Driving from Toronto to Disney in August

[SFailla]

Good morning everyone,
this August we are driving to Disney World from Bradford, Ontario (which is just north of Vaughan). We will be driving with our 3 kids aged 9, 8 and 8. Just wondering, for those of you who have done the drive down, what is the best route to take with children and what are your recommendations for stops with kids. We have lots of time on this trip, and would like to make the drive part of our vacation so we can take up to 5 days there and 5 days home. Our only must see is Savannah, Georgia because my daughters name is Savanna and she wants to go there

 

[hardis5]

We've driven late August a few times from the GTA and when driving now take the QEW to Buffalo and then 90/79/77/26 to I-95 (which you'll want to end up on to hit Savannah) before hitting I-4 for the last stretch. We've driven straight or make a 2 day trip of it stopping around Columbia SC (down) and around Charleston WV (up).

Assume doing the NY/PA, Virginia's and Carolina route through Georgia down to WDW it has always been for us (with kids or grandparents) around 24 hours of road time with bio, food, fuel and stretch/driver switch stops. There are a number of sights to see either way but I'd be pressed to have 10 days of road time filled unless making the trip there and back the vacation itself (we selfishly focus on the destination and have never have the luxury of 10 days on top of south time available - I'm jealous).

 

[adisneyaunt]

The route down on i95 is actually quite boring, highway travel. Of course there are many stops you can make if interested... I used to go to AAA and pick some places to spend a day/2.
Savannah, st Augustine, Obligatory stop at South of the Border, charleston, D.C.
I think in your shoes I'd concentrate on a direct route with perhaps a stop on each leg, there/back and not make the road trip the focus, but rather, the Destination.
If you re looking to stay away from Disney for all the xtra days ( 10 you mentioned) perhaps consider a beach getaway, away from Disney while in Fla. There's certainly many of those.
Enjoy your trip and most importantly, Safe Travels!

 

[Disneylover99]

We drove down from Toronto last August for the first time. Loved it!

We got a trip tik from CAA and drove through the Virginias and Carolinas. The mountains were beautiful. We didn't make many stops, but I do recommend the Drury Inn and Suites along the way. We like to stop early around 5pm and enjoy swimming/relaxing at our hotel along the way. On the way down we stopped at the beach at St. Augustine.

We stayed in Charlotte North Carolina on the way home and drove straight home from there. That was our only long drive.

 

[isabellea]

We go to FL every summer and this summer we are driving straight-thru to St.Pete Beach (1.5h from Disney on the Gulf coast) but on the way back we are taking our time and we plan on visiting Atlanta (American Girl, Aquarium, Centennial Park) and then we will take the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive on top of the Smoky Mountains and Adirondacks to drive north. Very scenic and we want to visit some caverns and do some limited hiking. Then we will take the I-81 back to ON and then home to Montreal, QC. Savannah is on I-95 and very nice to visit. St. Augustine in FL is also nice to visit. If you go thru Charlotte, NC make sure you are not there during rush hour!!! We lost a good 1h-1h30 there stuck in traffic a late Friday afternoon...

 

[PanamaMike]

If heading to Savannah on the way down, I would suggest taking I-75 for the trip home.

Personally, I hate backtracking, so a different route is always more interesting.

This is a great book for I-75 travel
http://i75online.com/I75BookInfo.html

and when I was a kid, we stopped in Tennessee and visited here
http://www.seerockcity.com/

 

[SFailla]

We've driven late August a few times from the GTA and when driving now take the QEW to Buffalo and then 90/79/77/26 to I-95 (which you'll want to end up on to hit Savannah) before hitting I-4 for the last stretch. We've driven straight or make a 2 day trip of it stopping around Columbia SC (down) and around Charleston WV (up).

Assume doing the NY/PA, Virginia's and Carolina route through Georgia down to WDW it has always been for us (with kids or grandparents) around 24 hours of road time with bio, food, fuel and stretch/driver switch stops. There are a number of sights to see either way but I'd be pressed to have 10 days of road time filled unless making the trip there and back the vacation itself (we selfishly focus on the destination and have never have the luxury of 10 days on top of south time available - I'm jealous).

Thanks for the suggestions. I am a teacher so I am off the entire summer and my husband has 3 weeks of vacation time this year!!! This will be our longest vacation with the kids...can't wait!!!

 

[SFailla]

The route down on i95 is actually quite boring, highway travel. Of course there are many stops you can make if interested... I used to go to AAA and pick some places to spend a day/2.
Savannah, st Augustine, Obligatory stop at South of the Border, charleston, D.C.
I think in your shoes I'd concentrate on a direct route with perhaps a stop on each leg, there/back and not make the road trip the focus, but rather, the Destination.
If you re looking to stay away from Disney for all the xtra days ( 10 you mentioned) perhaps consider a beach getaway, away from Disney while in Fla. There's certainly many of those.
Enjoy your trip and most importantly, Safe Travels!

We will definitely consider that option as well, thanks!

 

[TonyaG83]

I do the drive twice a year (once to Miami, once to Orlando). I always take the I-75 because the winding roads on the 95 drive me nuts. We usually stop twice to sleep - once in OH, and once in GA, in areas where hotels are good, but cheap.

The one time I did drive the 95 we stopped in Charleston, SC. Omg, one of my favourite places in the USA. The city is beautiful because there is a limit to how high they can built new buildings (can't block the view of all the church steeples). We did a ghost tour, a tour of the port authority, and a beach afternoon on Isle of Palms (amazing!).

Anyways, usually a few hours a day are set aside to explore cities I would never visit otherwise that are either on the way, or a short drive from the path. Some of the best places I've visited on the way down off the I-75 are Knoxville, TN/Chatanooga, TN (I can't remember, but one of these had a mini-waterfall and cavern area that was just breathtaking to explore), and Macon, GA/Valdosta, GA (love the farmers markets and pecan stands, but not the ones you see off the highway. Rural road exploration at it's finest).

 

[elaine amj]

When my friend did this, she drove across to the East Coast and spent 2-3 days in Washington DC (great since all the museums are free), then swung down to Myrtle Beach (which they loved). Then a straight drive the rest of the way. On the way back, they used a more direct route as stopped in Atlanta and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (like Vegas for kids lol!).

Have fun! I'd definitely suggest including a beach stop. Another option is Colonial Williamsburg near Virginia Beach. If your kids are anything like my Canuck ones, they won't know a thing about American history (drove me crazy)and this will be a good way to expose them a little.

 

[August2010]

We have driven numerous times from Cambridge ON, if fact we are at WDW now and drove here. We prefer I-75 but have done both routes. We take 2 nights/3days to drive each way and it works great for us and the kids. We have done the coast and stayed in Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. Although it's pricy in the summer it's worth it for a night or two.
Have a great trip!