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Best Summer Road Trips (Great Ideas for USA Travel)

Did you know that National Road Trip Day is coming up?  Each year, National Road Trip Day falls on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend…which makes sense, right?  So far, our family hasn’t decided whether we’re staying home to barbecue or heading to the beach for the weekend.  I guess it all depends on the weather.  Either way, let’s highlight the best summer road trips for this week’s Saturday Spotlight!  (Blog post updated for 2024)

*For your convenience, please note that this post may contain affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking my links below, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Beaches – Best Summer Road Trips for a Long Weekend:

What better place to kick off the start of summer than with a road trip the beach?! 

Here in New Jersey, we drive “down the shore” for our summer weekends.  Yes, that phrase seems to be such a New Jersey thing.  Before we leave our home, we say we’re going “down the shore’.  Then when we arrive at the shore, we don’t say we’re “at the shore”, we say “we’re down the shore”.  Funny, right?  

beach with umbrellas - ideas for best summer road trips

Anyway, if you’ve never visited a Jersey shore town, I think you’d be pleasantly surprised if you did.  From sophisticated beach towns, to family destinations and everything in between, New Jersey’s coastline has something for every taste.  If you’re in the mid-Atlantic area, you really should put the Jersey Shore on your list so you too can be “down the shore”!

If you live in the Northeast, you’ve probably visited the Hamptons at some point. 

A couple years ago, I took a summer road trip out to the famous Hamptons.  You wouldn’t believe all we managed to do in just 24 hours!

outdoor patio with umbrellas

Great Coastal Towns – Best Summer Road Trips:

In addition to beaches, there are so many coastal towns that we visit for their charm…

And there aren’t many places as charming as Martha’s Vineyard!  From the lighthouses to the beaches and lovely small towns, there’s something for everyone.  If you love coastal architecture, you’ll have a wonderful time appreciating all the lovely homes…many of which were designed by the famous Patrick Ahearn.  See some of those homes here – Beautiful Home Exteriors of Martha’s Vineyard.

Lighthouse - Martha's Vineyard

 

Then again, you can’t go wrong with Newport, Rhode Island either.  From the mansions, to the shopping and the best clam chowder…Newport is a must see place to add to your summer road trip list.

White Adirondack Chairs at sunset - best summer road trips

 

If you live down south, you already know that Charleston, South Carolina is another fabulous coastal town.  It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited!

Window box with black shutters

 

River Towns – Relaxing Summer Road Trips:

If you don’t live near the coast, consider taking a road trip to a river town for the weekend…

Where I live, I’m not too far from the Delaware river and two charming river towns – Lambertville and New Hope.  Both towns have amazing restaurants and a variety of unique shops and antique stores.  

River and Bridge - summer road trips

Escape to the Mountains on Your Summer Road Trip:

If you want to stay cool, a trip to the mountains is a great idea…

If you read my blog, you know we love our road trips to Vermont!  Even though we mostly drive up to ski in the winter, we still try to make at least one trip during the summer or fall months.

Entrance to Woodstock Inn in Vermont - best summer road trips

More great ideas for summer road trips:

Add some of these destinations to your summer bucket list…

  • Drive to one of the US national parks.
  • Research the state parks in your area and explore.
  • Plan a scenic route such as a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.
  • Visit a city on your bucket list such as New York City or San Francisco…
  • Take in the scenery as you drive over 42 bridges from Miami to Key West.
  • Truly enjoy the open road and drive cross country!

Now, if you’re traveling by car, here are a few finds that might make your summer road trip more pleasant…

Shopping Finds – Summer Road Trip Essentials:

If you’re traveling with kids, this road trip activity kit looks awesome!

Be prepared for anything on your summer road trip with these safety essentials!

If you come across the perfect spot for a picnic, it will be helpful to have a waterproof blanket in your car!

And how helpful would this trunk organizer/cooler bag be?!!

Just remember, you’ll be getting in and out of the car so have plenty of hand sanitizer with you! 

Of course, it’s always fun to buy some things for your trip – like this pretty tote bag.

Here are a few more summer road trip essentials:

If you need more ideas to plan your summer road trips, here are a few finds that caught my eye:

So, whether you’re heading “down the shore” or anywhere else by car, I hope these summer road trip ideas inspired you!

Though, if your plan to celebrate the long weekend at home, check out these summer barbecue ideas! – Memorial Day Barbecue Ideas – Saturday Spotlight

Where are your favorite summer road trips?

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Best summer road trip ideas - Celebrate National Road Trip Day!

 

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8 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for posting this. It’s so nice to see other parts of the World. I’ve never been to the Hamptons – ah one day! I always thought I would love it there. I love a good road trip, especially in the summer. The idea of a road trip kit is awesome. Great idea to keep the kids busy.

    1. Thanks Carol! I also used to host a link party called Take Me Away where bloggers would link up trips. If you’re looking for more inspiration, type in “Take Me Away Recap” for all those highlights…so many places to add to your travel list! Glad you enjoyed my travel ideas!

  2. What a really useful post!! I’m definitely going to check out the kids travel kit box and that car cooler/organizer is FABULOUS!!
    Coming to you from Hello Monday Linky <3

  3. Thanks so much for sharing a link to my blog! That Bar Harbor trip remains one of our favorites, and I hope we’ll go back someday. So much travel to do, so little time. 😉

  4. It may not count as a summer road trip, but my husband and I just moved to the Midwest. We drove from San Diego to Indiana in 5 days. It is so far the best ‘road trip’ of my life (and I’m retired!). 7 states in 5 days (with 2 cats) and it was so amazing. Now that we are geographically closer to the East coast, we are planning on visiting many of the spots you mention. I am going back to read those posts – and looking forward to what I learn from you! Thank you for this post!

  5. Road trips are so fun! It’s such an affordable way to travel! I would love to go to all these places!

  6. We love trips to the shore and often take day trips to Newport, the islands nearby, or even up to Cape Cod.

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