Indiana to Disney

[David 1980]

First ever road trip to the world. I am looking for help on going from Indiana to Disney for where do you stop on the way City, State ,and hotel so we can start fresh the next day. We have flown in the past but I see no reason to spend the money if we can drive and still enjoy our trip.

Thanks Dave

 

[JonS99]

I think a lot depends when you are leaving and the age of your kids... We don't live too far from you and have young kids, so we always leave very early and get into Frorida, last 2 times staying in Lake City..

 

[hearts8701]

which route are you using 65 to 24 to 75?

 

[David 1980]

Yes 65 to 24 to 75!!

 

[andymattmom]

I am in north central Indiana...used to live in Fort Wayne growing up. We used to drive down every Thanksgiving. We would leave Friday after school and drive to Elizabethtown Kentucky....next day drive to right across into Florida (might be Lake City that people are talking about) and then finish to Orlando the next day. My parents didn't do super long days....so those places might not work.

Recently we drove from 40 minutes north of Indy to Panama City Beach...going down we stopped in Kentucky. Coming back we drove straight thru.

Only thing I wouldn't do is driving straight thru to Disney and be really tired.

have fun ....

Have you thought about checking flights from Indy...when we went to Disney in September the prices were reasonable. We stayed at a hotel and left our car parked there for the week. We rented a full size for $108 for a week. If the kids are small it might be an idea...that could work out to be about the same if you add gas, hotels, snacks, meals, etc.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there neighbor!

We just hit the road (65S/24/75) and stop at a Georgia rest stop to pick up a motel discount coupon book and pick a place by how tired we are and where. It is cheaper and easier to get a room in GA than over the FL line, usually. Of course if you can handle getting to Ocala, it costs a bit more but you are a mere couple of hours away to check in early the next day and hit the parks.

I never know how the traffic/weather/my energy is going to be so we never make ressies in advance.

Have a safe and wonderful trip and wave as you pass by.

Slightly Goofy/Columbus area

 

[bradisgoofy]

I'm sorry, I can't believe my friends can stand to drive through Atlanta.

May I suggest, take I-65 all the way to Montgomery, AL. Take I-85 east to exit 9 ( Route 271 ) south, about 5 miles, to US-231. This is a four lane 65mph road that passes round a couple of big towns but does not really slow you down too much. There is a Flying J on the south side of Dothan, AL that is a good place to stop and eat and get your last tank of cheaper fuel before Florida. Then continue south to I-10. Take that east to exit 225 ( US-19 ). US-19 is another four lane 65mph road that passes through some small towns. This is the favorite part of the trip, for me. There is almost no traffic and it goes through some beautiful Florida back country. Go south to Chiefland, FL where you will take ALT US-27 south. This will bring you back to I-75. From there it is on to the Florida Turnpike and then the Western Way Tollroad ( 429 ) and the WDW western entrance.

This is only a little longer then I-75 through Atlanta, but I HATE Atlanta and that goes for I-75 (and I-4), too. We have done this route in our 38' motorhome the last two trips and there are no mountains. Other then Nashville, there are no major cities to go through either. I've always taken I-65 to I-24 to I-75 when going to Florida, but I have found taking the above route I arrive more relaxed and enjoy the trip more.

JMHO

 

[kgle]

Hi! Indy here I am also driving down with my son when we go. I plan on leaving in the early evening/late evening and stopping at a motel near Atlanta. Once we get into Georgia for sure. Then again, I am used to driving 9 hours from when I used to visit Kansas. I would say for me that GA is about halfway there, or a little over halfway.

I bought a GPS system though...and plan on using it to find nearby hotels.

 

[Bete]

We live in Central Ind in Crawfordsville.

We did the best ever and ended up in Valdosta, Georgia which is very close to the Florida border. There are many places to stay there to fit the pocketbook. We left at 6 am to do it and that allowed us to get the farthest we ever did. It was a long, hard day to get this far. We did it with an Alzheimer parent, who is 87 years young. Believe me, pit stops weren't easy with her and it took a while each time we stopped; she needs a walker. It was a 14 hour day doing it including two hours off road doing a quick lunch and a few pit stops; so, in essence, it's a 12 hour driving day without stops. My hubby usually drives 5 mph above the limit, if he can do it. He was able to maintain that speed most of the time. You may not feel comfortable going above the speed limit and your mileage will be affected by your choice. He did all the driving and he's not a retired truck driver. We both learned to drive in Chicago traffic; so, that helps us getting through all the big cities in our travels. He did go to bed early the night before like 9 pm. Weather was great for the trip; so, I think that helped us, too. Also, we avoided all the rush hours of the major cities; that was pure luck. I will say we were very smart and did all the packing to the car the night before which allowed us to get such an early start.

Normally, we end up in Macon, Georgia. My husband is 72 years old and diabetic and he does all the driving mostly on the road. I need a few pit stops and that's included with our layover times, here. Macon has wonderful choices for resorts, too. I think this is more doable and all our other trips (6X) we have stopped, here. This is still more than 50% for us getting to Disney in time and miles.

Also, a lot depends on when you start and your timing with rush hours. Louisville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon and Valdosta all have rush hours for morning, noon, and late afternoon. Louisville and Atlanta are probably the worse in this regard. The other consideration is whether you are willing to drive when it gets dark. At this time of the year it will be 6 pm or sooner for it to get dark. It can get dark (not well lighted on the highway) in Macon and Valdosta which makes driving late more challenging; especially when, it's been a long day, already.

The plus of getting further the first day is you will have part of the second day at the parks without being tired for it. If you don't have plans to hit the parks on your arrival day then by all means go less the first day and split it up more evenly between the two days.

I have shared the driving, too. If we have a late start, I'll drive a little. I didn't on this last trip, but I have driven a couple of hours to give hubby a nap in the car.

You need to go by your own experiences. If you never have driven for long times then you should take it easy and not push it. Everyone is different. I could not do it; my husband is amazing in this regard. My limit is about 6 hours of straight driving. That would take three days to get to Disney, if I did all the driving.

 

[Luckymomoftwo]

We always just drive straight through. DH does not like stopping...he likes to get there and then relax at the resort for a little bit before hitting the parks. So we take turns driving (he drives for about 6 hours and I drive for about 2-4 hours, and back and forth that way for the 22 hour trip. LOL!!!!). It's kind of aggravating to me, but that's more time and money we have to spend at WDW!

So, sorry I don't have any advice to give you, I just wanted to say hi to some fellow Hoosier DISers!

 

[scrappinmom]

I'm further north than you.....about an hour north of Chicago...but we've driven down to WDW twice, and unless some magic happens with airfares in before March, we're driving again...

Anyway, we do take I65 to I75, to get there....we're driven straight thru...and stoped in Valdosta. That was the best choice...we stopped at about 11pm, the kids ran around the hotel for a bit, we slept till 6am and then headed off to WDW. It's about a 21 mile trip for us with pit stops...my girls were a lot younger the first time we went.

It's a hard choice..but heck if gas stays this cheap....I think a lot more people are going to drive.

 

[Luckymomoftwo]

I'm further north than you.....about an hour north of Chicago...but we've driven down to WDW twice, and unless some magic happens with airfares in before March, we're driving again...

Anyway, we do take I65 to I75, to get there....we're driven straight thru...and stoped in Valdosta. That was the best choice...we stopped at about 11pm, the kids ran around the hotel for a bit, we slept till 6am and then headed off to WDW. It's about a 21 mile trip for us with pit stops...my girls were a lot younger the first time we went.

It's a hard choice..but heck if gas stays this cheap....I think a lot more people are going to drive.

Hi scrappinmom, I thought I'd suggest that you check out Southwest...I don't know if you've ever flown with them, but we like them. If you download DING to your computer, you get a DING alert when there's a special DING fare. AND, we've seen their prices drop almost in half over the last couple of months. We are flying down there this coming Saturday for $89 per person and flying home on 12/8 for $68 per person. I just checked it EVERY day and watched for lower fares.

 

[JonS99]

I'm sorry, I can't believe my friends can stand to drive through Atlanta.

May I suggest, take I-65 all the way to Montgomery, AL. Take I-85 east to exit 9 ( Route 271 ) south, about 5 miles, to US-231. This is a four lane 65mph road that passes round a couple of big towns but does not really slow you down too much. There is a Flying J on the south side of Dothan, AL that is a good place to stop and eat and get your last tank of cheaper fuel before Florida. Then continue south to I-10. Take that east to exit 225 ( US-19 ). US-19 is another four lane 65mph road that passes through some small towns. This is the favorite part of the trip, for me. There is almost no traffic and it goes through some beautiful Florida back country. Go south to Chiefland, FL where you will take ALT US-27 south. This will bring you back to I-75. From there it is on to the Florida Turnpike and then the Western Way Tollroad ( 429 ) and the WDW western entrance.

This is only a little longer then I-75 through Atlanta, but I HATE Atlanta and that goes for I-75 (and I-4), too. We have done this route in our 38' motorhome the last two trips and there are no mountains. Other then Nashville, there are no major cities to go through either. I've always taken I-65 to I-24 to I-75 when going to Florida, but I have found taking the above route I arrive more relaxed and enjoy the trip more.

JMHO

We took 231 once, was 98 miles further and took us 3 hours longer than normal, its been 7 years and my wife STILL doesn't let me forget it...

 

[westjones]

We have done the straight through and stopping for the night. The straight through worked well when the kids were young and they slept through most of it....but we were also younger and honestly, I don't think we can do it now (but who knows what a few cups of coffee would do for us, since we don't normally drink it).

We have been flying for the last few years because we could get good airfare, but after our upcoming trip in March we have decided to go back to driving.

Good luck on your drive. I hope it goes well.
DJ

 

[scrappinmom]

Hi scrappinmom, I thought I'd suggest that you check out Southwest...I don't know if you've ever flown with them, but we like them. If you download DING to your computer, you get a DING alert when there's a special DING fare. AND, we've seen their prices drop almost in half over the last couple of months. We are flying down there this coming Saturday for $89 per person and flying home on 12/8 for $68 per person. I just checked it EVERY day and watched for lower fares.

Thanks - oh yea I'm a HUGE SW fan!!!! but at the moment each way is $182....so I'm waiting oh so patiently.....

 

[DisneyMagicMommy]

I live in Indy and last year when we drove down (with 3 kids ages 4, 2, and 1 at the time)...we left at about 5am....drove all day..and straight thru atlanta (with the neceesary stops of course). We arrived at Valdosta around 9pm and stayed there that night. We stayed at the County Inn and Suites which was very nice. Have Fun!!!

 

[bonzarella]

No advise, we fly. Just want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow hoosiers

 

[angwill]

Bonz; Slightly Goofy, my friends. Just saw you both and wanted to say hello.

I will be driving down for the first time with just me and DS in May. We are looking at it as an adventure. Is Atlanta that bad to drive through on a weekend around 5-6pm? I grew up driving on Chicago highways and traffic so I can't imagine it being that bad.

Ang

 

[kgle]

Ang-

Just wanted to say that I will be making that trip in May as well, just me and DS. I am dreading the long drive alone! When are you guys going?

-----

Everyone...Macon. This is where we will probably stop to sleep. If I have to work the day we leave, I won't get off work til 2pm and I would like to leave by 4. I figure I can get to Macon in 8-9 hours and then need to sleep. Is it pretty reasonable hotel wise? I know we used to stay there when I was younger, but its been a while. I don't think I will be able to make it to Valdosta (but I sure will try!).

 

[David 1980]

We are going in June as soon as school lets out. Macon is an option,but I would like to see how far I can drive the first day.