The road trip is a summertime staple.
Whether you choose to cruise down Route 66, take I-95 down to Key West or drive the Pacific Coast Highway, there’s something undeniably thrilling about hitting the road and exploring America’s highways and byways.
But every road trip needs some diversions beyond playing endless rounds of the Alphabet or License plate games.
Sure, you could dedicate a whole road trip to stopping at tourist trap road side attractions, but why spend money to check out the world’s biggest ball of twine when you could be ziplining over a canyon?
Portland, Maine
Portland is the perfect road trip destination. Whether you’re looking for a quick road trip along the east coast (it’s a 5 hour drive from New York City and less than 2 hours from Boston) or planning a cross-country adventure (start at the Atlantic Ocean in Portland and head west!).
Stretch your legs and burn some calories on a biking tour of Portland’s historic lighthouses and stunning shoreline, from Bug Light overlooking the Portland Breakwater to Spring Port Lighthouse and 2 Lights State Park. You’ll have earned a lobster roll for the road, which beats a rest stop hot dog any day.
Rumney, New Hampshire
Whether you’re headed west from Maine or just taking a short trip into New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, why not get an adrenaline rush (from something other than go over the speed limit) with a short pit-stop for to scale a mountain?
Head up to Rumney, one of the country’s premier destinations for rock climbing. Numerous crags dot the hillside of Rattlesnake Mountain above the sleepy New England town, offering exciting challenges for climbing novices and experts alike.
Niagara Falls, NY
Niagara Falls is an ever-popular road trip destination, since it’s pretty impossible to get to the Falls without driving some leg of the journey.
Once you’re there, you could check out the Falls from the shore or don a “stylish” plastic raincoat aboard the Maid of the Mist, but why not embrace a little adventure? Hop on a jet boat tour of the Niagara River, whose Class 5 rapids make for an exhilarating, and very wet, ride.
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