Looking for the best road trip on the East Coast of the USA?
Our East Coast USA road trip has to be one of our favourite ever road trips. There’s something unmatchable about the excitement you feel as you hop in the car and head to your next stop. And an eastern coast road trip is perfect for families looking for adventure, fun, culture and history, plus some beautiful beaches. It definitely has it all!
Our East Coast USA itinerary is mapped out for you below. We were lucky to have almost a month for this trip – and we moved around quite a bit, spending just two or three nights in each place (a little more in Orlando).
If you don’t have as much time, feel free to leave out some of the stops (skipping the Tennessee detour might be necessary if you’re looking for a 2-week East Coast itinerary, for example.
Our East Coast Road Trip Stops – in Brief
We began our road trip of the East Coast in New York City, where we spent a few days exploring (we packed a lot in). We then booked train tickets to travel to Washington D.C, where we made the most of the fabulous free museums and the Smithsonian Zoo.
At the end of time in D.C, we picked up our rental car from the city centre and drove south to Chapel Hill in North Carolina. We spent some time driving the Blue Ridge Parkway and dipped into Tennessee to experience the Smoky Moutains and Dollywood.
The last leg of our tour was back to the coast, where we headed down to Charleston, South Carolina and on to Orlando and Miami.
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Our map of the East Coast of the USA below highlights our stops:
Day 1-4: New York City, New York
Starting your trip in New York allows you and your family to start your adventure with a bang – there’s so much for families to do in the city that never sleeps.
What We Did:
Visiting New York with kids is a guaranteed fun start to your US road trip. We recommend booking tickets for a family-friendly Broadway show (we saw Beetlejuice), choosing a location to view the New York skyline (we recommend Summit One Vanderbilt) and a trip across to Dumbo by ferry.
A cycling tour of Central Park is also a perfect family activity if you’re visiting in the summer months.
✅ BOOK TICKETS HERE for Summit One Vanderbilt
✅ BOOK HERE for Cycling Tours of Central Park
Where We Stayed:
Accommodation can be pricey in New York, particularly if booking for a family. We opted to stay in Chinatown, where you can find some reasonably priced options. We stayed at 50 Bowery (a very fun, cool place to stay)!
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at 50 Bowery
Where We Ate:
If you’re staying in or visiting Chinatown, make sure you try Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles. Ellen’s Stardust Diner is another must-visit (you’ll be entertained by between-job Broadway performers while you eat). Be warned the queue is nearly always long – so allow yourself enough time.
Day 5-7: Washington, D.C.
From New York, we travelled via Amtrak to D.C (the journey takes two and a half hours).
What We Did:
Top priority was the National Mall to see famous landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, Washington Monument, and U.S. Capitol. Bring good walking shoes!
Washington D.C is well known for its family-friendly (and in many cases, free) museums. For families, we’d recommend the National Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum. The International Spy Museum is also worth a visit (you need to purchase tickets for this one). There are so many great learning opportunities for kids in this fantastic city.
Don’t miss the beautifully laid out Smithsonian National Zoological Park (also free to visit).
✅ BOOK HERE for Tours and Activities in Washington D.C
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at Hyatt Place Washington DC/ White House, which is perfectly located for exploring the city, plus breakfast is included.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at Hyatt Place Washington DC/ White House
Where We Ate:
Founding Farmers and Ted’s Bulletin are the places to go. We found both to be family-friendly with extensive menus.
Day 7-9: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
There’s so much to see in North Carolina. It’ll also allow lots of opportunities to be in and around nature and the beautiful scenery this part of America presents.
Heading away from NYC and D.C, we took a bit of a detour to visit Colonial Williamsburg (an indoor and outdoor ‘living’ history museum) on the way.
What We Did:
Chapel Hill is a gorgeous, quaint college town. We loved the opportunity to take a look at the University of North Carolina and everything on offer for students here. Make sure you stop by the Carolina Basketball Museum (look out for Michael Jordan’s huge sneakers).
Also in Chapel Hill and worth a visit are Morehead Planetarium and Ackland Art Museum.
If you have more time, visit the Outer Banks to see the wild horses and enjoy some beach time (note: this should probably be an alternative to the stops below, rather than an addition, since it’s over a 4-hour drive from Chapel Hill).
✅ BOOK HERE for Walking Tours of Chapel Hill
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at the beautiful Carolina Inn (Hyatt). This was probably one of our favourite hotels of the trip.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at The Carolina Inn
Where We Ate:
We loved traditional American diner Merritt’s Grill. The burgers are great!
Day 10: Blowing Rock, North Carolina
We broke up our drive to Tennessee with a night in Blowing Rock, a pretty mountain village on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
What We Did:
While here, visit Grandfather Mountain and its mile-high swinging bridge – and Linville Falls (to get there, it’s a fairly easy 1.5-mile round-trip hike).
If you’re visiting Blowing Rock with kids, we’d definitely recommend some Gemstone mining at Doc’s Rocks – lots of fun!
Blowing Rock is also a lovely place to stroll around the shops (our favourite of these was the candle shop, High Country Candles – so lovely we had to bring some home).
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at The Homestead Inn – we loved the traditional feel of this colourful hotel with its impressive hanging baskets and a rocking chair in each family room.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at The Homestead Inn
Where We Ate:
We liked Cafe Violette and the Six Pence Pub.
Day 11-13: Asheville, North Carolina
Driving from Blowing Rock to Asheville is where you really get to experience the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are plenty of places along the way for you to stop the car and take photos – you’ll definitely want to!
What We Did:
Asheville is a great place to partake in some white water rafting! We booked with Blue Heron, and they were great. Our youngest was a bit nervous, but they were really good with her – and she ended up absolutely loving it.
While here, take a walk around the vibrant River Arts District. The Biltmore Estate is also worth a visit.
✅ BOOK HERE for White Water Rafting in Asheville
Where We Stayed:
We booked the Holiday Inn Asheville East. There’s free parking and breakfast plus a pretty decent restaurant here. We enjoyed watching the tiny hummingbirds hovering above the flowers around the pool from our bedroom window.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at Holiday Inn Asheville East
Where to Eat:
Some pretty famous people have frequented 12 Bones (including Barrack and Michelle Obama). Once you tuck in, you’ll definitely see why. We still reminisce about the brisket here.
Day 14-16: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg is a theme park of a town – there’s so much going on, you certainly won’t run out of things to do.
What We Did:
Our top recommendations, if you add a detour to this part of the US to your itinerary, are Dolly’s Stampede (a fabulous family-friendly dinner show with music and horses) and the Dollywood theme park in nearby Pidgeon Forge (yes, I do love Dolly)!
Other things to do in Gatlinburg include mountaintop amusement parks Anakeesta and Ober Mountain.
While here, make sure you add a hike and picnic in the amazing Smoky Mountains to your itinerary! There are lots of trails to explore; some great ones for families include Rainbow Falls Trail, the Appalachian Trail and Laurel Falls Trail.
✅ BOOK HERE for tours and activities in the Smoky Mountains
Where We Stayed:
There are lots of fantastic places to stay for families in Gatlinburg, but we opted for Greystone Lodge on the River due to its amazing location (close to the action, but a little quieter with it being at the end of the strip).
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at Greystone Lodge on the River
Where to Eat:
A visit to Dolly’s Stampede includes a pretty good dinner! The food at Dollywood is also great (we ate at Aunt Granny’s restaurant, which serves yummy southern fare). There are also lots of options on the main strip in Gatlinburg (Downtown Parkway).
Day 17-19: Charleston, South Carolina
Visiting Charleston with kids is a must on your road trip of the East Coast. It’s known for its southern charm and its dark history, too.
What We Did:
We’d recommend visiting at least one of the plantation houses to learn about the period of time in American history when these were in use. Our recommendations for families would be Magnolia Plantation or Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens.
We opted for Boone Hall to see its famous Avenue of the Oaks and the Slave huts there. There are a number of talks throughout the day about the hall’s history.
✅ BOOK HERE for tickets and tours to Boone Hall
The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon is also worth a visit – particularly for the tour of the dungeon.
You’ll also find one of the best East Coast beaches in Charleston: Folly Beach. You can hire umbrellas, sun loungers and boogie boards here. We were blown away by how fantastic and family-friendly this beach was.
✅ BOOK HERE for the most popular Charleston tours and activities
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at another Holiday Inn (they’re great value): Holiday Inn Express Charleston. Parking and breakfast are included.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at Holiday Inn Express Charleston
Where to Eat:
Swig and Swine is a BBQ lover’s dream.
Day 20-25: Orlando, Florida
Leave Charleston early so you have time for a couple of worthwhile stops for lunch and dinner. Our lunchtime stop was Savannah, where we did a walking tour to see all the amazing historic homes and buildings, plus Forsyth Park (where you’ll find the location of Forrest Gump’s famed bench).
Our second stop was St. Augustine, where we did a fun ghost tour (suitable for older kids).
What We Did:
If you want to do Disney (or Universal) justice, you’ll need a little more time in Orlando than at the other stops on your East Coast road trip.
We purchased a three-day Disney pass, and our days were certainly full! We started early and finished late – with two parks on the first and second day and Disney’s waterpark (Typhoon Lagoon) on the third.
If you want time away from Disney or Universal, Discovery Cove is a wonderful place to spend a day, with its man-made reef and wildlife experiences.
✅ BOOK HERE for tickets to Discovery Cove
Where We Stayed:
If you’re looking to save money, consider staying outside of Disney or Universal. We went for Buena Vista Suites (parking and breakfast included). If you have your own car, it makes sense – particularly if you’ll only be using the hotel for sleeping.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at Buena Vista Suites
Where We Ate:
Head to Disney Springs for dinner! We loved T Rex for a fabulous, immersive dining experience and The Polite Pig for fantastic BBQ food.
Day 26-28: Miami, Florida
Miami makes the perfect last stop on your East Coast road trip. Lie back on that sunlounger and relax – you’ve earned it!
What We Did:
Our hotel led right on to South Beach. With its beautiful white sand, this is another of the East Coast’s best beaches. The paths along the beachfront are perfect for cycling. Many hotels (including ours) rent out bikes for free – we loved making use of these and exploring the beach paths.
We’d also recommend exploring Little Havana, a great place to experience some Cuban food.
Head across to the Everglades, too (around 40 minutes away). A day trip to this World Heritage Site is well worth it. Keep your eyes peeled for alligators, crocodiles and a variety of bird species!
✅ BOOK HERE for your day trip to the Everglades
Where We Stayed:
Miami accommodation can be a little pricey, and here, alongside New York, is probably where you need to allocate the majority of your accommodation budget.
We stayed at the IHG Kimpton Surfcomber, a gorgeous Art Deco hotel with an amazing pool and a fantastic location. Breakfast isn’t included, but there are some great bakeries just minutes away where you can pick up food.
✅ BOOK HERE to stay at IHG Kimpton Surfcomber
TIP: Sign up for Hyatt and IHG points if you’re staying at these chains a lot! You’ll earn towards a free night.
Where We Ate:
There are lots of Cuban restaurants in South Beach. We liked Bella Cuba.
The weather is humid in Miami – make sure you stop by Ice-N-Spicy for ice cream too!
USA East Coast Tour: The Verdict
From the busy cities of New York and Washington, D.C., to the beaches of North and South Carolina, the magical theme parks of Florida and the tropical wonder of Miami – a USA road trip on the East Coast has it all.
You’ll experience history, nature, fun and relaxation – all with the freedom of jumping in your car and exploring it under your own steam.
Wondering about some other fantastic family road trip options? Take a look at our Costa Rica road trip and Scotland road trip posts.
Need some entertainment while you drive? Take a look at our Road Trip Trivia Questions. And check out our Road Trip Captions for your photos, too.
