Driving from Ontario, on i79 and i77

[cottontail]

Hello driving down to Disneyworld in April. Can anyone recommend a hotel for the drive down around Huntersville n.c. It could be 25 miles each way in other towns. Thanks, Deb.

 

[mort1331]

Hello driving down to Disneyworld in April. Can anyone recommend a hotel for the drive down around Huntersville n.c. It could be 25 miles each way in other towns. Thanks, Deb.

Not for a hotel as I drive straight thru. But I can recommend getting the Sunpass pro before hand. Works for all tolls up and down and including the border. 1 time fee,,no monthly like 407, and little cheaper rates on the tolls, bonus if picking up anyone at airports in Orlando, reduced rates as well.

 

[starvenger]

Not for a hotel as I drive straight thru. But I can recommend getting the Sunpass pro before hand. Works for all tolls up and down and including the border. 1 time fee,,no monthly like 407, and little cheaper rates on the tolls, bonus if picking up anyone at airports in Orlando, reduced rates as well.

I actually got the New York E-Z Pass. Same difference, really.

Hello driving down to Disneyworld in April. Can anyone recommend a hotel for the drive down around Huntersville n.c. It could be 25 miles each way in other towns. Thanks, Deb.

I didn't stay in that area but the rule of thumb for me is that I try to stick to chains that I like and include breakfast, like Hyatt Place and Holiday Inn Express. They aren't necessarily the cheapest, but I know what I'm getting with them.

 

[damo]

We always stay at the Drury Inn Northlake.

 

[ontdvc2015]

My brother has stayed in Statesville, NC at the Holiday Inn Express several times. He likes it there, and just a few minutes further north.

 

[Zdog]

Deb, would love if you could update on the drive down and back. We'll be driving from upstate NY this summer (first time driving this distance but actually looking forward to it) and would love first hand accounts. Safe travels!!

 

[Nagle]

Deb, would love if you could update on the drive down and back. We'll be driving from upstate NY this summer (first time driving this distance but actually looking forward to it) and would love first hand accounts. Safe travels!!

We will be driving down in mid August from the 1000 Islands area as well. We have done it multiple times. Straight through, 1 night on the road, 2 nights on the road.

 

[Mikey15]

We will be driving down in mid August from the 1000 Islands area as well. We have done it multiple times. Straight through, 1 night on the road, 2 nights on the road.

Same, there's multiple permutations of how to do this.

"Straight through" (slept for 4hrs at the NC welcome center on 77) was surprisingly tolerable. Ended up in central FL by midday on Day 2 which was great. We basically left Ontario on a Friday morning and were in Orlando before check-in time on a Saturday afternoon.

Way back was more leisurely, visiting St Augustine and pushing past 77 to a Florence SC stay, then we took I-95 & some bypasses back to I-81 but could still make it home. Made for a long Day 2 though. Realistically you'd want to get farther on Day 1 than Florence (or Charlotte if 77) in order to cut down Day 2.

On another trip, we hit up Panama City Beach rather than Central FL, so we did night 1 in Bristol VA then night 2 in PCB, including time to sightsee at the Georgia aquarium in Atlanta (highly recommended). You can visit a lot of different things if you're doing 2 nights on the road. Way back we made it to Virginia, with an easy arrival back in Canada without a second night on the road.

 

[Nagle]

Straight through was Brockville to Orlando with stops for food, gas, and bathroom breaks.

one night on the road is usually Brockville to Rock Hill SC - Rock Hill to Orlando.

Two nights, Brockville-Staunton VA- Savannah Ga - Orlando.

coming home is usually just one night on the road. Early departure from Orlando to Chambersburg Pa - home.

 

[migel]

I've done straight through from the Niagara area, but also split the drive on occasion. Usually stop near Fort Jackson South Carolina (it's always good to get past Charlotte NC, although with the toll lanes, it's not nearly as bad). Lots of hotel/motel choices right off the highway. La Quinta and few others. For us that's a 12 hour drive day 1, then it's up early for the remaining 7 hours to our condo. The drive home is usually straight through, although we have stopped around Summersville WV in the past.

 

[Zdog]

Thanks for sharing!! To dive into this a bit more deeply, was hoping to make it to Santee SC on day one (again, departing from upstate NY) with a much shorter drive day 2. Also debating how long to stay on I81. The AAA Trip Tik (oh yes, I did get one and had it mailed to me for the true "seasoned driver" feeling along with actual paper maps) suggests joining 95 just south of DC, but I'm seeing other routes suggesting to remain on I81 until Roanoke and then heading south from there on I73 and I74 until joining up with I95 in Florence.

 

[bankr63]

Thanks for sharing!! To dive into this a bit more deeply, was hoping to make it to Santee SC on day one (again, departing from upstate NY) with a much shorter drive day 2. Also debating how long to stay on I81. The AAA Trip Tik (oh yes, I did get one and had it mailed to me for the true "seasoned driver" feeling along with actual paper maps) suggests joining 95 just south of DC, but I'm seeing other routes suggesting to remain on I81 until Roanoke and then heading south from there on I73 and I74 until joining up with I95 in Florence.

We stay I-81 to I-77 and then south-east through Fancy Gap.

This year we tried something different on the way home because I have been looking for options to stay of I-95 through South Carolina. It is a very congested stretch through SC because it is only 4 lanes. There are plans to finally expand but that will be a decade of construction, so finding a new route seemed advisable. We took I-16 (Savannah GA) toward Augusta (stayed over a night after a mid-day start from Orlando). Route was roughly I-16, US67, US25. Mostly 4 lanes with not much traffic at all on a Friday. (I say roughly; I was letting GMaps guide me). Was a much more pleasant ride and some nice scenery. In the morning, we took I-20 across to Columbia where we rejoined our normal route on I-77. You can just reverse this route on the way down.

Note that I am always looking for the easier nicer drive. I like open roads with reasonable traffic and don't mind giving up 10-20 minutes or so on Map's estimated time. On the busier routes it is often the case that we get stuck in traffic jams for quite a while, so those 'longer' routes are often quicker and much better for the blood pressure.

 

[Nagle]

Thanks for sharing!! To dive into this a bit more deeply, was hoping to make it to Santee SC on day one (again, departing from upstate NY) with a much shorter drive day 2. Also debating how long to stay on I81. The AAA Trip Tik (oh yes, I did get one and had it mailed to me for the true "seasoned driver" feeling along with actual paper maps) suggests joining 95 just south of DC, but I'm seeing other routes suggesting to remain on I81 until Roanoke and then heading south from there on I73 and I74 until joining up with I95 in Florence.

I also stay on 81 all the way to 77. We used to cut over to 95 just below DC, but I found the big truck traffic got to be way busier than I cared for.