15

• There is no point of driving huge distances like Nashville to DC unless you're seeing lots of interesting stuff along the way, which you don't have time for. Flying is more convenient and cheaper.

• You need a minimum of 4 full days in NYC, i.e. 5 nights

• Baltimore is not a must-see. Add a day to DC for a total of 3. 2 days in Philly is enough. 3 in Boston is good. 3 to see stuff around Boston like Maine is fine, but not less than that and plan to rent a car for that portion.

16

I did something similar this summer: 4 days in Boston, 6 in NYC, 3 in Philly, a daytrip from Philly to DC and then back to Boston for another 2 days. You can do all this by using Chinatown or Megabuses.
This will give you enough time to see most of the interesting historic stuff in Boston and Philly and will give you enough time to really enjoy NYC though you are never quite done in New York.
Unless you want to see a lot of museums, 1 day is enough for DC. All the heritage/historical and political sites of interest (White House, Washington Monument, Arlington Cemetary etc. ) are in the same part of the city and within walking distance from each other, and it's really quite cool. Apart from that, there's not much to do in DC.

If you want to go further South- I was actually just planning a trip further South earlier today and on Megabus.com alone, you can find routes from New York all the way down to Atlanta and then on to New Orleans. But I'd put that in a different trip if I were you.

17

There is lots to do on the East Coast and summer is a great time for it. It is NOT a great time for southern destinations, and trying to include that is complicating your itinerary. You're missing some great East Coast stuff.

A few misc notes:

• NYC has some excellent hotel sales in July and August. It's "off season" and you should be able to find some great deals closer to travel time.
• New England is a great match for your interests, but you aren't spending much time there at all. Lots of great mountain destinations, funky artsy towns, etc.
• Cape Cod has some great hostels. Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard also. Also great biking. Cape Cod is large and diverse. It is not just a day or two side trip from Boston. You could easily spend a week or more there.

I guess I'm saying forget about the southern portion of your trip and expand the northern/east coast part

18

In response to your idea of going from Houston to Miami, you could do something like this:

3 days Houston (be sure to spend one day at Moody Gardens in Galveston - if you are art aficionados, this would be where you will spot the best art on your trip, IMO) it is better than what you will encounter even in Miami)
2 days Lafayette, LA
1 day in Baton Rouge on your way to New Orleans
3 days in New Orleans
1 day Gulf Islands National Seashore on your way to Mobile
2 day Mobile, AL (one of these should be spent at
1 day in Silver Springs, Florida on your way to Orlando
7 days Orlando
2 days Tampa
2 days Naples
2 days Fort Lauderdale
4 days Miami

I am assuming you would want 7 days in Orlando to do the parks, etc., but if that does not appeal to you, then cut that time a little, when you are in Fort Lauderdale, you may want to take a ferry over to the Bahamas and do an overnight there or even spend two nights. People often forget that you can take ferries over there.