So our 1st stop was right in line with that 7 hr mark which put us in Myrtle Beach, SC. Having reminisced of my childhood family reunion and the memories of the boardwalk, I knew this would be a family favorite and perfect 1st stop. We booked a condo on https://www.vrbo.com/ which is one of my "go to" sites for vacation housing. Since Myrtle Beach is mostly beach activities and carnival rides, this stop will the most laid back of all our stops with no hiking or exploring, simply chillen. But for our next stop we will have a much more enriching experience in our nation's capital just another 7 hours to our north.
The kids were very excited at the prospect of seeing some of the many sights in Washington D.C. and luckily since the museums are open till 7 in the Summer we will arrive in time to see the Natural Museum of History. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/ Having watched "A Night At The Museum", they were thrilled at the chance to see if the museum actually comes to life! There is also the entire National Mall strip which is home to many monuments including the Lincoln Memorial, MLK memorial, Washington Monument, and the War memorial, just to name a few. The nice part about seeing theses sites is that they are all located within close proximity. We well see how many we are able to fit into our trip in just one night stop over. https://www.nps.gov/nama/index.htm I was also able to book a great hotel deal on https://www.groupon.com/ which saved me $50 off of the usual rate. Lots to see in just one night but we got our "must" do list and anything else will just be a bonus. The next day will be just a short 3 hours up to see Lady Liberty.
So I took into consideration that it will be August and visiting NYC would be best saved for a cooler time especially with kids. However, we wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and tour Ellis Island. We had studied Ellis Island in homeschool and my son was very intrigued that the register had his great grandfather's name in it so it was a must see on our list. Instead of going into the city, I was able to find a shortcut through Liberty State Park in NJ which will take us via ferry boat over to Eliis Island and the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46531-d548855-r29626422-Liberty_State_Park-Jersey_City_New_Jersey.html This is such a better option when traveling with small kids than battling NYC traffic, heat, and parking. We will hopefully catch the skyline at sunset since we booked a late afternoon tour. Tickets to go up in the crown were actually sold out (apparently they sell out very fast in Summer). Onward up we go to visit the smallest state in the country, Rhode Island.
Fascinated by it's diminutive size, my son was adamant about checking out Rhode Island and eating a lobster roll before we ventured through to the infamous Plymouth Rock. Learning about the Mayflower, wampanoags, and the story of Thanksgiving is Plimouth Plantation. https://www.plimoth.org/ It is basically a reenactment of colonial life with educational information and even a recreated ship of the Mayflower! Not to mention that while we are learning, we will most definitely be partaking in New England seafood. I booked a quaint bed and breakfast type motel right on the harbor where we could watch the sunset before we head out for a day of hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm
Ill be honest, I have heard and seen many beautiful pictures of Acadia and was excited to be able to spend the day there but I was nervous about hiking with my 6 and 7 year old. Specifically my 6 yr old who isn't as much of a trooper when it comes to hiking. So I did what anyone does these days with the assist of https://www.pinterest.com/ and searched the best hikes for kids in Acadia. I compiled everything I found and put together what I hope will be a seamless exploration. Some of which include the famous Thunder Hole, Bubble Rock, and Jordan Pond to name a few. I found this site to be very helpful as well https://fifiandhop.com/2016/09/16/acadia-national-park-with-kids/. Next on the list is a border crossing into New Brunswick, Canada to view the highest tides in the world!
Since the kid are under 18, we do not need to have passports for them, birth certificates will suffice to cross via vehicle. Booking a place here was tricky at first since it is very remote and not alot of options of convenience. By happen stance, I found these adorable little cabins located directly on the bay with hiking nearby and close to The HopeWell Rocks.http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca The reviews for these cabins were excellent and we are hoping for an amazing view of the milky way at night! http://captainslookoutcottages.com/index.html During our 3 nights and 4 days we will be learning about the tides, exploring sea caves, walking the ocean floor at low tide, and hiking Fundy National Park.https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/fundy . The prospect of being immersed in this beautiful landscape for 4 days is certainly a highlight of the trip. After this many days it will be hard to leave as we make our way back down into the U.S. again.
Hitting that 7 hr mark, brings us back to Portland, Maine. Here I found another Groupon for lodging and we are interested in checking out one of the oldest lighthouses as well as Fort Williams State Park.https://portlandheadlight.com/what-to-do/the-lighthouse More importantly, for the kids however was checking out a hand rolled donut shop called the Holy Donut https://theholydonut.com/. From here we head west to an iconic stomping ground that holds dear to our hearts in peace, unity, and music. That's right my little flower children are going to Woodstock!
Having read the "Who Was" book series of Woodstock as well as my son's namesake being Jimmy Hendrix, we were not missing the opportunity to stand where half a million people gathered in 1969 at the most infamous music festival of all time. Since Bethel Woods museum is an all out Woodstock display, this stop is going to be "far out". https://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/the-museum/about-the-museum-at-bethel-woods. What is even better than a Woodstock museum, how bout a Woodstock themed hotel? I just happened to find the Hotel Dylan which I booked us in a music themed room appropriately named "The Jimi". https://thehoteldylan.com/ which comes equipped with in room record players. a fire pit overlooking the catskill mountains, and of course the iconic hippie VW bus. Im sure we will feel right at home in this place. Next stop is only a short 3 hours south to see what its like to truly live off the land.
Obviously we have established that we are a little bit hippie so what would be more interesting than a tour of Amish country in the rolling hills of Lancaster, Pa. https://www.amishvillage.com/. To truly live the simple life is a something that has been long lost in today's modernized society. The kids are reminded in our Geography lessons of just lucky we are to have the luxuries we often take for granted. So this stop will be a homage to that testament. Continuing south through more of the captivating hillside, we will next take in the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley in Luray, Virginia.
Luray, is popular tourist destination know for the famous Luray Caverns, The Shenandoah Valley, and sprawling wineries. https://www.visitshenandoah.org/poi/luray-caverns/ . It was no problem to find a VRBO vacation rental and there's actually so much to see, I hope we get to everything in the 3 days we will be there. For mom and dad, a visit to the winery is a must and luckily we found a family friendly winery in the foothills of the valley. http://caveridge.com/. Caving, hiking, wine-ing, dining, ATVing, and more. This is our final destination before we trek back to Florida. So now that everything is booked, mapped, and planned, it's time to make sure we have all the road trip essentials for a smooth and educational journey.
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