Best route - Chicago to Orlando

[Mickey'sApprentice]

You could take I65 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama. You would then take US 231 to Marianna Florida, and I-10 to I75 at Lake City, FL. You then take I75 to the Turnpike. You know the rest.

As for Houston to Orlando...take I10 to I75.

We would love for you to visit Alabama, and spend money. Plus, you don't have to worry about Atlanta traffic!!

 

[DisDadMatt]

We'll be driving in November. Some great information here.
Thanks

We are from the same area and are driving down in November too.

We did the 57 route before but thinking about 65 this time.

 

[2dogmom]

We are enroute now. We left Oswego, IL at 3:15 this morning, taking 47 down. We were making good time until we hit Atlanta. Tragic is horrible on I285. Ok, a truck was broken down judi now so hopefully we can start moving. It looks like McDonough will be our stop tonight.

 

[Sunnywho]

Thanks for all the info in this thread. We're leaving tomorrow mid-morning. For all the travelers with young ones, I found this place for our first stop south of Indianapolis. 2 miles off the expressway

It's a playground inside the Columbus Commons in Columbus, IN . I'd post a link, but it won't let me

great tip, thanks, we've added this to our itinerary

edited to add: here's a link that shows pictures of the playground, with a big climbing "tree" http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/pground.html

 

[DisDadMatt]

You could take I65 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama. You would then take US 231 to Marianna Florida, and I-10 to I75 at Lake City, FL. You then take I75 to the Turnpike. You know the rest.

As for Houston to Orlando...take I10 to I75.

We would love for you to visit Alabama, and spend money. Plus, you don't have to worry about Atlanta traffic!!

I was always curious about Alabama route but it seems as it would take longer... May have to wait until kids are older.

 

[SpecialK]

You could take I65 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama. You would then take US 231 to Marianna Florida, and I-10 to I75 at Lake City, FL. You then take I75 to the Turnpike. You know the rest.

As for Houston to Orlando...take I10 to I75.

We would love for you to visit Alabama, and spend money. Plus, you don't have to worry about Atlanta traffic!!

We just got home tonight after driving the 75 to 82 to 65 route through Alabama and it was much longer. Alabama had some beautiful scenery but never again.

We've also tried the 231-10-75 route and it also seemed endless. I'd rather deal with Atlanta.

 

[Poohbug]

Just back from our road trip. Construction on I57 was not bad at all but we went through around noon. I'm sure it gets worse during high traffic times.

Stayed at a very nice hotel in McDonough, GA (just south of Atlanta). Huge room with a pull out couch. Very clean and great if you have a family of five or six. $81.00/night - Comfort Suites, exit 218

Went right through Atlanta around 9 pm and it was still pretty busy, but no slow downs or stops.

There are a couple of lane closures in IL on I74 (between Indiana and Bloominton, IL) but they kept moving and were not too bad.

Gas is much cheaper once you get past IL and IN area. Disney was $3.24 per gallon! By the time we got home we drove though 8 states and I figure I paid right around $250 in gas. Even with the cost of hotel stays much cheaper than the $300+ per person to fly.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We just got home tonight after driving the 75 to 82 to 65 route through Alabama and it was much longer. Alabama had some beautiful scenery but never again.

We've also tried the 231-10-75 route and it also seemed endless. I'd rather deal with Atlanta.

I'm glad you saw the beauty of my state!

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

Just back from our road trip. Construction on I57 was not bad at all but we went through around noon. I'm sure it gets worse during high traffic times.

Stayed at a very nice hotel in McDonough, GA (just south of Atlanta). Huge room with a pull out couch. Very clean and great if you have a family of five or six. $81.00/night - Comfort Suites, exit 218

Went right through Atlanta around 9 pm and it was still pretty busy, but no slow downs or stops.

There are a couple of lane closures in IL on I74 (between Indiana and Bloominton, IL) but they kept moving and were not too bad.

Thanks for the update! We'll be making the drive, also from Wisconsin, in 79 days. I see you went through Atlanta around 9 pm. What time did you leave home?

 

[Poohbug]

Thanks for the update! We'll be making the drive, also from Wisconsin, in 79 days. I see you went through Atlanta around 9 pm. What time did you leave home?

I left around 7:30 a.m. We only live about 35 miles from the IL border. We only stopped for gas/bathrooms and maybe half an hour for supper.

 

[IllinoisMommy]

Poohbug- thanks for the info! Good to know gas was not so bad, and thanks for the tip on the hotel near Atlanta. I am going to write that down for our December trip- always good to know rooms that accommodate five people without breaking the bank (I will save that for Disney )

 

[IllinoisMommy]

You could take I65 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama. You would then take US 231 to Marianna Florida, and I-10 to I75 at Lake City, FL. You then take I75 to the Turnpike. You know the rest.

As for Houston to Orlando...take I10 to I75.

We would love for you to visit Alabama, and spend money. Plus, you don't have to worry about Atlanta traffic!!

Spend last summer in Alabama (Gulf Shores area)- drove down and loved it! After you all get your Disney fix- take your families on a real beach vacation in Alabama

 

[irish dancer]

Poohbug- thanks for the info! Good to know gas was not so bad, and thanks for the tip on the hotel near Atlanta. I am going to write that down for our December trip- always good to know rooms that accommodate five people without breaking the bank (I will save that for Disney )

We too stayed at a good hotel, Best Western in Macon, GA with 2beds and a pull out couch, breakfast in the am and it was clean. Got a great rate through Costco ($65.xx).

 

[cruisingkat]

Getting ready for our second Disney visit for this trip that started in May. Only this time we drive up from Ft. Myers, FL - only about 2 and a half hours. The drive from Chicago to Houston was wonderful - great weather and cheap gas in Arkansas. Houston to Disney was great until we stopped for fireworks near the AL/FL border. Rained all the way to our stop for the night in Quincy, FL. We also missed the drive thru daquiri bar of an exit in LA. Next morning had drizzles off and on until we got to Disney. We usually go to Disney the first or second week of June and have had the usual afternoon rainshower to empty out the parks. However, this trip we had rain all day- every day. Spend 5 days at Disney and then on to Ft. Myers for 2 weeks. Now back up to Disney for 5 more days and then home.
Planning trips back to Disney in Oct., Nov, and Dec. Nov. trip will include another visit to Houston.

 

[2dogmom]

We are back from the drive and it went well. We left Oswego, IL at 3:15am and ran into rush hour in Atlanta. Not fun. Otherwise, construction wasn't bad and the ride was pretty uneventful.

 

[MrMarv]

http://www.gasbuddy.com is a terrific website to keep track of the difference in gas prices from state to state; it's great for helping you plan your gas/meal breaks along the way before you leave home.

Right now the difference between Chicago & Nashville gas prices is $.60/gallon and it's currently under $3.00/gallon near WDW.

HTH.

For hotels, http://www.I95exitguide.com is another great website.

 

[droycro]

We are back from the drive and it went well. We left Oswego, IL at 3:15am and ran into rush hour in Atlanta. Not fun. Otherwise, construction wasn't bad and the ride was pretty uneventful.

Did you drive straight through or did you stop? We're making this drive next spring and deciding what time to leave.

 

[Butterbunkins]

http://www.gasbuddy.com is a terrific website to keep track of the difference in gas prices from state to state; it's great for helping you plan your gas/meal breaks along the way before you leave home.

Right now the difference between Chicago & Nashville gas prices is $.60/gallon and it's currently under $3.00/gallon near WDW.

HTH.

For hotels, http://www.I95exitguide.com is another great website.

Lower gas prices = one of the best things about leaving the Chicago area!

 

[2dogmom]

Did you drive straight through or did you stop? We're making this drive next spring and deciding what time to leave.

We drove to just south of Atlanta and had about 6 hours the next day to wdw.

 

[cruisingkat]

Just back from our trip. We had to take 65 up as we had to stop in IN to pick up some things for our daughter and son-in-law.
I would advise not taking I65 through Louisville. They are working on the bridges and 3 lanes merge into one. Traffic was at a standstill - even on a Sunday. Also, I24 is closed both directions in Nashville for a stretch from Fri. 9pm to Mon. 5am. Traffic is rerouted along I40/I65 and traffic was awful as there were only two lanes open.