Rural USA - East Coast

My family is visiting Dec-early Jan. We begin with a few days in LA before flying to Orlando then travelling up the east coast via Charelston (2 days there) to NYC (by train). After NYC (9 days), we plan 5 - 6 days in DC before flying back to LA for one week...then home. Now the question.....as well as the big cities, we are really keen to explore a rural area that is %26#39;Amtrakable%26#39; from any of these destinations. We would like to see this aspect of the US to give us a bigger picture of life in America. Needs to be a 1 hour or less trip from the city. Most places I have looked at seem to be fairly big cities from an Australian perspective (ie Richmond) or are too inaccessible with awkward timetables (eg. Charlottesville). Thanks!

Rural USA - East Coast

In general I%26#39;d say 1 hr. from most cities may get you to suburbia but probably not a ';rural'; town. I%26#39;m not sure if you%26#39;re asking for a place within an hour, (a ';day trip';) of the cities you%26#39;ve already selected to stop

LA

Orlando

Charleston

NYC

Washington DC

OR if you%26#39;re asking for places you might pass through on your Amtrak trip if you%26#39;re allowed to get out wherever you want. I think you%26#39;re much more likely to find ';rural'; on your train trip between Orlando and NYC than you are within an hour of any of those cities. There is nothing ';rural'; within an hour of NYC. There are some pretty countrified places within say 1-2 hrs. of NYC. Cold Spring, Rhinebeck, Westpoint are just a few and you can get to these on the Metro North commuter train from NYC. Here%26#39;s a link to the Metro North page for 1 day getaways from NYC

www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr/html/outbound.htm

I think you might find more rural areas an hour from Orlando, Charleston or even Washington, but they won%26#39;t be ';amtrakable'; but they may be accessible by some other public transportation. Amtrak tends to service larger towns.

Rural USA - East Coast

Have you considered a trip to the Amish country in Pennsylvania? It%26#39;s more than an hour from NY, but not too far from Philadelphia and both Philly and the Amish are worth visiting if you want to see an important and different part of America. To locate the Amish, look up Hanover, PA..they are the religious group that practices peacefulness and no acceptance of modern conveniences. They farm, drive horse and buggies and no electricity. They are special.

Philadelphia has great historical significance for us and has a section of the city which replicates what it looked like in Colonial times...about 300 years ago. You can get to Philly from NY by train.

I hope you enjoy our beautiful country and we are pleased you want to visit!

Saphhire, I was thinking the same thing. A stop in Philadelphia is well worth the visit. It is the most historic city in America and has a beautiful Center City area. From Philadelphia it is approximately one hour by Amtrak to Lancaster, PA. This is the heart of rural Amish Country. This area is spectacular at Christmas time albeit cold. There are also many one day bus trips available from Philadelphia to the Amish Country although you may not get the full rural feel from such a bus trip it will give you a good idea of rural Amish life. Check out the Philadelphia and Lancaster, PA forums for info.

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Have fun planning! Moms

I was thinking Amtrak to Rhinebeck - but its about 2 hours. I bonded with someone on the train, so got a ride to town from the train station - but they probably have cabs. Other than that, you can get around the town without a car. I can never remember the name of the historical inn there, but they have an annex property called the Delemater House, which is a group of Victorian houses divided into really nice rooms - antiques, four poster beds, etc...

Woodstock is nice too, if you want a sort of hippie theme park small town. You have to take a bus though - no trains.

As another poster said, an hour outside NYC just gets you to suburbia. However, I would bet that the Charlston environs are mostly rural (though I%26#39;ve never been).

I think you%26#39;ll need a car to see a rural area though, even if Amtrak stops in a rural area you won%26#39;t be able to see much beyong the train station without a car.

The suggesting to see the Amish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish) in Pennsylvania is excellent -- these would be tours to ';Amish Country'; in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Most will leave from Philadelphia, though I%26#39;m sure you can find some from NYC. A quick check on the web revealed this tour company www.phillytours.us/tours/tourDetail.cfm鈥?/a> which leaves from the Philladelphia train station (30th Street Station). I would check further on the Philadelphia Forum of TA.

From the DC area (where I lived for a year) I%26#39;d recommend going out to Harper%26#39;s Ferry, W. Virginia. You would need to go by car or tour bus. It%26#39;s a charming 19th century historic town in a rural area with a stunning view of the Potomac and Shennendoah rivers. The town itself is of historic importance because the abolitionist John Brown died there and, as a result, much of the town has been turned into a living history site. Take a look at the pictures here 鈥ikipedia.org/wiki/鈥?C_West_Virginia to see how lovely it is (and take a look at this pic http://www.wvtourism.com/photogallery/WV%20Attractions/images/Harpers%20Ferry%20DEF.jpg)

As another poster points out, Philly itself is enourmously charming, walkable and historic. However, Philly doesn%26#39;t ';...have a section which replicates what it looked like in Colonial times...';, it has a section which actually dates from Colonial times and still has many 18th century buildings standing, in use and tourable.

LivesinNJ is correct. The oldest continuously inhabited street in America is in Philly, Elfreth%26#39;s Alley, along with a plethora of other colonial buildings still in use as museums or homes/businesses. Moms

Have you thought about driving - it is not that hard. American drivers are more courteous than home. Both my husband and I drive here. You can hire a car and drive to the Catskill mountains in NY or the Poconos mountains in Pennsylvania. (I have been to both- both great !) - I would cut 3 days off the NYC part of your trip to squeeze the car trip in. For car hire look at

www.globalcars.com.au

they include all the costs into price - this includes insurance.

I don%26#39;t want to burst your bubble, but Charleston is not a large city (smaller than Richmond).

Summerville is about 30 minutes away and has one of the top US Relais and Chateaux properties, the Woodlands Inn (http://www.woodlandsinn.com/). It would pricey but would give you a nice taste of smalltown living with some luxury.

Another place is about an hour upr the coast. Georgetown, SC, was one of the first settlements in the US. It would give you an excellent snapshot of what smalltown living in the south is like.

While I%26#39;ve been to Amish country, it wasn%26#39;t that fascinating to me and I don%26#39;t know that I would recommend it. It%26#39;s neat to see the horse-drawn carriages, but that%26#39;s about it.

Instead, I would highly recommend the Brandywine Calley area in Pennsylvania and Delaware. It%26#39;s about an hour south of Philadelpha. You%26#39;ll find many bed and breakfast establishments. There is a lot of American history in this area since it played so prominently in the Revolutionary War. It%26#39;s also home to the DuPonts, so there are estates that dot the landscape all over the place. Some of them have been turned into tourist attractions themselves: Winterthur and Longwood Gardens are the 2 that come to mind. it really is a gorgeous area. Town names to look for would be West Chester and Kennett Square.

Whoa - I obviously didn%26#39;t spell check that one!!

I%26#39;m wondering what you might consider rural. Maybe you would enjoy the river and scenery taking the train up to, say, Beacon, NY? I don%26#39;t know what%26#39;s going on Dec/Jan though as far as the tourboats. Do realize it can be freezing up north of the city (the city is NYC) that time of year. Although it was a very warm winter last year...and then the blizzards started just before and after Easter.

You could also take the train all the way to Hudson NY...do it during the day ...sunset is what 5ish?...to see the river...the train runs along the river. TYou%26#39;ll see some beautiful countryside on the way up and the town is terrific, quaint, walkable. You can walk to b%26amp;bs there. Tons of wonderful decor and antique shops. It%26#39;s not a typical little country town though. Terrific restoration of the main street and grand hsitoric residences. Since you have 9 days in NYC you might stay a night in Hudson.

How much time do you want to spend in the rural area? You might see if you can figure a way to do it during your DC stay...or on your way. Say, cross around Southern Va or NC from east to a bit west and then go north.

There are several rural styles. There%26#39;s the mountains and valleys and small towns; there%26#39;s areas of flat open space full of farmers and fields; there%26#39;s coastal areas that feel rural.

I%26#39;m looking at the Amtrak routes. You%26#39;ll certainly see a lot of country areas going from Charleston to NY too. the thing is, where to get off. Looking at the route I see a train might stop...at least there is a stop...in Selma NC, an agricultural area that celebrates annual Railroad Days and American Music Jubilee. But while the town is quaint it still has some of the modern casual dining experiences. It can be hard to find a truly country town unaffected by the modern ';big box'; here and there along our major route, I95 and where Amtrak stops. Selma has a Cheesecake Co. and antique shops too. and a population of about 7000.

I remember when one could park right down by the incoming train, close to the tracks in Lynchburg, Va. You didn%26#39;t have to bother going in the building...just wait in the car so your guest would step from the train to your car easily. The station was only open overnight because one train arrived anytime from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. going one way....and came back around 5 a.m. or so. When it left, the train station closed down for another day. That was only maybe 10 years ago or so. Now they have a proper parking area and shops made out of the little buildings all around, nice landscaping etc. and more to come.

It would be interesting for you to check out an Amish area if you could. You ight look up the Pennsylvanian which goes from NYC to ... well, Pittsburg actually...but has a stop in Lancaster Pa. You could find out about transport all. You will see town activity and open fields for farming. But you%26#39;ll be here during our winter so while there might not be much farming you%26#39;ll also be here during Christmas time and New Year%26#39;s which will be very exciting all over.

Have you discovered that when you get the Amtrak site there are options to click on like ';Whistle Stop'; with facts and personal stories and memores; and the Interactive route Atlas. These can be helpful.

You migth also look into Ashland Va., which has an Amtrak station. You can get the train north/sort of northeast to DC/NYC from there.