"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (Part V)

[KCMA]

I really feel like that’s a better way to do it. We are always flip flopping back and forth. Can I ask what hotel you stayed at? We were aiming to make it to South Carolina or Georgia but I’m curious how the hotels are as of late on the way down . Hope you have a great trip.

We always stop in Mooresville North Carolina… just north of Charlotte.. as for hotels we have pretty much tried them all.. lately its been the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express both have been great.. nice/clean etc.. tons of restaurants/right off the highway/Walmart and Target right the

We always leave early enough that there is never an issue getting through Charlotte first thing in the morning with little to no traffic

 

[frapdawn]

Thanks for all that info. It’s convenient to have all of those stores nearby too. Inevitably I’ll forget something

 

[BlancheNeige7]

We will be heading out on our 2 800 mile journey from Ottawa, Canada to Orlando in a few weeks. We last did the drive 6 years ago with a 3 and 5 year old. With the children being older, they are very excited to learn more about the different states. The plan is to stop at a few welcome centres and a few attractions along the way (Gettysburg, Udvar-Hazy Center...). We are lucky to have the month of August off and are in no hurry. The hope is to make two overnight stops... one near Harrisburg, PA and one near Savannah GA on the way down. I would like to book hotels last minute since so many factors might influence how far we get, but we also do not want to be stuck without a room!

I've started travel binders for DD9 and DD11 with maps, games, bingos, scavenger hunts etc... Should amount to about 48h round trip of driving.

Thank you everyone for posting... I've started taking notes and appreciate all the recommendations. Lots of planning left to do!

 

[amcnj]

We will be heading out on our 2 800 mile journey from Ottawa, Canada to Orlando in a few weeks. We last did the drive 6 years ago with a 3 and 5 year old. With the children being older, they are very excited to learn more about the different states. The plan is to stop at a few welcome centres and a few attractions along the way (Gettysburg, Udvar-Hazy Center...). We are lucky to have the month of August off and are in no hurry. The hope is to make two overnight stops... one near Harrisburg, PA and one near Savannah GA on the way down. I would like to book hotels last minute since so many factors might influence how far we get, but we also do not want to be stuck without a room!

I've started travel binders for DD9 and DD11 with maps, games, bingos, scavenger hunts etc... Should amount to about 48h round trip of driving.

Thank you everyone for posting... I've started taking notes and appreciate all the recommendations. Lots of planning left to do!

Sound like you have a good handle on things. Hope you have a safe and enjoyable trip!

 

[RoseGold]

I would like to book hotels last minute since so many factors might influence how far we get, but we also do not want to be stuck without a room!

There's no way you'll have no room, especially if you can always drive another half hour if you have to. It won't be an issue at all to book last minute.

 

[BlancheNeige7]

There's no way you'll have no room, especially if you can always drive another half hour if you have to. It won't be an issue at all to book last minute.

Thank you! That is reassuring. There seems to be many options on the map... it would be nice to have maximum flexibility!

 

[LadyBeBop]

Thank you! That is reassuring. There seems to be many options on the map... it would be nice to have maximum flexibility!

Do you have your lodging in Orlando booked yet? If so, for how long?

Sounds like you might be doing most of your sightseeing on the way back to Ottawa. It's about seven hours from Ottawa to Harrisburg and another ten hours from Harrisburg to Savannah. That doesn't leave too much time for sightseeing. And there's so much to do in both the Harrisburg and Savannah areas.

Assuming you have the time and the flexibility, I'd take at least five days driving down. That allows you time to visit most of the sights you want. You could visit Savannah and Gettysburg on the way home. But most times, you just want to get home.

If I had a full month, I'd do....7 days from Ottawa to Orlando, 14 days in Orlando and 3-4 days driving home. But that's just me.

Have fun. Isn't planning great?

 

[BlancheNeige7]

Thank you for the advice LadyBeBop! I love planning trips!

We have booked a townhouse from the 6th to the 30th of August at the Encantada resort. We are ok with arriving later or leaving earlier... after this stressful year we want to relax, enjoy and not put extra pressure on ourselves. As long as we are back home on the 2nd of September, we are good! lol!

You might be right about just wanting to get back home and taking a few more days to get down might be best. We've visited the Northeastern states a few times, so the Carolinas and Georgia would be awesome to explore a bit more. All I remember from South Carolina is our stop to "South of the Border". I am sure I can find something better to associate with the state. I'm thinking weather might also play a big part in choosing where and when to stop! Last time we drove down we did 3 days there and 2 very long days back...

Anything in particular you would recommend around Savannah? I've looked up the Trolley Tour that seems nice. Last time we were in the area we did not venture past our hotel by the I95.

 

[Stratman50th]

@BlancheNeige7 I don't know if you've done St. Augustine before but we really enjoyed our last trip there. I had been many times before but mostly a quick stop passing through. A couple of years ago we ended up spending 4 days there and it was really an unexpected joy. There is something for everyone including the touristy stuff. We bought three day tickets for the trolley. It gave us a place to park at the Old Jail and a complete sightseeing tour on day one. The following days we used it for transportation around town, jumping on and off at the various stops. Something to think about.

​

 

[bluezy]

We will be heading out on our 2 800 mile journey from Ottawa, Canada to Orlando in a few weeks. We last did the drive 6 years ago with a 3 and 5 year old. With the children being older, they are very excited to learn more about the different states. The plan is to stop at a few welcome centres and a few attractions along the way (Gettysburg, Udvar-Hazy Center...). We are lucky to have the month of August off and are in no hurry. The hope is to make two overnight stops... one near Harrisburg, PA and one near Savannah GA on the way down. I would like to book hotels last minute since so many factors might influence how far we get, but we also do not want to be stuck without a room!

I've started travel binders for DD9 and DD11 with maps, games, bingos, scavenger hunts etc... Should amount to about 48h round trip of driving.

Thank you everyone for posting... I've started taking notes and appreciate all the recommendations. Lots of planning left to do!

We drive from Pennsylvania and we stopped booking our hotels for the drive ahead of time probably 10 years ago. We try to stop driving by about 6:00 at the latest and we stop at an exit with numerous hotels (I use the iExit App to decide where to stop). Then we just pull in a parking lot somewhere and start looking at various booking apps to see what's available. We're not tied to a specific hotel chain but usually find ourselves at Hampton Inn/Suites, Comfort Suites, Ramada Inn, etc. If the exit we stopped at doesn't seem to have any availability, we'll check the app for hotels at the next exit and book it before driving there. I think we've only had to do that once (but we've been able to book at the exit we originally chose at least 12 times). We find that the earlier we stop, the more choices we have and if we do have to drive a little further, at least we're not doing it at 11:00 at night.

Our 2 favorite Welcome Centers on the drive down (on I-95) are Georgia (best bathroom sinks ever!! and lots of fun things to look at) and Florida (free orange juice! But the actual Welcome Center portion is only open from 8-4 so plan accordingly! Bathrooms are always open.)

Enjoy your drive!

 

[BlancheNeige7]

I looked up pictures of St. Augustine and it looks beautiful. We are thinking of taking a day or two while in Orlando to do some long drives. This would be a great option for one of our Day Trips if we can't get to it on the way down. Thank you @Stratman50th !

So many great tips @bluezy ! The iExit App will be so helpful. wow! Free orange juice? Yes please! I am also very reassured by the many hotel options.... not something I am used to when doing Canadian roadtrips in Summer! lol!

 

[LadyBeBop]

@BlancheNeige7 I haven’t been in Savannah in probably 20 years. I went to Hilton Head and Bluffton, SC about two years ago. Both are nice, but both are a ways off I-95. However, if you stop there, you’d have something better to associate SC with.

You mention spending time in Harrisburg. I loved eating in the Amish Country, around Lancaster. One stop to make, even for a few minutes, is the Hershey Chocolate Factory in Hershey. Their store is full of every Hershey products, from Hershey Bars to Reeces Pieces. And if you have the time, you can tour the factory.

 

[pwdebbie]

We will be heading out on our 2 800 mile journey from Ottawa, Canada to Orlando in a few weeks. We last did the drive 6 years ago with a 3 and 5 year old. With the children being older, they are very excited to learn more about the different states. The plan is to stop at a few welcome centres and a few attractions along the way (Gettysburg, Udvar-Hazy Center...). We are lucky to have the month of August off and are in no hurry. The hope is to make two overnight stops... one near Harrisburg, PA and one near Savannah GA on the way down. I would like to book hotels last minute since so many factors might influence how far we get, but we also do not want to be stuck without a room!

I've started travel binders for DD9 and DD11 with maps, games, bingos, scavenger hunts etc... Should amount to about 48h round trip of driving.

Thank you everyone for posting... I've started taking notes and appreciate all the recommendations. Lots of planning left to do!

I have a suggestion for overnight near Gettysburg, but not in Harrisburg or Gettysburg. The Ragged Edge Inn is lovely bed and breakfast about 30 minutes west of Gettysburg and maybe ten minutes off of Interstate 81. Our son's wedding was held there. The property is beautiful. The owners are very nice. And that breakfast the day after the wedding was amazing. It surely would be a nicer stop than Harrisburg and would only be another 45 minutes or so farther south on 81. (I live twenty minutes west of Gettysburg.)

ETA -- Just noticed on FB they go by The Inn at Ragged Edge.

 

[canuckgirl]

Hello Everyone!!!

We are driving from just north of Toronto, Ontario to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. We have driven before in August of 2018 and are excited to road trip down again!! We tried to drive straight though last time, but we unexpectedly decided to stop and this time we are determined to drive straight though!!! We have 11 kids, but since our van “only” seats 12, our oldest adult daughter is flying down and meeting us there!! We are driving the 90/79/77 route as it’s the fastest for us. We weren’t thrilled with the options for stopping last time, so if anyone has any recommendations for the e best towns to stop directly off the interstate for this route, I’d love to know! We are planning on leaving around midnight since when we left at that time last time, we had almost no traffic through the busiest cities. Are tolls still change/cash or are they tap now? Also, on the way home we are trying to drive straight though, but may have to stop near the pennsylvania border or outside of Pittsburg. What are the best/nicest/safest towns in those areas? I’d appreciate any advice or information!!

Thanks so much!!!
Cheryl

 

[PapaPiper]

Hello Everyone!!!

We are driving from just north of Toronto, Ontario to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. We have driven before in August of 2018 and are excited to road trip down again!! We tried to drive straight though last time, but we unexpectedly decided to stop and this time we are determined to drive straight though!!! We have 11 kids, but since our van “only” seats 12, our oldest adult daughter is flying down and meeting us there!! We are driving the 90/79/77 route as it’s the fastest for us. We weren’t thrilled with the options for stopping last time, so if anyone has any recommendations for the e best towns to stop directly off the interstate for this route, I’d love to know! We are planning on leaving around midnight since when we left at that time last time, we had almost no traffic through the busiest cities. Are tolls still change/cash or are they tap now? Also, on the way home we are trying to drive straight though, but may have to stop near the pennsylvania border or outside of Pittsburg. What are the best/nicest/safest towns in those areas? I’d appreciate any advice or information!!

Thanks so much!!!
Cheryl

11 kids! We have 9 and it's not often that we get outdone! I've driven several times from Pennsylvania but only attempted to do it straight through once. Didn't like that experience at all. So now we stop for one night in each direction and that makes for a much more pleasant road trip (although a bit more expensive, obviously).

 

[DL1WDW2]

I love road trips and AAA TripTik .
First road trip for me was 1968 Moving to California from St.Louis to Santa Monica …almost 3000 miles in a brand new Pontiac LeMans .
Probably could only drive 55 mph in those days on highway.

 

[isabellea]

We live in Montreal and always drive to WDW. We started when my youngest was 1 yo and we prefer driving straight-thru. We usually leave around 1pm (perfect timing when the kids were still napping) and prefer I-81 to I-87/I-95 to avoid NYC.

We are 2 drivers. We start with one 4-5h driving shifts then during the night 1-2h shifts. In the past, we also stopped at a rest area to take a nap if both of us were tired. Not taking any chance with driving when too tired. The worst is 3-4am to sunlight.

When the kids are awake we stop every 3h to run and exercice at a rest area. We usually take our meals from a drive-thru close to a rest area so we can eat and exercice and loose as little time. Our favourite app to know what is coming up (rest areas, restaurants, gas stations, hotels) is NextExit. Super basic but no data is required so perfect when not having a US data plan for all the phones (we usually have data for one phone to use Waze or Google Maps).

 

[canuckgirl]

11 kids! We have 9 and it's not often that we get outdone! I've driven several times from Pennsylvania but only attempted to do it straight through once. Didn't like that experience at all. So now we stop for one night in each direction and that makes for a much more pleasant road trip (although a bit more expensive, obviously).

Haha! Yes, we rarely meet any other families anywhere near our size!! What towns would you recommend as a best place to stop outside of Pittsburgh if we need to stop for 1 night on the way home? Any specific towns on that driving route that you like best for stopping/ease of eating and getting gas? Thanks!!

 

[PapaPiper]

Haha! Yes, we rarely meet any other families anywhere near our size!! What towns would you recommend as a best place to stop outside of Pittsburgh if we need to stop for 1 night on the way home? Any specific towns on that driving route that you like best for stopping/ease of eating and getting gas? Thanks!!

I'm afraid that I can't help much with that one. We live on the opposite side of PA and our route doesn't take us anywhere near Pittsburgh.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Planning to drive from MA to WDW and looking for any advice, tips, places to see/stay along the way.
Thanks for any help.