Heading down from Pa..Some overnight stop questions

[amberlynn]

Hi! We're heading down in less than 2 weeks from Pa...DH is planning on taking 77...We're guessing we could make it comfortably to Columbia SC the first day...Any suggestions on places to spend the night? DH is even considering an overnight hotel stay so he can get some rest, but the kids and I really dont want to! (He's worried about set up and tear down time cutting into travel since we're so new to this) Thanks!

 

[ptlohmysoul]

I highly recommend the Hampton Inn in Santee, SC. The one in Brunswick, GA is good too. Not sure how far you are planning on traveling on the first leg of your trip.

 

[amberlynn]

We're hoping to do about 12 hours the first day...Which given a lunch and dinner stop w 4 kids should put us about at Columbia SC. The hotels you recommended, would it be ok to leave the tt in the parking lot? Thanks!

 

[WDWgirl413]

Hello! Here I come chiming in...
I don't have advice on where to stay on the drive down, but instead consider or rethink driving straight through. Its really not that bad. We drive from NY (hour north of NYC) & get to Disney approx 14-15 hours later. We go in July, leave at 6pm, I drive straight through (DH has offered to drive also or swap out but I don't mind driving) few gas, food & restroom breaks, and by 9-9:30 the next morning were there! Granted I have one child who travels well- the drive down is his favorite part for some reason. DVDs, DS, iPad, old fashioned looking out the window & seeing the sights, we all play the license plate game makes the time go by quick. I think the anticipation & excitement is motivating for all of us. I will admit, driving home, NC & VA are really, really long to drive through. No one is in a rush to get home anyway right?

 

[Disney Bunny]

Hi! We're heading down in less than 2 weeks from Pa...DH is planning on taking 77...We're guessing we could make it comfortably to Columbia SC the first day...Any suggestions on places to spend the night? DH is even considering an overnight hotel stay so he can get some rest, but the kids and I really dont want to! (He's worried about set up and tear down time cutting into travel since we're so new to this) Thanks!

You don't say where in Pennsylvania that you are leaving from, so it's hard to make an assessment of where a good place to stop would be. However, based on the fact that you state you are taking 77, I am guessing that you may be leaving from somewhere near Pittsburgh. You say that you guys are new to this which means that you should probably not drive straight thru as another poster suggested. I don't recommend doing that even if you are a seasoned camper. Ten hours is more than enough for your DH to be driving and towing. Based on leaving from Pittsburgh and going to Columbia, SC, that would just about be the right amount of driving time in one day. If you commit to getting on the road by 7am, then you should make it to Colombia by 5pm. This time of year, you have plenty of daylight to pull into a campground and set up for the night and it would be good practice. From Columbia to Disney World is about 7 hours. If you are up and on the road by 8:30, you should make it to Fort Wilderness about 3:30. Just plan on a simple dinner and breakfast to keep down cleanup and camper breakdown.

 

[Disney Bunny]

Hello! Here I come chiming in...
I don't have advice on where to stay on the drive down, but instead consider or rethink driving straight through. Its really not that bad. We drive from NY (hour north of NYC) & get to Disney approx 14-15 hours later. We go in July, leave at 6pm, I drive straight through (DH has offered to drive also or swap out but I don't mind driving) few gas, food & restroom breaks, and by 9-9:30 the next morning were there! Granted I have one child who travels well- the drive down is his favorite part for some reason. DVDs, DS, iPad, old fashioned looking out the window & seeing the sights, we all play the license plate game makes the time go by quick. I think the anticipation & excitement is motivating for all of us. I will admit, driving home, NC & VA are really, really long to drive through. No one is in a rush to get home anyway right?

Wow....how fast are you driving? I live in the Hampton Roads area and it takes us about 8 hours to make it to NYC and about 13 hours to make it to Disney. Granted we're about an hour and a half off of I-95, but even deducting that, it seems to me that it should still take you closer to 18 to 20 hours to make the trip. MapQuest says 18 hours NYC to Fort Wilderness.

 

[AuntBJ]

Santee SC is a good place to stop but it is on I-95 north of I-26 (which is what you take out of Columbia when I-77 ends). There are a couple of campgrounds right off of 77 above and below Rock Hill SC. Not much below Columbia until you get further down 95 to Walterboro then Savannah Ga.

 

[wishing4PA]

Sesquicentennial State Park might not be too far out of the way.
Other than that, I'm just drawing a blank.

 

[jbrostek]

We do not take the 77 route, but if you are linking up with I95 around Santee you have lots of options when you do decide to take a break. We have a 3 hour head start and spend about 12 hours on the road (about 9 of it driving with stops) and I feel its just as easy to temporarilly setup for an overnight as it is to get settled at a hotel when you have a big RV or trailer.

We travel with a variety of RVs from Class A, Fith Wheels and tags. We usually make it as far south as Point South KOA to stop for the night around 7-8pm. Noone disconnects as the sites are close enough to level that just stabilizers are needed for the trailers and jacks for the busses and 5 minutes for water, cable, power and sewer. Breakdown is just as quick and we are on the road around 9am the next day and arriving at the fort in the 3pm hour. The cost to overnight between 25 and 60 depending on location.

 

[Disney Bunny]

We do not take the 77 route, but if you are linking up with I95 around Santee you have lots of options when you do decide to take a break. We have a 3 hour head start and spend about 12 hours on the road (about 9 of it driving with stops) and I feel its just as easy to temporarilly setup for an overnight as it is to get settled at a hotel when you have a big RV or trailer.

We travel with a variety of RVs from Class A, Fith Wheels and tags. We usually make it as far south as Point South KOA to stop for the night around 7-8pm. Noone disconnects as the sites are close enough to level that just stabilizers are needed for the trailers and jacks for the busses and 5 minutes for water, cable, power and sewer. Breakdown is just as quick and we are on the road around 9am the next day and arriving at the fort in the 3pm hour. The cost to overnight between 25 and 60 depending on location.

We, too, stopped at South Point KOA on our trip to Disney. Left out of Virginia Beach about 7:30 in the morning and arrived at South Point about 5pm. The next day we were on the road about 8am and arrived at The Fort about 2pm. South Point KOA was a good place to stop as it was right off the interstate and pretty easy to get in and out of. We were there the Friday following Thanksgiving and glad that we had made an advance reservation. They were turning away people who hadn't because they were full up.

 

[excitedfamof4]

If you are staying in a Hotel I recommend the Blythewood exit right off of I-77. It is on the north side of Columbia. There are some newer hotels there and some restaurants too. You would have no problem finding a place there to park with your RV.
Have fun!

 

[CDNCruiser]

Take a look at New Green Acres Campground at Walterboro SC. It's at I-95 Exit 53 and it's easy off - easy on. Very long pull-thru sites under tall pine trees.

We like it much better than Point South KOA which is 20 miles furthe south.

 

[jbrostek]

We, too, stopped at South Point KOA on our trip to Disney. Left out of Virginia Beach about 7:30 in the morning and arrived at South Point about 5pm. The next day we were on the road about 8am and arrived at The Fort about 2pm. South Point KOA was a good place to stop as it was right off the interstate and pretty easy to get in and out of. We were there the Friday following Thanksgiving and glad that we had made an advance reservation. They were turning away people who hadn't because they were full up.

So far we have never had that issue, but just in case last year we called in reservations due to the weekend after new years. It turned out we where ok, but would have had a hard time considering some of our rigs sizes.

 

[amberlynn]

Thanks for all the help! We live by Scranton, Pa if that helps!

 

[Flametamr]

I don't have any suggestion on a location but highly recommend Microtel or Country Inn. These hotels have nice free breakfast. They are always clean and friendly. And no I don't work for them. Just love free waffles.

 

[amberlynn]

My concern is leaving the tt in the hotel parking lot...Has anyone done it?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

we live in Lancaster,Pa and tow a TT. we usually stay at either Point South, SC or Savannah, Ga KOA. we usually leave trailor hooked to the truck and just hook up the elect. I need my air. we use the comfort stations. for over night make easy. not all hotels have parking that will hold a TT hooked to tow

 

[Disney Bunny]

Hi! We're heading down in less than 2 weeks from Pa...DH is planning on taking 77...We're guessing we could make it comfortably to Columbia SC the first day...Any suggestions on places to spend the night? DH is even considering an overnight hotel stay so he can get some rest, but the kids and I really dont want to! (He's worried about set up and tear down time cutting into travel since we're so new to this) Thanks!

I must be totally missing something then...Why would you want to take I 77 from Scranton? That is way out of the way.......MapQuest your address to Fort Wilderness. That route is much better and more direct. Looks like I77 goes through a lot of mountains and you really don't want to do that unless you absolutely have to. The MapQuest version takes you to Gettysburg and then back around DC and to I 95. We have towed our 5th wheel that route from Gettysburg back to Virginia Beach and it's not bad. There is a campground in Florence, SC on TV road that would make an excellent stopping point for your trip. We have stayed there several times. From there, it is about a 6 hour drive to The Fort.

 

[jbrostek]

I would avoid DC and the beltway on most days. But US15 to 17 to 95S (this lets you out well below the DC mess of traffic) or 81 ot 17 to 95S are other options to avoid the mountains of I77.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Country Inn & Suites right outside of Columbia is great, we'll be staying there 6/20 for our drive down from PA!