Getting to where you are going is always a great feeling, but sometimes, it's the ride that counts. Memories made on a family road trip can never be forgotten. Here are some awesome family road trip ideas that allow you to experience a beautiful and scenic journey while taking advantage of spending time together for a truly memorable adventure.
Record-Setting Roads
For the family who embraces the "go big or go home" mindset: These are what you want to experience!
Colorado's Trail Ridge Road spans 12,183 feet in elevation through Rocky Mountain National Park. You're likely to see bighorn sheep, elk and deer along the tree line in this dramatic tundra landscape.
The entire natural unobscured natural vista along Highway 101 in Oregon has been preserved by the state and once you see it, you will know why. The road hugs the coast for over 300 miles, offering breathtaking views and family-friendly stops (Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area) along the way.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers as "One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in 1964. It crosses the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and connects the City of Virginia Beach to Cape Charles in Northampton County on the Virginia Eastern Shore and is a structural amazement at 17.6 miles long from shore to shore, crossing what is essentially an ocean strait.
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge in Louisiana spans an impressive 24 miles and is supported by over 9,000 concrete pilings. The first span opened to the public in 1956, and a second span was completed in 1965, allowing single-direction traffic to travel safely and separately on each span.
Holiday Lights
Start a new tradition by making a trip that includes taking in some amazingly festive sights to enchant kids and adults of all ages.
In West Knoxville, Tennessee, Shadrack's Water Sports transforms the hillside landscape into a winter wonderland with hundreds of thousands of synchronized and dancing lights.
An entire neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York comes together every year and transforms Dyker Heights into the North Pole. Each house comes up with a theme and lights up everything to create a drivable adventure for locals and tourists alike.
Known as the world's largest animated light extravaganza, the Magical Nights of Lights celebration in Lake Lanier, Georgia is a time-honored tradition (over 16 years running) that takes families on a six-mile tour of holiday happiness.
Natural Tunnels
These scenic, awe-inspiring wonders are hardly ordinary! Park and snap plenty of pics with the kids to preserve memories for a lifetime.
Utah's red rock landscape is on display as you drive into and out of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel in Utah, one of the most majestic features of Zion National Park. The road to and from includes seven switchbacks that takes cars from the bottom of the valley floor to an amazing elevation of 800 feet.
Visitors to Yosemite National Park get to drive through one of the most famous and stunning tunnels in the country at Sequoia Park's fallen "Tunnel Log" – literally the trunk of a fallen sequoia – for one of the best views in Yosemite without actually having to leave your car!
Driving through the Autumn Tree Tunnel in Smuggler's Notch State Park in Vermont is like driving under two hugging trees in a Tim Burton film. For a few moments you will be completely surrounded by the most beautiful foliage in the world, so be sure to drive slowly and soak it all in.
Flowers and Leaves and Vineyards, Oh My!
Reconnecting with nature's beauty while you reconnect with each other on a road trip – what could be better?
Passengers might be tempted to take pictures along the entire length of the 56-mile drive on The High Road from Santa Fe to Taos in New Mexico. You'll take in scenic vistas including flower meadows, pueblos, forests, and artists' colonies – a truly unbelievably beautiful stretch of road. It climbs from the Sangre de Cristo to the Rocky Mountains, with canyon views over Truchas Peak at 13,102 feet.
The Bluebonnet Trails in Ennis, Texas showcase spectacular blooms in April. Garden lovers from all over flock to drive through fields full of this gorgeous wildflower. There's even an annual festival with arts and crafts, great food and fun kids activities, too!
The Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire is home to some of the country's most amazing autumn foliage. The 36-mile highway moves at a slower pace in October when leaf-peepers drive through to spy maples, alder and birch blazing in their full glory. Come spring, it's all about the yellow violets and wood anemone.
The neat lines of rolling vineyards flank Cali's Silverado Trail on the eastern edge of Napa Valley. Roll down the windows as you drive past world-famous wineries like Stag's Leap and restaurants like the French Laundry.
Glacial Beauty
This isn't your run-of-the-mill scenery atall. Glaciers combine science and history to give kids a truly memorable trip that's (gasp!) even a little educational.
If you're hoping to spy snow-covered peaks, then a drive through Montana's Glacier National Park's sub-alpine meadow will stop you in your tracks. Snowdrifts can actually close the road, so it's only drivable from May to October.
Prehistoric glaciers and mountain ranges with peaks as high as 14,000-feet line the 300-mile route from Anchorage to Valdez in Alaska. You'll peep the pipeline, too, and as you drive the final 25-mile drop from Thompson Pass to Valdez, you'll get a breathtaking view of the Keystone Canyon waterfalls.
Scenic Highways
These destinations are legit vacation-worthy, with gorgeous sights and family-friendly amenities, too.
From Key Largo to Key West, the stretch of U.S. Highway 1 that strings the Florida Keys together runs past lighthouses, stunning water views, beachside restaurants and over the 7 Mile Bridge (one of the longest in the world).
A perfect drive for all seasons, the drive through the Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Park is 500 miles of pure color. From the fall leaves to the greenery of the summer and snow-capped mountains of winter, it's made for travelers looking for a good view.
These amazing road trips deserve an equally amazing ride. Find out why the 2016 Buick Envision, with its luxurious and comfortable accommodations, is such a joy to drive.
