The Great American Road Trip ChallengeOne trip, ~2.5 years, 48 states
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Leg 2 · Late fall

The Mid-Atlantic

Skyline, bridge, and brick

The Mid-Atlantic

Tap a pin to open that stop's first day · numbers follow the driving order

The megalopolis and its hinterland: New York City, the Hudson Valley and the state capitals, the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Dutch country, Gettysburg, the du Pont estates and Delaware beaches, the Chesapeake at Baltimore and Annapolis, and the monuments of Washington, DC.

Slate violet and late-fall haze

Time it right

Roll south out of New England into New York City for a multi-week stay, then work down through New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland as fall deepens, closing in Washington, DC before the trip turns toward the warmer South.

20

Stops

92

Days

122

Things to do

6

States

The colour key

122 things to do across 92 days

  • Museums & History31
  • Landmarks & Monuments17
  • Shopping11
  • Cities & Metros9
  • Somber & Civil-Rights Sites9
  • Outdoor & Water Activities9
  • Food & Drink Trails8
  • Guided Tours8
  • State Capitols5
  • Concerts & Venues5
  • National Parks & Forests3
  • Theme Parks & Attractions2
  • Film & TV Locations2
  • Quirky Americana & Roadside Oddities2
  • Sports & Gamedays1

And how much each one matters

  • AnchorAlways do — the reason this stop is on the map
  • Worth itDo most of these
  • BonusQuirky bonus, if it's happening while you're here

Jump to a day

88Liberty, Ellis Island & Lower Manhattan89Ground Zero & the new downtown90Midtown Icons91The Met & Central Park92Free Day93Broadway & late laughs94The Village & the High Line95Brooklyn, Bridge to Boardwalk96Upper West Side97Free Day98Empire State & Herald Square99Lower East Side & Chinatown100Harlem & the Cloisters101Free Day102Out to the East End103Montauk & the End104The Hamptons & North Fork wine105Free Day106Back west & up the Hudson107Hyde Park108Storm King & the river109West Point & Cold Spring110Free Day111Into the Catskills112Woodstock & Kaaterskill Falls113Free Day114North to the capital115The Capital116Free Day117South into New Jersey118Princeton119Trenton & Washington's Crossing120Free Day121Down the shore122Atlantic City123Cape May124Free Day125Across to Philadelphia126Independence & Old City127The Parkway museums128Markets & the cheesesteak wars129Penitentiary & science130Free Day131North to Scranton132Steam & coal133Free Day134South to Amish country135Amish Country136Hershey & the Strasburg Rail Road137Free Day138To the capital139The Capitol & the Civil War140Free Day141South to Gettysburg142The Battlefield143Little Round Top & the Address144Free Day145Into Delaware146The du Pont estates147Longwood & the riverfront148Free Day149South to Dover150The First State's capital151Rehoboth Beach152Free Day153Across the bay to Baltimore154The Inner Harbor155Fort McHenry & Fell's Point156Art, oddity & crabs157Free Day158Down to Annapolis159The Naval Academy & the State House160On the Chesapeake161Free Day162Out to the ocean163The Boardwalk164Assateague's wild horses165Free Day166Northwest to Frederick167Antietam & Frederick168Free Day169South to Mount Vernon170Washington's Home171The National Mall & Monuments172Smithsonian I173Smithsonian II174Capitol Hill175The White House & Ford's Theatre176Free Day177Arlington178Georgetown & the Tidal Basin179South into Virginia

Stops, in order

  1. Stop 2Long Island: The Hamptons & MontaukLong Island: The Hamptons & Montauk, NYDays 103–106

    The island's East End — surf and a historic lighthouse at Montauk, moneyed villages in the Hamptons, and wine country on the North Fork.

  2. Stop 4The Catskills & WoodstockThe Catskills & Woodstock, NYDays 112–114

    An arts-colony town synonymous with a generation, a spectacular waterfall, and the site of the 1969 festival nearby.

  3. Stop 5AlbanyAlbany, NYDays 115–117

    New York's capital — a grand 19th-century statehouse and a modernist plaza that looks like the future imagined in 1965.

  4. Stop 6Trenton & PrincetonTrenton & Princeton, NJDays 118–121

    New Jersey's capital on the Delaware, the Revolutionary crossing, and one of the country's most beautiful university towns.

  5. Stop 7Atlantic City & Cape MayAtlantic City & Cape May, NJDays 122–125

    The original boardwalk and casino town, then Victorian Cape May — the oldest seaside resort in America — at the state's southern tip.

  6. Stop 9ScrantonScranton, PADays 132–134

    The 'Electric City' of anthracite and railroads — a preserved steam yard and a real coal mine you can descend into (and, yes, the setting of a certain sitcom).

  7. Stop 10Lancaster & Amish CountryLancaster & Amish Country, PADays 135–138

    Pennsylvania Dutch farmland of buggies and covered bridges, an antique railroad, and the chocolate town next door.

  8. Stop 11HarrisburgHarrisburg, PADays 139–141

    Pennsylvania's capital on the Susquehanna — a capitol so grand Teddy Roosevelt called it the handsomest building he ever saw — and a superb Civil War museum.

  9. Stop 12GettysburgGettysburg, PADays 142–145

    The battlefield where the Civil War turned and Lincoln spoke — one of the most moving historical landscapes in America.

  10. Stop 13Brandywine Valley & WilmingtonBrandywine Valley & Wilmington, DEDays 146–149

    The du Pont dynasty's green corner of Delaware — grand estates, one of the world's great gardens, and Wyeth country along the Brandywine.

  11. Stop 14Dover & Rehoboth BeachDover & Rehoboth Beach, DEDays 150–153

    Delaware's colonial capital on The Green, then the state's genteel beach town — boardwalk, outlets, and Cape Henlopen.

  12. Stop 15BaltimoreBaltimore, MDDays 154–158

    Charm City on the Chesapeake — the harbor and the star fort where the national anthem was written, a top aquarium, cobblestoned Fell's Point, and steamed blue crabs.

  13. Stop 16AnnapolisAnnapolis, MDDays 159–162

    Maryland's capital and America's sailing capital — the Naval Academy, the oldest statehouse still in legislative use, and a colonial harbor town.

  14. Stop 18Frederick & AntietamFrederick & Antietam, MDDays 167–169

    A handsome historic town beside the bloodiest single day in American history.

  15. Stop 19Mount VernonMount Vernon, VADay 170

    George Washington's estate above the Potomac — the mansion, the tomb, and the working farm, just south of the capital.