Overwhelmed with planning - help appreciated!

Why don't you buy a copy of Rough Guide Germany and do a little digging on your own?

We had good luck a couple of years ago with a book called "Back Roads Germany", which you can pick up on Amazon. Fact is that it was the only book besides the RS guide that we took with us on the trip. Lots of good info on scenic drives and some off-the-beaten path places that we would have missed otherwise. Good route planner for day trips, etc.

Wanting to do everything and having to trim the list is a common problem. With a car, you can be pretty flexible about changing the plan, but more so when the destinations are close together. If you've reserved a hotel at the furthest point, you don't want to find out too late that you will exhaust yourself getting there. www.viamichelin.com can provide some drive-time predictions that you pencil onto a calendar to see what fits each day. Maybe this is what you already did for France.

Whether or not this is your last visit, quality is more important than quantity. The first thing I would cut is anywhere you've been before. Also, I believe the church in Wittenberg is still closed for renovation. I also don't understand how much time you want to spend in Kaiserslautern; if visiting those friends is not a main purpose of the trip, then don't let it create unnecessary detours or delays.

Laura,
Thank you for your thoughts, especially on visiting places that we've previously visited. Thanks too for the link re: Wittenberg - I was not aware of the renovations. Having been there before, I'd been doing my research on the other places mentioned in my original post. I'll give the viamichelin site a go too (once I narrow down our preferred sites list).

With your Military connections, consider Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch. It has several "deals" this summer for active duty. There is so much to do in this area. A word of warning: You will want to eat in town rather than at the hotel restaurant.

A vote against Edelweiss. It sits on the outskirts of the town surrounded by a high wall that makes it look like a prison. And from what I understand, it isn't all that cheap either, unless you're among the lower enlisted ranks. You can easily find better and cheaper lodgings closer to the center of Garmisch and Partenkirchen.

If you don't want to see Wittenberg because of the renovations, but still see some sights related to the Reformation: the area between Wartburg castle and Wittenberg is full of them. There is a big exhibition at Hartenfels castle in Torgau about Luther right now for example: more here.
Torgau tiself is a small preserved town, Hartenfels is a big, imposing castle with the first Protestant church, and the town church is the burial place of Luthers wife.
Close to Wartburg castle is Schmalkalden, a beautiful small town full of half-timbered houses, where the Smalcald articles were draw up. The houses were Luther and Melanchthon stayed are preserved. Halfway between Wartburg castle and Torgau is Mühlhausen, mostly preserved and with a town wall, where Thomas Müntzer lived and worked. Close-by is Bad Frankenhausen with the very impressive Peasant's War Museum, a huge panorama painting. The Commies wanted Socialist Realism, but the artist turned it into a Late Gothic/Early Renaissance painting with clear references to German painters of that era.
A few kilometers to the north is Stolberg, the birthplace of Müntzer. A very beautiful small town full of half-timbered houses deep in the mountains, and with a big castle above the town. From there you can visit places like Qudlinburg or Goslar, which have no relation to the Protestant reformation, but are two of Germanys most beautiful towns.

Oh, by the way, since you'll be near Wittenberg. Check out the Garden Realm by the village of Wörlitz. It isn't a highly manicured French-style garden, but more of the English type, with all sorts of little surprises, like a Greek temple, artificial caves, cliffs and a volcano, cottages, fanciful churches pathways, streams, ponds, a Schloss here and there and even a preserved synagogue. The village is cute and typical of the region, if nothing spectacular. I had an amazing lunch of smoked trout in a nice little patio restaurant overlooking the lake.

Erfurt has lots of Luther history (he was an Augustinian monk there). Big anniversary coming up in 2017, so the church in Wittenberg Lutherstadt may not be ready, but the town is pretty and small.

Another vote against the Edelweiss. Nice big beds so for families ideal, but it is expensive, even with deals and the meals are very expensive and not very good. A zillion kids running around too. There are many more nicer, budget friendly places in Garmisch.

Thank you everybody for your thoughts and ideas. I'm ready to buckle down and refine our trip. You're such a great group of travelers! Thank you again!