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

[Gumbo4x4]

I agree with you. We've never had any problems going through Atlanta (although we never go through during rush hour). But I hate going through Nashville. Too much switching lanes in a short period of time.

Although I think part of it (for me) is that we stay on I-75 while going through Atlanta. That's a straight shot. Going through Nashville, we switch interstates from I-65 to I-40 west (we take it to visit my daughter in Louisiana). And I think I-24 sneaks in somewhere as well. That's too many interstates in just a few miles.

You'd hate St. Louis - I64, I44, I55, and I70 share one bridge

 

[buzz5985]

I am absolutely in the same place as you. We prefer 95 and we're looking at an alternate route for our trip in August, but it adds around 2 hours. Which means it's the same as sitting in traffic on 95 for 2 hours LOL. Friday and Saturday during the summer, and most of the rush hour are the worst in northern VA. Not sure what that leaves, but I'm hoping around noon to 1 in the afternoon on a weekday would be good.

When in August are you driving? Our next trip is in August too.

We are leaving either 8/3 or 8/4. We are scheduled to check into HH on August 5, BWV on August 9, THV on August 14, Autotrain home on August 17. We may stop and see my cousins in Washington DC on the way down or the way back, so that is the difference in the leaving dates.

Northern VA is the worst!!!! I can never get through there without a problem. But I was always trying to avoid problems around NYC - which I think has been our problem. I work nights, so don't mind driving at night. We may just drive thru to HH. Leave Boston around 4 pm Saturday. DH can drive till midnight, then I will take over.

Janis

 

[sharadoc]

We are leaving either 8/3 or 8/4. We are scheduled to check into HH on August 5, BWV on August 9, THV on August 14, Autotrain home on August 17. We may stop and see my cousins in Washington DC on the way down or the way back, so that is the difference in the leaving dates.

Northern VA is the worst!!!! I can never get through there without a problem. But I was always trying to avoid problems around NYC - which I think has been our problem. I work nights, so don't mind driving at night. We may just drive thru to HH. Leave Boston around 4 pm Saturday. DH can drive till midnight, then I will take over.

Janis

Sounds like a great trip! We're checking in on the 14th so we'll overlap a couple of the days. We're lucky that we don't worry about major cities until Wilmington Delaware. If we had to deal with NYC, I think we'd drive out west first LOL. We drove into the city one time for a long weekend and never again! Scariest driving ever.

 

[preschoolmom]

We're getting ready to do the drive from Chicago to Walt Disney World... Any major construction areas that we need to be aware of?

We've done this drive once before (four years ago, the kids were all sick ). They are great car travelers in general, we do the Chicago to NJ trip pretty frequently as well.

We're planning for one stop, as far south as we can get the first day (hopefully just after Atlanta? Anything south of Chattanooga is gravy).

Then hit Disney early afternoon the second day.

We'll do the reverse on the way home

 

[LadyBeBop]

You'd hate St. Louis - I64, I44, I55, and I70 share one bridge

Last time we drove through St. Louis, we missed the turnoff from the bridge, and got lost. And that was with a GPS.

Fortunately, we go through St. Louis once in a blue moon.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Last time we drove through St. Louis, we missed the turnoff from the bridge, and got lost. And that was with a GPS.

Fortunately, we go through St. Louis once in a blue moon.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, that used to happen to use in Kansas City every stinking trip for years & we've lived in MO our entire lives

 

[KingK12]

I couldn't imagine a 2,000 mile road trip in the mini van with the kids. Omg that has got to be insane! Luckily I'm only 25 minutes from there and I don't have to! Hats off to all of you...

 

[cruisingkat]

4

We're getting ready to do the drive from Chicago to Walt Disney World... Any major construction areas that we need to be aware of?

We've done this drive once before (four years ago, the kids were all sick ). They are great car travelers in general, we do the Chicago to NJ trip pretty frequently as well.

We're planning for one stop, as far south as we can get the first day (hopefully just after Atlanta? Anything south of Chattanooga is gravy).

Then hit Disney early afternoon the second day.

We'll do the reverse on the way home

There is construction going on in south GA on 75 (it has been going on for several years now)- traffic wasn't bad. There is some construction going on in southern IL on 57. TN has construction going on near Kimball, TN. As it gets closer to summer, there will be more and more construction - especially in IL, IN, KY, and TN.
We leave the Chicago western burbs around 9:30-10am (Chicago time) and make it to Forsyth, GA which is about 1 hour past Atlanta about 9-10 pm (GA time). From there it is only about 5-6 hour drive to Disney.
On the way home we leave Disney around 11am Eastern time and make it to Manchester, TN (northwest of Chattanooga on I24) around 9pm (Central time). The next day, it is about 8 hour drive home.
We like those two stops as it puts the majority of driving on the first day.

 

[nono]

I couldn't imagine a 2,000 mile road trip in the mini van with the kids. Omg that has got to be insane! Luckily I'm only 25 minutes from there and I don't have to! Hats off to all of you...

We don't find it insane at all. We had a family meeting a couple nights ago to discuss our May trip. The kids, ages 8 & 5, both voted for an early morning start with a destination goal of Savannah for the first day. This means about a 14 hour haul, with some of that being on a ferry. They voted for the daytime ride because they enjoy the ride! It's really not hard with coloring books, audiobooks, some DVDs towards the end of the day, and races we have at the rest stops. Heck, my kids have played hide and seek while strapped in their boosters. They've acted out Angry Birds scenes. In 14 hours, it's pretty fun to see what develops.

 

[Nik's Mom]

4

There is construction going on in south GA on 75 (it has been going on for several years now)- traffic wasn't bad. There is some construction going on in southern IL on 57. TN has construction going on near Kimball, TN. As it gets closer to summer, there will be more and more construction - especially in IL, IN, KY, and TN.
We leave the Chicago western burbs around 9:30-10am (Chicago time) and make it to Forsyth, GA which is about 1 hour past Atlanta about 9-10 pm (GA time). From there it is only about 5-6 hour drive to Disney.
On the way home we leave Disney around 11am Eastern time and make it to Manchester, TN (northwest of Chattanooga on I24) around 9pm (Central time). The next day, it is about 8 hour drive home.
We like those two stops as it puts the majority of driving on the first day.

Do you know of any decent hotels at those stops? That is about where we were thinking of stopping too. Thanks!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I couldn't imagine a 2,000 mile road trip in the mini van with the kids. Omg that has got to be insane! Luckily I'm only 25 minutes from there and I don't have to! Hats off to all of you...

When I was a kid, we took a 6-week, 7,500 mile trip in a 2-door '69 Galaxy 500 towing a popup (with no fridge or AC), and the last 2 weeks my sister & I shared the back seat with an unfinished redwood burl coffee table my mom bought in Northern, CA somewhere. No cell phones, no DVD players, no DS's or other handheld games. 2,000 miles in a modern mini-van with all of today's electronics? No problem

 

[preschoolmom]

4

There is construction going on in south GA on 75 (it has been going on for several years now)- traffic wasn't bad. There is some construction going on in southern IL on 57. TN has construction going on near Kimball, TN. As it gets closer to summer, there will be more and more construction - especially in IL, IN, KY, and TN.
We leave the Chicago western burbs around 9:30-10am (Chicago time) and make it to Forsyth, GA which is about 1 hour past Atlanta about 9-10 pm (GA time). From there it is only about 5-6 hour drive to Disney.
On the way home we leave Disney around 11am Eastern time and make it to Manchester, TN (northwest of Chattanooga on I24) around 9pm (Central time). The next day, it is about 8 hour drive home.
We like those two stops as it puts the majority of driving on the first day.

Thanks! This is our plan... We leave very early in the morning though (like 3am), so we can get a nice solid leg in before stopping for breakfast. We always hope the kids will sleep for that leg, but they don't seem to

 

[dvczerfs]

When I was a kid, we took a 6-week, 7,500 mile trip in a 2-door '69 Galaxy 500 towing a popup (with no fridge or AC), and the last 2 weeks my sister & I shared the back seat with an unfinished redwood burl coffee table my mom bought in Northern, CA somewhere. No cell phones, no DVD players, no DS's or other handheld games. 2,000 miles in a modern mini-van with all of today's electronics? No problem

I love it!!!! Remember baking in the "tin can",sitting in a traffic jam, windows down, listing to the cracklin, static filled am radio? The cars didnt have the suspensions in them like they do today much less the bias ply tires. Gas was about .40 per gallon. No six lane interstates with a Cracker barrel at every exit. You were lucky to find a Howard Johnsons or a Holiday Inn to stay for the night and get something to eat. Folding and unfolding the map, no gps. For the life of me, I dont remember complaining. We had a blast!!! If you started acting up, Dad would start telling us he would turn this car around!!! No seat belts, car seats. I remember my dad telling me to move over in the back seat because i would STAND ON THE SEAT in the middle and he couldnt see out the back window. I guess they figured that steel dashboard that your head would smash into would stop you from going out the windshield if he ever had to slam on the breaks. But, we lived and still managed to have fun on those trip!!! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

 

[cruisingkat]

Do you know of any decent hotels at those stops? That is about where we were thinking of stopping too. Thanks!

We stop at the Holiday Inn Express (hubby is a priority club member). Great breakfast in the morning complete with pancakes. Prices aren't too bad.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We stop at the Holiday Inn Express (hubby is a priority club member). Great breakfast in the morning complete with pancakes. Prices aren't too bad.

Thank you.

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

When I was a kid, we took a 6-week, 7,500 mile trip in a 2-door '69 Galaxy 500 towing a popup (with no fridge or AC), and the last 2 weeks my sister & I shared the back seat with an unfinished redwood burl coffee table my mom bought in Northern, CA somewhere. No cell phones, no DVD players, no DS's or other handheld games. 2,000 miles in a modern mini-van with all of today's electronics? No problem

I can totally relate! We took a few trips to Florida in my parents 1983 Honda Accord Hatchback. For 20+ hours, we had three kids, two parents, and luggage all piled into one of these...

Those were the days!

 

[MamaJessie]

I couldn't imagine a 2,000 mile road trip in the mini van with the kids. Omg that has got to be insane! Luckily I'm only 25 minutes from there and I don't have to! Hats off to all of you...

I actually really enjoy the drive. It's a nice time to hang out with family.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I love the stories from the past. My parents used to take us on road trips when we were kids. The furthest was from Mass. to California and back. I was almost 5 and my brother was 2. We had a pick-up truck with a cab on the back and a mattress in the back that we could sleep on. Our 12 year old baby sitter came and rode in the back with us. My 3 clearest memories of that trip are: swimming in my cousins' pool, my Etch-a-Sketch melting in the desert and seeing the Tiki Birds at Disneyland.

 

[Just*the*ten*of*us]

never again. NEVER! the end.

Disclaimer: may still be sore and cranky from the 17 hour ride with 8 kids and change my mind next year and see the prices of airline tickets

yep, mind changed. hotel in GA booked and pricing rental vans while I write. sigh

 

[dvczerfs]

yep, mind changed. hotel in GA booked and pricing rental vans while I write. sigh

CLAIRE!!!!! Welcome back!! So when is the next trip? We are going in may and September this year. Say hi to my favorite Philly fan for me!!! Keep in touch.