If you’re looking for a scenic roadway for a weekend afternoon’s drive, you won’t need to go far for one of the nation’s top 100 best hidden gem road trips.
What has been designated “Tidewater History & River Drive” is rated No. 19 by Gunther Kia, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based car dealership that routinely conducts surveys studying trends and data related to the nation’s auto industry. The trip begins and ends in Williamsburg.
With the summer in full swing, a survey of 3,011 regular road trippers across the country were surveyed to determine their favorite hidden drive.
Beginning at home, the survey suggests a James River crossing by ferry to Surry County and on to Smithfield, driving through “(small) villages, salt marshes and farmland with deep Revolutionary roots. After another river crossing the trip ultimately returns to Williamsburg via Yorktown.
“Enjoy seafood by the water, walk cobblestone streets, and find history tucked into every corner,” the survey says. The drive takes about four and a half hours.
Two other Virginia road trips are also identified. The No. 7 excursion is the “Shenandoah Valley Scenic Loop that begins in Staunton and travels to Luray, Strasburg and Lexington before returning to Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace and Museum in Staunton.
“Cruise between mountains and farms where stone walls line the roads and Civil War landmarks sit beside local wineries,” the survey says. “Hike into caverns or linger on a porch swing overlooking endless valley views.” It takes approximately 5.5 hours to make the loop.
Southwest Virginia is the setting for the state’s third “hidden gem” road trip, beginning and ending in Abingdon.
“These routes prove you don’t have to follow the crowds to have an unforgettable road trip,” writes Joseph Gunther IV, of Gunther Kia. “From rainforest to desert, every one of these drives offers a sense of discovery that’s getting harder to find. They’re the kinds of places where you can roll down the windows, lose track of time, and feel like the road belongs entirely to you.”
The top scenic hidden gem trip is the Olympic Peninsula Rainforest Circuit in Port Angeles, Washington, while No. 2 on the list is the Big Island South Loop, beginning in Hilo, Hawaii.
The 5.5-hour-long Blue Ridge Parkway Mountain Loop, beginning in Ashville, North Carolina, and including Little Switzerland, Blowing Rock and Linville Gorge, ranked No. 3. “Stop for pie at a roadside café or linger at an overlook with nothing but sky and trees,” the survey says.
Wilford Kale, kalehouse@aol.com
