Driving PA to FL...fun places to stop and stay?

[jandmmom]

Hi all! We are considering driving down to WDW for our trip in June. We would be driving from Philadelphia. We have time to make a stop of a couple of nights on the way down and even longer on the way back (we are off of work for the summers, so we can take a long vacation).

Our kids are young, so we don't really want to drive TOO far for each leg of the journey (maybe 8 hours or so at the most).

Any ideas about good places to stop for a mini-trip on the way to/from WDW?

Also, we are probably going to rent a car b/c I have a lease & DH's truck would not be practical. Any advice on that?

Thanks

 

[sj24]

I wrote this yesterday replying to another post:


Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP AT South of the Boarder, for anything. A couple of years ago driving from Myrtle Beach to Cape Cod we stopped here just to see all the hype, well, the place was a ghost town, nobody around, restrooms were no exaggeration the grossest i have ever been in and i have been to plenty of concerts/red sox/ patriots game etc. The extremely graphic graffiti everywhere was bad, had to rush the kids along hoping they wouldn't notice. I was really disappointed, thought the place would be kinda neat. Again that was April of 09, maybe things have improved

 

[pipervali]

We've never driven all the way to Florida, but we have done the Atlantic coast a few times. If you're a history fan, Williamsburg is about a 4-5 hour drive from Philly I think. It's a little more for me, but I'm about an hour northwest of Philadelphia, so we shoot down the Baltimore and Washington beltways via I83 instead of I95. Busch Gardens is in that area too and is good for a day trip, they have some cute rides for the little ones.

We also like Wilmington North Carolina. It has a very old southern kind of charm to it. Wonderful people, and some very nice beaches in the vicinity for a day trip. The battleship North Carolina is anchored along the Cape Fear river there too, and last I checked, it was still open for walking tours of the interior. Wilmy is about 8 hours outside of Philly if you drive straight through. So probably another four or so from Williamsburg.

There's also Myrtle Beach, which could be an option for you since you mentioned you'd be driving in June. That's about a 10 hour drive from Philadelphia straight through.

Hilton Head is right near the South Carolina/Georgia border. A nice peaceful island, though rather expensive. But if any of you are golfers, definitely a place to check out.

Savannah, Georgia is also a gorgeous city, reminds me a bit of New Orleans with it's southern charm and hospitality.

Anyway, I think I might have gone on and on a bit, sorry OP!

 

[duffy]

I wrote this yesterday replying to another post:


Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP AT South of the Boarder, for anything. A couple of years ago driving from Myrtle Beach to Cape Cod we stopped here just to see all the hype, well, the place was a ghost town, nobody around, restrooms were no exaggeration the grossest i have ever been in and i have been to plenty of concerts/red sox/ patriots game etc. The extremely graphic graffiti everywhere was bad, had to rush the kids along hoping they wouldn't notice. I was really disappointed, thought the place would be kinda neat. Again that was April of 09, maybe things have improved

Funny how people perceive things so differently. We stopped there in Feb. 2008, and almost everything was closed. We stopped for breakfast, and then walked around a bit. We didn't notice any graffiti, and took a lot of pictures. It was a great way for the kids to run around and because there was no one else around, we kept watch on them easily.

 

[jandmmom]

We've never driven all the way to Florida, but we have done the Atlantic coast a few times. If you're a history fan, Williamsburg is about a 4-5 hour drive from Philly I think. It's a little more for me, but I'm about an hour northwest of Philadelphia, so we shoot down the Baltimore and Washington beltways via I83 instead of I95. Busch Gardens is in that area too and is good for a day trip, they have some cute rides for the little ones.

We also like Wilmington North Carolina. It has a very old southern kind of charm to it. Wonderful people, and some very nice beaches in the vicinity for a day trip. The battleship North Carolina is anchored along the Cape Fear river there too, and last I checked, it was still open for walking tours of the interior. Wilmy is about 8 hours outside of Philly if you drive straight through. So probably another four or so from Williamsburg.

There's also Myrtle Beach, which could be an option for you since you mentioned you'd be driving in June. That's about a 10 hour drive from Philadelphia straight through.

Hilton Head is right near the South Carolina/Georgia border. A nice peaceful island, though rather expensive. But if any of you are golfers, definitely a place to check out.

Savannah, Georgia is also a gorgeous city, reminds me a bit of New Orleans with it's southern charm and hospitality.

Anyway, I think I might have gone on and on a bit, sorry OP!

Thanks! This is very helpful! The more written, the better for me Keep going if you have more info

I am very interested in MB, HH and/or Savannah. Too bad the Disney HH is so expensive

Thanks!

 

[jandmmom]

I wrote this yesterday replying to another post:


Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP AT South of the Boarder, for anything. A couple of years ago driving from Myrtle Beach to Cape Cod we stopped here just to see all the hype, well, the place was a ghost town, nobody around, restrooms were no exaggeration the grossest i have ever been in and i have been to plenty of concerts/red sox/ patriots game etc. The extremely graphic graffiti everywhere was bad, had to rush the kids along hoping they wouldn't notice. I was really disappointed, thought the place would be kinda neat. Again that was April of 09, maybe things have improved

We stopped at SOtB when I was in college driving (straight through) from Philly to Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break. I remember thinking it was hysterical back then, but I was young & it was a long time ago

 

[pipervali]

Thanks! This is very helpful! The more written, the better for me Keep going if you have more info

I am very interested in MB, HH and/or Savannah. Too bad the Disney HH is so expensive

Thanks!

Myrtle Beach is very family friendly. You can easily take a couple days and just relax at the beach. Most of the hotels are located right along the shore, and are reasonably priced. We stayed a few years ago in a room right on the beach with a balcony for less than $150 a night. There's plenty to do besides the beach too. There are two huge shopping centers down there that cater to families. Broadway on the Beach and and Barefoot Landing. There are some dinner shows and plenty of miniature golf.

Hilton Head is really quite quiet, but the last time I was down was before Disney built their place there, so that might have changed now. The island isn't that big, but it's beautiful. Sort of the opposite of Myrtle Beach in the way that it's much more of a natural and private beach setting as opposed to the popular sort of hectic surrounding the area that MB has.

 

[Uncleromulus]

You must stop and spend some time in St. Augustine!!!

 

[Tina]

We always stop in Savannah. Its such a beautiful, laid back city. Hotels can be expensive on the weekends, so try to hit it Sun-thurs.

 

[jandmmom]

You must stop and spend some time in St. Augustine!!!

Can you give me more info on this? What is there to do there & what is it like?

Thanks

 

[jandmmom]

We always stop in Savannah. Its such a beautiful, laid back city. Hotels can be expensive on the weekends, so try to hit it Sun-thurs.

This is somewhere I have always wanted to go. I would love to add a night or 2 on the way there or home in Savannah. Any special places that we must see? Or a specific area to stay?

Thanks

 

[dblr]

I am very interested in MB, HH and/or Savannah. Too bad the Disney HH is so expensive
We have stayed @ the HH DVC resort and it is a very nice a great place to rest and relax, great after a trip to Disney, have you thought about trying to rent points to stay there from a member. Sometime that might be a cheaper way to go.

 

[Tina]

This is somewhere I have always wanted to go. I would love to add a night or 2 on the way there or home in Savannah. Any special places that we must see? Or a specific area to stay?

Thanks

There are tons of hotels right on the main drag (Bay Street). Last year, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which was nice. This year I booked the Hyatt. While the rooms didn't differ much in amenities, my AAA discount got me a better deal at Hyatt. The room price was 20% off (making it equal to the Holiday Inn), but AAA also got us free breakfast (a better breakfast than the free Holiday Inn breakfast bar) and free parking. I also like the Hyatt for its location and easy access to both Bay Street and the Riverview shopping area below Bay street. Those stairs back up to Bay Street are a KILLER, so it was nice to just walk right into the Hyatt and take the elevator!

Last year, we went to dinner at Lady & Sons (Paula Dean) but didn't think it was worth the hype and money. Its pretty much a cattle call. They cram you in and rush you out. The food did taste great, but the atmosphere was lacking.

Savannah claims to be the most haunted city in America, so definitely have fun with a good ghost tour. Last year we did a Halloween pub crawl. If you're a fan of Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures, be sure to stop into the Moon River Brewery (right across from the Hyatt) for a burger and a beer. Both shows have featured this place and they allow guests to saunter down to the basement unaccompanied in search of their own experience. I've gone down twice now, but didn't experience anything. But it didn't make me any less scared! Besides the ghosts, the brewery also has great food at incredible prices. I love their burgers and they are only $6 (including a side item!). That's unheard of where I live!

If you stay for a full day, be sure to do a trolley tour. I think it was around $20 per person for an all-day hop on hop off ticket. Its a great way to see and learn about the city and see all of the beautiful homes. They are truly amazing and postcard perfect. Some of the homes have tours, but I haven't hopped off to explore them.

Finally, Savannah hosts our country's 2nd largest St. Patrick's Day festival (2nd only to NYC), so you may want to avoid mid March. I've heard it can get pretty crazy and the prices soar.

 

[Hankshouse]

Former Philadelphian checking in! We love visiting Savannah and although it's been a while since we've gone, we really enjoyed a meal at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House. Here's a link: http://www.mrswilkes.com/index.html They serve yummy southern cuisine, family style at these big tables. Unless you're a giant party, you'll be seated with other people all soaking up the old time atmosphere. Enjoy your trip!