"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (Part V)

[Wayland10]

Hi all,
We’re driving down from New York in August and are planning to make a road trip of it. Day 1 will be NY to DC, where we’ll stay with family friends for a few days, then drive to Savannah so my oldest child can check out SCAD and we can spend a day exploring. We love Savannah but haven’t visited in a decade, so any advice or must dos would be welcome. Then we’ll spend a day hanging out in St Augustine before hopefully arriving at Wilderness Lodge fairly early in the morning. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations? We always have taken the inland route before.

 

[MikeF;NJ]

Hi all,
We’re driving down from New York in August and are planning to make a road trip of it. Day 1 will be NY to DC, where we’ll stay with family friends for a few days, then drive to Savannah so my oldest child can check out SCAD and we can spend a day exploring. We love Savannah but haven’t visited in a decade, so any advice or must dos would be welcome. Then we’ll spend a day hanging out in St Augustine before hopefully arriving at Wilderness Lodge fairly early in the morning. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations? We always have taken the inland route before.

I can't give much advice. The times I have driven on the beltway around DC, Google Maps says the western half is quicker, but I've always felt that side felt longer to drive. My preference is for the eastern half of the beltway. (However, the last time I drove that area was in 2017, so things could have changed.) I found more traffic after the southern end of the beltway in VA.

 

[Dacky619]

Hello drivers. We will be joining the 2k roundtrip club in a few weeks because we don't trust any airline with our trip. We are coming from Central PA (near Harrisburg), and google maps suggests both heading south to 95 or that inland route that is referenced several times in this thread (81 to 77 to 26 to 95). We plan on leaving fairly early (maybe 4 or 5 am) on a Sunday morning and trying to make it all the way down to Savannah, GA before we stop for the night. Google maps is saying going straight to 95 would save us roughly an hour. Anyone take 95 recently or have thoughts on if it would be clear on a Sunday in early June?

 

[Wayland10]

Hello drivers. We will be joining the 2k roundtrip club in a few weeks because we don't trust any airline with our trip. We are coming from Central PA (near Harrisburg), and google maps suggests both heading south to 95 or that inland route that is referenced several times in this thread (81 to 77 to 26 to 95). We plan on leaving fairly early (maybe 4 or 5 am) on a Sunday morning and trying to make it all the way down to Savannah, GA before we stop for the night. Google maps is saying going straight to 95 would save us roughly an hour. Anyone take 95 recently or have thoughts on if it would be clear on a Sunday in early June?

I’ve never had a single trip where going by DC would be considered clear, and several where we seriously considered just pulling over to the side of the road near DC and buying real estate, because apparently we lived there now. I’ll always take the inland route.

 

[bluezy]

Hello drivers. We will be joining the 2k roundtrip club in a few weeks because we don't trust any airline with our trip. We are coming from Central PA (near Harrisburg), and google maps suggests both heading south to 95 or that inland route that is referenced several times in this thread (81 to 77 to 26 to 95). We plan on leaving fairly early (maybe 4 or 5 am) on a Sunday morning and trying to make it all the way down to Savannah, GA before we stop for the night. Google maps is saying going straight to 95 would save us roughly an hour. Anyone take 95 recently or have thoughts on if it would be clear on a Sunday in early June?

We drive from southeastern PA and always take the I-95 route the entire drive. While I'm sure it all depends on timing and a bit of luck, we have sailed through DC on early (before 8:30 a.m.) Saturday and Sunday mornings. The drives when we arrive in the DC area later than 9:00 a.m. are the ones where we tend to hit a lot of traffic. The worst was a Friday afternoon at 4:00. We didn't plan to get there at that time but we had a minor emergency at home before we left that day that delayed our start by about 4 hours. We now take advantage of the EZ Pass lanes which definitely help to avoid some traffic. Just be forewarned, those charges add up quickly. I think we spent about $25 avoiding traffic on our last trip through there.

 

[shafke]

Hello drivers. We will be joining the 2k roundtrip club in a few weeks because we don't trust any airline with our trip. We are coming from Central PA (near Harrisburg), and google maps suggests both heading south to 95 or that inland route that is referenced several times in this thread (81 to 77 to 26 to 95). We plan on leaving fairly early (maybe 4 or 5 am) on a Sunday morning and trying to make it all the way down to Savannah, GA before we stop for the night. Google maps is saying going straight to 95 would save us roughly an hour. Anyone take 95 recently or have thoughts on if it would be clear on a Sunday in early June?

We drive from southeastern PA and always take the I-95 route the entire drive. While I'm sure it all depends on timing and a bit of luck, we have sailed through DC on early (before 8:30 a.m.) Saturday and Sunday mornings. The drives when we arrive in the DC area later than 9:00 a.m. are the ones where we tend to hit a lot of traffic. The worst was a Friday afternoon at 4:00. We didn't plan to get there at that time but we had a minor emergency at home before we left that day that delayed our start by about 4 hours. We now take advantage of the EZ Pass lanes which definitely help to avoid some traffic. Just be forewarned, those charges add up quickly. I think we spent about $25 avoiding traffic on our last trip through there.

I have found the western beltway to have more traffic the the east side... it also seems to have more/tighter curve. I am not sure the route Dacky would plan to take to get to the DC area from Harrisburg but the two choices seem to be i83 to Baltimore or I81-I70-I270. If taking the 2nd choice there will be no other option than to take the west side.

 

[Dacky619]

I have found the western beltway to have more traffic the the east side... it also seems to have more/tighter curve. I am not sure the route Dacky would plan to take to get to the DC area from Harrisburg but the two choices seem to be i83 to Baltimore or I81-I70-I270. If taking the 2nd choice there will be no other option than to take the west side.

If I were to hop right to 95 it would be via 83 from the York area down to Baltimore.

 

[MIChessGuy]

Hey there, drivers. Last week I did my first Orlando driving trip from SE Michigan in several years. One thing I noticed that definitely was absent from prior trips is that Buc-ee's now has a few locations along I-75. On the return trip, I stopped at the one in Warner Robins, GA and wandered around the store for a while after filling up. (And the fill-up was quite competitive, too: $3.99/gal.) I got some salt-free cashews and a box of face masks, both very good deals. There's another one off I-75 in Richmond, KY. If you have the time, I recommend stopping in.

 

[Stratman50th]

We drive from southeastern PA and always take the I-95 route the entire drive. While I'm sure it all depends on timing and a bit of luck, we have sailed through DC on early (before 8:30 a.m.) Saturday and Sunday mornings. The drives when we arrive in the DC area later than 9:00 a.m. are the ones where we tend to hit a lot of traffic. The worst was a Friday afternoon at 4:00. We didn't plan to get there at that time but we had a minor emergency at home before we left that day that delayed our start by about 4 hours. We now take advantage of the EZ Pass lanes which definitely help to avoid some traffic. Just be forewarned, those charges add up quickly. I think we spent about $25 avoiding traffic on our last trip through there.

We lived near Baltimore so we had to go west to get to 95 and the beltway. I hate 95 south in northern VA so much I took 301 as a bypass. Even with some of the stop and go through the towns I still put up with it. The only thing I didn't like was crossing the Potomac over the Harry Nice bridge. It's a toll going from MD to the VA side (not coming back from VA to MD). That toll cost me $36 one way to cross that bridge. Tall, old and narrow I used to call it "a** clencher bridge". I guess that says how much I hate 95.

 

[bluezy]

We lived near Baltimore so we had to go west to get to 95 and the beltway. I hate 95 south in northern VA so much I took 301 as a bypass. Even with some of the stop and go through the towns I still put up with it. The only thing I didn't like was crossing the Potomac over the Harry Nice bridge. It's a toll going from MD to the VA side (not coming back from VA to MD). That toll cost me $36 one way to cross that bridge. Tall, old and narrow I used to call it "a** clencher bridge". I guess that says how much I hate 95.

If I was doing the driving, we wouldn't be taking I-95, but my husband does all the driving (his choice) so I just buckle up and hang on tight. We used to take advantage of the beltways but for some reason, we don't do that anymore. We always say that once you're past Richmond, you're home free until Jacksonville...and we haven't had any real issues in Jacksonville either (we're usually traveling through there at about 9:00 am on a Sunday morning) but I know people have said it can get pretty bad.

 

[Stratman50th]

If I was doing the driving, we wouldn't be taking I-95, but my husband does all the driving (his choice) so I just buckle up and hang on tight. We used to take advantage of the beltways but for some reason, we don't do that anymore. We always say that once you're past Richmond, you're home free until Jacksonville...and we haven't had any real issues in Jacksonville either (we're usually traveling through there at about 9:00 am on a Sunday morning) but I know people have said it can get pretty bad.

The 301/207 exit dumps you out onto 95 just north of King''s Dominion.
I've been using the Jacksonville beltway for years. We go the eastern side where all the beach exits are. Like everything it's gotten heavier over the years.
I also use 417 to bypass most of Orlando. Of course it dumps you onto 4 at the Disney exit. Then it's more traffic for me west on 4 till home, about 20 more miles. You'll probably be done at the Disney exit and not worry about the rest of 4
I think the new toll lanes on 4 on the east side of Orlando are supposed to be working well. I've never used them.

 

[pwdebbie]

Hello drivers. We will be joining the 2k roundtrip club in a few weeks because we don't trust any airline with our trip. We are coming from Central PA (near Harrisburg), and google maps suggests both heading south to 95 or that inland route that is referenced several times in this thread (81 to 77 to 26 to 95). We plan on leaving fairly early (maybe 4 or 5 am) on a Sunday morning and trying to make it all the way down to Savannah, GA before we stop for the night. Google maps is saying going straight to 95 would save us roughly an hour. Anyone take 95 recently or have thoughts on if it would be clear on a Sunday in early June?

I'm SW of Harrisburg and have done both routes. We've decided that the inland route is the best route for us. An hour "saved" per the map is probably not going to be reality. The inland route is more relaxing and scenic. We don't make it to Savannah but stop in Orangeburg instead. Plenty of chain hotels to choose from. And I second taking 417, so much nicer than I-4.

 

[herdtoDisney]

Hey there, drivers. Last week I did my first Orlando driving trip from SE Michigan in several years. One thing I noticed that definitely was absent from prior trips is that Buc-ee's now has a few locations along I-75. On the return trip, I stopped at the one in Warner Robins, GA and wandered around the store for a while after filling up. (And the fill-up was quite competitive, too: $3.99/gal.) I got some salt-free cashews and a box of face masks, both very good deals. There's another one off I-75 in Richmond, KY. If you have the time, I recommend stopping in.

My brother, who travels all over the US and the world, for work-RAVES about Buc-ee's!!! I read that there is one in Florence SC on 95 now, but as I have decided to drive the inland route from FL to CT next month-I will exit onto 26 before it, drat! I'll try one someday!

 

[Sunelis]

My brother, who travels all over the US and the world, for work-RAVES about Buc-ee's!!! I read that there is one in Florence SC on 95 now, but as I have decided to drive the inland route from FL to CT next month-I will exit onto 26 before it, drat! I'll try one someday!

There are 2 buc-ee's on I95 in Florida one a bit south of Jacksonville and another before the I4 exit.

 

[herdtoDisney]

There are 2 buc-ee's on I95 in Florida one a bit south of Jacksonville and another before the I4 exit.

Yes! But, from where I live north of Tampa I take 75 to 10 to 95 in Jacksonville and miss it. Someday I'll get to one!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

My brother, who travels all over the US and the world, for work-RAVES about Buc-ee's!!! I read that there is one in Florence SC on 95 now, but as I have decided to drive the inland route from FL to CT next month-I will exit onto 26 before it, drat! I'll try one someday!

We stopped at the one in Daytona on our last trip. We wanted to see what all the hype was. Lol
The BBQ is really good!! It’s a nice place to take a break. The one in Florence wasn’t opened yet. It’s a better stopping point for us, so will check it out next time.

 

[Bork]

It's been 12 years, but we're doing it again. Driving from Milwaukee, WI in August, about 2500 miles round trip. We don't like being stuck with Disney transportation and the hassle of flying and renting a car. Even with gas prices, it's still way cheaper than flying for 5 of us.

In 2010, we had DS6. Now we have DS18, DD9 and DS3. We're driving over 2 days each way.
The oldest 2 have driven to Charleston, SC and back in 2015 (2000 miles). DD used to get car sick back then, but she has outgrown it now. First long trip for DS3, but he's a pretty good in the car.

Wish us luck.

 

[frapdawn]

Hi everyone. We drove back from our march 2020 trip and loved the ride. We live in ma and didn’t have a plan, we drove until Richmond stopped and then made it home in about 8 hrs. Now this time we have a 20 month old. He LOVES the car but is he going to still love the car when he’s stuck in his seat for two days? Boy I hope so. My question is to other roadtrippers who’ve done it with toddlers or babies. We have two potential plans one is to leave mid day around nap time after lunch but this doesn’t put us into a great place for our overnight stop. Option 2 is to leave at bedtime about 7 or so. But then we are driving at night with impaired drivers and through the cities any tips? We know we’ve got I avoid rush hour in nyc, dc etc and we are leaving midweek so it’s something to contend with. Thanks for the help everyone. Happy driving.

 

[LadyBeBop]

How long will he nap for?

When our granddaughter turned one, we took a 2,000 mile round trip to WDW. No problems. So it can be done.

I wouldn't worry about starting off around naptime. He'll sleep in the car automatically. I'm not too familiar about driving in the Northeast. I'm just assuming you'll want to hit NYC by about 10-11 and DC no later than about 2-3. I'd still stick with that. I'd stop for lunch about an hour or so before naptime. After lunch, he'll be ready for a nice long nap. Hopefully enough to get you well into Virginia.

Also, are you planning on staying overnight in Richmond, or are you trying to make it into the Carolinas?

 

[frapdawn]

Thanks for the reply He just started transitioning to 1 nap. He usually naps for two hours or so. In a perfect world I’d like to make it to the Carolina’s so we have a shorter travel day the last driving day. I don’t know that anyone will be game for that if we leave during the day but I was thinking if we left at bedtime that may happen. We just would need to worry that we would arrive at a hotel too early to check in since it would most definitely be before 4 pm even if we stop for a little walk around a rest area or something