Highlights: antique hunting, beautiful river views, and wonderful eroded bluffs.
Kick off this portion of the Great River Road (GRR) drive in the lovely town of Savanna, Illinois, on the Mississippi across from Iowa. Savanna offers much for the antique-hunter. There are also pretty Victorian mansions sitting on top of the bluffs. A must see is Mississippi Palisades State Park, accessed by driving north from Savanna on Route 84. A drive through this park offers wonderful eroded bluffs and beautiful river views. Cross the river from Savanna to Iowa and head south on U.S. 67 for the Quad Cities (Davenport, Rock Island, Moline, and Bettendorf) from Savanna where the terrain becomes flatter than might be expected for about 50 miles. Read more . . .
Most people think of the Grand Canyon when whitewater rafting is talked about, but perhaps the most exciting rafting is in southern West Virginia. You might also realize that driving there could be pleasurable, too. We start at the New River Gorge Bridge, famous for parachuting and bungee jumping. About thirty miles southeast of Charleston, close to Fayetteville, drive north on U.S. 19 for 4 miles to U.S. 60 (The Midland Trail), south 10 miles to Route 44, south 29 more miles to Route 61 (Piney View), then south 5 miles to Beckley. From that location, take I-64 east 16 miles to Route 20 (Sandstone), south 31 miles to Princeton, then U.S. 19, 35 miles north back to Beckley. 
This 100-mile tour takes you from Blackwater Falls State Park all the way to the Virginia border through Monongahela and George Washington National Forest. Your drive takes you through what many calls as “God’s Country” because of its natural beauty. Start your drive around Blackwater Falls State Park, close to the town of Davis. It’s famous for its 60-foot falls that appear black due to the acid from fallen hemlock and Red Spruce needles.
The Delmarva Peninsula lies between the Atlantic on the east and Chesapeake Bay on the west. While the area touches three states: Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland, this drive will take you through a small part of Virginia.
The best time to take this drive is mid-week as summer and fall weekends mean extremely heavy traffic. The Blue Ridge Parkway travels along the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee offering breathtaking views along the way.