If you’re anything like me, you love American history. When I was a kid, my parents took me on some memorable RV trips.
A great way to tour some of America’s most historic sites is to take an RV trip. Here are five stops to make along the way in your great American historical road trip.
Boston
Let’s pick up our RV in Boston, site of the Boston Tea Party, the U.S. Constitution and the first battle of the Revolutionary war. There are so many historical sites to see in Boston. A good walking tour or a bicycle tour is a great way to see the city. For a place to relax and also explore the Cape Code area consider the Pinewood Lodge Campground.
New York City
After Boston, make your way south to New York City, for obvious reason a must visit on any tour of American historical sites. Here you can visit the traditional tourist destinations: the statue of liberty, Times Square, Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial. If you have some extra time consider seeing a broadway show and enjoy the nightlife in the Village. Where on earth are you going to put that RV, you might ask. Look no further than Liberty Harbor RV Park.
Philladelphia
Next stop is Philladelphia, the birth of the nation. Here you can visit the site of the first Continental Congress, where they debated over the Declaration of Independence. See the homes of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the document, and Benjamin Franklin, the nation’s first secretary of state before there even was one. For a place to put the RV consider the For Washington State Park just 30 miles outside the city in a beautiful wilderness park.
Gettysburg
On the way out of Philadelphia, you have to make the trip to the battlefield at Gettysburg. This is where General Lee’s Confederate troops made a four day stand against the Union army from July 1 to July 3, 1863. The Union troops eventually beat back the Southern soldiers, what many historians view as a turning point in the war. More than 50,000 men lost their lives. Exploring the battlefield at Gettysburg is a great way to experience American history. There are a number of great motorhome resorts to rest your RV and relax.
Washington DC
Now that you’ve seen where the nation started in Philadelphia, where it flourished in New York City and where it was defended in Gettysburg, it’s time to move onto the nation’s capitol in Washington D.C. There is so much to do in D.C. from touring the capitol building to all the free museums, the monuments and Ford Theater. But there’s also great culture. While you can certainly hob nob with the K Street crowd, you can also get a feel of the working class D.C. around the hip Dupont Circle, similar to Washington Square Park in New York. For RV campgrounds around D.C. it’s honestly pretty tough. Our best suggestion is to park at the Walmart Superstore in Bloomingdale along the metro line from Silver Springs, Maryland.
Mount Vernon and Monticello
Now that you’ve worn out the soles of your shoes walking around the capitol, it’s time to head back to the open road and take a look at how two of the founding fathers enjoyed the fruits of their labor. Not far outside the big city is Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. About 100 miles further south you come to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Both estates and the surrounding landscapes are preserved in immaculate condition. Just to see the elegant homes and the beautiful gardens are something in themselves, let alone the deep history.
Photo credit: Wikimedia
