Visit Miami, Orlando, Florida Panhandle, New Orleans, Texas, Route 66, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon National Park, Las Vegas & LA.
The sunshine never ends on this journey across America’s sunbelt. You’ll cruise across the country from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean in California. This 3,200-mile road trip, which takes at least 3 weeks to complete, passes through an incredible nine States and numerous vibrant cities. Want to slow the pace? Then just let us know, and we’ll extend the time away to match your wishes.
Key road trip highlights:
Share this trip
We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 21 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Fly into the city of Miami, and then head over to Miami Beach. With miles of sand and beautiful art-deco hotels, South Beach is the perfect base for your first three nights. During the evening, you can enjoy a meal at one of Ocean Avenue’s many curbside restaurants while watching the lights come on and the local characters come out.
We suggest you ease your way into this road trip holiday by relaxing at your hotel’s pool or on the beautiful beach today. Later in the day, you can enjoy an evening stroll walking among the eye-catching pastel-coloured buildings of South Beach.
During your stay in Miami, we recommend you explore at least one of the many characterful neighbourhoods to really get a feel for the city. Little Havana is particularly distinctive and is home to the largest Cuban community outside of Cuba itself. Alternatively, you may want to take a refreshing dip in the 1920s built Venetian Pool in Coral Gables to enjoy this beautifully landscaped water feature.
Head out in your hire car today, north to Orlando. Along the way, you can opt to visit upscale Palm Beach or The Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral further up the Atlantic Coast. After checking into your luxury Orlando hotel, you can spend the late afternoon by the pool, deciding which, if any, of Orlando’s numerous theme parks will be visited tomorrow.
A former orange grove is now famously known as Walt Disney World. This giant resort is the size of Greater Manchester, including 4 theme parks and 2 water parks. Many other parks have sprung up over the years, and Orlando is now a mecca for theme park enthusiasts. The year-round warm climate also makes this area a golfer’s paradise. If neither of these activities excites you, you can simply enjoy the hotel’s facilities or remove this day from the road trip and spend it elsewhere along the route. Our Road Trip Consultants will help you choose the best place to suit your preferences.
Leave Orlando and head to Florida’s Big Bend region in the northwest of the State. St. Marks Lighthouse and Wakulla Springs are two of this area’s highlights you’ll want to visit as you pass through making your way west across the country.
The beautiful “Pan Handle” area in the northwest of Florida lays claim to many of the world’s best beaches along its 95-mile coastline. As you work your way west along US-98, the typically touristy area of Panama Beach makes way to less developed areas, including the pristine beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Built on the mouth of the Mississippi, New Orleans is the home of the blues, jazz, voodoo and the craziness that is Mardi Gras. The French Quarter offers remarkable charm and is a great place to park the car and take a walking tour.
A second day to stroll around ‘The Big Easy’ and meet the quirky characters that make New Orleans their home. New Orleans visitor attractions include Audubon Park, Jackson Square (pictured), Bourbon Street and enjoying freshly made beignets at Cafe Du Monde.
Start your day with a 5-hour drive through Cajun Country to Houston in Neighbouring Texas. Be sure to break up the long drive with a tasty boudin or gumbo lunch in Lafayette. Houston’s number one visitor attraction is the excellent NASA Space Centre, a must for any space enthusiast visiting Magnolia City. Want an extra day to see more of Houston’s attractions? You only need to ask when you request your personalised quote. Our team at The American Road Trip Company are always happy to add extra nights to our road trips.
Today, you’ll spend the afternoon and evening exploring Dallas, with a past and present rich in what American legends are made of. The ‘Big D’ is famous for its contributions to popular culture – notably the Cowboys and their cheerleaders, and Dallas, the TV series that once was a worldwide symbol of the USA. Check out the Reunion Tower, which gives you a 360-degree view of the city from its observation deck. Further highlights include The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, chronicling JFK’s assassination and its aftermath. Check out Deep Ellum; this former warehouse district is home to live music, brewpubs and restaurants with incredible barbecue and Tex-Mex.
Put on your cowboy hat and spend a while discovering Fort Worth’s Wild West heritage and highlights. Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District is the primary draw here, where you can watch a cattle parade and maybe even a live rodeo. Finish the day (or night) off with a visit to the iconic watering hole that is Billy Bob’s Texas, the largest Honky Tonk on the planet. Be sure to practice your line dancing and even bull riding before you arrive.
We’ll show you the way to Amarillo today; as always, your meticulous Road Trip Pack will detail a recommended route along with all the things you can see and do along today’s route. Finish the day’s drive by joining historic Route 66 in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. Cadillac Ranch, just outside Amarillo, is a classic, fun Route 66 stop that’s not to be missed.
Cruise west along an old section of the original “Mother Road” to find the delightful Spa Town of Santa Fe. Art lovers should visit The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum whilst in town. It’s a beautiful celebration of her life’s work and her love for the State of New Mexico.
More Wild West scenery today as you continue west to the magical landscape of Monument Valley, which sits on the border between Arizona and Utah. It’s a long drive today, but it’s a scenic cruise for most of the route. At its conclusion, you’ll be rewarded with an awe-inspiring sight as you witness the sunset over the proud and majestic “Mittens” of Monument Valley. This is another chance to prove your photography skills, as the landscape and sky turn to every shade of orange and red.
The world’s biggest and most famous geological wonder is just staggering. Two billion years in the making, the Colorado River has forged a mile deep, 18 miles wide and 277 mile long gouge into northern Arizona. Tonight, you’ll stay in the heart of this incredible National Park, close to the canyon’s rim. Our Road Trip Experts will help you decide whether the North or South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best overnight stop for your party.
The penultimate stop on your epic road trip across the America’s southern states today… Las Vegas. After checking into your luxury Las Vegas hotel, get dressed up and hit Sin City’s fabulous casinos, bars and restaurants. Alternatively, take this time to relax around the pool at your hotel; after a few days of driving, the chance to unwind and rest for a few days might be the ticket.
Stretch your legs with a stroll along the legendary ‘Las Vegas Strip’, grab tickets to one of the incredible shows or shop til you drop in one of the many malls. We highly recommend visiting one of the over-the-top buffets found here. Just make sure you’re hungry when you go; the range, quality and quantity of food is truly remarkable.
If you’d like, we can add in an overnight stay in Palm Springs en route; whilst this will improve the drive, Palm Springs is a beautiful desert city, and it will give you more time to visit Joshua Tree National Park; just let us know if this appeals when you request your quote. Once you’ve settled into your LA hotel, stay close to the recently found coastline, exploring Santa Monica or Venice Beach by bike, foot or car. Alternatively, you can head for the Hollywood Hills to visit the Griffith Observatory for incredible views of the City of Angels. Nearby Hollywood Boulevard is a tacky but essential celebrity fan pilgrimage that’s not to be missed.
There’s plenty to keep you busy in Los Angeles. Downtown, the Grand Central Market is a superb place to grab breakfast from one of the local vendors. Nearby is the Los Angeles Art District, which is great to explore on foot. The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall (pictured) are just some of the iconic buildings in this part of town.
Spend the day relaxing by the pool on a beach, or head out to sample more of the iconic sites of Los Angeles. One of our favourite places to visit when we’re in town is the extraordinary Getty Center, located in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Your detailed Road Trip Pack will explain how to visit this attraction and all the other essential places to see in Los Angeles.
Share this trip
You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Please use the form below to request a quote from our team. Fields marked with an * are mandatory. Please note that we currently only serve customers based in the UK & The EU.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).