Drive Time from Mexico Beach (Panama City Beach area)

[diskev]

This year i'll be making a pitstop in Mexico Beach, Florida prior to heading to Orlando. I've not driven to Orlando from Mexico Beach but I'm hoping somebody has. I'm curious about the estimated drive time and the best direction to take to get there. I can take US-98 East on what appear to be back roads to I75, or I can head back towards I-10. Google suggests US-98 but I'm not totally convinced about their drive time estimates. Mexico Beach is near Panama City Beach, so if anybody has done that drive that would help as well.

Any help appreciated!

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

This year i'll be making a pitstop in Mexico Beach, Florida prior to heading to Orlando. I've not driven to Orlando from Mexico Beach but I'm hoping somebody has. I'm curious about the estimated drive time and the best direction to take to get there. I can take US-98 East on what appear to be back roads to I75, or I can head back towards I-10. Google suggests US-98 but I'm not totally convinced about their drive time estimates. Mexico Beach is near Panama City Beach, so if anybody has done that drive that would help as well.

If you were in Fort Walton Beach or Panama City Beach then I think it would be wise to head up to I-10 and then over to I-75. But Mexico Beach is well to the east of that and it would not pay to do it. I think travel time to Orlando via US98 would run about 5-6 hours. While US98 is just two lanes (one each way), traffic is generally light and there are lots of opportunities to pass slower vehicles. Take US98 to Perry and from there you have several options but travel via Chiefland, Williston to I-75 at Ocala is likely the best choice. Perry to Ocala is all 4-lanes divided. BTW, US98 runs right along the beach and is a beautiful drive.

BobK/Orlando