For those folks driving!

[SunFloridaDisney]

Does anyone know of a good halfway stopping point from Central Ohio? We are starting out in the morning and would like to drive halfway the 1st day. Not going until November, but I like to have everything planned out!
Any help would be great!

I'd agree with the poster who suggested somewhere from Chatanooga to north of Atlanta. That sounds about right. We used to drive it frequently, but from Cincinnati, so we would have a few less hours than you total.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[sbaldasare]

Great. Thanks for the suggestions! That gives me a starting point!

 

[K9pal]

I haven't read through all 21 pages of this thread, so forgive me if this has already been mentioned. We drive the I-75 route and usually stop overnite somewhere in GA.

Great travel websites:

http://www.travmatix.com Put in your travel info, and find info on hotels and much more, exit by exit.
http://www.tripadvisor.com Reviews of hotels by real people who have stayed there.

Another hint: When you cross a state line, pick up the free booklets at the welcome centers. Lots of times we've found great discount coupons for hotels in those.

 

[JimFitz]

I haven't read through all 21 pages of this thread, so forgive me if this has already been mentioned. We drive the I-75 route and usually stop overnite somewhere in GA.

Great travel websites:

http://www.travmatix.com Put in your travel info, and find info on hotels and much more, exit by exit.
http://www.tripadvisor.com Reviews of hotels by real people who have stayed there.

Another hint: When you cross a state line, pick up the free booklets at the welcome centers. Lots of times we've found great discount coupons for hotels in those.

Great Sites!! I just printed out my trip plan for our drive in two weeks. We are driving from NJ and have navigation, but this trip plan lists everything.

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

We live in N/E Pa. and have driven the 81-66-17-95 twice before. One was in June and the other in January.
The January trip was more boring due to the lack of foliage. No leaves, no flowers, etc.
Both trips were full of big rigs and a couple of traffic jams as well as construction, especially in Georgia.
This time we will be driving in December, we leave on the 5th actually, and will take two days to drive, as I hate to drive in the dark.

I am considering taking the 81-77-26-95 route this time. I have a few concerns tho and was hoping you folks could help me decide.

This route is mountainous. To me that says dangerous roads in winter time. Is this true? Also it's said to be "sparsely populated". Does this mean it is a boring ride? What about gas stations and food? Places to stretch the legs and make pit stops?

Has anyone done a comparison of the two before? Lots of questions

 

[cmonroe]

We live in N/E Pa. and have driven the 81-66-17-95 twice before. One was in June and the other in January.
The January trip was more boring due to the lack of foliage. No leaves, no flowers, etc.
Both trips were full of big rigs and a couple of traffic jams as well as construction, especially in Georgia.
This time we will be driving in December, we leave on the 5th actually, and will take two days to drive, as I hate to drive in the dark.

I am considering taking the 81-77-26-95 route this time. I have a few concerns tho and was hoping you folks could help me decide.

This route is mountainous. To me that says dangerous roads in winter time. Is this true? Also it's said to be "sparsely populated". Does this mean it is a boring ride? What about gas stations and food? Places to stretch the legs and make pit stops?

Has anyone done a comparison of the two before? Lots of questions

That is the route we took in August of 04. It is the only time we've driven, so I cannot compare it to anything.

What I can say is that a large part of 77 can be boring, but there were plenty of places to stop for gas and food. We didn't find ourselves worrying much about that. When heading down through Roanoke, etc. It does become very Mountainous. We drove in the summer, so I couldn't say what the road would be like in January. I would imagine VA doesn't get that much snow during the year, so it might be ok, but again, I have no facts to back up winter-time driving in VA. I can also tell you that I had no fear of driving through those mountains during the summer. However, it is clear they've had their share of issues there as there are a number of areas on the road that they make to stop trucks(tractor trailors) that lose their breaks. Also most times there is nothing between you and the edge of the mountain, but a guardrail.

So if it's dry, or rainy i'd say you'll have no problem going through there. The question though is what happens when temps drop below freezing. Hopefully someone else can add that point of view.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[welovedisneyx4]

I live in Roanoke and will try to help a little. The mountains going up 81 can get nasty in the winter. 77 can be a rough place anytime. The elevation is pretty high and it can get bad w/ fog even if it isn't snowing. It does allow for a beautiful view though if it's clear. I will say that "generally" we don't get snow much in December in VA/NC...but don't hold me to that!! We do get an occasional early snow storm.

I think my advice, if you wanted to go that route, would be to check the weather the few days before you leave and judge from there. You could always plan for 81-77 and if they are calling for bad weather, chose the other route.

It isn't a bad drive, that is the way we go when we drive, but I understand your concerns about the weather.

Hope this helps!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Another route to consider -- 81-64-288-95

Take I-81 south to I-64 east near Staunton, going toward Richmond. Just west of Richmond take Route 288 south (exit 175 IIRC; I know it's in the mid-170s). At this point, 288 dead ends into 64 so there's only one way to go. Route 288 intersects with I-95 between Richmond and Petersburg.

There may be heavy traffic on I-95 south, especially during the afternoon rush hour, but generally not too bad and will clear up after you get past Petersburg. I know 288 is exit 62 on I-95 and Petersburg is around exit 52, so you honestly don't have much traffic.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Are there any tolls on the 81-77-26-95 route? If so anyone have a total? And a total driving time leaving from Syracuse? TIA

From what the maps I looked at show, there are no tolls on that route.

 

[baileybelle]

7thdwarf/dopey:

We just got back from our drive to WDW on 10/27. On the way down we did the 81-77-26-95 route and found it to be very mountainous and at least an hour longer than the 81-66-17-95 route which we switched to on the way back home. We also hit Charlotte, NC around 5:30pm which was a nightmare. They are doing some road work there. 4 lanes of traffic have been reduced to 2. There are no tolls on either route.

We saved a lot of time using the 295's around both Richmond, VA and Jacksonville, Fl.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer.

 

[dandee00]

7thdwarf/dopey:

We just got back from our drive to WDW on 10/27. On the way down we did the 81-77-26-95 route and found it to be very mountainous and at least an hour longer than the 81-66-17-95 route which we switched to on the way back home. We also hit Charlotte, NC around 5:30pm which was a nightmare. They are doing some road work there. 4 lanes of traffic have been reduced to 2. There are no tolls on either route.

We saved a lot of time using the 295's around both Richmond, VA and Jacksonville, Fl.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer.

Hi
I am curious to know how many days it took you to get to WDW, and how many hours you travelled each day. Any recommendations on places to stop, eat, rest, etc. would be greatly appreciated. You can pm me or answer here.

I am in the midst of planning for the travelling. We are in New Brunswick, not far from the Maine border.
Thanks.

 

[cranbiz]

In my experience 295 will only save you time in Richmond and Jacksonville if you arrive there during a rush hour timeframe.

Normally from 6am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm. Times other than what I listed using 95 is normally OK unless there is some sort of problem.

 

[kerry34]

In my experience 295 will only save you time in Richmond and Jacksonville if you arrive there during a rush hour timeframe.

Normally from 6am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm. Times other than what I listed using 95 is normally OK unless there is some sort of problem.

We have always used 295 around richmond, and I have often wondered if it was worth it during less busy traffic times. As far as Jax goes, we ended up going straight through on our last drive and omitted the 295. It was around 2pm on a saturday and we got through very quickly without stopping until we hit the outskirts and there was an accident and we got stuck there. We will be driving through Virginia on a saturday on our trip in DEC and I am thinking about just staying on 95 through Richmond this time around. I am guessing we will be going through sometime early afternoon. I cant imagine the traffic will be that bad on a saturday.

 

[cranbiz]

Yeah, weekends don't apply to the rush hour time frame.

I have done both, stayed on 95 and used 295. I don't feel that there is any advantage unless it's rush hour. I normally reach Richmond around 5am, Jacksonville can be tough though. If I'm not careful, it's 3pm and then I'm on 295. (Mon-Fri)

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

The only advantage to I-295 vs I-95 through Richmond outside of rush hours would be the speed limit. The stretch of I-95 through Richmond is part of a "safe highway" initiative the state has begun and is being more heavily patrolled by the state police.

With I-295, you have a 65 mph speed limit vs. 55 mph, and overall less traffic, which means less chance of congestion or accidents.

 

[bdcp]

We always drive through Richmond (non rush hour) if we're going south of there. 295 takes you out around and adds time to your trip. 295 used to be almost empty, but that has also changed.

 

[baileybelle]

Dandee00: I sent you a pm. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[dandee00]

Dandee00: I sent you a pm. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Thanks I got the pm. Very useful information.

 

[baileybelle]

To all you drivers out there. Here is a book I highly recommend. It's called "The Next Exit" and lists every major highway, their exits, reststops, and what can be found at each exit(gas, food, lodging, etc...) in the US and Canada. Makes driving a lot easier. Here's their website http://www.thenextexit.com/

 

[Mac and Us]

We drive a motorhome and usually take I81, I66 to rt 17 to I95.

Has anyone ever stayed on I81 and went the I64 to I95 route? If so, is it longer than I66/rt17?

I understand it connects with I95 on the western side of Richmond.

I was wondering if it would save us from going through the Fredericksburg area. We will be going through Fredericksburg during the mid-morning hours of a Friday (Dec 16th).

any thoughts would be appreciated.