When traveling to or in the U.S., it can be hard to pick where to go as there are just so many different cities, National Parks, and iconic spots to choose from. So how do you choose where to start? Our thoughts? Why choose? Why not visit them all?! ROAD TRIP! Ok, all kidding aside, we know not everyone can do a country-wide road trip, including us. So our recommendation, pick an area, rent a car and road trip for a week or two. You’d be amazed what you can cover in less than two weeks. And you’d be even more amazed at how much you can do for free. We have over 20 free things to do on the East Coast so you go home feeling extremely happy!
So let’s talk about the East Coast, and the upper East Coast in particular. For the sake of our trip and what we’ll discuss here, we’re referring to the area spanning from Maine to Washington D.C. This covers 11 different states. While there are likely many more things you could do for free throughout these states, these are the ones we did ourselves and would recommend.
THE EAST COAST
The upper East Coast is known for its beautiful coast line, vast mountains and forests, historic towns and cities, and Times Square. We were particularly excited about seeing the changing of the leaves and fall foliage. This is the time of year where all the leaves change from green to every possible shade of yellow, orange, red and purple. Yup, we’re old souls at heart. By the end of this trip, we both knew traveling was now our priority and we had to do whatever it took to travel as much as we possibly could. So how about we get in to the free stuff.
MAINE
Maine is a beautiful state. Mountains, hills, and beautiful coastlines. Katy has an affinity for lighthouses, so we knew stopping at as many lighthouses along the way was a priority, and Maine has plenty of them. So it was not only fun, easy, and absolutely breathtaking but also free! We’d recommend flying or starting in Bangor, Maine and driving to Highway 1 and following it along the entire coast of Maine until you reach Portland, Maine (not to be confused with Portland, Oregon). Maine has over 60 lighthouses many of which are free to the public.
FREE
- Visit lighthouses along Maine coast
PAID
- For $30 you can get a 7-day pass to Acadia National Park (highly recommend!)
- While we may not eat meat or seafood anymore, for you surf and turf eaters, make a point to stop in Portland, Maine and have some lobster, you’ll thank us
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire was probably our favorite state on the East Coast. So many small rural towns with cute inns, bed and breakfasts, and the most beautiful hills and mountains. The highlight of the trip was driving Kancamagus Highway which spans nearly the entire width of the state going right through the middle of the White Mountain National Forest. Trust us, this drive is worth it.
FREE
- Driving on Kancamagus Highway through the White Mountains
- Wright Museum of World War II in Wolfeboro
PAID
- For $14 (assuming you’re not a child) you can hike to the Flume Gorge
- Stay at the Thayer’s Hotel in Littleton, New Hampshire
VERMONT
Sadly, the only evidence we have of visiting Vermont, is a picture of the Vermont-Canadian boarder which we accidentally drove to… Without having our passports. Let us tell you, Boarder Patrol does not like it when you get in line at the boarder, and do not have your passport, and then ask to turn around. So word to the wise, do not accidentally go to the boarder. But what you SHOULD do is drive through the Green Mountain National Forest! Much like New Hampshire, Vermont has some incredible mountains and forests.
FREE
- Driving through Green Mountain National Forest
PAID
- For $4 you can tour the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory
MASSACHUSETTS
There is so much to do in Massachusetts we could write a whole article just on Massachusetts, but that’s for another day. If you want to visit a place where you can immerse yourself in as much of the U.S.’s history as possible, Boston is the place to go. So much of our country’s history took place here, and the Freedom Trail which is literally a brick path that runs throughout Boston taking you from one historic spot to another is the best way to see it all. Like the cemeteries where Paul Revere, Sam Adams and John Hancock are buried. Paul Revere’s house, which is still standing, and the Old State House which was built in 1713 and is one of America’s oldest buildings.
A little over an hours drive from Boston you can visit Cape Cod which is the hook shaped piece of land on the eastern side of Massachusetts riddled with fishing and beach towns, lighthouses and beautiful coastlines. And for a small fee, you can even take a ferry from Cape Cod over to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket Island.
FREE
- Walk the Boston Freedom Trail & Historic locations
- Visit to Cape Cod’s beach and fishing towns
PAID
- For roughly $8 (price may vary) you can take a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket Island
NEW YORK
Buckle in folks, cuz there is a ton you can do in New York. This makes New York one of the best places to enjoy free things to do on the East Coast. When most people think of New York, they immediately think of New York City. And so do we so that’s where we’re going to focus our time. But what you might not know is that New York has some beautiful state parks, forests and lakes as well, like the Adirondacks which is where Lake Placid is located (think 1980 winter Olympics, or that super awesome movie from 1999 about a giant crocodile). But we understand if you focus your time on New York City, there’s a lot to cover, so let’s get in to it.
If you have multiple days, or even longer allocated to New York City, you can cover A LOT of ground. We attempted to see EVERYTHING within a 24 hour period of time. We managed to see a lot, but we’d recommend at least a few days.
Ok, so while not free, our recommendation… Use the subway, trust us you will thank us later. It’s incredibly cheap and you can go from one end of the city to another in a matter of no time which makes getting around to all the hot spots much easier. Which is helpful considering they are all spread about. But our recommendations would be:
FREE
- Walking around and exploring Times Square
- Visit Grand Central Station
- Take a stroll through Central Park
- Visit the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial
- Get that iconic shot with the Manhattan Bridge as your backdrop
- Get your picture in front of the Ghostbusters firehouse (Hook and Ladder Company 8) or the Friends apartment
- Our best tip though, take the Staten Island Ferry from Lower Manhattan to Staten Island which is free, and you get a front row view of the Statue of Liberty without having to deal with the crazy long lines and paid tickets to visit
PAID
- Subway ticket to help you get around
- One more great tip, instead of paying $35-80 to visit the observation deck of Rockefeller Center, get dressed up a little and go to Bar Sixty Five which is on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center and get sweeping views of the city for the cost of a drink or two
PENNSYLVANIA
Aside from being famous for Philly Cheesesteaks, Philadelphia much like Boston is also riddled with historical sites and stories. This makes Pennsylvania one of the best places to enjoy free things to do on the East Coast! Here you can find the Liberty Bell, the Declaration House where the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, Independence Hall where the Declaration was signed, Benjamin Franklin’s burial ground as well as the Post Office where Ben Franklin worked at. And you can visit them all for free! And if you’re a fan of National Treasure like we are, the Nicholas Cage movie about the Templar Treasure, well this could be a National Treasure tour!
FREE
- See the Liberty Bell at Independence Park
- Take a walk through Independence Hall and stand where the forefathers of America stood and signed the declaration
- See where the Declaration House once stood
- Visit Christ Church Burial Grounds where Ben Franklin is buried and the old Post Office where he was Grand Postmaster
- Run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Rocky
WASHINGTON D.C.
Being capital of the country, you can imagine there is also a lot of history and a lot of historical sights to see. And they are plentiful. So while most are within long walking distance, our pro-tip recommendation is to rent a bike and bike from spot to spot. There are pickup and drop of spots scattered all over D.C. Most places are open to the public for free tours and walkthroughs, but not all. If you’re a U.S. citizen hoping for a grand tour of The White House, you’ll need to submit a request to your Member of Congress no less than 21 days from the time you wish to tour, and no more than 3 months. For those of you who are not U.S. citizens, you will need to contact your embassy in Washington D.C. to submit your request.
There are quite a number of places you can visit for free! So, let’s get to em.
FREE
- Tour the National Mall
- Walk the U.S. Capitol Building
- Tour The White House
- See the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution in the National Archives
PAID
- Bike rental to stroll around town
If you do a fraction of these free things, then you can safely say you’ve had a productive East Coast road trip and covered a lot of ground! If you know of any other recommended free things to do, or come across any others along your own East Coast road trip, let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear.
We hope these 20 free things to do on the East Coast help you plan out a great trip! And if you’re looking for more North American inspiration, head to our North America page!
With a family as big as ours, FREE stuff to do is a blessing on the wallet! Thank you both for all the great information. We are wanting to do an East coast trip in the next few years or so.. This will be helpful!
Author
Hah! We can imagine. We’re glad you found it helpful! You better let us know if/when you end up planning to do this, maybe we’ll come meet you out there!