Posted: 5/31/26 at 2:01pm
When I come over to visit my Father who lives in Palm Springs, I am thinking of doing a theatre road trip, by which I mean drive from the West Coast to the East Coast. Want to see shows on the way, but outside the big cities theatre seems to be a bit patchy. Has anyone done anything similar?
Updated On: 5/31/26 at 02:01 PM
Posted: 5/31/26 at 10:17pm
Palm Springs to the East Coast is a very long trip, and off-hand I can only think of a few places where, depending on the time of year, there will be theatre festivals. I'm just spit balling here. The obvious first stop to me, if you don't want a super long drive is Las Vegas - but it's not known for high calibre theatre. In the Summer you could go up to Utah where Tuacahn Amphitheater in St. George is in a stunning outdoor setting. From there where to head? Noth or West? Maybe a stop at the Grand Canyon? Unfortunately the Lodge at the North Rim burned down in the fires last summer. Then I might try for a stop in Santa Fe for the opera. Then from there Google says it's a 15 hour drive to St Louis & The Muny. From there another grueling 15 hour drive the NYC that needs breaking up - but where. Unless you have multiple drivers I really don't like doing more than 4 or 5 hours a day. When I was a teenager and both my younger sister & myself had our drivers licenses our family went down to LA over 2 10 hours days there & then 2 days back, splitting the driving time up with my Mom & Dad also taking shifts. Thst was good. But nowadays with the price of gas, it might be actually be cheaper to do flights between cities. Go up to Vegas, and from the airport there you get way more daily flights than out of Palm Springs. Fly Vegas to Chicago for a visit. Then from there fly to NYC. Or Washington DC- I was impressed with my first visit there last Fall. & I didn't even see any of the political things. From there you can easily take the train to NYC. Flying and/or taking the train would use much less time and give you more days to sight see in the destination cities. It cannot be stressed enough how very big the West of the US is, with very long distances between bigger cities.
Posted: 6/1/26 at 7:14pm
Thanks for the info.
I am retiring soon and will get a very good pension pay off. So have time and money on my side. So looking to spend 3/4 months in the US.
Looked at a couple of routes 1, San Francisco - Reno - Salt Lake City - Denver - Kansas City - New Orleans (where I will dump the car) and ha e 10 day break, where I will fly to different cities to see theatre and go where depending what’s on.
Then pick up another car in Boise and drive to Yellowstone Park/Mount Rushmore not to Minneapolis/Des Moines. Not much theatre on this leg and quite a famine. When I get to Minneapolis/Des Moines dump the car then have a another 10 day break flying to different places to see shows and see where I end up.
Then I will go restart in Chicago pick up another car and head up to Milwaukee/Green Bay then cross Lake Michigan and head towards Detroit/Cleveland (I was born in Cleveland) then drive to the East Coast, where I will hang out in Philadelphia/Boston/Cape Cod/New York/Washington DC. Go to do sightseeing with a slant on theatre as well, want to visit some famous theatres on my trip.
Posted: 6/1/26 at 8:13pm
When are you planning to do this?
Denver Center has a decent lineup this coming season. I have always loved seeing shows at the Theater Company. They have 3 theaters and are housed in the same complex as our touring house, opera house and symphony Hall. There are also a few smaller theaters here. Curious Theater is a good one. They are moving into the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance complex while their theater is renovated this coming season.
Posted: 6/2/26 at 8:20pm
Probably not while Trump is in power being duel British/American, too much risk that I get deported by ICE. But have to see how my pension works out, I need to spend it and enjoy it, or if I die the Government will get a massive slice. So no place better to spend it in the US where I lived until I was 10, when my mother who is British got divorced to my American father.
As for Las Vegas I have been several times before, as my father lives close in Palm Springs, not desperate to go back, as there is no shows there that are dramatic. I hear that it has gone very expensive now. When I went I could live like a king for not much at all, as long as I didn’t roll the dices (gamble). I hear it is more geared up for sport now, is that true? I would go back if there was a decent show playing at the Smiths Center.
Posted: 6/3/26 at 9:54am
I just suggested Las Vegas because if you were driving East ftom Palm Springs it could be a first stop. But then you mentioned starting from San Francisco.
If you have your esta or whatever you need visiting from the UK all in order you shouldn't have any troubles if you're just traveling/sight seeing. The people from Canada/UK/Australia who got in trouble were trying to work without proper permits.
Updated On: 6/3/26 at 09:54 AM
