How long is the drive from Pensacola to WDW?

[carriep1657]

We will be going to WDW in November and are planning to visit family in Pensacola first.

Is there a scenic route? We love scenic routes and don't mind breaking up the drive over two days if necessary. We were hoping there would be some sort of drive that takes us along the coast at least in the Panhandle.

 

[A kid at heart]

its 4 hrs. Have you tried using mapblast or mapquest?

 

[carriep1657]

Thanks, A Kid at Heart. I have tried Mapquest but I don't like it very much. It always over estimates the time for a drive and I'm not what you would call a fast driver. Also, I've had trouble with following their directions. Several times, I've followed their directions and roads have changed since they got their info.

I figured people on the DIS would be a much better source of info. Mapquest says that it takes almost 8 hours to drive from PNS to Orlando.

Thanks again for your help. See you on the boards.

 

[drogerstn]

Its about 450 miles from Pensacola to Orlando, I’d say closer to 7 hours if traveling by interstate. You might consider Hwy 98 from Pensacola to Panama City Beach as your scenic route, then go north on Hwy 79 to Interstate 10.

If you take Hwy 98 east out of Pensacola, there is a turnoff to the south (Hwy 30-A) about
10 miles east of Destin that runs for about 25 miles then merges back into Hwy 98 just west of Panama City Beach. That will add to the scenic part of your trip. I’m not familiar with Hwy 98 east of Panama City towards Port St. Joe.

 

[carriep1657]

Drogerstn, thank you for your post. I think we will follow the route you suggested. I'll do some research on the route to the east of Panama City as that might be interesting too.

That Hwy 30-A you mentioned sounds familiar. Do you happen to know if that's the road you take to get to Seaside from Pensacola? We went to Seaside about 8 or 9 years ago and enjoyed that drive along the coast.

 

[clkelley]

We just recently took that drive on an impromptu trip down to WDW after being in Pensacola for a family emergency. (April 11-12)

We drove about 4 hours late one night on I-10, stopped at a hotel near I-10 & I-75, then about 4 hours then next morning down I-75, then switched over to the Greenway, then onto Highway 27 to 192.

Hope this helps

 

[A kid at heart]

GEEZ sorry I got it wrong! but when I did the mapquest thats what it said!

 

[drogerstn]

carriep1657, That’s right, the 30-A “loop” takes you along the coast through Seaside (where “The Truman Show” with Jim Carrey was filmed).

Another option I’d recommend since you have seen the coast area at Seaside: go Hwy 98 east to Ft Walton Beach then go to Niceville (about 10 miles north, I think FL-85 takes you there) and take Hwy 20 east. Hwy 20 travels along the north side of Choctawhatchie Bay with a some nice views of the bay, then goes through the country side of the panhandle (2-lane hwy but not much traffic) and crosses the Choctawhatchie River. You can take Hwy 20 to Hwy 79 (at Ebro and the dog track), then north to I-10 (and the end of your scenic route) or south to Panama City Beach or stay on Hwy 20 to Tallahassee.

Hwy 79-north crosses Holmes Creek in Vernon which isn’t much, but it is a good representation of the Florida Panhandle away from the coast (small town, large clear water creek, live oaks, Spanish moss, cypress, etc.). Hwy 79-south will take you to Panama City Beach and you can pick up Hwy 98-east there and go along the Gulf coast to Apalachicola and Port St. Joe…. I’m not familiar with Hwy 20 east of Hwy 79.

Hope this helps. Maybe someone who is familiar with the roads east of Panama City will respond.

Another point of interest: the pine forests you see aren’t natural, they were planted by/for the paper companies; the true forests are primarily live oaks, scrub oaks and other hardwoods and cypress.

A kid at heart-sounds like a hiccup in Mapquest; it usually over-estimates the travel time

 

[carriep1657]

Thank you all for your help. It sounds like it will be a fun drive.

drogerstn, thanks for the route suggestion. I think we'll try the Hwy 20 route you suggested and then head south to Panama City. Panama City is the furthest east I've driven so it will all be new from there.

Very interesting about the pine trees. The paper industry must be big around there. Much of my grandmother's family worked in a paper mill in Century,FL. Plus, I always keep my fingers crossed that the wind is blowing the right way when we drive by the mill in Cantonment so we don't get too much of the smell.