Hwy 1 up the California coast is like our version of the Amalfi Coast.

Drive through Kentucky at three AM, listening to The KLF's Chill Out. Enjoy.

Echoing the call to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. Don't just focus on the big cities; make stops in Big Sur, Santa Cruz, and Point Reyes National Seashore. July would be perfect for driving all the way up the coast.

NewDarkAge wrote:Hey guys. A couple of friends and I are planning a USA road trip in early July. At the moment we have a general idea that we d like to see San Francisco and New Orleans. I m also kind of curious to visit LA at least once in my life. Between those, we don t have any set plans. The main thing we re interested in are nice towns, good food and geographical beauty. But as British people we are stunningly ignorant about this part of the world, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask for help from you guys.As other folks have mentioned, New Orleans is hellish in the summer. If you really want to go there, by all means go there but keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that the driving distance from Los Angeles to New Orleans is something like 1,750 miles and good chunk of that is dull as shit. If you flew into Seattle, you could drive to Portland, then the SF/Oakland/Bay Area then down the PCH to LA. (Or you could start in Portland.) Just about every part of that drive will be beautiful (that's actually underselling it; the most beautiful drives I have ever been on were all in California, along the 1) and weather will generally be decent. There's a ton of good food to eat and fun things to do in any of those cities and none of them are too far apart; 3-4 hour drive between Seattle and Portland, 10-11 between Portland and SF, 6-8 between SF and LA with lots of places to stop along the way. You could always fly from LA to New Orleans on your way back to Britain, right? Last thing to consider: early July may mean 4th of July which could mean the following.1-Higher ticket prices around that time.2-Stuff being closed on the actual day.

What Jeremy said. Get up in that high desert.

Just be aware that you ll be driving switchbacks for hundreds of miles. It gets tiring.

Come to Santa Cruz.

One drive I would recommend is either San Diego or Los Angeles to Denver, not so much because I live here in Denver, but because that drive is absolutely stunning. You could check out Vegas, camp or stay in Moab, stay in the Rocky Mountains. Las Vegas will be brutally hot that time of year, but the rest of the stops on that trip should be at least tolerable. Anyway, something to ponder.