Driving from NW Ohio

[sdoll]

We are driving from NW Ohio. We have never driven to Orlando before but I have made the trip to Atlanta multiple times. I am seriously considering avoiding 75 and Atlanta. I am leaning toward going through Columbus and catching 77 to 95. On MapQuest its about an hour more but i think we could make up the time by avoiding atlanta. I should mention that we will be leaving Toledo on Friday Sept, 18th around 5pm. I would like to drive about 7 or 8 hours before we stop for the night. If I stay on 75 i was planning on Chattanooga for our stop. If i take the other route where would you recommend stopping for the night? I would like to book our room in advance as i am using hotel points for our overnight stops.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I don't think you will have problems in Atlanta on a Saturday morning.

 

[DIS-OH]

On the 77 route, we've had good luck staying in the Lake Norman, NC area.

 

[migel]

We drive from Ontario (45 min from Buffalo), and usually stop over in Columbia SC. That leaves a manageable 6-7 hr day 2 drive to the Disney area.

 

[bcuinohio]

When we drive from NE Ohio, we usually stop around Columbia, SC. We have also driven as far as Savannah, GA. If you only plan on driving 7-8 hours, you may want to stop at Wytheville, VA or Statesville, NC. I also think that Disneybuckeye brings up a good point about it being Saturday and traffic not being too bad if you stay with I-75.

The only backup we normally encounter is if you hit Charlotte, NC during the evening rush hour. We normally get through Jacksonville mid morning so traffic is not a problem. If you hit Orlando close to rush hour, you can get on 417 near Sanford. It is a toll road and you should bring a roll of quarters if you take this route.

 

[migel]

When we drive from NE Ohio, we usually stop around Columbia, SC. We have also driven as far as Savannah, GA. If you only plan on driving 7-8 hours, you may want to stop at Wytheville, VA or Statesville, NC. I also think that Disneybuckeye brings up a good point about it being Saturday and traffic not being too bad.

The only backup we normally encounter is if you hit Charlotte, NC during the evening rush hour. We normally get through Jacksonville mid morning so traffic is not a problem. If you hit Orlando close to rush hour, you can get on 417 near Sanford. It is a toll road and you should bring a roll of quarters if you take this route.

Our day 2 drive from SC was a Saturday. We left the hotel early, early, and were on the road by 4:30 am. The stretch of the I26 is still all under construction, so I wanted to be sure to miss any traffic. No problems at all. The I4 is also all under construction, traffic was flowing well, but I took the chance and opted to take the 417 toll at Sanford (we have a Sunpass so it's also convenient). Glad I did, as we got off on the 192 to head to our place, I could see the I4 was all backed up westbound, and this was before 11 on a Saturday morning. I think we hit a total of 4 tolls taking the entire length of the 417.
Also, in the past 3 drives down, we have always hit traffic when approaching Charlotte, the worst slowed us down by 30 minutes. Good luck!

 

[sdoll]

Sounds perfect. I know I won't make it to Charlotte till Sat morning. Still think that will be better than Atlanta. I just made the drive from Charlotte to my house. Did alone and made it in 9 hours with 2 stops.

 

[kydisneyfans]

When we drive, Atlanta is a Saturday morning. The only problem I have is I'm not comfortable going 90 mph in a 55 zone like the others. Traffic is non existent. I would not add an hour to the trip to avoid Atlanta on a Saturday.