Nine Family Road Trip Ideas in the United States (and Canada)

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a travel addict. However, one topic I haven’t discussed on this blog is family trips. I’ve listed several cities that are great for solo travel. However, some of my favorite travel memories are centered around trips with my family, specifically road trips filled with adventure, wrong turns, and hilarity. I thought it would be great to give you ideas on family road trips, since school breaks are a great time to go on an adventure. I’ve curated a list of family road trip ideas that should spark some inspiration for planning your next family or friend road trip.

Please subscribe and let me know if you have any family road trip ideas you’ve done or recommendations for trips I should add and research. I hope you enjoy this blog because it has made me reflect on some family adventures I deeply love and given me many ideas for future family trips.

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Nine Family Road Trip Ideas for You to Try!

1. Minneapolis, MN to Chicago, Illinois
   It’s an eight-hour car or train ride, but you can stop at many great towns in Wisconsin, like Hudson, the Wisconsin Dells, and Madison. You can also go to Milwaukee and drive along Lake Michigan before reaching Chicago. My family has done this road trip multiple times, and we love it.
2. Vancouver, BC to Newport, OR
   Pack your passport, this is the only family road trip idea that allows you to visit the Pacific Northwest and visit Vancouver, BC. There’s something whimsical, euphoric, and calming about the Northwest part of the United States and the Southwest corner of Canada. I have this road trip on my list of trips to try. I’d want to start in Vancouver and see the sights, then work my way south to Victoria, BC, to go whale watching. I’d then take the ferry to return to the U.S. I’m obsessed with Olympic National Park and Forest (they are different). My mom and I took my 100-year-old great-great aunt on a road trip from Seattle to La Push, WA, and it was gorgeous. I’d love to drive along the Coast, where I can go through Astoria, WA, and then follow the coast until I reach one of my favorite places, with the best seafood – Newport, OR, a small town 2.5 hours from Portland International Airport.
3. New York City, NY to Baltimore, MD
   This is the shortest family road trip idea on the list, but what it lacks in miles, it makes up for in sights to see. You can start in New York City if you want to visit the Big Apple or you can start in the neighboring city of Newark, NJ, and travel down the New Jersey Turnpike, where you can stop and visit towns like Princeton, NJ and stop in one of my favorite cities, Philadelphia, PA. From the city of Brotherly Love, you can then travel the two hours to Baltimore, MD, to visit some of the country’s most famous museums.
4. Charleston, SC to Miami, Florida
   A nine-hour car ride filled with history, great food, and a beautiful coastline. There’s so much to see and do in Charleston, SC, and it’s just over a two-hour ride to one of my favorite cities, Savannah, GA. Both are filled with history dating back to the Civil War, and the architecture, art, and parks also help shape the city’s story. If you visit Savannah, you must stop at the picturesque town of Hilton Head Island, 40 minutes away. After visiting the picturesque island, you can continue your journey down I-95, where you can visit Jacksonville, FL, Daytona Beach, Port St. Lucie, and finally Miami.
5. Route 66 (Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA)
   Follow this famous highway from Chicago to California, where you can cross eight states on your list. You can see Kansas City, eat its amazing barbecue, and then travel through the Southwest, passing through New Mexico and Arizona, before reaching California. If you are a fan of the Pixar movie Cars, this is the road trip for you!
6. St. Louis, MO to Asheville, NC
   Start your journey through the Eastern Heartland of the United States, where you can begin by visiting the Gateway Arch. Then, begin your journey to Tennessee, where you can visit Music City and see all that Nashville offers. Then, hop in the car and visit Knoxville and Pigeon Forge, TN, where Dollywood is located! Finally, drive to the Smoky Mountains and see Asheville, NC.
   
   I’m adding this to the list because Asheville is rebuilding and needs tourism to help continue its redevelopment. This is one of the most beautiful areas in the United States, with some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.              
7. Memphis, TN to Montgomery, AL
   I would start in Memphis, visit Graceland, Elvis’s estate, then drive into Alabama and visit Tuscaloosa – ROLL TIDE! Before visiting Montgomery, where you can see museums like the National Memorial of Peace and Justice or the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald House.
8. Washington, D.C to Raleigh, NC
   This family road trip idea is filled with American history and visiting many famous military towns. Visit the capital of the United States and start your journey south. You can visit Norfolk, VA, and Virginia Beach, military towns with great museums like Nauticus or the Naval Station Norfolk, before driving to Raleigh/Durham, NC.
9. Indianapolis, IN to Pittsburgh, PA
   I would start in Indianapolis and visit Newfields, then drive to Cincinnati, where I’d visit my godmother and the botanical gardens. Then I’d drive to Cleveland, Ohio, to visit the world-renowned art and ballet. Then I’d go to Pittsburgh, attend a Pittsburgh Penguins game, visit the Phipps Conservatory, and take a food tour.

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