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[allover]

Hey guys...
I need some information on good hostels (and prices) and any kind of sights between NY and the Florida Keys.. A friend and I are roadtrippin down from NY to Miami and the Keys in March..
Any kind of information is helpful!
Thanks

[marian55]

Hey guys...
I need some information on good hostels (and prices) and any kind of sights between NY and the Florida Keys.. A friend and I are roadtrippin down from NY to Miami and the Keys in March..
Any kind of information is helpful!
Thanks

We have traveled from Niagara Falls, Canada to Key West by car beautiful driving experience. F.Y.I. we found a good way to pick a place to stay for the night is when you cross into the state that you might be staying in is to go to the welcome/info centres to check out all accommodations along the route that you will be traveling. We have found that quite a few motels have discount coupons in the travelers guides as well as if you have a CAA/AAA card you could get the coupon price and the card discount for a motel room.

[allover]

We have traveled from Niagara Falls, Canada to Key West by car beautiful driving experience. F.Y.I. we found a good way to pick a place to stay for the night is when you cross into the state that you might be staying in is to go to the welcome/info centres to check out all accommodations along the route that you will be traveling. We have found that quite a few motels have discount coupons in the travelers guides as well as if you have a CAA/AAA card you could get the coupon price and the card discount for a motel room.

I remember from when I went down Route 66 last year that motels give you a AAA discount even if you are not even a AAA member... Which was kinda cool...
I'm really excited for the driving as well, especially down at the Keys...
The thing is that we are trying to stay at hostels cause it's cheaper, and I don't think that they have information on hostels in the welcome centers do they?

Maybe I should plan a route and then check hostelworld to find some good ones on our way..

But if you have any more information on "must sees" let me know!

[azreal]

If your staying in Hostels... you may as well just bring a tent and stay wherever the land takes you... you poor poor soul.

[allover]

Well I don't think you can camp wherever you want right?!
And don't forget, neither one of us is working..
And 70bucks a night is quite expensive then..
Oh and we are still underage which would be another problem as well..

[mmbcross]

Check my website for things to see and do in Miami
http://www.miami-beach-travelguide.com/

One thing that surprised me here is the US is that you can often bargain for a less expensive room rate. When I'm quoted US$ 70.00, I will look sad and say that regrettably my budget is only US$ 50.00. It's surprising how many motels will accept the lower rate just to fill a bed. Regrettably it doesn't usually work at chain motels, unless the manager is at the front desk.

[azreal]

of course... you can camp wherever you please... have you ever heard of homeless people....

[allover]

Hey there..

So I kinda planned a route that we are going to take..
But I have some more questions, first, does anyone know how much the Everglades National Park is going to cost? Second, how much does it cost to take a hover craft or air boat around the everglades? And do we have to pay something for taking the highway down to the keys kinda like a national park fee?
Would you guys rather sleep somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the car or on some parking lot?

Thanks

[mmbcross]

Hi Allover,

Admission to Everglades National Park is presently US$ 10.00 per vehicle, and is valid for seven days.
Here's my website with some information: http://www.miami-beach-travelguide.com/Everglades.html

Airboats are not allowed within Everglades National Park, nevertheless, there are places that offer rides all around the periphery.
http://www.miami-beach-travelguide.com/airboat_rides.html

US 1 runs through the Keys from Miami to Key West. There is no toll.

Great Keys camping at State Park Bahia Honda or Long Key
http://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/
http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey

[huckabmm]

As someone who has done this route a fair amount I can tell you that you are in for a treat.

I used to live in Florida and I have family in New York so we run the east coast a lot. There is a ton to see and do. What kind of a route are you planning? Are you stopping in DC or Atlanta (via the major highways)? If you are then great! If not, and you're going along the coast, are you going to Charleston?

I can tell you that in general there aren't that many hostels in the US but you might try a Google search to try to find some along the way. As mentioned camping is a viable option but it is going to be HOT in March...so be sure to plan ahead.

I'd love to hear more about your trip! The drive from Miami to Key West is one of my favorite in the world!

[allover]

Hey guys, so I just kinda thought about this route, I'm not sure yet if it'll be exactly like this or not.. It was just the basic route, not sure which other places we are going to pass through.

I thought something like this :

New York - Phili - Baltimore - Washington - Richmond - Virgina Beach - Wilmington - Charleston - Savannah - Brunswick - Daytona Beach - Palm Bay - Palm Beach Shores - Fort Lauderdale - Miami (or Tampa, not sure yet cause I've been there before) - and depending on if there is some tourist stuff in the Everglades some town in there - Key Largo - all the Keys - Key West - back to Miami

Why were you asking if I was going to Charleston?
Are there any special places on this route that I should visit?
I don't mind if I have to drive 100 miles more a day or not as long as I get to see a lot!
I rather drive through some small towns than taking the highways...

Thanks for the websites, I will take a closer look at them tomorrow...

I already googled some hostels, but yes you are right, there aren't a lot in the US, I wouldn't mind spending a night in a tent or the car though, and it would maybe save us some money as well.
Is it save to spend a night in the car on some Wal Mart parking lot?

My favorite drive so far, humm that's hard, either Route 66 last year, or the drive from Sao Paulo to Curitiba last October.. They were both really nice, but I bet the Keys are going to be beautiful as well..

[marian55]

We have traveled from Niagara Falls, Canada to Key West by car beautiful driving experience. F.Y.I. we found a good way to pick a place to stay for the night is when you cross into the state that you might be staying in is to go to the welcome/info centres to check out all accommodations along the route that you will be traveling. We have found that quite a few motels have discount coupons in the travelers guides as well as if you have a CAA/AAA card you could get the coupon price and the card discount for a motel room.

I remember from when I went down Route 66 last year that motels give you a AAA discount even if you are not even a AAA member... Which was kinda cool...
I'm really excited for the driving as well, especially down at the Keys...
The thing is that we are trying to stay at hostels cause it's cheaper, and I don't think that they have information on hostels in the welcome centers do they?

Maybe I should plan a route and then check hostelworld to find some good ones on our way..

But if you have any more information on "must sees" let me know!

Your route that takes you to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania should also include a stop at the Hershey Chocolate Factory (half-way between Harrisburg and Lancaster) in Penn. The simulated tour is so no contaminants get into the chocolate in the actual factory.
Baltimore is a good stop if you like trains, I would check out The Baltimore&Ohio Railroad Museum

I wouldn't drive on I-95 anytime close to rush hour between Baltimore--to--Washington D.C.

When in Washington D.C. the Smithsonian's are a must see, so many to pick, I wouldn't go to all of them. The city has a lot of memorials/statues for all to see.
In Virginia on your way to the beach, you have to check out Busch-Gardens in Williamsburg. There is the colonial town of Williamsburg and an amusement park that has a very European styling (beer-gardens, oom-pah-pah-bands, etc.). I liked it better than the one in Florida.
Just at the border welcome centre for Florida, you stop for your free taste of grapefruit and orange juice while you check the state accommodations. Then you can continue on to Daytona. One place to see is the Daytona Racetrack/Hall of fame complex, then end at the beach.
Cape Canaveral Space Center is a must see, with the free outdoor rocket museum, and if your interested the tour of the whole complex (even the actual shuttle launch pad).
In Miami check out the art-deco around South Beach.
If you don't mind swimming with Dolphins, you can on Marathon Key, at an Aquatic Rehabilitation Center.
Finally at the end of U.S.A., Key West is practically 60 miles from Cuba at the pylon marker
and I liked the glass-bottom boat tour for watching under-water activity.

[allover]

Those are nice sights, I especially like the swimming with dolphins one...
Do you know how much this is going to be?

But I just looked at the map, what is landscape wise nicer, the way from philadelphia to Virginia Beach using I95 or not even going to Baltimore and Washington using I13?

I will definatly take a look at the race track, I own a E30 BMW M3 with an M5 engine myself so I'm a little racer as well

I'm not that much into chocolate, I rather have some good burgers

Cape Canaveral will be definatly on our route!
Do you know how much the tour is going to be?

Glassbottom boat sounds nice as well!

Would you rather go down south on the east side or the west side on the Gulf of Mexico?

[marian55]

Those are nice sights, I especially like the swimming with dolphins one...
Do you know how much this is going to be?

But I just looked at the map, what is landscape wise nicer, the way from philadelphia to Virginia Beach using I95 or not even going to Baltimore and Washington using I13?

I will definatly take a look at the race track, I own a E30 BMW M3 with an M5 engine myself so I'm a little racer as well

I'm not that much into chocolate, I rather have some good burgers

Cape Canaveral will be definatly on our route!
Do you know how much the tour is going to be?

Glassbottom boat sounds nice as well!

Would you rather go down south on the east side or the west side on the Gulf of Mexico?

Hey there Allover, the East Coast has the most sites to see and the major roadways are close to the ocean plus they are very North-South in direction. It's a great drive but it does seem to take a long time to get to Key West.

I wouldn't know any prices now, since we were there back in the 90's
We had a Ford Aerostar van that we used to camp out in, with the back seats taken out, I had a shelf across window-to-window to keep our luggage on and we slept under it on a thin mattress. It was warmer for the cool nights and definitely a lot more comfortable than in a tent sleeping on the ground.

[mmbcross]

Cape Canaveral will be definatly on our route!
Do you know how much the tour is going to be?

General admission is US$ 38.00, plus additional US$ 21.00 for a bus tour of the launch platforms. http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/buy-tickets.aspx

W

ould you rather go down south on the east side or the west side on the Gulf of Mexico?

East Coast is much more interesting. Follow A1A all the way down from Jacksonville.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_State_Road_A1A

Don't miss St. Augustine, the oldest continuously inhabited city in North America. Between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach. http://www.oldcity.com/

Also visit Beaufort on the minor road between Charleston and Savannah.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort,_South_Carolina

More to follow.......

[allover]

Thanks everyone for your help..

We had to cancel the trip though..
My friend got kicked out at home, so she is not able to save some money...
But I sure will do this trip in the next 3-4 years, so it wasn't a waste of typing!
Thanks

[huckabmm]

Thanks everyone for your help..

We had to cancel the trip though..
My friend got kicked out at home, so she is not able to save some money...
But I sure will do this trip in the next 3-4 years, so it wasn't a waste of typing!
Thanks

Oh no! I am sorry to hear that...but hopefully you will still get to do the trip someday!

[skylab]

Don't give up! You can do it for sure.
I did this route twice and found myself bored of driving after awhile lol.