Park (U.S. National Park Service) as a place to stay while in DC.

Not sure if you've got a focus for a certain type of history, but the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY and the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit are places our kids really enjoyed and they are great places to learn about the history of design, innovation and industry. If you go to the Henry Ford Museum it's also worth taking in the Ford Rouge Factory Tour.

[eggman]

don't miss the Mutter museum in Philly... kids might love the creepy factor.., the Rodin museum and Valley Forge are both great and can be done in a short amount of time i.e. kid friendly...also the Brandywine area is lovely , full of small but significant sights. Independence Hall is worth driving by , but wouldn't waste valuable time there ...boring...don't know anything specific about the Chesapeake area but would investigate fully if I had a kid into horses or boats...agree also with the rec for Gettysburg , and on the way from there to Philly , you can visit Amish country in Lancaster . if you get near NYC, the circle line boat tour that circles Manhattan , was my favoritest tour thing there.... such a nice overview, and outside!

[Piggy Bank]

If you want to camp in Kansas City I would see if you can get reservations at Weston Bend State Park. Probably booked up already on the weekends, but will likely have availability during the week.

[PKI]

Consider -

Stopping for the day at Niagara Falls, Goat Island and the walking bridge.

In DC, Climb the Washington Monument and visit the Smithsonian.

Try a visit to Mystic Seaport Museum in CT. You'll see folks working to restore and maintain sailing vessels and learn about the whaling life.

Check out the covered bridges in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Sounds like you might pass near the mother ship. Worth time for a tour.

Try lunch along the Dismal Swamp Canal on the way to Williamsburg.

If you get up to Maine, there is a funky roadside shop in Columbia Falls that sells wild blueberry bake goods. Wild Blueberry Land is a bit of fun.

Weathervane Seafood on SH9/202/4 West of Chichester New Hampshire is a nice way to have lobster if you don't find it in Maine.

There is the Truman Presidential Library in Independence MO on the way to KC. The family house is interesting too.

Now if you get West of KC, look in Abilene for the Eisenhower Library. The Seelye Mansion is in town too. It is furnished with original china, crystal, furniture and a great history of the business that built it. Around the corner off I70 is a Russell Stover warehouse if the kids have a sweet tooth. Just North of I70 you can have dinner at the Brookville Hotel. They set a nice family style chicken dinner that most enjoy.

When you pass through OKC, check out the Cowboy Hall of Fame on the North side of town.

Lots of folks have suggested good places to try. This is going to take more than one trip to work it all into your travel. Sounds wonderful, does it not?

Hope to see you down the road. Travel safe. Hope the kids have fun. Pat

[Seemore2006]

I would check out their history textbooks for next year or get specifics on what they will be studying in next school year and see what you can draw from there. You have some age disparity from 11 yrs to 3 yrs so depending on the kids, one day on (tours) one day off (think beach or pool or whatever 'fun' they like). Have the two older kids 'map' out the route and plan to 'publish' a photo journal of the trip. Just keep it simple. Look at the Smithsonians and let them pick one each as you won't be able to see it all. You'll be amazed in later years what they will remember!

[oldtrucksrul]

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I like all of them!

I like the idea of having the kids help with planning and following the textbooks, I'll look into that.

Keep 'em coming!!

[Adiredneck]

If coming from Texas, I-20 through Vicksburg is worth the stop (I just retired as a ranger at Vicksburg NMP). Also, if you are looking for history, plan on spending time in Upstate NY. The Hudson and Mohawk Valleys are full of history from the colonial, French & Indian and American Revolution eras, as well as the industrial revolution, Erie Canal, etc. Ft. Stanwix and Saratoga Battlefield are both NPS sites; Bennington and Oriskany battlefields are both NYS. Ft. Ticonderoga is private but very well done. There is a great museum (The Farmers Museum) run by the NY Historical Society in Cooperstown, along with the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, Saratoga Springs and area, Adirondacks and Catskills. In addition to history, these are all absolutely beautiful areas of our country. Can't miss on a history tour!

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by oldtrucksrul

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I like all of them!

I like the idea of having the kids help with planning and following the textbooks, I'll look into that.

Keep 'em coming!!

7 weeks is going to limit how much you can do, so I would urge you to focus on specific areas and dive into the sights at each. Save other areas of interest for the next trip. Trying to do too much can kill the energy of a trip.

If you get as far north as CT -- echoing Mystic Seaport as a great learning experience. Ditto for Sturbridge Village in MA on the way to Boston. Both very well done and not touristy at all.

Great that the entire family is planning the trip!

Remember Steinbeck's advice from Travels With Charley and have fun!

Happy Trails!

Peter

PS -- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley -- In Search of America: "Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” [emphasis added]

[RxGuy]

The closest RV Park to DC is Cherry Hill Park.

http://www.cherryhillpark.com/index....tion/home.main

I have not stayed there yet, but it looks decent from looking at it on Google maps and researching it somewhat. The location of the park would be great for access to the Metro and transportation to/from DC.

If you go to Charleston you might consider Patriot's Point:

http://www.patriotspoint.org/

Or the South Carolina Aquarium:

http://www.scaquarium.org/