DRIVING FROM NY in FEB w/1nt stopover

[nezy]

We are planning to head to WDW in Feb. 2 Drivers-3kids. We plan to stop for one night. My biggest concern is to avoid the DC/VA area.

We can leave Saturday am, but I really do not want to be on I-95 near DC on a Sat. w/ shopping traffic and everything else that goes on there. The option is to leave Friday night--but I am not sure how far to go to get around the same traffic issue, as well as the DC/Baltimore traffic.

Any suggestions from seasoned drivers?

Thanks.

 

[Missytara]

One way to completely avoid the DC traffic is to come through DE and MD, and take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is more lights, but you don't get stuck in horrible traffic around DC.

There is also tax-free shopping in DE!!!!

 

[GranddadTom]

A Saturday morning in February is generally not going to be a big problem for you in the DC area. It's in the summer when this is a problem (and then it is Rt 95 south of Washington, not the Washington Beltway, that is the problem - everyone heading south to the Virginia and North Carolina beaches). Traffic in the winter tends to be much lighter on the weekends. I'd advise you to stick to I-95 in February and not to be lured onto Rt-81 - much colder in the hills and icy roads can be a problem. Something else you should be aware (but don't lose any sleep over it) is that southern Virginia and North Carolina don't get much snow but they do get a lot of ice. The highway is salted but if you happen to be there while it is icing things can get tense.

 

[GranddadTom]

I just reread your Friday night comment. Stay away from going south on the northern Virginia part of Rt-95 (from the Beltway south for about 30 miles) between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm. After 8:00 pm the rush hour begins to let up.

 

[shafke]

We did this drive last Feb. We left NY around 10:30 PM and were past DC around 2 AM. The kids fell asleep around when we hit th NJ Tpke. They got up when we hit the rest stop in VA just south of DC and when back to sleep until until sometime in NC. We stopped for the night in Brunswick GA and had about 4-5 hours the next day to drive.

 

[nezy]

Thanks-good advice Tom about the DC rush hour traffic.

SHAFKE: What time did you make it to NC and do you recall what town it was that you stopped in?

 

[shafke]

SHAFKE: What time did you make it to NC and do you recall what town it was that you stopped in?

We got to the NC/SC border around 8:30am. We were originally going to stop somewhere in SC but we would have arrived around 11 am. Since it was so early we pushed on to Brunswick, GA. Got there around 3-4 pm.

 

[nezy]

So you drove throught the night, got to Georgia at 4-ish relaxed, slept, eat dinner I assume(not in that order). Got up and made it the rest of the way. That sound like a good way to.