Hotel/Motel Mid-Way Stop Recommendation?

[peripixie]

Yes Tallahassee, would be better to get the bulk of the driving done before the next day/1st official day of our trip.

 

[peripixie]

Recommendations based on experience for anything in Tallahassee?

 

[shell8558]

We love the staybridge suites we have stayed there many times and always had great experiences .

 

[Miaka1]

This is a great thread. We are driving from Dallas and plan to stay overnight somewhere. I had thought Tallahassee, Dh had thought around Gainsville Fl. I think Gainsville is a little far it will probably depend on how good of time we make. Plan is to leave early early Saturday, get to our hotel about 11am Sunday and then hit Disney quest. First day in the parks will be Monday.

 

[peripixie]

This is a great thread. We are driving from Dallas and plan to stay overnight somewhere. I had thought Tallahassee, Dh had thought around Gainsville Fl. I think Gainsville is a little far it will probably depend on how good of time we make. Plan is to leave early early Saturday, get to our hotel about 11am Sunday and then hit Disney quest. First day in the parks will be Monday.

Thanks! Texas - so close yet so far from the happiest place in earth!

 

[Deb & Bill]

This is a great thread. We are driving from Dallas and plan to stay overnight somewhere. I had thought Tallahassee, Dh had thought around Gainsville Fl. I think Gainsville is a little far it will probably depend on how good of time we make. Plan is to leave early early Saturday, get to our hotel about 11am Sunday and then hit Disney quest. First day in the parks will be Monday.

From Dallas, you are about 14 hours from Tallahassee. We're in NW Louisiana and it takes us about 11 hours to get to Tallahassee.

 

[dprincessmom]

Recommendations based on experience for anything in Tallahassee?

What exactly? Live here so could probably answer questions. The exit I suggested earlier has all the major chains. There is a courtyard by Marriott with an indoor heated pool and hot tub I would recommend. Have also stayed at the Hilton Garden inn at that exit (we get reward points for both)

You mentioned Fort Walton in an earlier post. That would be about 45 minutes off the interstate with no spring break traffic, so would skip that (grew up in that area).

 

[dprincessmom]

This is a great thread. We are driving from Dallas and plan to stay overnight somewhere. I had thought Tallahassee, Dh had thought around Gainsville Fl. I think Gainsville is a little far it will probably depend on how good of time we make. Plan is to leave early early Saturday, get to our hotel about 11am Sunday and then hit Disney quest. First day in the parks will be Monday.

From Tallahassee you are about another 2 to 2.5 hours down to Gainesville. Happy comprise could be Lake City (either I10 or I 75 side)

 

[Deb & Bill]

From Tallahassee you are about another 2 to 2.5 hours down to Gainesville. Happy comprise could be Lake City (either I10 or I 75 side)

I suggested Live Oak a few posts back.

 

[James65]

Driving to WDW, we've stayed at the Microtel in Marianna, FL (2011) & Staybridge in Tallahassee, FL (2013). This year trying the Fairfield Inn in Marianna.

We've also spent a weekend at the LaQuinta in Daphne / Spanish Fort, AL.

 

[Mandak22]

We drove from Houston to Orlando 3 years ago. We got up at 6 in the morning, stopped in Lake Charles for breakfast, Gulfport for lunch, and planned on Tallahassee. However our daughter (2 1/2 at the time) decided to nap right as we got there. We were not about to wake up a sleeping toddler and ended up driving through to Madison, Florida (really small town). We stayed at a Holiday Inn (maybe a Holiday Inn Express). We were able to take our time the next morning, and still got to WDW around noon the next day. They only had 2 restaurants in town, a barbeque, and a Mexican. We took a chance and went to the Mexican restaurant, it was a good decision, and turns out the owners were originally from Dallas. On the way home we ended up getting stuck in a major traffic jam in Orlando and only made it to Mobile, which made the next day a long drive, we were hoping to make it to Biloxi.

 

[TxAnn]

We are driving this same route in June. Just curious if the OP decided on a hotel.

 

[peripixie]

We are driving this same route in June. Just curious if the OP decided on a hotel.

We haven't and the more my husband and I talk about it we are thinking of driving straight through! We'll see...10 days to go!

 

[fairydust1278]

So glad to see this thread as we are driving down in April from Dallas and there are some great recommendations here. We hope to make it into Florida but if not will try and get as far as Mobile.

 

[JoWiJo]

We haven't and the more my husband and I talk about it we are thinking of driving straight through! We'll see...10 days to go!

Good luck with that. Being in a car that long would drive me nuts. I can't handle more than 12 hours. Driving from Dallas, I'd typically stop somewhere in Pensacola. It's a little over half way, plus I can enjoy a little time at the beach.

But Pensacola is just far enough away from WDW that if you wish to really get your money's worth in a park the day you get there, you'd have to get up very early in the morning. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for a half day, or write it off as a travel day and hit the parks the following morning.

For you, I tend to agree with the others, and go for Tallahassee. It's a relatively short drive from there to Disney, and you won't be exhausted when you get there (as you would in a nonstop drive). And perhaps stop in Pensacola on the return trip.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

We usually stay in Tallahassee however this time we have decided to drive straight through.... We leave in 29 sleeps!

 

[peripixie]

We've decided to drive straight through also, eight more sleeps!