Cleveland to Washington drive: 24 ranked stops, break in New Stanton

A free 12-acre display garden combines major rose collections, seasonal bulbs and perennials, and overlooks into Mill Creek Park. The garden is year-round, but the café is closed for redevelopment and picnicking is not allowed inside the gardens.

A playful restored roadside-coffee-pot stop that gives the Pennsylvania stretch a proper Lincoln Highway artifact.

A US Open–qualifier course in the Frederick area.

A lavish, castle-clubhouse course north of Pittsburgh.

a cascade in the Catoctins

a dramatic series of cascades and rapids near D.C.

a monadnock with overlooks an hour from D.C.

An Ernie Els course with a ruined-mill finishing hole.

Longtime family-run Hungarian kitchen turning out hearty, homestyle classics. Order: Chicken paprikash.

a boardwalk fall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

a 65-ft falls and sandstone ledges

This 4,062-acre mountain park centers on a 63-acre lake, with the old-growth Hemlock Trail Natural Area and historic Jones Mill Run Dam providing specific short-stop targets. Beach and office schedules are seasonal.

Vibrant New Orleans-style East Liberty spot with over ten oyster varieties, Cajun seafood, and inventive cocktails. Order: Fresh oyster selection.

Family-owned Upper Lawrenceville Thai restaurant with one of the city's most beautiful garden patios and refined traditional cooking. Order: Khao soi.

Third-generation family spot since 1958, steps off the Towpath Trail in the middle of the park — the default refuel for cyclists and Scenic Railroad riders. Big patio, Monday wing night.

Homewood smokehouse often named the city's best barbecue, marked by parking-lot smokers and tender ribs with mustardy sauce. Order: Smoked ribs with mac and cheese.

A Peninsula tavern right in the park corridor, with a huge beer list and reliable burgers for Towpath riders, Scenic Railroad days, and family groups.

mossy sandstone cliffs and a sunset point

Pennsylvania’s biggest resort, a Laurel Highlands staple

Lawrenceville Spanish spot from chef Justin Severino offering pintxos, house-made charcuterie, and shareable plates, named to OpenTable's Top 100. Order: House-made charcuterie board.

September 17, 1862 remains the single bloodiest day in American history -- over 22,000 casualties in about 12 hours around this small whitewashed Dunker meetinghouse. The battle's outcome gave Lincoln the opening to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. A quiet, reflective stop rather than a triumphant one.

a popular Appalachian Trail overlook