The Perfect East Coast Roadtrip Itinerary

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Full disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which reward me in the event of a subscription or sale at no extra cost to you. I use these funds to feed my dogs. Thanks for the dog food

As most of my regular followers know (and for those who do not), I recently moved from the south-eastern portion of the US in Alabama, up to the north-eastern portion of the US in Pennsylvania. So I thought to myself, why spend that 19 hour drive just…driving? So, I did what I do best, and put together an incredibly fun east coast roadtrip itinerary, which I am now going to share with all of you! This itinerary includes things from sight-seeing, to food lovin’, to hiking, and all the coffee drinking bliss.

BUT FIRST: Let’s talk roadtrip essentials.

• The perfect playlist (better make sure your iPods are charged, loaded, and ready to roll!
• Hydration! Anybody ever drive like forever, and realize out of nowhere that you’re thirsty as hell? That’s right, even when we’re not necessarily on the move we need to stay hydrated, so a good waterbottle is key. (Ps. don’t forget about the furbabies! If you’re traveling with dogs, make sure you’ve got portable water bowls for them as well!
• Did somebody say snacks? Oh wait no, that was me. You know you’re going to get hungry, so make sure to pack some yummy goodness. I mean, hey I’m all about trying new restaurants and foods, but everyone gets a little hangry when they’re driving am I right?+
• How about a phone charger? Nobody wants to experience the dreaded oh s*** feeling when your phone dies, and you’re in the middle of nowhere.
• Ever wonder how I get such great quality photos when I’m riding solo? Check out this tripod/selfie stick miracle worker.

I could keep going, but I think I covered at least the basics. So the cool thing about this itinerary is that you can start either at the top or the bottom. For me, coming from Alabama, bottoms up made a little bit more sense. There are several points of interest where you will be stopping to sleep, and you can combine multiple into one day if you’re working with time constraints. Do with this information what you will, but make it fun, and do what works best for you and your companions! When you get to Alabama, check out my past articles for some ideas on places to visit and things to do!

St. Augustine, FL

At about a 6 hour drive from my location in Alabama, this was my first destination. Start your day off with some coffee and a breakfast sandwich/bagel from City Bistro and Coffee Company, located in the Historic Downtown section, take it to go and go walk along the waterfront. Spend some time in and out of the stores downtown (my suggestions include Anchor Boutique, the farmer’s market (Saturdays only), and anything on St. George or Avile’s street). Some great places to dine for lunch or dinner include Ice Plant or Harry’s Seafood for a bayfront view spectacular! Don’t forget about the beaches! St. Augustine is lined with multiple beaches that are ALL dog friendly (music to my ears). I stopped at St. Augustine beach, and found it surprisingly slow and empty which was really very nice.

Here’s a challenge: go find this wall! It makes for a great “insta worthy” backdrop.

Savannah, Georgia

Next stop, Savannah! I was so excited about visiting here, because this charming little city has been on my bucket list for quite some time now. Having the dogs tag along made things a bit more … interesting let’s say, but I still just absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere and scenery here, and I will definitely be revisiting at some point. You’re definitely going to want to spend some time at Wormsloe Historic Site while you’re here. It’s a can’t miss kind of thing, and absolutely breathtaking. (For my Miley fans out there, this is where a portion of the film The Last Song was filmed). Next, head downtown. Be sure to spend some time at The Waterfront to fulfill any shopping, eating, drinking desires. Forsyth Park is BEAUTIFUL, I recommend visiting right at sunset or in the evening to really appreciate some of the lighting. In addition, if anyone is a big Forrest Gump fan, the bus stop bench from the “life is like a box of chocolates” scene is located right in Chippewa Square. To my disappointment, the bus bench is no longer there, but still a cool visit!

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is such a cute and colorful city. Please spend at LEAST a full day here to fully be able to appreciate all that it has to offer. Some key points to visit are for sure going to be the Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park (dog friendly, btw). Rainbow Row is the cutest little colored row of homes. Some of the alley ways and hidden passages within the city are actually really cool, and they even hold tours on this. I recommend taking at LEAST a carriage tour of the city. For food, The Codfather (okay sorry I just really love the name), Workshop is a really cool food hall, and Tattooed Moose for a divier vibe.

Asheville, North Carolina

So this is where the trip kind of takes a turn for the more outdoorsy folk desires. Asheville being the last really large city stop, was a place I had wanted to explore early morning, look at some architecture, and have a cup of coffee. If you decide to spend more time here, I have some suggestions, (hint hint Biltmore Mansion) and you can throw in some of your own as well. My main points of interest here were to grab a cup of coffee at this DOG FRIENDLY COFFEE SHOP called Battery Park Book Exchange and then to walk around the River Arts District for a little bit before heading out to the Great Smokies.

The last few days of your trip can be as extensive or shortened as you please relative to which trails you decide to hike in each national park. My trip stops in Maryland, as I stopped here to visit my family prior to completing my move to Pennsylvania. I encourage you to continue further north, because there are so many more beautiful places and parks to visit along the way. (Just saying, if I were to keep going, I would have eventually ended up in Acadia). *hint hint #2*

So your last few days should look something like this:

Hiking or Camping in the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee (take the scenic blue ridge mountain route from North Carolina to get here).

Hiking or Camping in Shenandoah Park, Virginia

This trip was rejuvenating, beautiful, and knocked some more states and cities off of my bucket list, but it also freed my mind just the right amount prior to starting school.

Update: I wrote the post right before s*** hit the fan in school, but I passed my first quarter of PA school with all A’s and B’s! This is a huge milestone for me. With that being said, posting is taking a lower priority so patience please, but I’ll get you as much content as possible during the next few busy months 🙂 I hope everyone is enjoying the start of winter season! I know my closet is. I hope to bring you ALL the Christmas festivities in the Philadelphia region, and more importantly, getting my butt back out into the great outdoors!

Until next time!
-C