For those folks driving!

[mrstomrice]

I'd love to hear about the route you mentioned through Delaware. That sounds interesting. The drive down I95 is fine when the traffic is moving, but when it's not...UGH!!! My son loves to go that route though because he enjoys seeing the cities. But at this point he's seen them enough! If I could find a better route with less traffic that isn't too much out of the way, I'd give it a try. Please let me know what you find out. Thanks!!!

Jessica [/QUOTE]

Thanks everyone for your advice! Here is our plan, as of this moment, as well as the directions that bypass the 95 mess through MD and DC. These directions are my father's who travels by motorhome and is always looking for a less traveled route. He goes to Fl every year. We are going to try to avoid 495 in Deleware due to construction, so we are hopping over to NJ to take 295 S to the Del. Mem Bridge. That takes us to 13 South in DE. This is a stop and go road for about 5 miles and leads you to 301 South, which you take all of the way to Bowling Green Va where you connect to 95 South. Hopefully this is a good plan for a Friday afternoon.
Please let me know if you have experience with this route and what you think of it. HAve a safe trip everyone!

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Originally Posted by Mickey's Sister

Hi up there near Scranton! We're right off the Mahoning Valley exit of the turnpike northeast extension - near Beltzville State Park. Not TOO far from you.

Where do you pick up 64? Does 64 join up with 95? I'm not familiar with this. This past trip was the first time we ever had trouble on I95 (Thanksgiving weekend) but it made up for all the other good trips combined. Plus I'm always ready for some new scenery, LOL!

Jessica

Staunton and Rt. 64 are at exit 221 on Rt 81S.

Actually what I meant to say earlier is that we take the 81-17-66-17-95 way. Sorry for any confusion.

[LauraAnn630]

Is it hard driving through the Appalachian Mts. on 77? We're going in December. I'm worried about snow too!

[MemoryMakers2669]

Originally Posted by mrstomrice

That takes us to 13 South in DE. This is a stop and go road for about 5 miles and leads you to 301 South, which you take all of the way to Bowling Green Va where you connect to 95 South. Hopefully this is a good plan for a Friday afternoon.
Please let me know if you have experience with this route and what you think of it. HAve a safe trip everyone!

301 in Maryland is a nightmare. Lights every 1/4 mile for a long time there. HEAVY traffic on a Friday afternoon. Of course the beltway would be much worse, so this could be a better way to go. Once you are passed Bowie Maryland, you will be fine all the way to Bowling Green though. Just getting through the populated part of Maryland would cause you trouble.

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Originally Posted by MouseEarsJenny

81 exits to 64 right around Staunton, VA. It cuts across some seriously beautiful countryside near the Shenandoah National Park, and joins up with 95 at Richmond. (You can follow the signs to I-95 that will bypass the city itself. That takes you on, I think, 288 and 85.)

I-64 and I-95 cut through downtown Richmond. Route 288 is the bypass around Richmond from I-64 in the west end to I-95 on the south side between Richmond and Petersburg. You'll pass the intersection of I-85 with I-95 in Petersburg, but you won't get on I-85.

I've driven from Richmond to Baltimore taking the US 301 route and it is a good alternative. Quite a few traffic lights and areas with speed limits below 55 in MD and the bridge is a toll, but the traffic moves at a decent rate and didn't seem as -- oh, what's a good word -- frantic as the Beltway and I-95 in NOVA.

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Originally Posted by LauraAnn630

Is it hard driving through the Appalachian Mts. on 77? We're going in December. I'm worried about snow too!

Using the Rt 81 to Rt 77 route in the "winter time" can be a test if there is snow on the ground. Your up in the mountains. IMHO. There is plenty of windy roads and tight turns.
Great drive in the summer on a motorcycle or sports car.

[Mickey's Sister]

Originally Posted by MemoryMakers2669

301 in Maryland is a nightmare. Lights every 1/4 mile for a long time there. HEAVY traffic on a Friday afternoon. Of course the beltway would be much worse, so this could be a better way to go. Once you are passed Bowie Maryland, you will be fine all the way to Bowling Green though. Just getting through the populated part of Maryland would cause you trouble.

So much for that idea...that would drive me crazy! Plus all the extra gas you use in stop & go traffic... Thanks for the info!

Jessica

[MemoryMakers2669]

Originally Posted by Mickey's Sister

So much for that idea...that would drive me crazy! Plus all the extra gas you use in stop & go traffic... Thanks for the info!

Jessica

If you could leave earlier in the morning, you would do fine I think just staying on I-95. The DC beltway gets bad around 4pm, sometimes a little earlier.

[Mickey's Sister]

Originally Posted by MemoryMakers2669

If you could leave earlier in the morning, you would do fine I think just staying on I-95. The DC beltway gets bad around 4pm, sometimes a little earlier.

We usually find this to be true. We've made the trip 4 times & the only problem we've had was this past November 2005 - I made the mistake of leaving Saturday after Thanksgiving. Leaving early didn't help. It was horrible not just to Richmond either, so taking another route part-way wouldn't have completely solved the problem. There were accidents that even had back-ups in North Carolina. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic crawling along from just below Jacksonville to the I4 split. I talked to a woman who came north to Disney from Palm Beach & she said they had the same problem coming north. Total drive time from PA was 24 hours - insane! The drive home the following weekend was fine though. Posters here frequently mention other routes which are better, so I'm open to suggestion...but I may just do I95 again. I normally love the drive - I know I'm crazy but I enjoy road trips. My concern is that next trip we're going down for Star Wars Weekends in May 2007 & the only week we can go brings us home on Memorial Day. Anyone do I95 on Memorial Day? Should be interesting...

Jessica

[java]

So in trying to plan our drive down I am thinking(ambitiuosly) that we will make it to SC. But in looking at the dis section for lodging along I95 in SC seems like we will really have to drive through most of it to find a decent place to stop. So am I wrong any good clean places to stop in the upper section of SC along I95? We usually only make it to NC and stay at a Fairfield Inn- but I think we are leaving much earlier than usual so we should get to SC.

[Mickey's Sister]

Originally Posted by java

So in trying to plan our drive down I am thinking(ambitiuosly) that we will make it to SC. But in looking at the dis section for lodging along I95 in SC seems like we will really have to drive through most of it to find a decent place to stop. So am I wrong any good clean places to stop in the upper section of SC along I95? We usually only make it to NC and stay at a Fairfield Inn- but I think we are leaving much earlier than usual so we should get to SC.

On our trip In Nov/Dec 2005 we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Florence (exit 164) and it was quite nice. Our room was on an inner courtyard nicely landscaped with a pool. (Though we couldn't take advantage of the pool since it was in the 30's, LOL.) Plus they had a security guard patrolling the grounds, giving directions. Not that we've ever felt unsafe in Florence, but I thought it was a nice touch. We've usually stayed at the Comfort Inn in Florence - it is no frills but clean. We never had a problem there but I wanted take advantage of my Priority Club membership, which is why we switched to Holiday Inn. Both places offer free continental breakfast, plus have fridges & microwaves in the room. Plenty of gas stations and restaurants right there as well. Florence is a big tourist stop, there are rows of hotels. We've also stayed in the Sleep Inn - very clean & the most comfortable beds, BUT it is right next to the train tracks. Several times it woke us up. Trains don't normally bother me, but this sounded like it was coming right in the hotel.

If you're looking specifically for a Marriott property, there is a Fairfield at the next Florence exit, #160, where my brother & his family stayed & they rated it highly. Though I can't comment on gas & food availability at that exit. Plus I think you have to take a spur off of the highway to get to the hotel, if I remember correctly. But I'm sure they would provide directions.


Hope this helps.

Jessica

[java]

Thank you Jessica!! I forgot all about Florence! Great idea! Thanks again.

[elf]

Hi just thought I'd join this thread because we are doing the unthinkable driving down during Easter Break. Been to Disney 30 some odd times and have driven for quite a few of them, but never during an actual holiday. I know to expect traffic but I'm willing to do some extra's to work around the busiest traffic areas.

I've looked at about 23 pages on this thread and I haven't seen what those from LI New York have done.
Anyone have any suggestions. We want to leave Friday at 1:30pm, we'll pick up kids from school (that's their dismissal time for the holiday) and hope to be out of Staten Island by 3:30. I'm willing to do the scenic routes. Anyone have good ideas from LI.
I was checking out the route 81 to 64 back to I95 in Richmond that looked interesting but is it worth going so far out of the way to 81?

Two years ago we drove down to Va. on the Friday of Memorial day weekend on I95 it was a nightmare. Traffic starting at the Belt, through Staten Island and all of NJ.

[SomePixiedust]

That's going to be a really tough time to travel. The Friday before Easter is Good Friday, and most schools around here are off that day, sorry your's isn't. Just trying to get off the island and through Staten Island is a nightmare on a normal day. Many people get off from work early that day due to it being an unofficial holiday and the start of a holiday weekend, so you may really get stuck with heavy traffic-especially if the weather isn't good. We usually try to be on the Southern State by 5:30 AM to avoid the traffic. Unfortunately any time we've left later in the day we've encountered heavy traffic. If there's anything you can do to leave earlier, that might work better. Or maybe try later at night, but I don't know how you feel about driving at night. I'm sure you want to get there ASAP with Sunday being Easter. Sorry I'm not much help but good luck.

[2Princes2Princesses]

We drive in from Buffalo, NY area to WDW every year. We usually take I-95 to I-4, then to exit 67....AAA always gives us this route.

However, this year, I mentioned that I considered the AutoTrain to my cousin, who is a CM, and she told me to do it, that I-4 had become a nightmare in the last year, even more so than usual.

We have decided (well DH did) to drive, and I contacted AAA to see about taking in our TripTik to have the current construction updated, since we leave 4/29 from Buffalo.

Now they said that they are starting to recommend 417 rather than I-4, a little longer, but better on the traffic headache front. Better on my nerves too. I HATE I-4. LoL

Does anyone else go this way?? We have not done our update yet, isn't 417 basically an exit off I-4 closer to I-95, then circles around Orlando and dumps back into I-4 near WDW???

Should we bother?? I know there are 2 major events in the area on 4/30, our arrival day. And like I said, I-4 gives me the willies.