Driving from Mass - where to stop 1/2 way

[NewEnglandCamper]

If your stopping in SC anyway, consider Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort for a little pre-Florida mouse magic!

That Sounds Wonderful! Would it really be worth it to stay there 1 night though? I believe our travels will have us stay in SC or GA on the way down.

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

Someone mentioned Santee, SC. Just wanted to say that the Best Western there is a good place to stay (quite inexpensive) and it includes breakfast.

We left Santee around 6 a.m. and got to Shades of Green at 3 in the afternoon. However, we ran into construction on 95 once we entered Florida AND traffic on I4.

Also, we live outside of Baltimore. We left home at 4 a.m. and arrived in Santee at 1 p.m. with no traffic issues. Hope that helps!

Thanks for your tips and traffic! I should probably check that out and should account for it in our travels.

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

This would put you going through the NYC area during rush hour if you are going on a work day so be sure to plan a route that will keep you far away from the city.

OK -- How about leaving at 2AM (on a Tuesday) which would get in me in the White Plains area around 6AM. I'm also thinking about going I95 to I287 to the NJ Garden Parkway. Is that a good choice or a bad one?

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

That Sounds Wonderful! Would it really be worth it to stay there 1 night though? I believe our travels will have us stay in SC or GA on the way down.

Well, its not overflowing with Disney, but you can probably get 1 night for about $100 for this time of year. That is about what you would pay somewhere else. We stay in a studio in November on members discount for $81.

The onsite dining is limited, and the resort is more rustic than plush. However, if you can get in there early enough to go to the beach, or the campfire, or to a story telling session it would be great. DH and I love playing pool inside Big Murggie's Den.

Like the other Disney resorts, they've taken a theme and ran with it. Mmmm, they've went for the Carolina Low Country - Fish Camp. Its kind of like POR, but its really small. We really like it. The beach is about a mile away, but it is so quiet in the off season.

 

[PartyOf5]

OK -- How about leaving at 2AM (on a Tuesday) which would get in me in the White Plains area around 6AM. I'm also thinking about going I95 to I287 to the NJ Garden Parkway. Is that a good choice or a bad one?

Hello, just doing some searching and came across this post. Not sure if you've made your trip but wanted to let you know that when we left at 2:00 a.m. in December (from NW CT), we were in Maryland by 8:00. So depending on where you are in MA, you may be able to get a little further than White Plains.

Also, we over the GW bridge for the first time...it wasn't that bad considering the time we were crossing. I do like the Tapenzee Bridge/Garden State Parkway better though.

If we didn't hit traffic in southern SC (seems to be our problem spot) we would have entered FL by 6:00 p.m. Instead, we stayed overnight in GA.

Have a great trip!

 

[londonderrydisneyfan]

OK -- How about leaving at 2AM (on a Tuesday) which would get in me in the White Plains area around 6AM. I'm also thinking about going I95 to I287 to the NJ Garden Parkway. Is that a good choice or a bad one?

What part of Mass are you driving from? We live in NH and drive to NJ at least once a year and we take I95. It's easier to take the Pike to I84 and then there are a few different ways to get to I287 and the Tappan Zee bridge from there. Unless you live in SE Mass, I would recommend not taking I95.

 

[PattnFmly]

What about leaving northeastern MA at 3:00 pm? Probably taking pike to 84 ..., haven't finalized the whole route yet. DH will sleep all day (he works 3rd shift anyways so that will be usual) and we plan to leave, eat dinner on the road, then drive through the night with 3 rotating drivers.

 

[Donald is #1]

The only drawback with the 3PM option that I can think of is that you will hit rush hour in Waterbury. While that isn't as bad as NY, it will still be a bit irritating. But I agree, it is probably the less of the evils.

 

[MrMarv]

Roanoke Rapids, NC is 650 miles from Lowell, Ma., & 675 miles to WDW, so that should be pretty doable within 12 hours or so.

You can also check out http://www.I95exitinfo.com for hotels and restaurants alongside I-95.

 

[dgaston]

We have driven straight through from NE CT (almost MA) several times. We have gotten up in the wee hours of the am and arrived at WDW roughly 22 to 24 hours later. We have discovered if we leave about supper time we are not as wiped out when we arrive in Orlando. Don't know why--we switch off drivers and can sleep in the van.

We strongly prefer the 84-81-77-26-95 route It's beautiful, but longer. You can also use 64 to move over to 95 near Richmond VA. We have been caught in DC traffic at 3 am (???) so try to avoid that as much as possible.

We stayed at Santee on our way to Hilton Head last year--Howard Johnson booked through the travel stop -- 2 rooms, clean and great for our purposes.

 

[Jacksmom99]

What part of Mass are you driving from? We live in NH and drive to NJ at least once a year and we take I95. It's easier to take the Pike to I84 and then there are a few different ways to get to I287 and the Tappan Zee bridge from there. Unless you live in SE Mass, I would recommend not taking I95.

I live in SE Mass and I don't recommend taking 95. It's worth the extra 1/2 hour for me to drive to the Mass Pike. We have ALWAYS gotten stuck on 95 in CT no matter what time we've driven through...it's mind numbing!!! So the last time we drove we took the other route and it was much easier. However, now we're flying and I love that more!

 

[DisneyTigers]

If your stopping in SC anyway, consider Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort for a little pre-Florida mouse magic!

As nice as this sounds, HHI is NOT just off 95 - still a little over a 30 minute or so drive once you exit...SO... if you 're looking for just a place to lay your head on the way down, not ideal. Just FYI, for those taking that LONG trek!