Driving to WDW, how to avoid Atlanta ?

[Lady Hiss]

We'll be coming from Chattanooga, leaving around 7AM on a week day, and would rather not deal with Atlanta rush hour. Does anyone know of decent alternate routes around the city? We've found the 'bypass' to be just as bad or worse than going thru the city.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Alesia]

There's really no way around it. Your best bet is just to try to avoid rush hours.

Use Google maps - it will automatically reroute you if a backup occurs and there's a better route

 

[Skippyboo]

When are you traveling? The traffic is slightly better in June and July when school is out. I would recommend leaving earlier or later so you miss the rush hour. Leaving at 7 will put you in Cobb County at 830 which is still going to a heavy traffic time.

Could you leave night before at get a hotel south of Atlanta like around Atlanta motor speedway area?

 

[SL6827]

We'll be coming from Chattanooga, leaving around 7AM on a week day, and would rather not deal with Atlanta rush hour. Does anyone know of decent alternate routes around the city? We've found the 'bypass' to be just as bad or worse than going thru the city.
Thanks in advance!

Hi neighbor! I would leave around 2 AM, no joke. Just did this last week. Never seen such awful traffic in all our trips. And it got bad further out than it ever had before. Atlanta traffic sucks big time.

 

[FCDub]

Go to Google Maps and drag the route as far west of Atlanta as you want.

 

[AngiTN]

We avoid it by flying from Chattanooga

Honestly, anything you do to avoid Atlanta is going to add so much more to your trip you are going to simply swap a longer drive for less traffic. In the end the trip will likely take you longer.

When we didn't fly we left at night and drove to Perry and spent the night there. But we've been flying the past 3 years now

 

[pens4821]

We were going through Atlanta at about 6 PM on a Friday in January (MLK weekend). We were worried because of everything we've read about the horrible traffic, but we didn't have issues. A couple slowdowns, but nothing major. We looked on google maps before we left from Alabama and it still said to go that way, so we did. I would just put it in your GPS (we use google maps, but a lot of people recommend Waze) and go whichever way it takes you.

 

[Skippyboo]

Hi neighbor! I would leave around 2 AM, no joke. Just did this last week. Never seen such awful traffic in all our trips. And it got bad further out than it ever had before. Atlanta traffic sucks big time.

This week was spring break for many school here in the Atl so there was probably extra traffic from people heading south last weekend.

 

[AngiTN]

We were going through Atlanta at about 6 PM on a Friday in January (MLK weekend). We were worried because of everything we've read about the horrible traffic, but we didn't have issues. A couple slowdowns, but nothing major. We looked on google maps before we left from Alabama and it still said to go that way, so we did. I would just put it in your GPS (we use google maps, but a lot of people recommend Waze) and go whichever way it takes you.

Did you approach Atlanta going South on 75 or across on 20?
Coming down 75 you center punch right down the middle of the city.
Coming in on 20 misses a pretty decent chunk, especially the midtown and Marietta/Kennesaw areas which can be some of the thickest

 

[pens4821]

Did you approach Atlanta going South on 75 or across on 20?
Coming down 75 you center punch right down the middle of the city.
Coming in on 20 misses a pretty decent chunk, especially the midtown and Marietta/Kennesaw areas which can be some of the thickest

We came in on 20.

 

[Skippyboo]

We came in on 20.

Once you get to to I285 from I20 or even I 75, the traffic is going into the city while you go away from it. The op is coming from Chattanooga so that’s north of the city, have to take I 75 south with everyone else heading through to the city. The northern suburbs of Cobb County are 6 six lanes of gridlock at times and then it’s either the I285 beltway around or staying on I75 which merges with I85 through the downtown area which can also crawl.

I-20 which is the east west highway going through the city is below the downtown area so you bypass the infamous Grady curve.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I honetestly have found that gritting your teeth and pushing through the Atlanta traffic is the quickest way to Orlando.

 

[Darklord77]

I know you don't want to hear this, but leave earlier. The top end of the perimeter between 6:30-9:00 is the worst traffic in Metro ATL. If you leave at 4:30 you should be fine. Any later and we told you so.....

 

[Lady Hiss]

Thanks for all the replies. We were hoping for some super, secret way around the traffic - LOL. I guess we'll just slog through. Since flying or leaving at 2AM aren't options, we'll be leaving at 5 AM, packing our patience and a good audio book.

 

[UncleMike101]

The last time we drove through Atlanta on our way to WDW we stopped overnight at a motel just North of the city limits.
This was a Saturday.
We got up at 2:00AM on Sunday and drove straight through the heart of Atlanta with almost zero traffic.
Now we take an Easterly route through North & South Carolina and over to I95 and down to Orlando.

 

[JimMIA]

Coming from Chattanooga, I think I would leave the night before and drive south of Atlanta somewhere and spend the night. Then drive to WDW the next day.

For example, Chattanooga to Macon, GA is only about 3 hours -- leave at 6 PM, go through Atlanta after rush hour, and get to Macon at 9 PM. Macon to WDW is a little more than 5 hours.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Just sleep in and leave at 8am instead. You’ll hit downtown about 9:45. It will be light enough by then, assuming no traffic snarls that day. Honk when you past 10th street I’ll be at work reading DIS forums.

75 south isn’t our worst traffic any way. You’ll hit a little congestion right down town but it will let up after 10-15 mins.

But yeah you don’t want to arrive downtown at 8:45 for sure.

 

[Euby]

If I have to drive on I-75 through Atlanta, I get in the HOV lane and stay there. Otherwise, coming from Nashville, I will sometimes drive south on I-65 to Montgomery, AL then on to Dothan via US-231, then on to I-10 to I-75 to FL Turnpike. It adds time but is a lot less stressful.

 

[AngiTN]

We came in on 20.

Yeah, this is why you didn't find Atlanta traffic too bad. You missed pretty much all of it. Come in on 75 and you wouldn't come away with the same thoughts. That's when it's the 7th layer of hell

 

[Skippyboo]

They have a paid express lane on I75 in the Cobb County section which connects to I285. It’s Peach Pass only. So you need one before you go. The peach pass can be used on FL turnpike too.