Driving to WDW from Charlotte, NC

[Zippa D Doodah]

... home of the soon-to-be NFC champion Carolina Panthers!
(sorry, excuse my exuberance)

About how long does it take to make the drive from the Charlotte area. We are driving for the very first time and I would like to hear your experiences. How long did it take? Where did you stop? How many times did you stop? Did the kids drive you nuts before you got there? yada yada yada.


David

 

[WDWisTheBest]

It takes about eight to eight and a half hours, depending on traffic and how many times you stop.

Where and when to stop depends on your family habits and the age of the kids. A good stopping point in Columbia, SC, if you wish to stop in an hour, is the exit at Cayce at the intersection of I-77 and I-26. There is a Pilot and a Wendy's, for a quick stop.

Other stops along the way could be at Hardeeville, SC and Savannah, GA (there are four exits there from which to choose).
And, a must stop to top off with the cheaper GA gas is the Kingsland, GA exit just before entering FL.

You could choose to stop at the Daytona, FL exit at route 92 where the Daytona Speedway entrance is. From there you just take I-4 to WDW. If you don't like the normal traffic pattern on I-4 through Orlando, you could choose to take the Greene way (state route 417) which is a toll road that takes you right to the WDW entrance. Here is a link that might help http://www.orlando-maps.info/junctions/417_exit_6.htm

Some posters don't stop often, others do with kids. It really depends on your kids and you.

Enjoy the trip down. When are you arriving?

 

[Antonia]

We drive from Gaffney, SC and it is 600 miles and takes about 10 hours I think. We usually stop in Walterboro for gas and a snack and sometimes Hardeeville. Once we cross into Florida, we always get off I-95 and get onto A1A for a very scenic drive that takes us to somewhere around Daytona. If we're in a hurry to get there, we have skipped this scenic drive and done it on the way back. If you are interested in a ferry boat ride - fun for kids as well as adults, get off of I-95 near Aelia Island and take the Mayport ferry. A fairly short ride across the river, but it is a fun experience.

 

[Robert P]

Drive time from Charlotte will run about 8 to 8.5 hours. I would say 8, but we only stop briefly for gas/food twice on the way down, so longer or more frequent stops will add time.
From Charlotte, you shouldn't have to stop for gas until near the SC/GA line. SC exit 8 (the golf ball outlet exit) has a Fast Track or similar right off the exit, which is clean and usually not crowded, and easy to get back on the highway. We lately stop at GA exit 87, b/c of the many food/gas options.
Yes, the kids can and/or will drive you nuts (I mean, would you like to be strapped into a car seat for an 8 hour + drive??). We try to leave early a.m. (to beat Charlotte a.m. traffic, as we are coming from the Winston-Salem area). If we leave between 4 and 5 a.m., the kids sleep til right around that GA exit 87 gas/food stop. Also, leaving early like that gets us through Jacksonville, FL before lunch traffic picks up. That puts us at WDW @ 1:00 p.m., which means we have a decent chance of our room being ready for us when we check in.

Watch the construction zones in GA. The law enforcement community can sit anywhere along that stretch of 95.

Safe driving!

Rob