Drive from MD

[NeedsNEscape]

We'll be leaving in about a week for our trip to Florida. I'm also looking for advice our where the best place to break the trip on 95 is. Does anyone have a suggestion on where is the nicest hotel within a couple of miles of 95 with a great pool?

Also, we're interested in any advice on traffic delays. Sometimes it is nice to take a bypass around the traffic!

Thanks in advance for advice!

 

[AspiringCindy]

Try www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm
We travel from North Jersey and stop at Santee, SC! We have stayed at the Holiday Inn-clean and decent pool! Other good places for you to stop would be Savannah, GA and Brunswick, GA!
Good Luck!

 

[Ilovestitch]

When I was a kid, we would drive to WDW from Maryland and always stop in South Carolina on the way down. I remember stopping at Santee at least once.

Where in Maryland do u live, i'm in Annapolis. -Stephanie

 

[jjsmom]

We drive from MD too. Depending on what time of day we leave we either get to Florence, SC or Brunswick, GA. Both towns have most of the chain hotels. I think the town of Brunswick seems to be a little more modern. It's been many years since we've driven in summer so I can't offer an opinion on pools (we are driving in 10 days!!!). As a side note, my inlaws travel this route frequently and they love the savannah area.

We drove down in Feb. '04. Construction delays were around Fayetteville, NC, sparadic in GA (that's been going on for years), and... and an absolute nightmare in/around Jacksonville, FL. If I remember correctly, it was where I95 meets 295 (the JAX beltway). I hope that they have at least some of that mess cleared up before next week. Of course it didn't help that we went through on Daytona 500 weekend.

Hope this helps.

 

[laurabelle]

We drove down for the 1st time in April (Easter week) and made it all the way down without stopping. Hubby and I felt good and wanted to keep going. We had planned on stopping in Kingsland, GA overnight if we needed to. On the return trip, Emporia, VA is a good place to stop. Both will get most of your miles behind you the first day, leaving just a few hours drive time in the morning. When we drive down in a couple of weeks, we'll stop in Hilton Head overnight, just because. AAA advised us to drive around Richmond, VA, but we found we really didn't need to during the hours we went through there (@4:00 a.m. and 9:00p.m.) plus it added 40 miles to the trip. Make sure you're well past Baltimore and D.C. before rush hours! We didn't experience delays until we hit the ones jjsmom mentioned. HTH
Wishing you safe travel!

 

[Rhonda922]

How is the drive from New Jersey? We're in Jersey as well and my husband keeps talking about us driving down for our trip in October. We always fly so this would be a first-time-experience for us. I'm still on the fence about driving all that way. To me, its just easier to get on a plane for a couple hours. Just wanted to get your side of the story about driving. I don't know if I can do it.

thanx!

 

[Disneymomma]

How many days are you going down for? I think it really depends on how many days you are going whether driving is worth it. We have driven a few times and flown a few as well. Usually, we drive right through-out of Philadelphia, now too far from jersey, so you could do it! (I would advise you miss rush hour in Washington. )
Personally, I would always prefer to fly, but with 6 going this time, airfare for 6 and a minivan rental for 16 days, it just makes more financial sense to drive and have our car. The times we have stopped, no one really got any rest at all-they were just too excited to get there. Personally, I don't find the drive that bad-just try to time it so you don't hit major areas at peak times. My youngest DD(8), finds the ride facinating for some reason and always manages to point things out we usually miss. Whatever you decide, I am sure you will have a great time!

 

[Rhonda922]

Momma, thanks for writing.

We would more than likely take about 8 or 9 days in total if we drove. We drove to Virginia once before and totally left at the wrong time of day and we got stuck in so many traffic jams. I guess its best to leave late around midnight(?) I've never done a long drive like this before. We'd most likely rent a car instead of killing ours -- Definitely one with cruise control, ha-ha. Hubby even suggested renting a small rv. We're still undecided -- just tossing around some ideas.

 

[AspiringCindy]

Honestly, I didn't find the drive that bad! We always flew to WDW, but after 9/11, DH was against flying...so we drove! We left at 9:00AM, stopped for lunch in VA, stopped for dinner in NC and checked into a hotel in Santee, SC by 10:30PM. The next day was easy!...maybe 5 or 6 hours! This year we have decided to fly because our youngest DD is 3 and very hyper!!! I don't think she can handle the long ride! She was fine when she was younger, but no $ amount saved would be worth her screaming for hours in our SUV! I will miss the quality family bonding time in that car though! We play games, watch movies and talk during the road trip!
PS. we live in North Jersey, and it took us 17-18 hours driving time!

Originally posted by Rhonda922
How is the drive from New Jersey? We're in Jersey as well and my husband keeps talking about us driving down for our trip in October. We always fly so this would be a first-time-experience for us. I'm still on the fence about driving all that way. To me, its just easier to get on a plane for a couple hours. Just wanted to get your side of the story about driving. I don't know if I can do it.

thanx!

 

[NeedsNEscape]

Thanks for all of the advice!! Stephanie, we live in Glenn Dale which is between Bowie and Greenbelt!

We haven't driven down to Florida in years because the airfare is so cheap. This summer, we'll be gone for two weeks (maybe more) and thought we would like to do the drive. So we've got a copy of Harry Potter #5 (love the reader) book-on-tape and will be enthralled the whole way down (all 18 hours of the book)! I had kind of hoped that some new swanky hotel would have opened right off 95, but it sounds like it is still mostly chain hotels. My kids are all teenagers and welcome an opportunity to finally get to sleep in the car on a trip down! [That way they will be all tanked up for the Disney excursion, when they won't want to sleep.]

Anyway, a tip for all of you who hate our Wash DC traffic: unless you are going very late at night (after 9pm) and before the start of rush hour at 5am--- you will probably hit traffic going around Washington. There is always some accident tying up the road or some type of construction. Sometimes, you can get lucky. If you don't like sitting on the highway, take 301 south. Pick 301 up somewhere after Baltimore (you'll need to take a feeder road to get to 301) and follow it South over the Potomac, into Virginia. You will catch up to 95 at Exit 104 (right above Kings Dominion). Rt 301 is a bit longer, has traffic lights and the speed limit is only 55, but usually you are always moving on that road. There is really only one big town to go through (Waldorf).

Good luck to all travelers,
jeanne