US East Coast roadtrip 2024
Friday, 4 April 2025
Last years (July 2024) American road trip was an amazing adventure. Over the course of two weeks, we drove from Washington to Key West and back again, and it was filled with unique experiences, incredible scenery, and memorable moments. 
Arriving in Pensacola, we checked into a boutique hotel called Oyster Bay with views over the bay (and a fully stocked snack kitchen). Dinner, at a beach shack called Shaggy’s, was all the more fun with $4 cocktails and a beautiful sunset, followed by a spectacular drive back to the hotel with lightning lighting up the night sky.
Day 4: Prepare for lift off!
We talk about this day all the time, it’s hard to comprehend just how much we got done, not to mention just how exciting one of those things was.
We were up and in the car with the roof down, on the way to beach by 5 am. Apparently the car park there was the best place to watch the rocket launches at Cape Canaveral. We pulled into a little lay by, and found the perfect spot the watch the launch, framed by the trees.
Arriving in Washington at 8 pm with no hotel booked, the plan was to pick up our (very cool) car and drive towards where we needed to be for the next morning - which was the Blue Ridge Parkway. We went for as long as we could manage, with the roof down and American pop rock blaring from the speakers and arrived in Culpeper - where we checked into a cheap motel for the night.
Day 1: Blue Ridge Parkway
Our journey began on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, winding through the Appalachian Mountains, again with the roof down and a blanket we’d stolen from the flight to keep my legs warm.
We stayed in a yurt we’d found on Air bnb in the forest that evening. After a day of intense sunshine, it had gotten a bit stormy by the time we arrived so we set up the fire pit and cooked dinner on it while rain poured down around us before heading inside our fairy lit tent for the night. It was one of our most memorable accommodations and the perfect start - magical, peaceful, and a full sense of adventure.
Day 2: The Mile high Swinging Bridge
We stayed in a yurt we’d found on Air bnb in the forest that evening. After a day of intense sunshine, it had gotten a bit stormy by the time we arrived so we set up the fire pit and cooked dinner on it while rain poured down around us before heading inside our fairy lit tent for the night. It was one of our most memorable accommodations and the perfect start - magical, peaceful, and a full sense of adventure.
Our second day on the road took us to see the Mile High Swinging Bridge on Grandfather Mountain.
After eavesdropping on some very loud Americans on the way back down, we discovered there was a winery nearby, so we found it on the map and headed straight there. The afternoon sun was warm, and the air was filled with the sounds of a local folk band playing as we arrived. Every table was taken so we grabbed a glass of wine and sat on the edge of the creek.
After eavesdropping on some very loud Americans on the way back down, we discovered there was a winery nearby, so we found it on the map and headed straight there. The afternoon sun was warm, and the air was filled with the sounds of a local folk band playing as we arrived. Every table was taken so we grabbed a glass of wine and sat on the edge of the creek.
It was here we discovered banana pudding which I picked up from one of the food trucks. I have a few memories of particularly special mouthfuls of food, and this was one of them. I searched for it in every town we visited for the rest of the trip, it was so good.
This serene moment by the creek remains one of my favourite memories from trip. We sat there for a while, lost in the moment, enjoying the spontaneity and serendipity of it all.
From there, we left for Atlanta.
This serene moment by the creek remains one of my favourite memories from trip. We sat there for a while, lost in the moment, enjoying the spontaneity and serendipity of it all.
From there, we left for Atlanta.
Day 3: From Georgia to Florida
Today we tried our first American diner. We were after an old-school spot with sticky red stools and found just the place. It was cramped, bustling, almost 100 years old. Perfect. We ordered an array of different dishes but the standout item was my first cup of sweet tea. An American friend had told me about it once and his excitement was justified. I drank it every day for the rest of the trip.
After breakfast - and more sweet tea to take away - we left Atlanta heading towards and what was our favourite night of the trip, leaving the mountains, via the big city, for the beach!
After breakfast - and more sweet tea to take away - we left Atlanta heading towards and what was our favourite night of the trip, leaving the mountains, via the big city, for the beach!
Arriving in Pensacola, we checked into a boutique hotel called Oyster Bay with views over the bay (and a fully stocked snack kitchen). Dinner, at a beach shack called Shaggy’s, was all the more fun with $4 cocktails and a beautiful sunset, followed by a spectacular drive back to the hotel with lightning lighting up the night sky.
Today was mostly about covering ground as we had a particularly big day ahead tomorrow. We had acai bowls on the beach and then drove 7 hours to Titusville which was not somewhere I’d heard of before.
The driving was such a highlight of the trip that actually, all that time in the car was super enjoyable and quite special. We got caught in storms, stopped for snacks, listened to music and talked for hours on end.
Arriving late in this sleepy little roadside town, we skipped dinner in favour of ice cream and scrap booking - just in time see 3 police cars and an arrest at the parlour.
The driving was such a highlight of the trip that actually, all that time in the car was super enjoyable and quite special. We got caught in storms, stopped for snacks, listened to music and talked for hours on end.
Arriving late in this sleepy little roadside town, we skipped dinner in favour of ice cream and scrap booking - just in time see 3 police cars and an arrest at the parlour.
Day 5: A very busy day
We talk about this day all the time, it’s hard to comprehend just how much we got done, not to mention just how exciting one of those things was.
We were up and in the car with the roof down, on the way to beach by 5 am. Apparently the car park there was the best place to watch the rocket launches at Cape Canaveral. We pulled into a little lay by, and found the perfect spot the watch the launch, framed by the trees.
Dan found the space channel online and we were able to listen to the iconic countdown before the rocket shot off into the sunrise, leaving a trail of smoke in the sky behind it. Unforgettable.
We planned to visit the Kennedy space centre afterwards but it was still very early so stopped off for breakfast first. Sweet tea and scrap booking, as per our routine, in a cute little small town booth by our motel.
We got caught in a torrential downpour as we were finishing up in the space centre which provided the perfect excuse to visit the gift shop – for NASA branded ponchos of course – and stickers for the scrapbook.
That cleared up and we were soon back on the road with the roof down, heading for Miami.
Day 12-14: The Outer Banks
Day 15: Washington D.C. Finale
We planned to visit the Kennedy space centre afterwards but it was still very early so stopped off for breakfast first. Sweet tea and scrap booking, as per our routine, in a cute little small town booth by our motel.
We got caught in a torrential downpour as we were finishing up in the space centre which provided the perfect excuse to visit the gift shop – for NASA branded ponchos of course – and stickers for the scrapbook.
That cleared up and we were soon back on the road with the roof down, heading for Miami.
We stopped off at a roller skating rink along the way. We had brought our skate all the way from London after all and it was a great way to get some movement in whilst escaping the afternoon heat for a couple of hours.
Arriving in Miami that evening, we checked into our room at Soho beach house, which had been upgraded to a huge, almost apartment for a three day mini break. First stop, the roof for cocktails!
I loved the vibe of Miami. I knew I would enjoy soaking in the vibrant energy of the city from the moment we arrived.
Arriving in Miami that evening, we checked into our room at Soho beach house, which had been upgraded to a huge, almost apartment for a three day mini break. First stop, the roof for cocktails!
I loved the vibe of Miami. I knew I would enjoy soaking in the vibrant energy of the city from the moment we arrived.
Day 6 & 7: and relax
Our first day with no plans, and the perfect place for it. We had a lazy morning and found ourselves a cabana by the pool to spend the day at. Breakfast turned into cocktails, which turned into snacks and more cocktails. Before we knew it, it was 5 pm.
Known for its skate culture, we decided to take the evening to skate along the Miami boardwalk, where we found a fairy lit, beach facing restaurant. They were a little dubious about giving us a table but once I switched my skate for heels, we were sat at the front of this very romantic restaurant, eating fresh fish with a view of the ocean.
The next day was similar, although headed out to explore the neon-lit streets of South Beach that evening. Our uber driver insisted we watch the backstreet boys on his ipad as he drove us there. We ate Mexican food and stopped on the street for slush puppies spiked with alcohol.
Day 8: The Florida Keys
Known for its skate culture, we decided to take the evening to skate along the Miami boardwalk, where we found a fairy lit, beach facing restaurant. They were a little dubious about giving us a table but once I switched my skate for heels, we were sat at the front of this very romantic restaurant, eating fresh fish with a view of the ocean.
The next day was similar, although headed out to explore the neon-lit streets of South Beach that evening. Our uber driver insisted we watch the backstreet boys on his ipad as he drove us there. We ate Mexican food and stopped on the street for slush puppies spiked with alcohol.
Our route out of Miami followed a trail of dessert shops, hot chocolate stops and Jewish deli's before joining the incredible road that took us through each of the keys, all the way to Key West at the end. I really liked Key West. We grabbed tickets for the last trolley tour of the day and saw the town which felt like a real-life Disney Main Street full of charming clapperboard houses, cute local bars, shops and food shacks. I would have liked the stay longer but our hotel for the night was half way back up the Keys and we were very excited to get there.
It was right on the beach and we arrived back there in time to grab a couple of frozen cocktails and drink them on the jetty as the sun set over the ocean – just before a dramatic electric storm rolled in.
Day 9: Storm Debby hits
It was right on the beach and we arrived back there in time to grab a couple of frozen cocktails and drink them on the jetty as the sun set over the ocean – just before a dramatic electric storm rolled in.
The rain had started again by the time we checked out but we didn’t care because we were at the nearest diner, drowning our storm sorrows with sweet tea by the time it got bad.
Having decided it wasn’t going to ruin our fun, we set off in the light rain with the roof down hoping it’d soon stop. Unsurprisingly, the opposite happened and we ended up getting totally drenched when they heavens opened whilst we were on the motorway. There was no place to stop, so we turned the music up, put our foot down and enjoyed the ride.
Arriving at a roadside hotel, just in time for the most incredibly coloured sunset, we dropped off our stuff, dried off and headed straight out to the drive in cinema across the road. We bought our tickets, parked up and ordered every classic cinema snack under the sun. The car was a mess by the end of the night - chaos that comes from an evening well spent, it was a classic American experience ticked off our list.
Having decided it wasn’t going to ruin our fun, we set off in the light rain with the roof down hoping it’d soon stop. Unsurprisingly, the opposite happened and we ended up getting totally drenched when they heavens opened whilst we were on the motorway. There was no place to stop, so we turned the music up, put our foot down and enjoyed the ride.
Arriving at a roadside hotel, just in time for the most incredibly coloured sunset, we dropped off our stuff, dried off and headed straight out to the drive in cinema across the road. We bought our tickets, parked up and ordered every classic cinema snack under the sun. The car was a mess by the end of the night - chaos that comes from an evening well spent, it was a classic American experience ticked off our list.
Day 10: Stormy St. Augustine
In the morning, we headed to St. Augustine, which was another one of my favourite places. We stayed in an eerie house which I'm sure was haunted and had the most surreal conversation with the guy who checked us in, he was adamant about the time, which didn't line up with our phones so after questioning him for ten minutes, we accepted we must have driven over a time line - only to go back into the real world and realise we were right in the first place.
During our short visit, we hopped on another trolley tour bus - they were our most used company from the trip - we looked for one in most locations and they were really great way to see everything quickly & comfortably.
Looking back at it now, the weather can't have been that bad because I remember stopping off for ice cream (and then going back for two more because they were so good) and at dinner, we requested a table on the balcony, only to be told "Sir, we are in the middle of a hurricane, you cannot sit outside"
After a full & rainy day, we had a wonderfully romantic moment once we got back to the haunted house having put on our dressing gowns and sat on the creaky swing on the balcony watching the storm around us.
Day 11: Savannah
After a quick stop at a diner, we were back on the road and heading across state lines in the midst of the storm. I remember worrying for my life on this day, we were getting emergency storm alerts on our phones which were quite frankly, terrifying & I'm not sure how Dan managed to get us there, the rain was so bad that I couldn't really see through the windscreen.
But he did! and after a couple of hours, we arrived at the Inn on West Liberty, a safe haven from the storm. We were the only guests, greeted by the owner and her super cute little dog Sydney, they sat us down in the living room with a glass of wine and everything was calm again.
It rained all day and all night so we didn't get to do much sightseeing in Savannah which was a shame, although we did venture out for a Chinese that evening and then, with some more wine, took a long, hot bath in our lovely room.
Our next stop was Wilmington, which again, as a destination, was ruined by the rain. That's not to say we didn't have a good time. Our room was above a coffee shop come cocktail bar so on our way back from dinner by the water, we stopped in and it was perfect. A cosy, candle lit room with dark leather sofas and a specialist espresso martini menu. We stayed there all night and when it was time to leave, we walked up the stairs outside to our room and watch the lightning across the night sky.
Over the next few days, we managed to drive, ferry and eat (and nap) our way across The Outer banks without too much bother from the storm. I was a bit worried about this part of our trip but all the timings lined up perfectly and we managed to see three of the four lighthouses on our list.
Finally we were back to civilisation, heading to Washington D.C for one lat night. It happened to coincide with our one month anniversary so as soon as we arrived, we headed out for dinner to celebrate. Our evening took us to a dingy speakeasy where we had the best time reliving out favourite moment from the trip.
and then there was one day left to explore. We decided to do that on a lime scooter. A brilliant idea. I really liked Washington and think I could happily live there.
Our time in DC was great although bittersweet as it was the last stop on the most amazing holiday. We ticked off all the sightseeing destinations, went shopping and got our last sweet tea & banana pudding fix before heading to the airport.
Our flight home that evening was delayed; which initially sounded like a problem, but since they had overbooked, we got upgraded to first class. A perfect end to a perfect trip.
I'd never had any interest in America, or road trips before this, but it was an adventure I’ll never forget and something I hope I get to do again and again.