Atlanta to the Northeast: Part 1 Virginia, DC, and Massachusetts
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The decision to make a 32-day family road trip throughout the Northeastern United States and Canada was one that was both exciting and worrisome. My grandma had pancreatic cancer. It was devastating to our family, and it made thoughts of leaving home for over a month almost excruciating.
After many conversations with my grandma, she wanted us to take the trip. She asked that I write to her every day so that it was as if she was taking the trip as well. My grandma loved getting my daily accounts, and I loved sending them to her. She passed away in the winter of that year at home with her family. In reading through the entries that I sent to my grandma each evening, it became apparent that reflecting on my days preserved so many memories of our trip that I would have otherwise forgotten.
If you ever decide to take an extended trip or any trip for that matter, I would highly recommend writing to someone each day. The memoirs to my grandma not only preserved the road trip for me, but it was a vacation that I shared from my heart to hers that summer.
Heading North on a Family Road Trip
We left Atlanta around 3:30 a.m. on our greatest adventure ever. There is something exhilarating when leaving for a family road trip, not knowing what adventures await. Since we were pulling our camper, the trip would take a little longer than usual. We made sure to pack snacks, ginger chews, hard candies (in case anyone got car sick), and plenty of water.
Leaving home in the early morning hours is a must for our family. Jackson and Lucy usually fall back to sleep and snooze for a good part of the trip. Whoever is in the passenger seat (depending on who is driving) gets the opportunity to sleep as well.
Family Road Trip Stop 1: Virginia
We arrived in Richmond, Virginia, around 1:30 p.m., excited to begin our trip. After unhooking the camper, we grabbed a bite to eat and began our journey.
Our first stop was the Richmond National Battlefield. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, so the area is rich with history. We visited Tredegar Mill, a textile mill that made uniforms during the war.
After our visit to the mill, we made our way to another National Historic Site, the home of Maggie Walker. Walker was an African-American female banker who was born in 1864 and was very successful in life. Her story was awe-inspiring because she was not only female, but Walker was also African-American in a time when owning a business was difficult to do.
The area from Richmond to Washington DC is filled with Civil War history. The next day we visited Petersburg National Battlefield and headed towards the nation’s capital.
Along the way, Jackson began not feeling well. By the time we arrived at the campground just outside of DC, we realized that Jackson had a fever, and an immediate care visit was necessary. We spent the rest of the day resting with him at the campground. Much to our happiness, Jackson was better by the next day. Our family road trip would continue!
Family Road Trip Stop 2: Washington DC
On our DC leg of the trip, we focused on visiting places that we had never been. Previously, we had visited monuments, the various Smithsonian Museums, and other typical DC tourist attractions.
On this trip, we went to Greenbelt Park, managed by the National Park Service, and the Holocaust Museum. I know that most people visit the Holocaust Museum on their initial visits to DC, but we had feared the graphic nature of the museum would scare the kids when they were younger. They were now old enough to understand, and the museum was so impactful. It includes a special section for kids that made it easy for Jackson and Lucy to comprehend the Holocaust’s meaning and significance.
We attended the wedding of our dear friends in Maryland, and from there made our trek north… our long trek north. It took 12 hours pulling the camper to travel from Maryland to Southern New Hampshire. It was mind-blowing to think that it took just as long to get from Maryland to New Hampshire as it does to get from Atlanta to Washington DC. However, after arriving, we were shocked by the uniqueness of the town in which we were staying. We lodged in Hampton Falls, NH. The neighboring town was Hampton Beach, NH.
Family Road Trip Stop 3: New Hampshire -The Hamptons
I fell in love with Hampton Beach immediately. The beach had a boardwalk that was iconic New England. The architecture was amazing, along with the festivities along the boardwalk.
The town was holding its annual Master Sand Sculpting Classic, where sand sculptors from around the world come to build their masterpieces. We listened to a Beatle’s cover band at the beach’s amphitheater and then watched fireworks over the ocean.
The whole family tried a New England pastry, fried dough. It was delicious and very similar to the south’s fried pie but without the filling. It was while we were in Hampton Beach that Lucy left her mark! Apparently, she caught Jackson’s sickness and began vomiting in the sand. Thank goodness, the virus was short-lived, and she recovered quickly.
I didn’t want to leave out Hampton Falls, the town where we stayed. We passed Applecrest Farms, and Lucy wanted strawberries so bad! We were able to go out into their fields and pick our own fresh strawberries. The farm also had a creamery, and we had to stop there quite a few times to enjoy the delicious ice cream.
We stayed at Wakeda Campground in Hampton Falls, and it is my absolute favorite campground ever. There were the typical camp store and putt-putt, but there was also a doughnut shop where the sweetest lady would open and sell doughnuts and coffee to the campers each morning.
Sean purposefully planned for us to stay in southern New Hampshire so that we would be close to many destinations. There are not many campgrounds in Boston, so we drove into the city each day.
Family Road Trip Stop 4: Massachusetts
Sean had purchased a Go-City Pass where we could do as many activities as possible in the five days that the card was valid. Now, if you are interested in covering all of the activities in Massachusetts, you will want a longer pass. The card had so many neat activities and destinations that there was no way to cover them all in the five-day limit that we had chosen.
Boston
We knew that Boston was rich with history, but we underestimated how much. Spending 10 straight days in the city would not have covered everything.
After Lucy began feeling better, we made our way to Boston so that Sean and Jackson could tour Fenway Park. One of the bonuses with the Go-City Pass is that you can also attend a game, but the Red Sox were out of town, so this option did not line up with our itinerary. However, Sean and Jackson loved the ballpark. Lucy and I are not the biggest sports enthusiasts, but we enjoyed the tour very much. We visited the press box, the dugouts, and every nook and cranny of the park.
Harvard
After our visit to Fenway Park, we took a trolley tour of Boston, ate an authentic Boston Cream Pie, and made our way over to Cambridge to visit the Harvard campus. It was magnificent! We ate at a local dive that was popular, the Tasty Burger. When we travel, we try not to eat at any chain restaurant. It is our goal to taste the authentic food of the region.
It was on our visit to Harvard, while sitting at a red light, that we heard brakes and felt a jolt! We were out of town and rear-ended! I got out of the truck ready to spit nails. However, the camper hitch saved us, I couldn’t believe it!
The lady who rear-ended us had the front of her car damaged because our hitch went through her grill. Thank goodness it did no damage to our truck, especially being far away from home. Since our truck was fine and without a scratch, the lady drove away happy that she didn’t have to report the accident to her insurance, although she had a damaged grill.
Dunkin Doughnuts
A neat aspect about Boston is that it is home to Dunkin Donuts. There are 77 Dunkin Donuts within the Boston city limits. Those Bostonians sure love their doughnuts!
Around the City
While in the city, as part of the Go-City Pass, we went whale watching. It was a magnificent experience. This one whale named Hancock kept hanging around the boat and put on a show for us. After our boat ride, we went on a walking tour of Boston to see all the history. Our tour guide was in costume and was so knowledgeable. We explored Boston Commons and were given a detailed account of the city.
Beyond the City
A while ago, Lucy and I made a goal to visit all the America Girl stores in the United States. We were able to check Boston off our list, and Lucy was one happy little girl.
Plymouth
We went to Plimoth Plantation and then visited Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Plantation was set up just as the colony was back in 1624, and the people who worked there would not break character!
Hyannis
We also traveled over to Hyannis to visit the John F. Kennedy Jr. museum and a Cape Cod baseball museum for Jackson. We went on a boat tour of Hyannis Port and saw the Kennedy Compound by water.
Cape Cod
One day we drove down to the Cape Cod National Seashore, where the ocean temperature was 58 degrees, yet there were tons of people in the water. There was a purple flag flying at the beach for dangerous marine life.
The neighboring national beach (they have three national Cape Cod seashores in the area) was closed because there had been multiple sightings of great white sharks! Needless to say, we just dipped our feet into the ocean that day. Nevertheless, the ocean and beaches were absolutely picturesque.
Lexington-Concord
One day we drove to the Lexington-Concord area. We began the day by visiting the Minuteman National Park and then took a trolley tour of Lexington-Concord to see where the shot heard round the world occurred.
Lucy wanted to visit the Louisa May Alcott House to see where Alcott wrote Little Women.
Salem
Salem was definitely a stop along our route. We visited the Salem Maritime and Witch Trial museums. The Witch Trial Museum was very scary. We finished our day by visiting the House of Seven Gables, which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. Salem is a neat but spooky place.
Lowell
On our last day in the Boston area, we visited the Lowell Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell was the first industrial city in America.
Our Next Adventures
It was now time to head north towards Maine. Although it had already felt like a full vacation, we were only 1/3 through our trip. During this time, we learned to build in more days of rest than typically expected. However, the family road trip was magical, and it had only just begun.
Click here to read part two as we journey into Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont!
Do you have a very favorite place to stay when traveling? Maybe a favorite city or town where you have visited? If so, we would love to hear from you! Please drop us a line in the comment section below!
Interested in taking a family road trip through the northeast? Check out Trip Advisor for fantastic deals on lodging in the region!
Read all about our 33-day adventure to New England and beyond!
Part 2– Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont
Part 3– Touring New York
Part 4– Heading Home, the Amish, and the Sluggers
Sounds like so much fun! I really want to see Fenway Park!
It is really fun! I hope you get to see it too 😃
Your trips are so interesting and educational for the kids. I love to read about them.
Thank you! We love taking them! You should hop aboard sometime!!!
Sounds like my kind of vacation. I am not one for downtime! 🙂 The Go-Pass sounds like a great option if we take our kids to Boston. I am sure it saves a ton of money for those of us that like to see and do a lot!
The Go-City Pass is a great option and accommodates all members of the family. It will be a great option for visiting Boston. I hope you enjoy the city as much as we did!