How long of a drive is it from Atlanta

[monymony3471]

Georgia to WDW?

We are stopping in Atlanta for the night and I'm tryig to see exactly give or take a few minutes, j/k, how long before we're in WDW. I can't remember from the last trip. It didn't help, cause we got tied up in major traffic due to an accident and rush hour, oh it was a mess! I can't be sure of the time difference. We are leaving early am and I'm wanting to make dinner reservations.

Also, when does the am traffic mess end for the commute to work in the morning?

Thanks!

[monymony3471]

Bumping so I can fill in my planner..... :rotfl:

[milkabum]

I think it's about 5-6 hours.

[Kat in GA]

We live in Stone Mountain -- about 30 minutes East of Atlanta. For us to get to Orlando, it's about 8 hours (give or take a bit depending on stops).

Atlanta traffic is HORRIBLE! Rush hours can last for 4ish hours! I would suggest not going through Atlanta from 4-7 pm and again in the morning from 6-9:30. Of course it all depends on where the hotel is that you are going to lay-over in. If you can get South of the city in the evening then your drive in the morning should be going against most traffic. Hope that helps!

[JPN4265]

You can expect a 7 to 8 hour drive from Atlanta to WDW resort area. If are staying on property, I would suggest that you take Highway 27 off of the Florida Turnpike to avoid getting in all of the traffic. Depending on the time of day you get started, I-75 can be bumper to bumper almost all the way to Orlando.

[monymony3471]

You know, I was wondering about just getting through Atlanta and then stopping.

Any suggestions where?

[sleepingbeautymama]

Are you driving from MI? How long do you think it will take you to get to Atlanta? We are driving from Indiana and we had originally thought we'd stop just before Atlanta but the previous posts have me worried about traffic and we have a very important :) princess dinner that evening. I'm now thinking we might want to keep driving through Atlanta first. Also looking for suggestions on where to stop.

[Al and Kate's Mom]

We're driving from Nashville to Orlando, and stopping overnight in Valdosta - it may be a little far for you coming from further north, but there are several big exits south of metro where you can get a nice room for a decent price!

[sleepingbeautymama]

We're driving from Nashville to Orlando, and stopping overnight in Valdosta - it may be a little far for you coming from further north, but there are several big exits south of metro where you can get a nice room for a decent price!

Do you think we'll need to make a reservation or should there be plenty of hotels that we won't have to worry? I really don't want to make a reservation since I have no idea where we will end up. Thanks

[Al and Kate's Mom]

I'm going to just because I've heard that the I-75 corridor can book up - but I'm not sure how true that is - seems like when we came back from Hilton Head that route a few months ago, we just walked in to a hotel, and there were MANY right there - I'd say make a ressie and be prepared to cancel it by the hold time in case you find something else!

[monymony3471]

Are you driving from MI? How long do you think it will take you to get to Atlanta? We are driving from Indiana and we had originally thought we'd stop just before Atlanta but the previous posts have me worried about traffic and we have a very important :) princess dinner that evening. I'm now thinking we might want to keep driving through Atlanta first. Also looking for suggestions on where to stop.

We are 30 minutes north of Detroit. To get to Atlanta it would take us about 12 hours. It takes about 5 hours just get through Ohio alone. If you want to go to Valdosta like the other poster add 3 more hours to your travel time from Atlanta. I think it's about 230 miles.

I was thinking about just driving to the next big city after Atlanta. Not sure what that is yet or how long to get to one.

[Kat in GA]

Being near Atlanta gives me zero experience with hotels in the area! However, I would suggest that you look at Locust Grove. It's about 30 minutes (ish) south of Atlanta -- and far enough south of 675 and 285 to get you out of "Atlanta" traffic" -- it's right on the interstate -- and there is a Tanger Outlet mall there, and thus lots of hotels.

Another thought would be to look at the holiday inn website (ichoice or something like that) -- they have a great hotel finder -- "find by route." I wish all sites would do that! (not all of us know where we'll end up -- and especially for people who want to break up a trip, it's most helpful!).

[MariaEllerºoº]

How is the traffic if leaving Atlanta area on a Sunday morning to head to Disney?

[Kat in GA]

Well...Atlanta traffic as I said is horrible...but if we are talking weekends, I would say it is much better than during the week rush hours. The key would be to look for a Georgia DOT website to look for construction and closings. Like a week or two ago, they shut down I-85 completely (all 12ish lanes -- north and south bound) for 15 minutes while they did blasting! You can imagine the havoc that created! Anyway...it should be okay.

Another thing to keep in mind (and this goes for my Locust Grove suggestion, too) is race weekend. Not being a fan of such, I am not sure when it is -- October or November -- that will take all hotel rooms and make the interstates creep along!

[MariaEllerºoº]

Thanks for the info!

[dawgfan]

Sunday traffic would not be too bad especially if it is early. On any other day I would suggest that you go through Atlanta prior to stopping for the night. Your timing is is important here as to where you will wind up. Atlanta is an 8 hour I-75 trip to WDW. Forsyth Ga. is about a 45 to 50 minute drive south of Atlanta. There is a nice clean Holiday Inn there. Feel free to PM me for more assistance or info. I am law enforecment officer for the state of Ga. and travel up and down I-75 and to Atlanta often.

[MariaEllerºoº]

The only reason why we're stopping in Atlanta would be to visit with my hubby's army buddy that he went to Iraq with. We're planning to spend two nights with him and visit the aquarium before heading down to Disney. Otherwise, we wouldn't take this route to get to Disney. From home it's a straight shot down 95 and then I-4.

[jaycat]

I live in Georgia, and go the Atlanta route frequently to get to Disney, depending on how fast you drive, the weather (people slow down pretty bad in rain), what time you go during the day, and what time of the year you go, it can be a 6 - 8 hour drive. Like another poster said, get through Atlanta before stopping for the night, and from about 6am to 8:30am and 11:30am to about 1pm and 4:30pm to 7pm, traffic is usually heaver than any other times. So good luck with traffic and have fun on your trip. :Pinkbounc

[T-i-double-g-err]

We're typically on the high side with about 9 hours, but that's with bathroom stops every hour or so for our kids.

I'll double all the warnings on rush hour in Atlanta. 'Tis to be avoided at all costs. Sunday morning should not be a problem.

[Al and Kate's Mom]

I keep hearing about a way to avoid I-4 coming this way - does anyone have detailed driving directions - we'll be going to POP...appreciate any help! ;)

[Karnak]

You've received two really good bits of advice on this thread, and I'd recommend that you heed both of them. (1) get south of Atlanta before turning in for the night, and (2) use the Florida Turnpike and US 27 to avoid as much of I-75 as possible.

I hope y'all have a great trip.

Enjoy.

[monymony3471]

We are arriving in GA Thanksgiving in the evening. How is the Holiday traffic. Less Worse?

[Kat in GA]

It seems like no one stays in Atlanta for Thanksgiving! Holiday traffic is worse than anything you can imagine! One year we went to Asheville, NC for Thanksgiving. It is normally a 4 hour trip from our house. Now, we were stupid in that we left home at 5pm the day before Thanksgiving -- but we did not arrive at our destination until midnight! Now, Thanksgiving day is not too bad -- but the weekend would be pretty busy too. There are 12 malls around metro Atlanta, so mall traffic around Thanksgiving on the interstates is pretty bad, too! If you are talking about Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving, it will be heavy, but probably not too bad.

[MissLiz]

I'll triple the "Atlanta traffic is awful" sentiments!!!!

My hubby works in Atlanta and he has to leave at 5:45am every morning to make sure he is there by 8am!!! And we only live about 40 miles north of Atlanta.

We are driving in Sept and we are planning on leaving at about 5am to avoid the rush.

I would definitely look into a hotel that is south of Atlanta. In my opinion, it would be better to close a day with traffic than to start a new one off with that headache.

[HopperFan]

We live on the north side of Atlanta. 8 hours door to door stopping once for gas and a fast burger break. If we leave on weekends we leave around 7am and do just fine going through town. If it is a weekday, then either be gone before 6 am or wait until 9 am or later. Otherwise you waste lots of time in the traffic parking lot. :drive:

We actually hit the most traffic south of Atlanta around McDonough and Eagles Landing. We call Eagles Landing the Black Hole of Georgia. No matter when you are there you sit in traffic for no apparent reason :confused3 :confused3 So if going past Atlanta to stay the night, I would go past there.