Top Ten Scenic Drives in the US: Part 1 the East and the Southeast

For five wonderful years I lived on the eastern banks of the Hudson River in the southern part of the valley. My bedroom and living room terraces faced the majestic Palisades and you could watch the boats traveling up and down the riverway in summer and winter when the leaves didn't block the view. For our first scenic drive then, try:

1. The Hudson Valley by starting the drive on the western side (New Jersey) and heading up the Palisades Parkway (9W). While fall foliage season has peaked in the valley, its still a great ride with views of the river all along the way and craggy cliffs with many roadside look out points. Stay on the road to Newburgh and you can take a break by visitng West Point US Military Academy. Stretch your legs and take in a tour of the West Point Museum with the oldest and largest collection of militaria in the western hemisphere or get lucky on a Saturday afternoon and get tickets to a home game for Army football. Continue on north through small towns in the foothills of the Catskills to the town of Woodstock, forty years after the famous music festival. Check into the River Rock Health Spa (www.riverrock.biz) to recharge with a sauna, steam, massage or facial. If you are looking for a quaint restaurant in town try the Garden Cafe on the Green for delicious vegetarian fare.

On your trip back home you might want to cross over the Hudson and travel down route 9 to Rhinebeck, in Dutchess County, where you will find a number of antique shops and quaint bed and breakfasts. The Beekman Arms Tavern serves up one of the most elegant and sumptuous Sunday brunches I have had. Spend a few hours walking through this quaint town and do some antiquing. If that isn't appealing, you can travel just a short while further south, stopping in Hyde Park. While there you might want to visit the home of The Culinary Institute of America or the FDR home where the first presedential library was built.

Leaving Hyde Park, continue to travel down Route 9 to Tarrytown and the home of Sleep Hollow and the late Washington Irving who penned Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Stop at the Striped Bass Restaurant and sample some of their great seafood offerings while seated on the shores of the Hudson. The restaurant is located on West Main Street in Tarrytown and is known for its reasonably priced menus. You can get right back on route 9 and take it straight back into the city after dinner and the rush hour.

2. The Florida Keys offer one of the most beautiful rides in the country. Starting in Miami, the first island in the 113 mile chain is Key Largo. If you're a classic movie buff and a Bogie fan you will remember this is the site of the 1948 film Key Largo. You can also see the African Queen from the film of the same name that starred Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. At Dolphin Cove, jump in because the water is fine and you can swim with the dolphins. Excursion tours are also available to the Everglades for the adventurous types. Stop at anyone of several superb fresh seafood restaurants and dine on the water for lunch before heading south to Islamorada.

Islamorada (from the Spanish meaning purple island) is actually the "Village of Islands" and includes several small keys. Here you will find great sportfishing as well as some of the nicest beaches you have seen. My favorite is Anne's Beach located on Lower Matecumbe Key. There is a terrific boardwalk and kids love this beach whether searching for seashells or walking the long sandbar. Head south for Marathon Key, the ten mile key, due south of Islamorada.

You will want to stop for a bite to eat before heading to the southern keys because you won't find much between the Seven Mile Bridge and Key West. The locals like the Seven Mile Grill at the very southern tip of Marathon Key. In business since the 1950's you can find fresh and fried seafood aplenty at this family restaurant which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Travel over the Seven Mile Bridge ((its exquisite at sunset) and on through Big Pine Key and the southern keys on your way to Key West (another 45 minutes drive down the Overseas Highway). Big Pine Key is the spot for nature afficianados and the adventurer in you, but there isn't much to see or do at night, so drive right through and spend time here on your way back to the Florida mainland.

Key West offers many fine accommodations including luxury hotels but you won't go wrong at the Key West B&B, reminiscent of Hemingway and all things Margaritaville. Pack the kids off to their room, have the teens babysit and head out to Key West's great nightlife. Head up and down Duval Street along the wharf where a cluster of bars and taverns await your patronage inclufing such colorful places as the Lazy Gecko, the HogsBreath Saloon and of course Hemingway's favorite haunt, Sloppy Joes.

Have a peaceful night's rest and spend the next day exploring Key West or head back to Big Pine Key for a true nature adventure.

3.The Beach Road (Highway 331) While the Gulf Coast Highway is a favorite for songwriters like Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffith, The Beach Road, stretching from Montgomery, Alabama to Florida is the more visually scenic of the routes. A two lane blacktop road, Highway 331 travels through agricultural areas as well as small rural communities. My favorite stop is Luverne, Alabama, known as "The Friendliest City of the South". Luverne also hosts the "Worlds Largest Peanut Boil" every year on Labor Day Weekend.

If you were smart and packed a picnic lunch and dusted off your fishing tackle, stop at Frank Jackson State Park which features a stream fed lake. Perfect for fishing, boating or swimming, its a great way to cool off on route to Florida. From now until the end of November enjoy Scarecrows in the Park, an event that features handmade scarecrows that line walking trails throughout the park.

Traveling just a few miles south, you will cross the Florida State Line and just after the intersection of Route 10, the oenophile in the family will love you for stopping at the Chatauqua Vineyard in DeFuniak Springs. Free wine tastings are held daily from 12 noon to 12 midnight. Nice, but don't over do it. Leave the winery and continue heading south on 331 though the t lovely beach towns that line the coast.

Choose Grayton Beach, part of Grayton Beach Park as your final beach destination, with its sandy beaches and quaint houses. There's lots to do for every member of the family.

Nexxt: The Top Ten Scenic Drives, Part 2, The Pacific Coast and The Rockies