first ever road trip - east coast tips

[gris gris]

Hi! We are driving for the first time ever - kids wanted a road trip and to see some places they've never seen. We are leaving from CT and stopping in Ocean City, MD to see the wild horses, then following 95 down. On the way home, we are going 81 / 77 and stopping in Hershey, PA.

I'm an airplane traveler - not a road tripper. Should be interesting!

I read on the forum it seems like Florence, SC is a good place to stop for the night on the way down.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for where to stay on the way back (NC or VA?).

Finally - I love history. Is there anything on either drive we shouldn't miss? We were going to try Charleston but think it's too far off route.

 

[dyson0715]

No tips, but good luck from another CTer! I drove from CT to CA, I don't think you can really plan on a certain place to stop. You might make excellent time, or be stuck on the Merritt for a long time...

 

[melk]

Can't really answer your questions but when we drove all the way down 95 I had a great book called Drive I-95. It lists each exit, gas stations, hotels, points of interest, etc. It was super handy and kind of fun to use.

Just be sure to time your travel through Washington. The traffic there can be horrific.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Be prepared for massive traffic jams on 95 from DC through VA.

 

[dancemonkey]

Hershey is awesome! Where are you planning on staying? Lots of great roller coasters and it's really clean! Do the chocolate tasting!

 

[gris gris]

Be prepared for massive traffic jams on 95 from DC through VA.

Is it bad on a Sunday? We were planning to get to Ocean City around 9 am, hang out for a couple hours, then keep driving.

 

[LadyBeBop]

How many days down and back?

A few places of historical interest on the way down:

1) Washington DC/Mt Vernon: You may have done them already.

2) Williamsburg: As with Charleston, probably too far off I-95

3) Savannah, GA: Beautiful city with much history

4) St. Augustine, FL: Probably my choice for the trip down (or even the trip back), even though it's only about two hours from WDW. It's the oldest conti nuously occupied settlement in the lower 48 states, with buildings dating back several hundred years.

 

[tstidm1]

Richmond, VA was the Capital of the Confederacy and a key battle in the Civil War. That is definitely a historical area you should stop by one way on the trip. It is also right off of I-95, so it's not far off the way you would go. You will have lots of Traffic in the DC to Virginia run on any day of the week especially because there is construction south of DC on I-95 for Express lanes.

 

[gris gris]

Hershey is awesome! Where are you planning on staying? Lots of great roller coasters and it's really clean! Do the chocolate tasting!

the park will be closed when we get there which is fine, after Disney we might be parked out but we are going to see the downtown and definitely the chocolate tasting! We're not sure about where we will stay, going to wing it.

 

[gris gris]

How many days down and back?

A few places of historical interest on the way down:

1) Washington DC/Mt Vernon: You may have done them already.

2) Williamsburg: As with Charleston, probably too far off I-95

3) Savannah, GA: Beautiful city with much history

4) St. Augustine, FL: Probably my choice for the trip down (or even the trip back), even though it's only about two hours from WDW. It's the oldest conti nuously occupied settlement in the lower 48 states, with buildings dating back several hundred years.

We are leaving on Saturday am (4 am?) and hoping to get to WDW Sunday evening. Is Savannah close to 95? We have more time on the way home but definitely want to go back on 81. So maybe St. Augustine it is! Thank you!

 

[dancemonkey]

We are leaving on Saturday am (4 am?) and hoping to get to WDW Sunday evening. Is Savannah close to 95? We have more time on the way home but definitely want to go back on 81. So maybe St. Augustine it is! Thank you![/QUOTE
I feel like Ocean City is out of the way. And Chincategue is an hour from OC. Plus OC is chaotic and crowded during the summer. You'd be adding a lot of time to an already long trip!

 

[nordkin]

If you are planning on going to Ocean City, Md then you have to go to Assateague Island to see the horses. Just a warning that you do not always see them, but most days you do. You also do not want to drive all the way back to 95 from there. You will want to take 113 to 13 and go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel, take 64 towards Richmond. That is about a 4 hour drive to 95 in Richmond and the bridge tunnel has a visitors center that is fun to stop at. The other way of driving to 95 near Washington is a 3 hour drive to Washington and then another 2 hours or so to get to Richmond. You also have to deal with the Washington traffic. We own a house outside of Washington and one within 2 miles of Assateague Island so I am very familiar with the drives.

 

[monorailsilver]

We did the drive from CT to Ft. Myers a few years ago. That took us 24 hours of driving time, maybe 23 with a traffic snafu south of DC go figure! That ate an hour. We did leave at 6am and were in NJ by 7. We did the AT one year and we also left my moms at 6 (Trumbull) and were in Lorton at 11am.

We left my moms, 30 miles from the westchester border at 6am and somehow made it to santee, SC at around 10 that night. Then we left at about 6 that am and got to Orlando, still 45 min from Disney at about noon.

My husband has a semi lead foot ao we weren't going slow!

What are your plans in OC besides the horses? Traffic wasn't the best-we went a few summers ago on a Monday. I loved it but I wouldn't go there just for a few hours.

We didn't do any stops on or drive other then the hotel stay, it was just torture to get thru VA, nC, SC and Georgia. Long roads with nothing.

How much time are you planning in each stop? Hours? I am just wondering if the extra drives will be worth it..

Don't forget your ezpass!

I also used this for my kids but deleted a few things aka a drunk driver:
http://faculty.deanza.edu/donahuemary/stories/storyReader$1473

 

[HeatherC]

When are you traveling? During the summer, traffic can be a nightmare no matter what day or what time of day. We have hit major traffic jams on 95 at 2am.

While the wild horses are neat to see, I don't really think they are worth the extra time and traffic hassle you will probably face. Another thing about the summer is that weekends are major change over days for beach houses...from Va all the way to Myrtle Beach which can add time as well.

We have done the drive via the Chesapeake tunnel, but I have to say for us it made the trip seem interminable. It may be different for you though.

We drive to Hilton Head, SC a couple times a year ..which is near Savannah...from Massachusetts. We have found that leaving at 6am during the week is best for dealing with NY and DC traffic. If you leave at 4am on Sunday, you should be fine if you get through DC early in the day. Most of the traffic seems to be around the Fredericksburg area between DC and Richmond. On the weekends there is a lot of mall traffic around there too.

We usually drive 12 hours the first day...6am to 6pm which puts us in Lumberton, NC. We stay at the Best Western there which is nice and clean, right off 95 and has free breakfast.

We will be doing the drive again next month and plan on leaving at 6am on a Wednesday.

Hope this helps and that you have a wonderful trip!

 

[HeatherC]

Forgot to mention...Savannah is right off 95.

 

[nacho113]

4) St. Augustine, FL: Probably my choice for the trip down (or even the trip back), even though it's only about two hours from WDW. It's the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the lower 48 states, with buildings dating back several hundred years.

2 thumbs up on this one, it's been on our "to-do" list 4 out of our last 6 visits to Florida.
You can do the "touristy thing" and book the tram and attractions, or see the city in a horse drawn carriage. Tour the old fort if you'd like or the Museum and don't forget to visit the Fountain of Youth
On our last visit we drove up A1A from Daytona Beach (great ocean views almost the whole way) and just wandered around the back streets all day, tons of local artists/artisans working and showing off/selling their wares, cozy little bars, kitschy restaurants, cobblestone pedestrian streets and the central city is full of historical warmth and charm. We figured on spending a couple of hours and ended up spending the whole day, had lunch and supper and put on almost as many miles as a Disney Park day

FYI: there's a couple of nice beaches in the area and even a pirate ship you can book a harbor cruise on

 

[HM2012Butler]

Savannah, GA would be a great stop

 

[gris gris]

thanks everyone!! I'm looking more forward to the drive now that I've read all your tips. Hopefully I won't have the urge to fly home We are going in April.

skipping the horses is not an option - it's one of the only reasons we are driving. 13 year old DD has been begging us for years. We were going to see them in Corolla, NC but decided on Assateague because it seems there is more opportunity to wander on your own.

 

[amcnj]

thanks everyone!! I'm looking more forward to the drive now that I've read all your tips. Hopefully I won't have the urge to fly home We are going in April.

skipping the horses is not an option - it's one of the only reasons we are driving. 13 year old DD has been begging us for years. We were going to see them in Corolla, NC but decided on Assateague because it seems there is more opportunity to wander on your own.

On one of many trips to southern DE for baseball tournaments, we had a chunk of free time and went to Ocean City and Assateague. It may have well been in April. The horses were visible from the roadway, and actually some right by the roadway, in several spots. I am not sure if that is usual, or due to the lack of vehicles on the road then. It was a chilly, cloudy damp type of day so we were glad to see them so easily. We only went to the beach area in one spot and it was misty/hazy and horse-free, but it would have been neat to see the horses on the beach.