At its shortest distance, traveling the approximate 450 miles from Boston to Washington can take a little more than seven hours. But given that Interstate 95 runs through the most densely populated urban corridor in the United States -- and among its most vibrant and historic cities -- there are many reasons to stop and enjoy the scenery no matter how you get there. From a direct shot through America’s great cities to a more circuitous route along the coast or through the inland forests, a drive from Boston to the nation’s capital is a great way to discover America.
The trip from Boston to Washington allows you to visit seven of the nine American universities that were chartered before the American Revolution. This 470-mile, 8.5-hour drive, visits six of eight Ivy League universities -- missing only Dartmouth and Cornell. This route roughly follows Interstate 95, with the oldest of the lot -- chartered in 1650 -- Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the starting point. Travel south to reach Providence, Rhode Island, home of Brown University. From there, I-95 continues to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. About a 90-minute drive will take you to Columbia University, near Harlem in New York City. Southward, Rutgers University and Princeton are about 30 minutes apart in the cities of New Brunswick and Princeton, respectively. Rutgers, chartered 10 years before the Declaration of Independence, is the only non-Ivy on this tour. I-95 runs to the east of Philadelphia, so you'll want to turn along Interstate 676 to reach University of Pennsylvania in West Philly. From here, the last university on the tour, it is another 135 miles along I-95 to the nation’s capital.
For a 12-hour, 550-mile tour that travels closer to the Atlantic shoreline, including two ferry rides and several long bridges, follow a route that travels south from Boston, along Massachusetts State Route 24 through the picturesque seaside town of Newport, Rhode Island, arriving at New London, Connecticut, via U.S. Highway 1. At New London, you'll find the Cross Sound Ferry, which takes travelers on an 80-minute ride across the Long Island Sound to Orient Point, New York. It is more remote on this end of Long Island, and you can choose to travel along New York State Route 25, closer to Long Island Sound, or New York State Route 27, closer to the Atlantic shoreline. Either way, you’ll eventually encounter sprawling New York City. Once through, connect to the Garden State Parkway. It roughly runs parallel to New Jersey’s Atlantic coastline, making it easy to cut over to visit the sandy beaches along the Jersey Shore. At the southern end of the parkway is Cape May, where you can cross Delaware Bay on an 85-minute ferry ride, arriving at Lewes, Delaware. From there, take Delaware State Route 404 west toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Annapolis, Maryland, where you will be about 35 miles from Washington.
For a drive that sidesteps many of the Eastern Seaboard’s main urban centers for the picturesque forested landscapes of the Hudson River Valley and of eastern Pennsylvania, travel west from Boston on Interstate 90 and connect to I-84 near Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Non-stop, the route takes about nine hours, traveling 550 miles. From Sturbridge, I-84 takes you through the wooded communities of western Connecticut and the spectacular Hudson River Valley in New York. Past Scranton, Pennsylvania, make sure to take Pennsylvania State Route 118 west to see the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park. From there, travel south to Harrisburg, the state capital, picking up U.S. Route 15. It will take you near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, home of the decisive Civil War battlefield, before you continue 80 miles to Washington.
The most direct route from Boston to Washington is to simply take I-95 south, a 450-mile drive that can be completed non-stop in roughly seven hours, assuming there is no traffic. Given that this route travels through five of America’s most vibrant cities, a great way to organize a scenic trip is to organize it thematically: Visit the main library in each city or a ballpark or a historic site -- whatever is your interest. One such example might be museum in each, starting with Museum of Fine Arts Boston and its collection of works from the American Revolution era. In New York, check out the newer works at Museum of Modern Art. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is known for its large collection of arms and armor -- as well as its famous exterior steps from the “Rocky” movies. The collection of works from post-impressionists like Cezanne and Van Gogh makes the Baltimore Museum of Art a worthy stop. Round the trip off with a visit to any one of the 19 museums of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and you’ll have a perfect sightseeing trip.
