Long Road Trip Suggestions

mydisneyanytime

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
My family is making the long road trip from Tennessee to Disneyland and back again this summer. We will have about 19 days so though it will be quick we will still have time to see a few things. My goal is to go to as many states in our path, see a museum or something special, then head to the next state. We do have a few days planned in DL before heading home by way of Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.

I think that I have the touristy things down okay unless someone has something that is off the beaten path. However, I am looking for neat places to eat (my kids aren't foodies so even chain fast food places are fine) and stores that might be of interest. I have a DD13 who likes to shop in stores that others may not have seen before (her favorite store is Uniqlo which the closest one to us is WDW).

Any suggestions are great!
 
What are your trip dates, specifically your prospective DLR dates? SWGE is going to open May 31st, so that will change DLR forever. If you are interested in seeing the new land, schedule more time for that. It will be reservations only for timed entry slots from 5/31-6/23, then a virtual queue (which no one really knows much about) from 6/24 until ?? Even if you don't care for SWGE at all, allow more time in the parks to adjust for the inevitable increase in crowds. By any chance will you be visiting in August? D23 Expo will be at the Anaheim Convention Center this August, and Uniqlo always has a booth on the show floor. Uniqlo is not rare out here, so your DD should be happy. We had a poster plan a road trip from the east coast to DLR, stopping at sites that inspired "Cars" and Cars Land. It was really cool how he got photos of the real sites and photos of the Disney versions. Here is the final trip report: June 2017 Trip Report – WDW vets reflect on their first DLR trip. You might get some fun ideas from that.
 
Take some fun pics at the Cabazon dinosaurs on I-10 about 20-30 min west of Palm Springs.
 


My family is making the long road trip from Tennessee to Disneyland and back again this summer. We will have about 19 days so though it will be quick we will still have time to see a few things. My goal is to go to as many states in our path, see a museum or something special, then head to the next state. We do have a few days planned in DL before heading home by way of Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.

I think that I have the touristy things down okay unless someone has something that is off the beaten path. However, I am looking for neat places to eat (my kids aren't foodies so even chain fast food places are fine) and stores that might be of interest. I have a DD13 who likes to shop in stores that others may not have seen before (her favorite store is Uniqlo which the closest one to us is WDW).

Any suggestions are great!

I'd recommend buying a National Park Pass, and stopping at an NPS site in each state. You could start by heading west on 70 through Missouri, then stop at either Brown vs Board of Education or Fort Larned in Kansas. From there you could continue on 70 through Colorado and stop at Colorado National Monument or dip south to the Great Sand Dunes NP or Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. In southern Utah, there's Arches NP or Canyonlands or Zion or Bryce Canyon. Then stop at Las Vegas and spend a few days at Disney in California.

On your way back you could stop at the Grand Canyon, then drive through Petrified Forest NP. In New Mexico there's an El Malapais NM visitor center right off the highway in Grants, or Petroglyph NM in Albuquerque. Then you could stop at the OKC monument and Central High School in Little Rock.
 
Thanks for these suggestions - they were exactly what we are looking for! We will be basically coming through Paducah, KY when we start our trip as we are going to go a few hours out on the first night after work. We already have a disability access pass for the parks so that isn't a problem! We have only a set amount of days due to workshops I have to lead on the day we leave and the day after we get back. However, I want to make sure that it isn't just a drive, it is an experience!! My kids are great travelers so we are going to see everything we can in the time that we have. Disneyland will be beyond crowded the time that we are there. I am not worried about that as there is nothing I can do about our dates. We are just going to go with the flow as much as possible. Thanks again!
 



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