Driving from southeastern PA, need tips...

[SSR05]

We are driving for the first time to WDW on Aug. 5th. and need the best and fastest routes please. We usually fly, but with 9 of us and airfares what they are, we decided to drive. Should we bypass Balt./Wash area, or take 95 all the way?

Thanks to all
Gerry

 

[pixistix]

95 South to I-4 in Florida is the only way I know from southeast PA.
If you don't leave early in the morning Saturday....you'll hit traffic on 95 from everyone going to the beaches for their Saturday to Saturday rentals.
We did this 2 years ago when our flight was cancelled out of Philly because of Hurricane Charlie. We drove on a Sunday and traffic was still heavy on 95 till we passed the Carolinas.
Good luck to ya! Enjoy your trip!

 

[tmt martins]

You can also take 301 to bypass the B/W area but that gets bad sometimes as well.

I would map them both out just as a back-up plan .

 

[musicmama]

If you stick to the time that will have you avoid 'rush hours' around Baltimore and the Wash DC mixing bowl then you will start out OK and you can just stay on 95. (that means you probably need to leave very very early because people will be going to their shore rentals).

We did the 95/I-4 route in late December and our biggest delay was in South Carolina/Georgia because of construction -- traffic just sloooowed down. Pay attention to restaurants that are just off of exits because they disappear farther South. The Cracker Barrels are pretty safe - that's what we found. Gas stations were relatively plentiful, but don't go below 1/4 of a tank without filling up.

Unless you plan to drive straight through, you might want to book a hotel around Florence, SC - seems to be a common halfway point. There are lots of hotels and lots of different prices.

Good luck! Hope your drive goes well.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I agree--just be sure you are past Baltimore and especially DC by rush hour, IN DC, that's no LATER than 6:00 AM!!
We live just S. of York. We used to leave at 4:00AM, but that proved too late. That got us to the DC area around 6:00 and it was mayhem already. Now we leave at 3:15 AM just to be safe.
95 S is a bit better now that the "flyover" is open--you sort of avoid the mixing bowl.

 

[mom2of2]

we usually left at midnight..avoided all city traffic and hit North Carolina around breakfast.

 

[kaw1218]

You can also take 301 to bypass the B/W area but that gets bad sometimes as well.

I would map them both out just as a back-up plan .

We took the bypass once........I think it was worse than 95 through DC!!!!(it added about 45-60 minutes to our total trip time)too many traffic lights, and with the traffic we never went more than 25mph.

I recommend leaving at night(after 8pm) and getting past DC before 5 am if it is on a weekday. You should have till almost 7 on a saturday....and till about 9 on a sunday(we have an aunt in VA...drove down many times)
And you definately DO NOT want to be near DC on a friday afternoon from 3pm till 7pm. Hope some of that helps.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Leave your home by 4 am. Take I95, then switch to I895 (Harbor Tunnel). Get on I295 and take it to the end. You will remerge with I95 at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. You will be south of DC by 7 am. You can then look for a breakfast place and have an easy drive the rest of the day.

 

[mumeof3]

we have driven several times from philly,we always stop 1/2 way ,our 1st time we were on the beltway and went completly around ughh what a mess,but it has not happened again we are flying for the 1st time

 

[dtndfamily]

We have driven down twice from Easton, about 50 miles north of Philly, and have gone down I-81 since we visit my sister in northwest NC. Last Oct we left at 3 AM on a Sunday, stayed over in NC, then took 77 to 26 to 95 to 4 on a Monday morning. The total drive time without stops and breaks was about 17 hours. We made really good time since most of the trip was wide open highways and only hit a few trouble spots along the way on Monday during the morning rush. This may be a bit out of the way for you, but it is another option if you don't want to deal with the traffic on 95. This year we will be flying since we got a good ding from SW .

 

[Bill From PA]

Lately on our Myrtle Beach vacations we've been picking up rte 15 around Harrisburg, taking it past Gettysburg then linking up with 270 via 40. That dumps right into the very bottom of 495 right before the 95 junction, avoiding 695 and most of 495. Like others, I recommend any driving done from PA to south of Richmond VA to be done at non-peak times, but the last 2 years we hit the Harrisburg area at 5 pm or so and the route I described was free of traffic jams.

Bill From PA