Road trips are on the rise once again.
There’s nothing like a road trip to offer great family, couple, or friend bonding time.
While you rock out to your favorite music, or passengers watch movies, you simply can’t help but be in awe of landscape architecture.
The challenge of road trips is all in the planning.
However, if you plan an East Coast kind of trip with a little bit of the South in the mix, you will be able to venture to 8 incredible USA Bridges to drive over for road trips.
From West Virginia to Sanibel Island bridge crossing offers amazing experiences.
Pack up those minivans, pickup trucks, Jeeps, or whatever vehicle you drive, and head out to visit 8 incredible USA Bridges to drive over for road trips!
Lavishly live travel out loud in your vehicle on a road trip.
8 Incredible USA Bridges To Drive Over For Road Trips
Travel is about extending your horizons, widening your eyes, turning heads while gasping at new sites, and of course togetherness.
What fun is travel if you are not together right?
1. West Virginia
Everyone that crosses West Virginia always finds some kind of road trip adventure.
IF you have not driven it, the hills and mountains are their own trip, while one bridge truly turns heads.
In fact, most will stop at a lookout point just to be awed by its extension.
You also pray you don’t get caught driving in the ain when on their highways, it is just awful! (been there done, this!)
The New River Gorge Bridge is over 3ooo feet long and extends over the New River Gorge very close to Fayetteville, in the Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern USA.
Stop at the lookout point to just be enamored by its beauty and its architecture.
If you want to see if from below you can, use Fayette Station Road.
The height of the bridge is 876 Feet!. She’s a beast and something to see!
For those of you adventurers that love base jumping, you have found your bridge.
If you just prefer hiking and biking this area is truly a gift for outdoor activity.
Make sure to check out all the options that exist for your road trip to the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia.
2. Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel
Like most say, it’s not the destination it’s the getting there that makes the road trip amazing.
For those headed to the Chesapeake Bay area, get ready for the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel.
Both a bridge and an underwater tunnel.
Get ready for 23 miles of adventure and ‘oohs & ahhhs’ it is pretty spectacular.
As you drive you will cross both Over and Underwater.
While you are driving over and underwater you are driving where the Chesapeake Bay meets up with the Atlantic Ocean, cool right?
Keeping things simply stated: the structure connects Southern Virginia, Eastern Shore counties of Maryland and Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula.
Why will you appreciate this structure besides the ability to say you drove both over and underwater on ONE bridge?
It cuts off about 95 miles you would have had to drive if you were driving between Virginia Beach and places north of Wilmington, Delaware.
As a parent, the ‘Are We There Yet’ questions are trimmed by about 1 1/2 hours. YASSSSSS!
Driving on it is not as scary as you might think but more intriguing as to ‘what’s next?’
3. Chesapeake Bay Bridge
No, you are not seeing double, you are seeing a totally different bridge.
In fact, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge has been dubbed one of the 9th scariest bridges in the United States!
It’s high, it’s 2 lanes, the enclosure rails offer a vertigo-like feeling, and well, just everything about it.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is almost 200 feet high and it is 4.3 miles from one side to the other.
Talk about white-knuckle driving.
Truly a bridge that is not for the lighthearted and more for those who want to say, “I came, I saw, and I Crossed it off my bucket list!”
The barricades on either side are just 4 feet tall, make sure you have your seat belt cutter and window breaker with you!
4. Sanibel Bridge/Causeway
Located in Lee County, the Sanibel Bridge/Causeway is quite interesting to drive.
As the person behind the wheel, you truly get a great view and lovely driving conditions.
However, there’s a lot you can’t see too.
Your passengers will love the elevation views and getting to see how the land is connected from side to side.
3 Miles Long is the measurement and it is a unique type of bridging system as it is 3 separate bridges.
The causeway is 3 separate spans of bridges, however, they do not each bare a name, but are referred to as bridge A, B, and C. Pretty different right?
The area of coverage from the causeway: San Carlos Bay.
You have Sanibel Island connected with Punta Rassa, that is the easiest way to explain it.
Bridge C ends at Sanibel, however, Bridge A is closest to Fort Myers.
Best Grilled Chicken in Fort Meyers if you are hungry and looking for good eats!
5. Herbert C Bonner Bridge (currently being replaced)
Where exactly can you experience the Herbert C Bonner Bridge?
Well, in North Carolina, the Outer Banks.
The bridge is how the Northern Outer Banks connects to Hatters (7 Villages).
As the night gets darker it gets creepier IMO! It’s 2.5 Miles from a bridge.
Take a look at any of these images, you will see it!
You will note that there is a lot of bridge in the Outer Banks.
Of course, you are on land that needs to be connected by bridges, thus there are many.
Each bridge is fascinating in its own way.
6. Clearwater Memorial Causeway
A fixed span bridge across the Intracoastal Highway and it is 4 lanes wide.
The bridge connects Downtown Clearwater, to Clearwater Beach.
Yes, it can be very traffic-laden, especially on the weekends.
The nice feature about this bridge is that you can walk across it to enjoy the backdrop scenery and everything that Clearwater offers.
7. Sand Key Bridge In Clearwater
A very well-traveled, fixed-span bridge as well, but offering a whole other view.
Since we have traveled on this bridge so much, heading inbound you can witness views of the Gulf of Mexico and the incredible ‘gotta see it to understand’ skyline of Clearwater.
As a side note (and because my parents used to live there, I can add in, that I am so happy this is no longer a Toll and Drawbridge).
The bridge as it used to function or malfunction would keep us in the car for longer than necessary because of being a drawbridge.
Trust me, this is something so much better!
8. Indian River Inlet Bridge
Headed to Southern Delaware? Chart your course towards Bethany Beach and you will get to pass over the Indian River Inlet Bridge.
While it is not the biggest bridge you will drive over, it is pretty and very scenic for your passengers.
As a driver, it is a bit challenging! This bridge is a cable-stayed bridge.
It is different than most I have seen.
The Indian River Inlet Bridge is over the Indian River Inlet, which is between the Indian River Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
At night the bridge lights up and it is beautiful, something you will want to capture.
Yes, you can walk across the bridge on the hiker/biker path.
Your best view is via the Delaware Seashore State Park, and if you stop and see if you will find placards that provide bits of history.
There’s a reason it’s there!
Get Out There
Hit the road in your new vehicle and road trip.
Just like bridges are extensions from the land for people, road trips are extensions of family bonding. Travel well! ~ Xo
