Our Epic 29-State Summer Road Trip 2024 + Tips & Full Route

Epic 29-State summer road trip

An unforgettable journey through the some of the most iconic places in the U.S. — with kids, a camera, and a sense of adventure.

In the summer of 2024, our family of 4 set off on the ultimate adventure: a road trip across 29 U.S. states, exploring over 10 stunning national parks and monuments, scenic highways, and hidden gems along the way. With nothing but a packed truck, a route plan, and a shared sense of wanderlust, we clocked over 6,000 miles of memories. From the healing springs of Hot Springs National Park to the Nation’s Capital and even into Canada. This post shares our full route, our must-see stops, family-friendly road trip tips, and what we learned from living life on the road.

trip Stats + Route Overview

• States Visited: 29
• National Parks and National Monuments Visited: Hot Springs NP, Smoky Mountains NP, New River Gorge NP, Shenandoah NP, White House, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Monument, Freedom Trail Boston, Statue of Liberty National Monument, Acadia National Park, Fort Stanwix National Monument, Cuyahoga National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Gateway Arch National Park
• Other awesome locations: Presidential Library William J Clinton, National Archives, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, US Capitol Building, Plymouth Rock, JFK Presidential Library, Boston Harbor Cruise, Boston Tea Party reenactment, USS Constitution, Fenway Park Tour, One World Trade Observation and 9/11 Museum and Memorial, Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist, Canada view of Fireworks over Niagara Falls, Ferry across Lake Champlain, Mt Washington Auto Road and Observation Station, KC Royals game, World War I Memorial and Museum, and more.
• Miles Driven: over 6,000
• Trip Length: 17 days

Our Full Road Trip (Separated into 7 Parts)

Part 1: Day 1-5 Southeast States

Hot Springs NP with its beautiful walking promenade with hot springs and Outlook Tower to see the lush green landscape. Presidential Library William J Clinton is not far away in Little Rock, AR.   Both kids had a relaxing summer and were exhausted the first few days in between our locations. Luckily Bill was driving, so they could sleep while on the road. This area included a quick stop in Memphis, TN to a huge Pyramid with a neat Bass Pro shop on the inside giving us a chance to get out, walk, and explore.

Great Smoky Mountain NP is the most visited National Park in the United States with over 12 million visitors annually. You can find so many different areas to walk in a creek, find a waterfall, or a historic mill and cabins preserved through time. We were so excited to dip our feet in the cool mountain waters.

New River Gorge NP in West Virginia was a new state for the family and the drive along the interstate was beautiful. Driving across the bridge is cool, but take the Scenic drive path down to the New River base and look up at the bridge.

Shenandoah NP has multiple entrances to the main drive through the park. Stop anywhere at multiple overlooks for views worth the visit. Stopping at the town of Warrenton, Virginia at the Cast Iron Craft House for dinner before our drive to Washington DC. Take a walk downtown in Warrenton with shops and restaurants.

Part 2: Day 6-9 Nation’s Capital and New York City

Washington DC was the inspiration for our road trip tour. I am amazed at how many free museums and monuments you can walk in and around either day or night in the city. 2 days in the city was not enough to cover all of the places we wanted to visit. In fact, it wasn’t enough to see all the highlights of the city. But we saw so many amazing things here that the kids were only reading about in school, here they experienced it as close as you can.

We planned 90days in advance to get approval to tour the White House. Though it is only the East wing, you can’t miss the opportunity.   Arlington National Cemetery with its hallowed ground is more than just a National Cemetery. It also is the home to General Robert E Lee’s house during the Civil War and has been made into a museum.

Smithsonian Museums like the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum are also free to visit and a huge success with the kids. The US Capitol Building also allows for tours and was easy to walk up to get tickets on the same day. TIP: All the Smithsonian’s are with air conditioning. If its hot like our 103F deg weather, we planned these museums in the afternoon to get out of the sun and heat. 

The Washington Mall is filled with the largest collection of monuments to American history and those who served and fought for this country. Going in the day to the top of the Washington Monument with spectacular views is completely different to the nighttime views where every monument is lit up. I suggest both if time allows. The cooler temperatures at night helped us to explore more of the city.         

Visiting New York in 1 day required us to make decisions to only a few must see items. I think we saw the glory of it! The Statue of Liberty can be seen from the harbor area, but why not take a boat ride to the Statue! Take a walk through the streets of New York down to the 9/11 Memorial and take a moment of silence. Then take the elevator 102 floors to the observation deck of One World Trade and see the beauty of New York.

While here, we wanted to show the kids the 9/11 Museum that is under Tower 1 and Tower 2. The stories that are told help you feel the healing that this city has gone through. It’s hard not to get emotional here.

Part 3: Day 9-11 Massachusetts and Maine

Plymouth Rock was our next stop on this tour of American History. Starting with the first group to land here in hopes of a new life. The quaint little town was a beautiful stop on the water.

Boston is one of our favorite cities to explore. Bill and I came here 15 years ago and wanted to show the kids the rich history that is here. JFK Presidential Library added another Presidential Library to our list. We have been impressed with so many libraries, this one was just simply elegant.

We then set out to the Boston Harbor area to explore the Freedom Trail. No joke, it’s an actual brick trail in the streets of Boston. Walk the trail and it takes you by many historic Revolutionary War Monuments and buildings. Walking the Freedom trail is 2.5miles and has 16 historic landmarks.

When asking our kids what do you want to do in Boston, Elizabeth knew right away about the Boston Tea Party and wanted to throw tea into the Harbor. So she got her wish, and it was epic! They were so excited. One of our top favorite stops, they did a great recreation of the events leading up to the start of the Revolutionary War.

Taking the Sunset Harbor tour was a great ending to day 1 in Boston. Watching the planes fly from Boston Logan International Airport was William’s dream come true. Then the boat tour stops next to the USS Constitution ship. Just be warned the cannons fire from the deck signaling sunset, before cruising by the city lit up in beauty.

Our last day in Boston was another home run! If you are interested in Baseball or History, take a tour of Fenway Park. It was neat to go behind the scenes and tour the working areas of the oldest Major League Baseball Stadium.

Another must for Elizabeth was the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Hocus Pocus is one of our favorite Halloween movies to watch. Sadly, it rained on us the entire time and made for limited access to see and explore. Not only is there Witch Trial history, but the town has witch themed shops to walk along, and a rich Maritime history. 

We ended our night in the town of Gloucester, Massachusetts to visit family we haven’t seen in a long time. This fishing town again had a beautiful coastal feel with lighthouses and waterways.

Driving out of the Boston area we were itching to get back to the beauty of nature. Acadia National Park is one of the least visited parks in the US, with amazing ocean views. Nestled in Maine, this small park is packed with so much to do. As much as we wanted to watch the sun come up over Cadillac Mountain and see the first rays hitting the US, we were just as impressed in the middle of the day with this view. Lighthouses, Sand beaches, thunderous water holes, and Lobster Rolls at every roadside restaurant in this National Park.

Part 4: Day 12-13 New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York State

Mount Washington Auto Road near Franconia, New Hampshire is beautiful drive up to the summit and Weather Observatory. It is also a place to find travelers of the Appalachian Trail. Heading into Vermont we visited small towns along the way to a favorite ice cream place of William’s, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory was not a planned stop. But with the day going quicker than expected, ice cream was exactly what we needed to finish the day. We took the tour of the facility and were treated to an exclusive taste test of a new ice cream. Traveling across Vermont leads us to New York state and the chance to get across Lake Champlain by ferry with our truck!

Once entering New York, we took a quick stop in Rome to see a historic Fort. vPart of the National Parks Service, Fort Stanwix is an early American fort post.v We walked around the fort before heading onward to Niagara Falls and Canada.

Part 5: Niagara Falls and walk into Canada

One of the wonders of the world that needs to be seen is Niagara Falls from either the US side or the Canadian side, we saw it from both. Want to get the full experience? Take a ride on the Maid of the Mist on the US or the Canadian side to get soaked in the waters of Niagara. You get a rain poncho to keep kind of dry.

For dinner we walked over to Canada crossing the bridge with both car and pedestrian border patrol. Make reservations at the Skylon tower to have dinner looking over the town of Toronto and Falls. As the sun came down, we watched the lights shine around us. In the summer, fireworks explode out over the water every night.  Then walk back over to the USA by pedestrian bridge, just make sure to bring $1 for each person and your passports.

Part 6: Midwestern states

Leaving New York, we headed to Ohio to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Storms the night before putting a damper on the day. Half the park was closed due to storm damage. We found the best hike at Brandywine Falls. The next day we headed toward Kentucky to see the birthplace and first home of young President Abraham Lincoln a National Historic Park. It includes the original home cabin and a great quick stop while on the road today.

We took an underground tour of the Mammoth Cave National Park. Make sure to schedule your tour early, they do sell out fast. Then walk through the visitor center and get an idea of not only the ecosystem down in the cave, but the exploration known so far about this large cave system. This is a neat cave for all ages. It’s constantly below 60F degrees and even in the summer a sweatshirt is a great idea.

Part 7: A Tale of Two Cities in Missouri; St Louis and Kansas City

Our last National Park to visit during this epic road trip was the Gateway Arch NP in St Louis. The museum of the visitor center is huge, and full of history of the expansion to the American West. We then headed up the Arch by a small elevator. Even with a fear of heights, this is one worth the journey to the top.

We had to rush out of the city quickly to make a very important event to wrap up our 2 weeks on the road. St Louis Cardinals were playing the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, and we had seats to watch! This was the kids’ first MLB game to attend, and 2^nd stadium on this trip to go to. What an awesome way to end the night!

The last day to drive back home started with the World War I Memorial and Museum in Kansas City. Wow is the only way to describe the number of artifacts and history within this building. Take your time to walk through all the displays. The amount of information is overwhelming at times, but the impact is truly what we wanted to teach our children.

On our way out of Kansas City we went to eat at Slaps BBQ. Yes, there was a line outside, and yes, the wait was worth it! It was a great BBQ place. This began our final time in the truck for our way back to Nebraska where our home is.

Our Favorite Road Trip Stops Ranked

We experienced so many different areas of the eastern half of the United States during our 17 days on the Road. Comparing city to rural areas is usually an easy task, the mountains call to me every time. This time it is harder to compare all the places that we went to. Here are our top 10 places ranked.

1. Boston Harbor Cruise and Boston Tea Party
2. Washington Monument
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
4. JFK Presidential Library
5. The White House
6. 9/11 Memorial and Museum
7. Acadia National Park
8. Kansas City Royals Game
9. Statue of Liberty National Monument
10. Niagara Falls US and Canada

There are so many places we traveled, only listing 10 places is the hardest thing to do. List some of your top places to road trip to in the Comments Section below.

Road Trip Tips for Families

• Pick an area that interests you

When we made the decision to take a summer vacation that was a road trip with national parks, historical places, and new parts of the United States our kids have never seen. Do a little research to make sure this is a place for you and if any major plans are needed. If you want to be spontaneous, then just check out the basics for best time of year or that the place isn’t closed for renovations.

When planning this big of a trip we thought of our most wanted places and cities to add to our list. Then looked at if we needed to buy tickets in advance. The Statue of Liberty tickets need to be bought 90 days in advance if you want to go into the Statue. The White House tour needs to be requested 2 weeks to 90 days in advance and can be denied or canceled without notice. Don’t expect all locations to have tickets available day of or have a backup plan if you aren’t able to get entry.

• Old or young everyone needs a break to walk around

Some of our travel days were short between stops, but many days were long miles that we needed to plan a stop in between. My goal was to have a stop every 3 hours to get out and stretch our legs, get food, or if possible, have place on our list to explore.

Pull up Google Maps and look at the path you plan to take. You will be surprised where all the attractions are that pop up. We even moved our route a few times because we found a opportunity that we didn’t want to pass up. Like driving through a new state, or a National Park we really didn’t know anything about.

Keeping kids and parents happy usually requires some snacks along the way. Small snack Ziplock backs with fresh fruit gets eaten quickly. Water bottles, Gatorade, and caffeine were needed hydrations. If you are staying in hotels, many have ice machines, and you can refill your ice chest every day without buying more ice. Pretzels, nuts, and crackers are great dry snacks for nausea prevention or salt cravings.

We did Sams’ Club before setting out on our trip and we made it almost an entire week before buying gas station snacks. We filled a tote with snacks and refilled our snack bag every few days. That saved us $40+ a day!

• Hotels, flights, vehicle

Everyone takes their vacations and adventures differently. You must find your level of comfort and budget for this trip before you set out. We decided early that travelling by vehicle was best for us to see all the areas we wanted to.

Remember that National Parks require a lot of driving and they generally are not next to airports. So, for us flying wasn’t the best option.

Renting a vehicle is always a great idea but does require preplanning to make sure one is available where you will need it. If you don’t want to put miles on your own vehicle or feel you need a bigger option, then renting for the entire road trip would be a great too. Be mindful of the fine print, we have had times in the past charged extra if we don’t return the vehicle to the same location as where we picked it up. In case your start and finish locations are different due to flights.

• Have a budget

For us, we took a long time to plan this trip. 7 months!! The best part about that was deciding what our budget was and buying tickets early, allowing us to spread out the cost. Paying for as many items upfront when purchasing tickets meant that the items we had to pay for each day on the trip were food, gas, and souvenirs. Mapping out your road plan also will give you a general idea of the miles you will take and can budget fuel costs. Keeping souvenirs purchases to a minimum will help with your budget, remember you only have limited space to travel.

• Do your Research- National Parks Service website and Recreation.gov

Make sure that the place you plan on attending is open and operational during the time of year you will be arriving. We spend a lot of time on not only Google, but the Nationalparks.gov website and App to search each park location, hours of operation, fees to enter, and if timed entry is required. Even with all of that, there were a few surprises along the way. Timed entry is always the hardest when not fully knowing what time you will arrive at the park. Many have a 30min early arrive up to the full hour of your time slot to arrive. Luckily only Acadia NP Cadillac Mountain had required time entry and if unable to reserve a ticket, we still could explore the rest of the park.

Fees to enter parks are not always the same dollar amount at each. Some of the parks, monuments, and memorials are completely free to enter. One of the best purchases we have invested in is the America the Beautiful Parks Pass. This is an $80 purchase that allows you to enter free to the National Parks, Recreation areas, and other Department of Interior park locations that require admission during the 12 months after purchase. This does not cover the parking permit or camping fees a certain locations, so always ask. We paid the required $5 for a parking permit to Great Smoky Mountains, a free entry National Park. Honestly you can’t be mad at that, the pass has surpassed its value. Go to more than 3 NPs in a year and it has paid for itself. Also, if you’re a Senior, Disabled Veteran, or a 4^th grader you can get your 12 month pass for free or discounted.

Our Most Memorable Moments

I can’t even begin to explain the number of memories this trip has made for us. The value of a family road trip can’t be explained in this blog. You just have to take our word for it, it was EPIC! We were truly amazed at how these stops along the way were adventures of another magnitude.

I must admit, it wasn’t sunshine and roses every day. We put so many items into a short time that we had to cut out some of our plans because we just didn’t have time to do it all. Running out of time in Vermont we couldn’t see all of the countryside we wanted and instead went to Ben and Jerry’s because it was the better option at the time. Some days we also needed a break. Getting to a hotel at 5pm to order dinner and stay in watching a movie was exciting again!

Photo Gallery & vlog

Want to see our Photos and Videos of our travels to help get your ideas flowing! Continue to scroll down for more pictures. Click the links below to watch our YouTube videos of each of our adventures listed in this article. Also subscribe to our YouTube channel for new videos of our upcoming travels together as a family.

• Episode 1: 4 National Parks in 3 Days | Epic Eastern United States Road Trip 2024
• Episode 2: Washington D.C. & New York City | Epic Eastern United States Road Trip 2024
• Episode 3: Boston & Acadia National Park | EPIC Eastern United States Road Trip 2024
• Episode 4: From the Summit to the Ferry – A Road Trip Through New England | EPIC Family Summer Road Trip 2024
• Episode 5: Maid of the Mist + Canadian Fireworks | EPIC Family Summer Road Trip 2024
• Episode 6: From Niagara Falls to Mammoth Cave | Epic Summer Road Trip 2024
• Episode 7: St. Louis Arch to Kansas City Baseball & BBQ: The End of Our 6000-Mile Odyssey

Final Thoughts + Whats Next

When we got home, we posted everything to our Facebook account and were amazed at how many people wanted to see our itinerary to plan their own trip. I couldn’t believe all those things that we had done after looking at all the posts and pictures.  Even after all these months and I am writing about it here for you to read, it really is amazing we saw so much. The kids still rave about all their favorite areas and where they want to go back to again.

The craziest part about this entire road trip is that we couldn’t wait to get on the road and do it again! No, really. We went out a month later and had a 3 day weekend adventure! We then decided we enjoyed that so much that we started brainstorming the idea of starting this blog. We have been to amazing places all over the world and want to share them with our family, friends, and the rest of the world.

That is where the idea for Murphys Odyssey blog started. This trip changed our view on the life we want to share with our kids and share it with you. We took videos and photos along the way with the idea of eventually setting up a YouTube channel. Now those videos are online available to watch. I hope you connect to our channel to watch and experience it in video.

Want more details about each place we visited on our trip? You got it! Watch each week new posts about each area that we visited on our Epic Summer Road trip to see where we went, more tips and tricks we found out while there, and ideas to help you plan your own road trip!