Driving from Miami to WDW?

[cigar95]

We're scheduled to head to WDW after a short jaunt to Miami late next month.

In driving up the coast from Miami, it looks like we could get on the Turnpike almost right away, or drive for quite a while on I-95 for free before hopping over to the Turnpike.

If anyone is familiar with these roads in Florida - is there any advantage to getting on the Turnpike instead of the interstate? Obviously there will be more tolls to pay, but that's pretty small potatoes.

Perhaps there's a lot of traffic on the interstate? We'll be driving on a Saturday afternoon.

Also, mapquest.com believes it will be a bit more than 4 hours from the Miami airport to WDW. Does this sound accurate?

Thanks greatly for any feedback.

 

[AspiringCindy]

That sounds about right. We've done the trip 3 times from Miami. We've always taken the Turnpike- it was smooth sailing(no traffic on any of the trips).

 

[smart cookie]

lot less traffic on the t-pike. well worth the tolls you may have to pay.

 

[dvc guy]

We make the trip every year from the Boca area . The turnpike is the way to go. 4 hours is about right.

 

[cigar95]

Thanks for these replies. Let me ask a follow-up.

We've never been to south Florida before - who knows if we'll ever be there again with a car at our disposal.

In looking at the map, I notice that there's a highway 27 that goes from the Miami area right through the Everglades, up to Lake Okeechobee. Since I may never get another chance to see the Everglades, I was thinking maybe we could take that detour, then head back to the coast and pick up the Turnpike around West Palm Beach for the rest of the drive. Figure maybe this would add an hour or so to the trip.

So, my questions -

Is highway 27 an expressway, where we could figure on driving 60-70mph most of the way?

What about highway 441, that would take us back toward the Turnpike?

Is driving through the Everglades particularly interesting, and worth an extra hour?

Again, we'll probably be leaving the Miami area around 11am on a Saturday.

Thanks once again for any thoughts.

 

[MiniMissMinnie]

Hi !!

Don't think this will answer any of your questions, but I'm gonna post it anyway....

We drove from Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando and back, and I think It'll be a great idea to drive along the cost some of the way, and then maybe take the turnpike later.
It's such a beautiful place with amazing houses....Just a ½ to 1 hour drive along the cost shouldn't set you that much behind...

That's just an idea!!

Have a great trip
Marie

 

[cigar95]

Originally posted by MiniMissMinnie
. . . .I think It'll be a great idea to drive along the co[a]st some of the way, and then maybe take the turnpike later.
It's such a beautiful place with amazing houses....Just a ½ to 1 hour drive along the cost shouldn't set you that much behind...

From the maps, it looks like highway 1 runs along the coast. (Is it an expressway?) I-95 looks like it's just a bit inland. Would that be close enough to see what you're suggesting?

Coastline or Everglades or speed? Everglades or speed or coastline? . . . . . . . .

 

[dvc guy]

US 1 does not run along the coast. The road that runs along the water is A1A. It is a slow 2 lane road in most places and will take you forever to go a short distance.

Can't help out with the everglades portion of your trip. Florida turnpike is mostly straight and flat with almost nothing to see. It is so boring at points that seeing billboards is a big deal. Bring along some good CD's .

 

[jtbdas]

Cigar95,

Driving up US 27 is a two-lane road with a large amount of semi-truck traffic. It can also be very dangerous at times and known to have horrific accidents. I live in SFL and reccomend you just stick to the turnpike for the drive, it costs around $14.00 after all the tolls. If you want to see the everglades, you can go out to everglades national park via I-75 North from miami, they have airboat tours and an indian reservation to visit. I seriously do not recommend using US 27. I hope this helps and if you need anything further let me know........

 

[cigar95]

Originally posted by jtbdas
Driving up US 27 is a two-lane road with a large amount of semi-truck traffic. It can also be very dangerous at times and known to have horrific accidents. I live in SFL and reccomend you just stick to the turnpike for the drive, it costs around $14.00 after all the tolls. If you want to see the everglades, you can go out to everglades national park via I-75 North from miami, they have airboat tours and an indian reservation to visit. I seriously do not recommend using US 27. I hope this helps and if you need anything further let me know........

Thanks, "jtb". Specific information is always helpful.

In looking at the close up aerial photos on mapquest.com, it looks like US 27 is pretty uninteresting - not how I pictured the Everglades looking anyway.

If we take I-75 to where it merges with the turnpike, we go right along the edge of the 'glades. Plus we head right past TPC Sawgrass, one of the coolest golf courses in America. Maybe that's the best bet all-around.

If we check out the coast while we're in Miami Beach, we can have the best of both worlds.