Road trip from Chicago to Washington DC?

[jamdav93]

Anyone done this route before? Looking to split it over two days, with a stop in Columbus or Cleveland.

 

[Inlander]

As an alternative look at doing this with Amtrak Rail. The Cardinal goes to the south via Cincinnati ,Indianapolis and White Sulphur Springs through the Allegheny mountains, the scenery is fantastic and in sections the line runs where there are no roads. The Capital limited runs via Cleveland and also has great scenery running beside rivers and through historic Harpers Ferry.

 

[AisleSeat]

Anyone done this route before? Looking to split it over two days, with a stop in Columbus or Cleveland.

The drive from Chicago to Cleveland is way more interesting, and CLE is a nice place to visit. Driving to Columbus is just farmland and flat as far as the eye can see.

 

[justinbrett]

Do you need to drive?

I wouldn’t recommend this route. With the short time you’ve allocated, the stops will be meh and all you’ll see in the interstate. You’d be better off flying.

There’s a lot of great places in the Midwest, Cleveland is one of them, but you can’t do it in two days. Indianapolis is really good too, as is Louisville. I’d also consider Detroit if you are close by.

 

[drron]

Road trips in the States need to be slow to take it all in. There are dozens of worth while stops between Chicago and DC.

 

[SeatBackForward]

As an alternative look at doing this with Amtrak Rail. The Cardinal goes to the south via Cincinnati ,Indianapolis and White Sulphur Springs through the Allegheny mountains, the scenery is fantastic and in sections the line runs where there are no roads. The Capital limited runs via Cleveland and also has great scenery running beside rivers and through historic Harpers Ferry.

I did this in reverse just a few weeks ago, from Washington to Chicago in a Sleeperette, just over 24hrs ( which included a 2hr delay). One of the best train rides I've ever had. In this direction you pass through the mountains just as the sun is getting low, very picturesque.