Road trip help! Atlanta to Grand Canyon

[lovebuzz]

Hi everyone I need help planning a road trip from Atlanta to the Grand Canyon this summer. We will be taking interstate 40 most of the way and we need some fun stuff to see and do one the way. The trip will be 3 adults and 4 kids. The kids ages range from 5- 12. Thanks for you help. We are looking for fun and unusual things to see that we can't do at home.

 

[Goofyluver]

When you take I-40 through New Mexico, veer off in Albuquerque and take I-25 from Alb. 45 minutes to the north and make a stop in Santa Fe for the night. Stay in Old Town Santa Fe. Eat anywhere with a Mexican name. And walk around the Governor's Palace/town square at night.

Also, I-40 follows Route 66 most of the way through New Mexico. Some fun places to stop along the way.

The best truck stop in the world can be found on I-40 as you're coming in to Albuquerque. It's the Flying C Ranch. Cool stuff in there. Strange recommendation, I know. But, it's worth a look.

 

[eduk8r26]

The Cadillac graveyard outside of Amarillo!! It's only a few minutes, but it's fun to see. Also the memorial to the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City.

 

[Goofyluver]

The Cadillac graveyard outside of Amarillo!! It's only a few minutes, but it's fun to see.

Ooooooh!

 

[lovebuzz]

Thanks everyone for the replies. So far we are doing diamond mining outside of Little Rock. We are also doing the Petrefried Forest and the cadalliac ranch.

I will also add the Flying C Ranch just because you recommended it and has a Dairy Queen in it. I am sure the kids will want a blizzard.

 

[Minnie's Pal]

Hi everyone I need help planning a road trip from Atlanta to the Grand Canyon this summer. We will be taking interstate 40 most of the way and we need some fun stuff to see and do one the way. The trip will be 3 adults and 4 kids. The kids ages range from 5- 12. Thanks for you help. We are looking for fun and unusual things to see that we can't do at home.

how long do you plan on this trip taking?

 

[lovebuzz]

We plan on it taking 2 weeks. We are not really on a schedule, we just plan on stoping where we want to and if it takes longer than so be it.

 

[smb6]

We live north of Atlanta, and I am planning the same trip for next summer (2012). Hopefully I can find this thread when the time comes for my trip. I plan for the drive to be liesurely and I also hope to make a lot of "interesting" stops!

 

[lovebuzz]

One tip that I can give you now is to book your hotel reservations for the grand canyon now. If you want to stay at a hotel inside the park you have to book a year out. You can book 13 months out.

 

[Minnie's Pal]

We live north of Atlanta, and I am planning the same trip for next summer (2012). Hopefully I can find this thread when the time comes for my trip. I plan for the drive to be liesurely and I also hope to make a lot of "interesting" stops!

I agree...hopefully the OP will post a trip report.

 

[MiniGirl]

One tip that I can give you now is to book your hotel reservations for the grand canyon now. If you want to stay at a hotel inside the park you have to book a year out. You can book 13 months out.

I just booked our room for next month yesterday, and we are staying inside the park. However, we are going mid-May before schools are out, so maybe that is why we didn;t have any problems.

 

[Not My Fault!]

Try to find sections of the old, restored Route 66...there's all sorts of fun/interesting/weird stuff.

Try here: http://www.historic66.com/

and here: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/links/route66.htm

 

[justhat]

We did a similar drive when we moved here last summer (NJ-Tucson, AZ, but our 2nd stop was Atlanta). Anyway, from Atlanta to Tucson, we took a more Southern route than you are (I-10), but I'll tell you how long it took from Atlanta, and we stopped a lot.

We left Atlanta after dinner and drove to Montgomery, AL for the night. Left early morning for Mobile, spent the day there with friends, couldn't get a hotel room in Mobile (insane, I know, but true!), so we drove to New Orleans after dinner and spent 2 nights with my inlaws. From there we went to Houston, spent a day there with friends (from this board actually!), then left the next day for San Antonio. Spent the day there with family, drove to Kerrville and stayed there for the night. That was another hard to book place, we literally got the last room in the last hotel we called. We did a long haul day from (basically) San Antonio to Las Cruces, NM the next day, got to NM around, hmm, 3pm. We left Las Cruces the next morning and drove straight to Tucson, getting here around, maybe, 1pm.

So, 6 nights from Atlanta. We did about 6 hours in the car each day, then spent time in each city.

 

[ckmommy]

We are driving from Houston to The Grand Canon in July. I think we are taking I10 to I40--we are going to stop in fort Stockton, then go to the Caves in Carlsbad, NM--stay the night in Albuquerque--then to the Grand Canyon. That's our plan at least.

 

[Goofyluver]

We are driving from Houston to The Grand Canon in July. I think we are taking I10 to I40--we are going to stop in fort Stockton, then go to the Caves in Carlsbad, NM--stay the night in Albuquerque--then to the Grand Canyon. That's our plan at least.

You're going to love the Carlsbad Caverns. It's a long, steep hike down, though. Bring your hikin' shoes.

If you go at night, you can see the bat exodus.

 

[lovebuzz]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I will post a trip report here when I get back.