I live about an hour from Williamsburg and have been there many times. If you add on Yorktown and Jamestown, it would mean 2-3 days in that area alone (of a limited 7 day driving trip).
We stayed at First Colony Inn (http://www.firstcolonyinn.com ) last year . Nothing fancy but near Wright Brothers Memorial. Other interesting towns that would be nice in NC- Manteo, New Bern, Beaufort, Wilmington-Wrightsville Beach) if you take a coastal route to get toward Charleston. I like Winston-Salem, which someone mentioned, but that is more inland (but could be a possibility if you returned a more inland way - Winston-Salem, to Charlottesville,for instance, to get back to NJ).
There is so much to see in any of these states alone Virginia, NC, SC -you could easily spend a week in in any of them- history, beaches, great cities, museums, battlefields, beautiful scenery. Sounds like a nice trip. Maybe try not to do too much so you can have some relaxation. Have fun!
I live in Atlanta and have been all over the southeast (I love it here 
). I’m a Boston native, but my soul is southern.
I’d say for your first road trip stick to the coasts, and hit lovely cities like Charleston and Savannah.
I love Tybee Island; it’s a paper plate and flip flop kind of a place-very laid back. There are some really amazing islands all up and down the east coast, from Kiawah (rich folk, amazing beach to bicycle on), to Hilton Head (kitchy but fun), Tybee (see above), St. Simon’s Island (sort of like Kiawah) etc.
When you drive along 95 in Georgia the paper mills are stinky, but the islands and the cities are nice.
I’d save places like Alabama for another road trip-the panhandle of florida / alabama’s gulf coast is gorgeous.
New Jersey plates-the police here LOVE to stop you for speeding. Welcome to the south 
Make sure you cruise control behind some Georgia plates and you’ll be fine. And use your blinkers-we’ll let you in.
Forgot to add-barbecue. Carolina barbecue is mustard based, and is a tangy orange color. Tennessee/Memphis barbecue is molasses based and very sweet and rich. Corky’s in Memphis is good. Everyone will tell you what their favorite is, and most of the good BBq places are well off the beaten path with weird hours, dirt parking lots that are always crowded, and lots of pickup trucks (locals).
However, if you road trip to Tennessee and Alabama, you are looking at some LOOOOOONG hours in the car with not a lot to look at. Like, seriously, nothing. We drove to Memphis a few years ago from Atlanta and were amazed. It was like hours of nothing, Elvis’ birthplace, more hours of nothing, Memphis (which is a very cool city, but more grownup-do Chattanooga for your kids. Excellent aquarium).
Oh, avoid driving through Atlanta. 12 lanes of stopped traffic from 5 am to 10 am, and from 4 pm to 7 pm. You’ve been warned. Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Nothing here is worth that battle if you’re not used to it.
I’m thinking about the ten year old kids! That’s why I suggested Williamsburg. They have some neat nighttime things. Agree…adding Jamestown and Yorktown would be OK…if your kids like battlefields. Ours didn’t.
We loved Reynolda in Winston Salem, but not sure ten year olds will.
Yes, what do the kids like, want to do? My kids actually liked visits to battlefields and museums but not every kid does. Do they like water, the beach, amusement parks? (My kids loved all that kind of thing too). If anybody is visiting Williamsburg, another great place to visit (30 minutes away) is the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News. Great experience. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a very nice amusement park but you would need a whole day to make that worthwhile . And 7 days for a road trip from NJ will limit how much you can fit in unless you compress your itinerary some .
For only a week, I’d recommend choosing a couple of places, at most, and divide your time between those. For me, just one would be even better, and certainly more relaxing.
Williamsburg has more than enough for an entire week, as does Charleston SC, but they’d be two interesting, and different experiences for the kids. From Williamsburg, if you wanted to, you could easily do a day trip to Kitty Hawk to the museum there, or make that a stop on your way to Charleston. And from Charleston, you could include a day at the beach easily enough to go along with the museums.
Williamsburg is full of tourists, but I wouldn’t call it touristy in the usual meaning of the word. It is a wonderful place to learn more about the early days of the country and to see some beautifully restored buildings. There are many activities in Colonial Williamsburg that are specifically designed for kids. Tour the Capitol building for the historical significance then head to one of the colonial taverns for a period specific lunch. Go to an evening concert, take a ghost walk tour. Take a carriage ride. Enjoy some warm cider and gingerbread as you walk through the historic district. Lots of restaurants of every description and level of dining.
Charleston is an easily walkable city and there’s lots to see that will be very different than what you’re used to in NJ. A stroll along Battery Park right by the water, and across from some of the most beautiful southern architecture.There are so many good restaurants in Charleston, you could have delicious BBQ. There is an excellent aquarium there with a turtle rescue hospital that kids love; that’s a must see, in my opinion. The museums are good, and the two that I would usually recommend are the Slave Mart Museum and the Gibbes Museum of Art.
There have been previous discussions here about Charleston, and maybe even about Williamsburg so a search might be worthwhile. We’ve been to both of these many times, and at various stages of our kids’ lives, and would recommend both.
I was really moved by the Martin Luther King National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia. You can sit in the original Ebenezer Baptist church and listen to recordings of King.
Staunton VA has the Frontier Culture Museum.
http://www.frontiermuseum.org/
Definitely include Charleston. Take a carriage ride to see the amazing architecture. The slave market museum is interesting and there are great restaurants. In the surrounding area there are also plantations to visit.
Thanks everyone. When I started this thread I didn’t think I would receive so many great suggestions. And I see that some of you have written long posts that made me appreciate this place a lot more. This is a great board with wonderful people in it. My wife and I will take the suggestions on this thread, do a little bit of a Google search and finalize an itinerary that caters to the little ones.
My boys are two entirely different characters. One likes history and loves to read, the other loves math, science and electronics and hates history. We will have to find things that interests both and I am sure this trip will give us enough things to make both happy.
Another thing that came to my mind is to skip Williamsburg entirely on this trip and dedicate a long weekend to it. July 4th weekend seems like a perfect time to do the Williamsburg trip from New Jersey.
Thanks again to everyone posted their suggestions. We truly appreciate it.
Williamsburg will be VERY crowded on July 4th weekend. To be honest, I would pick a totally different weekend.
Plus summer in that area has the potential to be very hot and humid. The nicest weather times, in my opinion, to,see Williamsburg are fall and spring.
I’m assuming you have already been to D.C. and have seen the MANY things there are to see there. There would be something to interest every member of your family there.
If you are looking for a more urban flair, with lots to do…Atlanta would fill that criteria. Innaddition to CNN, Coke, and all of,the other things listed above…there is a GREAT cemetery in downtown Atlanta. Go on a docent led tour of that…it really gives all of the history of Atlanta, and a LOT of information about the civil war as well. It’s terrific.
Here you go:
Hi @thumper1
Yes we have been to DC many times. My wife is a history lover and she loves museums. We try to do DC once every 2 years. Atlanta sounds interesting. Maybe we will do North Carolina, then South Carolina and then head to Atlanta spend a day or two there and go back home. Something to think about for us.
that could be cool trip …based on a finding awesome BBQ . two stops should be savannah ga and charleston sc.(awesome cities)
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/south-carolina/20-best-bbq-sc/
If you end up going down the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Chincoteague) to get to NC, the NASA Wallops Island museum is free and interesting. Nothing fancy and can see everything within an hour, but is a nice stop along the way on a car trip.
I did a similar road trip in 2009…alone! But I was gone for 11 days. There was also a LOT of driving on my trip…hours of it. Not sure the 10 year olds will appreciate the days spent in the car. Here is what I did.
CT to MD. Just an overnight.
MD to Winston-Salem NC. That was a LONG driving day… I left VERY early in the morning. Spent two days there…went to Reynolda (do the docent led tour if you go), and saw some great shows put on my University of NC School of the Arts.
NC to Atlanta. Spent three days there. Went to lots of the places already listed.
GA to Columbia SC just overnight…visited a friend.
SC back to D.C. Just overnight.
DC to Philly…overnight.
Philly to home.
I don’t think I would have enjoyed this one bit with kids in my car!!
NC- Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head (largest sand dunes), Fort Macon (Atlantic Beach).
Charleston really is a great city and will give you a good feel for the southeast.
Another tip for those who like history is this: http://www.eparks.com/store/home/9221/Theme-Passport/
It’s a passport that you can get stamped at National Parks and Memorials. If you get into it, it will cause you to visit all sorts of obscure (but usually interesting) locations. There are a bunch of these stamps in Williamsburg/Yorktown/Jamestown, for example.
The best of NC and TN is in outdoor activities. The rafting trips (all levels), hiking in the national forests, picnics at waterfalls, going to the mining places on the side of the road, fishing etc. Beautiful. We spent many happy vacations with the kids renting a cabin in the mountains.
In Asheville you can visit the Biltmore house.
But you want more tourist spots and less outdoor activities. I’ve been to most of the places mentioned so far and many are great for adults but not so entertaining for kids.
Charleston is a great town but unless your kids love restaurants and antique shops they might not be as enthusiastic as some here. The USS Yorktown is great though.
The NC outerbanks is a very long stretch of beach basically. Kitty Hawk is interesting but not sure it’s worth the long drive. If you want to beach it then okay. Long drive (I got bored personally).
Unless you’ve already been, I would head to Virginia and go to Williamsburg and Jamestown. Arlington.
Check out Luray caverns. Busch Gardens is close. The Skyline drive will take you into the mountains (similar to Blue Ridge in NC). The USS Wisconsin is in Norfolk. Lots to do without spending all your time in the car.
I like @gouf78 suggestion!
I live in Virginia and am biased but Virginia does have lots of great things-beaches, museums, history, interesting cities, caverns, amusement parks, battlefields, mountains,etc. As I said earlier, you could easily spend a week in any of these states the OP is considering and have a great time.
MLK’s birth home tour and lunch at Mary Mac’s if you get to Atlanta, both interesting and different for someone from northern NJ. My wife is from Bergen County and those were her favorites.
Oh yeah! Virginia has some pretty good BBQ!
BBQ really differs across the south and is regional (but I love all of it!)