Toronto to Washington D.C. - Best Driving Route - NF

[Nemo]

The family and I are off for a long weekend in D.C. I have never been and hope to take in the Smithsonian and some of the other sites for a few days.

 

I googled the route and have some alternatives. I was just wondering if anyone on the board knows the route and has some recommendations/things to look out for.

 

 

We intend to leave TO at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.

 

Also any midway stops for sites, shopping etc would be approeciated.

 

Thanks

 

Nemo

[walleyejack]

PM sent

 

The family and I are off for a long weekend in D.C. I have never been and hope to take in the Smithsonian and some of the other sites for a few days.

 

I googled the route and have some alternatives. I was just wondering if anyone on the board knows the route and has some recommendations/things to look out for.

 

 

We intend to leave TO at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.

 

Also any midway stops for sites, shopping etc would be approeciated.

 

Thanks

 

Nemo

[DanD]

Not much out of the way but Gettysburg has a lot to see; that’s if you’re into things that deal with the US Civil war.

Not sure if everything would be open at this time of year (actual battle fields); we went mid summer and that was a number of years ago. At least 25 years; there might be condos there now

If it’s anything like it was I could have spent a bunch more time there.

 

Dan.

[irishfield]

Send aplumma and daplumma at PM.. they live just up the road from DC..

[greenfshrmn]

I used to fish Lake Gaston in Va every spring. From Whitby, I crossed the border at the Ivy Lea bridge east of Kingston and then it was straight down I-81. Took about 12 hours to reach DC. Mapquest will show a shorter route via Buffalo that will also get you to Gettysburg in about 2 hours less time. Other than Gettysburg, there's not a lot of places to visit on the way there. Of course, D.C. has all kinds of interesting places. Be careful of driving in the city, they don't hang around ..it pays to have a good navigator sitting beside you! Have fun.

[aplumma]

A GPS like Tom Tom is your friend. The Gettyburg war area is full of rich history you will also find that Bullrun is also a nice area if you are a war buff. The air and space museum out near Dulles Airport is worth a look if time is available. You will find that if you want to get a map of the Metro trains before you leave it will save you a lot of wear and tear driving. The out lying area are usually much cheaper to stay at than downtown D.C.. The final place that is very nice in the fall and is a neat place is Luray Caverns.

 

 

Art

[Nemo]

Thanks all for the advise and PM's.

 

The GPS is warmed up and we will be leaving first thing.

 

I'll let you know how we got on next week.

 

Ciao

 

Nemo

[bassfighter]

The family and I are off for a long weekend in D.C. I have never been and hope to take in the Smithsonian and some of the other sites for a few days.

 

I googled the route and have some alternatives. I was just wondering if anyone on the board knows the route and has some recommendations/things to look out for.

 

 

We intend to leave TO at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.

 

Also any midway stops for sites, shopping etc would be approeciated.

 

Thanks

 

Nemo

 

Do not miss franklin mills just border of Philadelphia. Largest outlet mall in the USA. It was so big, it has two fastfood center. Jersy city also has another outlet.

 

check roomsavers.com for great deal on motels. they have the best deal that even beats on line prices. Also visit the rest area, roomsavers booklet are available there. Ohter good deal store are big lots or Ollies, they are liquidator. If you need internet access, always visit a county library or Apple store, they are free to use.

[Nemo]

Hi All,

 

Trip to DC went very well. Weather in the 60's and sunny.

 

Smithsonian, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, White House, Vietnam Memorial etc.

 

The drive down was 9 hrs 15 mins. The return trip was 8hrs 30mins.

 

The GPS worked great. No map on board. It took us door to door.

 

Also useful for finding sites in DC itself.

 

Thanks for all the help.

 

Nemo