For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only! (II)

[njmom47]

My MIL and FIL are taking a road trip with friends to Disney the week after Thanksgiving (they may start out on Mon 11/29 to try to avoid the most weekend post-holiday traffic).

They'll be driving from the southern NH border and want to stay at a half-way point; according to maps that is around the VA / NC border.

Can anyone recommend a good stopping point in that vacinity (of I95) and what hotel?

Also, for those of you who have traveled over the post-Thanksgiving weekend; is it manageable if they do leave on Sun 11/28 instead and take an alternate route around NYC & DC?

TIA

On the advice of someone on this board, we stayed in the Hyatt in Chester, VA, on the way to Myrtle Beach last summer. There were many many hotels in the area, and a lot of places to eat. The Hyatt was beautiful, free breakfast, and I would recommend it to anyone. I don't know if it's far enough south in VA though. I just googled "Chester VA hotels" where you can read reviews and see them all on the map.
When driving last year, we used the gps and plugged in the hote addressl. It took us on 295 so that might not be convenient, although the Hyatt is only about 5 miles or so from 95.

 

[blondietink]

Gas price updateso far:

Altomante Springs, FL: 2.69
Brunswick, GA: 2.63
Saw some signs in before Columbia, SC for 2.59
Rock Hill, SC: 2.49

We'll watch for the deer, but we will be driving in the daylight. We have many deer around where we live, so are prepared for their antics near the road. Thanks for the warning, though. We are driving up through Pittsburgh and Erie, PA before we hit NY.

 

[KnightFarms]

We survived our first road trip as a family.
21 hours total. 17.5 hours driving.
Long stop at DSIL's for dinner and to repack the car so she could fit, too.

• Left Cleveland, OH 8:30am
• DD4 had to pee by 10:30
• Lunch at some scary Hardees just south of Charleston WV 12:40pm
• Quick stop at VA Welcome center 3:00pm
• Traffic in Charlotte slowed us down about 35 minutes.
• Got DSIL's house about 7:00pm (10:30min at that point)
• 8:30pm-ish back on the road
• (I was asleep in the back so I'm not sure how SC and early GA went...)
• Pulled in to All Star Sports at 5:30am, and God love them, they gave us a room!!!!

It wasn't too bad with the kids after the realized that we really were going to be in the car the ENTIRE day. We managed to not bring out the video games until after lunch, and only watched 2 short movies before DSIL's house.

 

[Sherrkel]

On the advice of someone on this board, we stayed in the Hyatt in Chester, VA, on the way to Myrtle Beach last summer. There were many many hotels in the area, and a lot of places to eat. The Hyatt was beautiful, free breakfast, and I would recommend it to anyone. I don't know if it's far enough south in VA though. I just googled "Chester VA hotels" where you can read reviews and see them all on the map.
When driving last year, we used the gps and plugged in the hote addressl. It took us on 295 so that might not be convenient, although the Hyatt is only about 5 miles or so from 95.

Thanks for the info!

 

[BC1836]

We're on the way home. [Currently in Petersburg, VA Holiday Inn Express]
An uneventful drive from WDW Hess near the BW. Departed at 8:33 a.m. and made it to Petersburg at 8:03 p.m. Twelve and one-half hours total time that included five stops (including one half-hour Cracker Barrel stop).

Final leg of the trip coming up....

All the best.

 

[pwdebbie]

I'm hoping for a one-week delay... so I can see it when I'm there!

Check the NASA site. There is a rocket launch the second week of November. I assume you can see these from WDW?

 

[pwdebbie]

pedebbie, hows the construction on 81? i will be going through on a tuesday morning around 11am. i know its been under construction for a few years.

It is still a mess in the Chambersburg area. Just slow down, stay in your lane, and if you can, let people on from the entrance ramps or travel in the left lane. There is a southbound express lane right now (can't access any exits in the area). Construction starts south of Rt. 997 and seems to end around the Marion exit. Sorry I can't tell you the exit numbers; since they changed them to numbering based on milemarkers (which actually makes a whole lot of sense), I can never keep them straight anymore except that Exit 7 became Exit 17, that one is easy to remember.

 

[dvczerfs]

It is still a mess in the Chambersburg area. Just slow down, stay in your lane, and if you can, let people on from the entrance ramps or travel in the left lane. There is a southbound express lane right now (can't access any exits in the area). Construction starts south of Rt. 997 and seems to end around the Marion exit. Sorry I can't tell you the exit numbers; since they changed them to numbering based on milemarkers (which actually makes a whole lot of sense), I can never keep them straight anymore except that Exit 7 became Exit 17, that one is easy to remember.

thanks, i usually stay in the left lane. i never took the express lane, it always seem there 500 trucks over there and the lanes are narrow. any idea when they will be done with it?

 

[nytimez]

Check the NASA site. There is a rocket launch the second week of November. I assume you can see these from WDW?

Yes and no -- the pad for the rocket launches is a little further away, and they don't need nearly as much rocket power. It's not as spectacular as a shuttle launch from afar.

Also, I usually watch the shuttle launches from Space View Park in Titusville... but I wouldn't make the drive to see the rocket launch (I think Cocoa is the place for that if anyone is interested).

 

[Amirah95]

Uber excited now...we leave Friday evening!!! Woo Woo!

 

[BC1836]

"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" All-Time Records [updated 10/25/10]

Most Total Drives: 48 (since 1973) dvczerfs

Most Drives in One Decade: 20 (2002-2010) bc1836

Most Drives in one Calendar Year: 4 (two times: 2008 & 2009) bc1836 and (once: 2009) cruisingkat

Most Drives in one 12-Month Period: 5 (12/08-12/09) cruisingkat

Shortest Time Between Drives: 19 days (2009) cruisingkat

Longest Drive: ?

Most Passengers in One Vehicle: ?

[Please update this information!]

Most Drives in one Decade updated: fom 19 to 20!

Uneventful drive from Petersburg, VA to Jersey Shore. No traffic at either the $5 MD toll or the $4 DE toll on I-95.

Now...it's time to plan the next drive!

All the best.

 

[pwdebbie]

thanks, i usually stay in the left lane. i never took the express lane, it always seem there 500 trucks over there and the lanes are narrow. any idea when they will be done with it?

It seems that I-81 has been under some form of construction since we moved here in 1989. I don't think they ever plan to be done with it!

 

[blondietink]

Made it home tonight in just about 11 hours from Statesville, NC. Fog was terrible in Virginia ... we just crawled along. Good thing because the VA troopers were everywhere! Rained through most of W. Va, although the foliage was still beautiful when the rain let up. Last gas price update: Wytheville, VA: 2.57, Washington, PA: 2.78, Buffalo, NY: 2.95 (UGH!). Total miles traveled RT: 2017.3, plus whatever we traveled on the autotrain (800 miles?).

Now to start planning our April 2011 trip!

 

[Jamesfam]

Hi all
We are leaving for our Disney cruise next week and are located in Ocean County. Originally we planned on leaving 2am but now are going to leave around 5:30 pm. Should we be ok with DC traffic leaving at that time? Thanks

 

[bookwormde]

No and Wilmington and Baltimore will be challenging also.

 

[BC1836]

Hi all
We are leaving for our Disney cruise next week and are located in Ocean County. Originally we planned on leaving 2am but now are going to leave around 5:30 pm. Should we be ok with DC traffic leaving at that time? Thanks

Bookwormde speaks words of wisdom.
We live in Ocean County and just completed our 20th drive since 2002 (we returned yesterday). If you leave on a Friday, 2 a.m. there may be a problem by the time you reach southern MD and northern VA. You might be okay on any other day departing at 2 a.m. Early weekend mornings are not a problem.

Leave early. Very early.

We departed near Barnegat Bay on Saturday 10/16/10 at 2:50 a.m.
We crossed the DE Memorial bridge at 4:20 a.m.
We reached MD at 4:35 a.m. and crossed the Wilson Bridge into VA at 6:26 a.m.

All the best.

 

[dvczerfs]

Bookwormde speaks words of wisdom.
We live in Ocean County and just completed our 20th drive since 2002 (we returned yesterday). If you leave on a Friday, 2 a.m. there may be a problem by the time you reach southern MD and northern VA. You might be okay on any other day departing at 2 a.m. Early weekend mornings are not a problem.

Leave early. Very early.

We departed near Barnegat Bay on Saturday 10/16/10 at 2:50 a.m.
We crossed the DE Memorial bridge at 4:20 a.m.
We reached MD at 4:35 a.m. and crossed the Wilson Bridge into VA at 6:26 a.m.

All the best.

timing is everything bc!! welcome home!

 

[BC1836]

Veteran 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers are well aware of the numerous South of the Border (SOTB) signs that punctuate I-95. Over the last year or two, SOTB has upgraded many of its signs. But where does the facility get the money for the upgrades? We hardly ever see more than a handful of vehicles there when we pass...and we've passed it 40 times since 2002. We stopped once there for gas last year and saw no more than a half-dozen vehicles.

True to form, one of the upgraded signs still features incorrect punctuation ("Kids Stuff").

Still, it's always good to see those first SOTB signs when driving south in northern NC.

All the best.

 

[disneyfan55]

Veteran 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers are well aware of the numerous South of the Border (SOTB) signs that punctuate I-95. Over the last year or two, SOTB has upgraded many of its signs. But where does the facility get the money for the upgrades? We hardly ever see more than a handful of vehicles there when we pass...and we've passed it 40 times since 2002. We stopped once there for gas last year and saw no more than a half-dozen vehicles.

True to form, one of the upgraded signs still features incorrect punctuation ("Kids Stuff").

Still, it's always good to see those first SOTB signs when driving south in northern NC.

All the best.

Yes, less and less cars as we pass by each trip. No clue on the money thing, but they don't use it to upgrade the actual site!! We stopped in 2008 (last time we stopped) and got a few fireworks and ice cream for my husband. Disgusting restroom there! Over priced gas and 'stuff' in general. Years ago when the kids were young we stopped at times-just for a leg stretch. Yes, the signage does give a sense of getting to FL!!

 

[Maliki2]

Have a question, we are driving back to Vermont when the trip is done, we are having a hard time finding a decent place to stop over either right before I95 goes into New Jersey (Maryland maybe) or in New Jersey. Most of the places we have found have bad reviews etc, and don't want to stay in a unsafe area. We are looking for anything under $100 for one night. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks!