Road trip

[Rick carter]

Good day to all we are planning a road trip not our first we have been retired for 5 years an have the western states done. We know have 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH an will be towing a jeep GLADIATOR What I would like to do is leave Yuma where we live an go to Florida visit the keys not sure to take the motorhome down to the keys? Then leave an head north an eventually get to Washington DC an visit there . Then work our wayback to YUMA . When we travel we do not like to drive more than 300 miles a day we can if necessary . Definitely not straight there see sites along the way . So I am asking for advice an sites to see along the way . Oh I try to stay off the interstates as much as I can- DAMN SEMIS no offence to truckers an the sites just seem better . Open to suggestions an advice from well seasoned motorhome travelers
Thanks Rick

[Charming]

If you don''t have a travel ap, I suggest using RV Life Trip Wizard website and the ap. It is a huge help to me planning our trips and keeping us on schedule.

We stick mostly to the interstates, but some of our favorite stops over the years are as follows:

Karchner Caverns SP
Hueco Tanks SP and Historic Site
Seminole Canyon SP
Goliad SP
Galveston Island
Lafayette LA

New Orleans
Pensacola

We also enjoyed
Fredericksburg, TX
Lubbock, TX
Waco, TX

We haven't covered much of Florida

Heading into the east
Montgomery and Selma, AL are good stops

There are RV parks all the way to Key West. We have not had the opportunity to visit.

Heading north after the keys, Savannah, GA is a good stop and lots of good food.

It is only 100 miles north but Charleston, SC is another good stop.

You can probably head pretty far north on Hwy 17 and visit some lovely small towns.

North Carolina either east or west through the state are good options. Asheville if you stay further west is a good stop or a little further east go up through Winston-Salem and visit old town Salem. You can head north towards Charlottesville and then Hwy 29 up to northern VA and to DC. If you stay to the east there is hwy 301 and see Williamsburg and the historic triangle. perhaps go up the Eastern shore.

The most convenient commercial park near DC is Cherry Hill. There are 2 regional parks in VA - Pohick Bay Regional Park - near Mt Vernon or Bull Run Regional Park which is close to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles.

Kind of disjointed but you can probably take at least 6 months and see much of what there is to see heading east.

[MRJEB]

We did Key West to DC earlier this year.

Getting a Class A into The Keys, even as far as Key West is not a problem. Plan 40-50mph travel times once you leave Homestead / Key Largo. If traveling far into The Keys I recommend overnighting in Homestead at Schnebly Redland's Winery, it is a Harvest Host. Big place had 12 or so spots; every one was full and I think every one was staging to go into the Keys.

On the way north, our first night out of the keys, we stayed at another Harvest Host that was like a private park with a pond. 285 miles from KW - Fort Pierce Southside Christian Church. (My last HH reference, promise ).

We really enjoyed Hilton Head Island (probably because we ride e-bikes and love seafood).


Safe Travels.


DC in a RV is tuff, we were lucky enough to stay at our son's house. Highly recommend taking the VRE or MARC rail into the city Vs driving.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Rick carter

Good day to all we are planning a road trip not our first we have been retired for 5 years an have the western states done. We know have 2008 Tiffin Phaeton 36QSH an will be towing a jeep GLADIATOR What I would like to do is leave Yuma where we live an go to Florida visit the keys not sure to take the motorhome down to the keys? Then leave an head north an eventually get to Washington DC an visit there . Then work our wayback to YUMA . When we travel we do not like to drive more than 300 miles a day we can if necessary . Definitely not straight there see sites along the way . So I am asking for advice an sites to see along the way . Oh I try to stay off the interstates as much as I can- DAMN SEMIS no offence to truckers an the sites just seem better . Open to suggestions an advice from well seasoned motorhome travelers
Thanks Rick

As mentioned, RV Trip Wizard is a great planning tool, I use it all the time for planning.
Coming east, if you have not been to San Antonio, it is a great stop. While there, take a trip to Fredericksburg. If anybody likes wine, be careful,
60+ wineries in the area.
Between San Antonio and Houston is Washington on the Brazos, where Texas signed its' Independence from Mexico, nice stop over.
In Mississippi, stop over at Bay St. Louis, we stay at the Hollywood Casino, nice park.
Alabama area, stop and see the USS Alabama and the military park there. Same as in Pensacola, lots to do. Visit the National Naval Air Museum on base, it is a daylong visit, plus nice restaurant inside for good food.

We go to the Keys every winter for the past 4 years. Heading there we stop at Big Cypress Wildlife Preserve. There are a couple of campgrounds in the park, but none with full hookups. We usually stop for 3-4 nights to see the wildlife.

Going down to the Keys, remember US1, Overseas Highway is a 2-lane road. If there is a serious accident it is possible the road can be closed for several hours.

There are numerous RV parks along the route, the closer you get to Key West the prices go up. The #1 RV Park is Blue Water Key.
Parking for vehicles in Key West is expensive and limited. If you get a RV park on Stock Island, you can rent a scooter to move around the island.

[DutchmenSport]

Washington DC area.

I'll contribute on a campground selection near Washington, DC.

First, you will not find any campgrounds in Washington DC that will allow you to simply walk to the Washington "Mall" area. But there are several campgrounds around Washington DC that are good contenders.

We stayed at Lake Fairfax County Park several years ago. It's a county park, located on the West side of DC. The nice thing about this park is, it's only about a mile to the closest Metro (train) line that runs into DC and has a public parking lot. I don't know if other campgrounds have this convenience or not. (The "Mall" is that area where the Capital Building, the Reflection Pool, and the Lincoln Memorial is, surrounded by all the Smithsonian buildings). And.... that's another thing to consider .... The Smithsonian is MORE than just one building. It's several buildings. You can spend a year in Washington DC and still not see it all. (actually, we lived in the area for 6 years and still did not see everything we wish we could have).

Also, on that side of DC (in Virginia), you'll have an easier drive to Manassas (Battle of Bull Run), acceptable driving to Mt. Vernon (home of George Washington) and even the underground city in Alexandria, Virginia. You'll also be on the same side as Arlington National Cemetary. Go beyond those points and you'll want to use the Metro (subway) system to get around, instead of driving. Parking was a nightmare 30 years ago. I can't imagine it today.

That's my suggestion for the DC area.

[Rick carter]

Morning fantastic information really appreciate it. This site is great for this kind of information you all have a great day. Thanks Rick

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by DutchmenSport

That's my suggestion for the DC area.

The closest RV Park is in College Park, MD, Cherry Hill RV Park, and it’s very popular when visiting DC. They have city busses running to the Capital and Smithsonian etc. that pick you up in their parking lot and bring you directly back home. Plus, there is a DC Metro Station 3-miles away that can get you anywhere in the area.

We’ve stayed there 5-times when our daughter lived in DC. We’d drive our toad to the Metro stop, park there and take the subway all over the area. The campground sells Senior Metro cards that give you a discounted fare that you can fill up at any metro station. Those cards are difficult to get other than at the campground.

It was super convenient. Plus Cherry Hill was a nice RV park in spite of being surrounded by 3 or 4 major interstate highways.

We did stay at Bull Run one time but did not find it convenient to get to town on a regular basis.

[boomersooner]

We do the Keys every year at least once. This year it was Key Largo, next year it will be Sugar Loaf Key. Once you hit Homestead it is a slow but steady drive into the Keys, so take your time and enjoy the scenery. There are many RV parks in the Keys but ensure you make reservations well in advance during the busy seasons.