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I would do Route B-most definitely since you're using Amtrak/Greyhound. This is the most interconnected region as far as different transportation options.
If you were driving your own car or rental I might expand Route B to include points between Washington DC and Atlanta/Savannah, GA including the Blue Ridge Mountains and Parkway or the Outerbanks on the North Carolina Coast. DC-Savannah is only about 8 hours.
Further North, I would go past Boston into Vermont/New Hampshire and maybe even Montreal/Quebec which is only 4-5 Hours from Boston.
This all depends on what the OP wants to see. Urban America?? Historical America? then route B is the best choice. Route C would offer a more rural view of America, and of course Southern culture. New Orleans is a gem, and all the good southern food. I would try to add Charleston into that trip, its a very cool historical city. Both are great routes. Route A I am not as crazy about. Saint Louis and Detroit are some tough troubled cities. In fact Detroit is plain unsafe and just an unpleasant place to be. It should not be part of any tourist agenda. Remove Detroit and add Minneapolis and route A is a much nicer trip. Chicago is definitely worth seeing however. I also agree with post #4 about the California Zephyr, I think that gives you the most bang for your buck. Also one cannot say they have seen America without going west IMO.
My friend and I want to spend next summer travelling round the U.S. We have planned out 3 routes and don't know which one to go by. Btw, we're travelling by Amtrak, greyhound, etc. Which route would give the best experience to two people who have never been to the U.S. before?
Route A - Heartland
Chicago > Springfield, IL > St. Louis > Nashville > Louisville > Cincinnati > Detroit
Route B
Washington D.C. > Baltimore > Philadelphia > New York City > New Haven, CT > Providence, RI > Boston
Route C
Richmond, VA > Durham, NC > Charlotte > Atlanta > Birmingham, AL > Tuscaloosa, AL > New Orleans
Ignoring cost, what would be the best option?
How many weeks are you talking about? If 12 weeks, you could do A & B. I'm personally not fond of the South in the summer due to heat and humidity.
Can you rent a car, even locally? All cities and no parks sound very boring.
With route A, you could add Niagara Falls and Cleveland, which has more of interest than Louisville, Cincinnati, and Detroit, depending upon your interests.
How many weeks are you talking about? If 12 weeks, you could do A & B. I'm personally not fond of the South in the summer due to heat and humidity.
Can you rent a car, even locally? All cities and no parks sound very boring.
With route A, you could add Niagara Falls and Cleveland, which has more of interest than Louisville, Cincinnati, and Detroit, depending upon your interests.
Um....There is no chance Cleveland and Niagra are more interesting than Cincy, Louisville and Detroit, especially combined. Louisville alone IMO is more interesting than Cleveland and ditto Cincinnati, and coupled with Cincy and Detroit, this is a no brainer.
I think your Heartland Route A trip would give the best look at what America is REALLY like. There are some cool cities of all sizes on your list. The southern trip is just that....too southern. It has a lot of boomtowns on the list that outside their historic cores, there is not a whole lot to see. I would do your heartland trip and throw in a jaunt to New Orleans, DC, and NYC. That would give the best feel of what coastal USA and also the real USA, the heartland, is like.
Route B is the trip all international tourists take. These places, for the most part, are no different than world capital cities and just do NOT represent the true majority of the interior of America.
Last edited by Peter1948; 07-10-2015 at 05:13 PM..
Um....There is no chance Cleveland and Niagra are more interesting than Cincy, Louisville and Detroit, especially combined. Louisville alone IMO is more interesting than Cleveland and ditto Cincinnati, and coupled with Cincy and Detroit, this is a no brainer.
Between the Cleveland Museum of Art and Cleveland Orchestra (Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center), there's more high culture in Cleveland than Cincinnati, Louisville and Detroit combined. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a top international tourist attraction. PlayhouseSquare is one of the nation's top theater districts, with the Cleveland Play House having just won the regional Tony. Throw in the likes of the West Side Market, U.S.S. Cod, and Steamship Mather, and Cleveland's location on a shore of one of the Great Lakes, and you'll find other very worthwhile attractions. Surrounding Cleveland to the south and east is Ohio Amish Country, a major tourist destination and the largest Amish community in the world.
Cleveland now is celebrated as a culinary and craft brewery destination.
It sounds as if you haven't been to Cleveland in the last decade, if ever. There is a reason that Cleveland was picked to host the Republican National Convention in 2016, and neither Cincinnati, Louisville or Detroit were seriously considered. Raising Louisville above Cleveland sounds like a lot of pride in some home cooking.
Niagara Falls is one of the world's great waterfalls and superior ones are not easily visited.
So what are you talking about?
Admittedly, including The Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI, and the stupendous aviation history attractions in Dayton, OH, would change the equation.
However, there's no reasons why all of these destinations and attractions couldn't be included in one trip, also including Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world, in Sandusky, OH, located one hour west of Cleveland on the way to Detroit, less than a three hour drive from Cleveland. Cleveland is located four hours southwest of Niagara Falls.
The distances are relatively short, especially compared with the West.
Between the Cleveland Museum of Art and Cleveland Orchestra (Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center), there's more high culture in Cleveland than Cincinnati, Louisville and Detroit combined. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a top international tourist attraction. PlayhouseSquare is one of the nation's top theater districts, with the Cleveland Play House having just won the regional Tony. Throw in the likes of the West Side Market, U.S.S. Cod, and Steamship Mather, and Cleveland's location on a shore of one of the Great Lakes, and you'll find other very worthwhile attractions. Surrounding Cleveland to the south and east is Ohio Amish Country, a major tourist destination and the largest Amish community in the world.
Cleveland now is celebrated as a culinary and craft brewery destination.
It sounds as if you haven't been to Cleveland in the last decade, if ever. There is a reason that Cleveland was picked to host the Republican National Convention in 2016, and neither Cincinnati, Louisville or Detroit were seriously considered. Raising Louisville above Cleveland sounds like a lot of pride in some home cooking.
Niagara Falls is one of the world's great waterfalls and superior ones are not easily visited.
So what are you talking about?
Admittedly, including The Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI, and the stupendous aviation history attractions in Dayton, OH, would change the equation.
However, there's no reasons why all of these destinations and attractions couldn't be included in one trip, also including Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world, in Sandusky, OH, located one hour west of Cleveland on the way to Detroit, less than a three hour drive from Cleveland. Cleveland is located four hours southwest of Niagara Falls.
The distances are relatively short, especially compared with the West.
It all depends upon the traveler's interests.
More high culture in Cleveland than Cincy, Detroit, and Louisville combined? HAHAHAHAHA. Each one of those cities has world class attractions and unique museums. Louisville probably gets more tourists per capita than any of them by far. Cleveland is probably the most underwhelming metro over 2 million in the USA...simply not a lot for a tourist to do there, and the attractions are too spread out and you must traverse some sketchy areas to get to some of them. The same can be said of Detroit, but at least everyone knows Detroit is sketchy.
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