We Followed An AI-Generated Road Trip Itinerary Through Pennsylvania And Here's How It Went
By Megan Shute|Published May 03, 2023
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
Whether in the media industry or not, you’ve probably heard at least a few conversations about AI-generated content in the last few months. As a travel editor, I’ve heard interesting anecdotes about AI-generated road trip itineraries and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Can AI plan a trip better or faster than I can?
After moving to Maryland in the summer of 2021 for my husband’s job, we have been trying to explore as much as possible. We frequently go on spontaneous weekend trips, and while we booked a hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, intending to stop in Gettysburg on our way there and York on the way home, we had no plans otherwise.
Enter ChatGPT. After going through several different prompts with varying degrees of clarity, I finally settled on prompt No. 5, with some personal planning and prior knowledge to fill in the gaps. The itinerary included times, but it’s hard to follow a schedule with a toddler, so we quickly threw the official schedule out the window. The content in bold above my photographs was AI-generated (though I did need to make a few grammatical changes), with commentary below. Here’s what the final ask looked like:
Plan a two-day itinerary that begins in Odenton, Maryland and stops in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and stays in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night before returning to Odenton, Maryland, on Sunday evening, including drive time and specific activities. Sunday should include a stop in York, Pennsylvania. This itinerary would be for a young family with one toddler.
8 a.m.: Depart from Odenton, Maryland, and drive to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (about 1.5 hours). Arrive in Gettysburg and start your day by visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. This museum features exhibits on the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg and is a great place to start your exploration of the area.
It started pouring as soon as we arrived at the Visitor Center, so we quickly scoped out the building, purchased a guided audio tour from Viator, and wandered around the gift shop. While the museum looked interesting, our daughter was not having it, so we decided to break for lunch and head into town.
12 p.m. Grab lunch in downtown Gettysburg. Family-friendly options include the Blue & Gray Bar & Grill, the Appalachian Brewing Company, and the Lincoln Diner.
We grabbed a table at Appalachian Breweing Company, where we enjoyed the modern industrial decor and some tasty fare, including the campfire chili, pierogies and beer brats, and the harvest flatbread. Everything was delicious, and the cozy brew pub was the perfect respite from the storm. After we finished our lunch, there was a break in the rain, so we walked down the street to Bantam Coffee Roasters. A jolt of caffeine was just what we needed for our next activity: the guided audio tour of Gettysburg.
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1 p.m. After lunch, drive through the Gettysburg Battlefield to see the various memorials and learn about the battle's history. Take the self-guided auto tour, including a narrated audio CD you can listen to in the car.
I didn't know what to expect during this stretch of our adventure as I've never done an audio tour, but the app including directions, audio narration, and a ton of fascinating information about the Battle of Gettysburg. My husband loved every minute of the audio tour, while I was more enthralled with the beautiful countryside.
The tour encouraged you to stop at monuments, lookouts, and more along the way, and the entire tour lasted approximately 2.5 hours, though the time suggested by Viator ranged from 2 to 4 hours. The view from Culp's Tower was particularly gorgeous, and you can see it in our video below.
4 p.m. Depart Gettysburg and drive to Harrisburg (about 45 minutes). Check into your hotel in Harrisburg and relax for the evening.
Well, that’s not much to go on, is it? Previous AI responses recommended Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar and The Millworks, and after looking up both, we settled on The Millworks before heading to our hotel for the night. Part restaurant, part brewery, and part art gallery, The Millworks was truly remarkable. The farm-to-table cuisine was scrumptious, the beers were tasty, and the space was a haven for creative spirits. This was a community gathering space like no other, and Harrisburg locals are so lucky to have access to this special destination.
After dinner, it was approximately 7 p.m., and time to turn in for the night. Because I’m an IHG member and we had a plethora of points to use, we stayed at the Hotel Indigo Harrisburg. With clean rooms, courteous staff, and easy check-in/check-out processes, IHG hotels have become our favorite places to stay. I will also 100% advocate for gaining status at a hotel chain of your choosing -- we've been upgraded several times while staying at IHG properties and I attribute it to having member status.
8 a.m. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before setting out for a day of exploring. Then, drive to Hershey's Chocolate World (about 25 minutes), where you can take a free tour to learn about the chocolate-making process, try some samples, and take a photo with the Hershey's Kisses character.
My husband loves trying local cafes while we travel, so we opted to try Tomato Pie Cafe. We ordered a sausage and squash bowl, the lemon ricotta french toast, and two lattes: hazelnut for my husband and vanilla for me. The meal was scrumptious, and the cafe was cozy and welcoming: the perfect way to start our day.
Once we were full of caffeine and breakfast foods, we started the drive to Hersey's Chocolate World.
I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of tourist destinations like this, but since it was suggested to us by AI and a few friends, we decided to visit the free museum since our toddler is still a little too short to enjoy an amusement park and we wanted a more low-key day. My daughter loved the Hershey’s Chocolate Tour, posing with the characters, and convincing us to buy more chocolate than we probably needed – but hey, when in Rome…
11 a.m. Depart Hershey and head to York (about 30 minutes). Visit the York County History Center, which offers family-friendly exhibits on local history, including the region's role in the Revolutionary War.
The York County History Center is closed on Sundays, so we couldn’t visit, but we did enjoy a peaceful walk along the Codorus Creek before stopping for lunch.
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1 p.m. Stop for lunch in downtown York. Some options include The Left Bank Restaurant & Bar, Tutoni's Restaurant, and the White Rose Bar & Grill.
The only one of these restaurants we walked by looked fairly busy, so we stopped by the low-key Mudhook Brewing Company instead. The food was solid, and the surroundings were peaceful, though I would definitely try one of the aforementioned spots next time.
2 p.m. After lunch, walk around downtown York and check out the local shops and boutiques.
Many of York's shops were closed – it was a Sunday, after all – but we spent significant time in one store, in particular, the Sunrise Soap Company. My daughter has a bath bomb obsession, and the shop had mini shopping carts she loved pushing around!
4 p.m. Depart York and drive back to Odenton, Maryland (about 1.5 hours).
After two days of leisurely adventure, we made the short trek back home. While I wouldn’t say this was the most exciting trip ever, it was the perfect opportunity to get away from our busy lives and reconnect as a family. If you choose to take a trip to this area, I would suggest planning it for a Friday and Saturday — there were a lot of incredible-looking places that were closed on Sunday.
To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next on OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.
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