Oooh, but I love MassMoCA!
Has anyone done Connecticut? Or Maine?
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I did CT but everyone has their favs so feel free to post yours
CT.
A drive through (and stops) in the Litchfield Hills (northwest CT). It’s just beautiful.
CT shore…beautiful and older towns.
New Haven…for the pizza!
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We did Acadia National Park, the coastal towns (nice), and Portland - weren’t impressed. I’m sure there’s so much beauty there and the tourism industry, which @ChoatieMom apparently isn’t a part of, would appreciate you.
Our favorite coastal town though was Portsmouth - NH. So for @ChoatieMom you could stop there and go no further North.
I saw someone did Connecticut early in the thread.
In most, if not all states, there’s far more than 3 things to see
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I’m not sure you get the implication of my post…
We spend half the year in Maine. It’s heaven. Ssshhhh!!!
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My family is from Maine and NH, so I am always curious what other natives might recommend. My family has always been appalled when favorite places show up on some very publicized list 
Our camp is on a lake which will not be mentioned!
NH? Everyone should go to Madison Boulder, but bring the bug spray.
Maine? I think Bath is terribly overlooked and Acadia is very overrated. But it’s a big, big state
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We took a lighthouse tour in ME, plus went on carriage ride in Acadia plus walked to Bar Harbor. It’s a lovely state but was so cold I had to buy a think down vest from llbean.
I lived in NH for 7 years and would be happy to comment.
- Go play golf at the Waumbek in Jefferson New Hampshire. Most beautiful views of the presidential Mountains I’ve ever seen. The towns north of the notches are so worth visiting. Jefferson is one. But driving north from there to the Canadian Border is absolutely a gorgeous drive.
- The Lakes region…gorgeous lakes…a really nice place to rent a summer place…if you can find one!
- The Mt. Monadnock region…visit Jaffrey, Peterborough. Both really nice…and lots to do in Peterborough.
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Anybody have South Carolina thoughts? Preferably NOT the beach? (Why yes, my kid is starting at Clemson in the fall and since we’ll be driving down from VA I’m looking for something else to see/do on the way to or from to make this very long journey more interesting or fun.)
Which part of VA? NOVA or Richmond area or Piedmont or SWVA? Just trying to figure out your path – probably I-85 or I-77? You don’t have to go through too much of SC to get to Clemson. If you go on 85 you’ll get to see the Gaffney Peach Butt in SC. Ya can’t miss it! Let me know your route and I’ll try to think of some more things in NC you could stop and see. I think you will be spending more time there than in SC, no matter which way you go.
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We’re just outside of DC. Depending on the day, it’s nearly equal time wise to head west and get on 81 or go straight south on 95. I’m leaning toward the Western route, because 95 always seems like a disaster.
And yes, good point, we’ll definitely be in NC much (much) longer than SC! I could use ideas in both areas - to split up the drive but also as I suspect husband and I will have some time to kill after we drop S25 off - I think he’ll be done with us quickly, but we’ve got the hotel for a couple of days, Just In Case he needs an extra store run.
When we were doing our tour of possible colleges his junior year we did the western drive, since we stopped at JMU and Virginia Tech on the way. We spent a half day in Asheville between Blacksburg and Clemson but really only saw the Biltmore (we’re been to Newport the summer before en route to dropping off S22, so it seemed appropriate) so maybe we go that way and see more of Asheville.
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That’s a slight detour to go to Asheville but it bypasses part of 85 so it’s well worth it IMO.
Mt Airy and Pilot Mountain could be a cute stop near the NC/VA border just off 77.
A lot of people like Greenville SC.
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Buc-ees just opened in Harrisonburg on Monday! Lol. It just south of the JMU exit. Younger S /FDIL2 were able to go and said it was beyond crazy.
Winston Salem is a little out of the way, but Old Salem is there and sort of neat. Kind of a mini Williamsburg.
DuPont Forest looks like it’s an 1:10 from Clemson, albeit in the wrong direction. It’s my favorite waterfall park. Very easy hike/walk to some gorgeous waterfalls.
If you don’t like 81 or 95, have you looked at taking 29 to Greensboro/85? Definitely less stressful, albeit with a lot of stoplights. 81 is beautiful, but oh the trucks!
Note - I’ve only been to Clemson once when younger S visited. He’s been a fan since he was in kindergarten. Still is even after graduating from JMU.
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Alright, I’m tired of waiting. I’ve been hoping some Texan would pipe up, but I guess I’ll do it.
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Big Bend National Park and surrounding West Texas areas – Balmorhea, Fort Davis, Marfa. Rugged beauty.
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San Antonio Riverwalk and the Alamo, shop El Mercado, eat at Mi Tierra and its wonderful panaderia. We took friends there for an action-packed day last year, and I think it was a highlight of their trip. The Mexican influence makes the city so special and different. And if you can get to the Riverwalk around the holidays, the lights dancing off the water are just beautiful.
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Austin – so much natural beauty in the middle of the city, beautiful Capitol, world-class university (for now) with great athletics. Austin is the largest city in the US without a major professional sports team (we have men’s soccer and ultimate frisbee) so university athletics have an outsized influence. Great BBQ, and the Bob Bullock Museum is wonderful. The drawback is crappy public transportation so you’d need a car/to Lyft to see a lot of things. Shopping isn’t my thing, but you can stroll down South Congress and pick up all kinds of things. In the summer/fall you can see the bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue bridge. So much to do.
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I was just thinking “I’m sure SC must have a Buc-ees or two” Go for the bathrooms, stay for the sandwiches!
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I really want to see these bats!!! On my bucket list.
There are bats at Carlsbad Cavern in NM too. We went there with our kids decades ago.
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Adding to the New Hampshire list: NH seacoast towns (NH has 20-some miles of Atlantic coastline). There are great beaches (Jenness Beach, Wallis Sands), cute towns (Rye and Exeter), great food (Portsmouth–Row 34 and others). Strawberry Banke Museum (local history).
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It’s so cool. I used to work on the second floor of a building on the lake, and one good thing about working late was seeing the bats fly out at eye level at dusk.
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