Originally Posted by MRRiley
Where are you flying into?
Assuming NYC, I would do NYC one day, take a quick drive up to Boston and then work your way back down thru Philly and DC.
The subway (NYC) and the Metro (DC) are the ways to get around those cities. Philly is drivable but I don't know anything about Boston.
I'd recommend staying somewhere just inside the Beltway in VA for your visit to DC. This way when you leave (assuming you stay overnight before heading to TN) you will be driving in the opposite direction of traffic.
If you have time you might want to spend some time in the Smokies (Gatlinburg (its a tourist trap but is on the edge of some beautiful scenery)) and maybe spend a night there or in Knoxville which would leave you an easy 3-4 hour drive into Nashville.
Feel free to ask me more about the DC area or eastern TN.
Mike
Good advice all around, I usually stay somewhere around Dulles and catch the Metro at Vienna.
Mike, are you from East TN? (My family is from the Lake City/Clinton Area).