Is Birmingham a Safe 1/2 Way Stop to WDW?

[TNKBELL]

Hi! We are revising our original plans to drive to Orlando from Kansas in just 2 days with 1 stop at the 1/2 way mark. Looking at the map, Birmingham Alabama would be a good place. Does anyone know of a clean safe place to stay for my family of 6??? Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

 

[LuvN~Travel]

There are a few motels at the Pelham exit there. Occasionally we got to B'ham to visit with friends and we stay at the Holiday Inn Express at that exit. It has a breakfast buffet and has an indoor pool. (the thing our kids like best of course). They have the usual discounts for rooms too. That exit also has an O'Charleys, Cracker Barrel, etc. for restaurants.
Have a safe trip!
Kim

 

[TNKBELL]

There are a few motels at the Pelham exit there. Occasionally we got to B'ham to visit with friends and we stay at the Holiday Inn Express at that exit. It has a breakfast buffet and has an indoor pool. (the thing our kids like best of course). They have the usual discounts for rooms too. That exit also has an O'Charleys, Cracker Barrel, etc. for restaurants.
Have a safe trip!
Kim

Thank you!!! My kids would love an indoor pool too!!!! And DH and I the buffet breakfast!!!

 

[libba]

I would secomd the places at that exit or the Hoover exit. Lots of restaurant choices ans nice places to stay. We usually do Courtyard or Hampton Inn. I live in Birmingham so if you need to know about a specific one feel free to answer back.

 

[Atotty]

Hi,

I live in Bham. It really depends on which way you're planning on going to Disney. Once you hit Bham are you going to take I-20 East to Atlanta and then down I-75?...if so, you won't go near Hoover or Pelham. Or are you going straight down I-65 through Montgomery, getting off and going down the Highway (can't remember the number 231???) down to Mariana, FL and picking up I-10 to go over to I-75?...if so, you will pass through Hoover and Pelham. Or are you going to take the scenic route down Hwy 280 to Ga and then onto I-75? If so, you still won't be near Hoover or Pelham.

I went to school at Univ of FL....I've tried all the various options above (you pass UF on the way to Orlando).

I'll be glad to give you some suggestions if you'll let me know your plans. I'll also tell you the ins and outs of each travel option from here if you like.

 

[TNKBELL]

Hi,

I live in Bham. It really depends on which way you're planning on going to Disney. Once you hit Bham are you going to take I-20 East to Atlanta and then down I-75?...if so, you won't go near Hoover or Pelham. Or are you going straight down I-65 through Montgomery, getting off and going down the Highway (can't remember the number 231???) down to Mariana, FL and picking up I-10 to go over to I-75?...if so, you will pass through Hoover and Pelham. Or are you going to take the scenic route down Hwy 280 to Ga and then onto I-75? If so, you still won't be near Hoover or Pelham.

I went to school at Univ of FL....I've tried all the various options above (you pass UF on the way to Orlando).

I'll be glad to give you some suggestions if you'll let me know your plans. I'll also tell you the ins and outs of each travel option from here if you like.

Yes that would be helpful! We were planning on going I-20 and then I-75. Would there be a faster route? Speed is the key for us traveling with 4 DKS! Also safe!!! I looked at the map and noticed that Pelham is south of Birmingham and given our current plans would be out of our way. But if safety is an issue maybe south would be good??? The reason I am concerned with our safety is, last year we drove through Atlanta (the wrong part and got lost for 2 hours! so I am concerned about area. Any advice you could give would be great!

 

[LuvN~Travel]

Yep, Pelham is south of I-20 so you'd do better to look for something north of B'ham our down I-20. Unfortunately, that's one area I'm not familiar with.
Kim

 

[Atotty]

Hi Tnkbelle,

The quickest...and easiest way to go is the I-20 to ATL and down I-75....only because it is interstate the entire way. I think it may be a little longer mileage ways....but interstate makes up for the stop and go highways. It should take about 9-10 hours to get to Orlando from Bham depending on traffic and speed.

I **totally** understand your concern after your ATL experience. The last time we went to ATL for the weekend, the place we were going to stay was full. I picked a hotel that had an indoor pool in between Stone Mtn and the zoo, the places we were going from a travel magazine. Ended up being across from the county jail and down the road from the Free At Last Bailbondsman...not the place we wanted to be...but the kids will never forget that trip.

If you come through Bham coming down I-65, you will merge onto I-59 N/I-20 E (these two interstates go together for a ways) before splitting.

I have two...possibly three suggestions.

1--Take I-20 when it splits and stay somewhere around Leeds/Moody just about 20 mins outside of Bham. This is a middle-income area that has very little crime. When you get off the interstate, it will look like a giant strip of shopping centers and fast food. I haven't been down that way recently so I can't suggest a specific hotel. You will need to look up Leeds/Moody on one of the travel sites and check out hotels.

2--Continue down N I-59 about 10 mins past where I-20 splits off and stay at the Holiday Inn Express at the second Trussville exit. I live about 10 mins from here. Nice middle income to upper income area. Very little crime. The exit will look like typical strip malls, Walmart, lots of food places, gas stations, etc. You can see the hotel from the interstate. Then when it's time to go take I-59S to I-459S which goes to I-20....it will take about 15 mins. to get to I-20 from there.

3--When you first get onto I-20 (about 5-10 mins) you will come to a section of town called Irondale. There is a Holiday Inn Express right off the Kilgore Memorial Exit up on the hill. It's been built within the past couple of years. This is an ok part of town; crime is not a problem so it is safe; it is just a little run down. My parents live about 10 mins from there.

Hope this helps. If you ahve other questions, just let me know. I'm glad to help,

 

[FredS]

Is Birmingham a Safe 1/2 Way Stop to WDW?

No, the entire metropolitan area is a crime-filled, drug-infested, disease-ridden lawless city.

I am sure that you did not really mean to ask such a question?? I have no problem with asking about better or worse places to stop, but to question an ENTIRE CITY?

 

[TNKBELL]

Thank you Anna!!!! You have given me lots of options, it's great to get advice from someone in the area!!!! I wondered how long it would take to complete our journey from there so thanks for that info too!! I'm thinking that the 2nd option sounds good! I'll check out rates on hotelkingdom!! Debi

 

[bubba73]

Finally, a thread that I have a lot of knowledge about. I live just south of Birmingham off of Hwy 280 in a small city called Chelsea. The fact that someone said that the fastest way to go is I-20 is a joke. I always go straight down 280 until it dead ends into 231 and then get on I-75. I usually get to my resort in a little under 8 hours, not 9 or 10.

As far as a hotel to stay at, if you go 280, any of the hotels in the area of Inverness is fine. Very safe and resonable. If you want to go to the Pelham area (not to far away. Maybe 10 minutes), they have some nice places to stay as well. If you want to go a little further, you could go to Childersburg, Sylacauga, or all the way to Anniston-Oxford area. I would stay away from the Downtown area of Birmingham if I was you. I live here and I don't like going there at night.

If you have any further questions, feel free to private line me and I will be glad to answer what I can.

 

[TNKBELL]

No, the entire metropolitan area is a crime-filled, drug-infested, disease-ridden lawless city.

I am sure that you did not really mean to ask such a question?? I have no problem with asking about better or worse places to stop, but to question an ENTIRE CITY?

When you type a title you only have a very limited space to get your point across, if you read the rest of the thread you will see, I'm asking more about what area would be safe, not the entire city! I'm sure every city has it's good areas and bad areas. I have asked in a previous thread about Macon GA, and was advised to skip that city entirely!! So apparently in some peoples eyes there are some less safe cities than others.

 

[Atotty]

Finally, a thread that I have a lot of knowledge about. I live just south of Birmingham off of Hwy 280 in a small city called Chelsea. The fact that someone said that the fastest way to go is I-20 is a joke. I always go straight down 280 until it dead ends into 231 and then get on I-75. I usually get to my resort in a little under 8 hours, not 9 or 10.

QUOTE]

Dear Bubba,

I'm sure you did not mean to insult me.

Bubba is right...for him, living in Chelsea, it is quicker to go down Hwy 280 because Chelsea is 45 mins outside Bham down Hwy 280...on a good day. I'm sure he just forgot to add the time for the traffic she will have to get through to get to Chelsea. (45 mins to get to Chelsea at best from where she will be entering Bham + 8 hours from there = about 9 hours).

However, for someone travelling from the North going through Bham, Hwy 280 would be a nightmare route. Once you get to Chelsea, it would be great. However from Bham to just north of Chelsea the traffic is horrendous. It is on the news often and the state Dept. of Transportation is constantly working on plans on how to improve it...and have been for years. (I often drive from I-459 to Brook Highlands on Hwy 280....a 6 mile stretch of road at most...and it often takes 20+ mins....at all times of the day not just rush hour).

 

[pamslovestigger]

. Or are you going straight down I-65 through Montgomery, getting off and going down the Highway (can't remember the number 231???) down to Mariana, FL and picking up I-10 to go over to I-75?...
.

Hi all,

Just jumping in with my 2 cents....I live in Mobile and we are going down in June. I-65 runs from Montgomery to Mobile and actually picks up with I-10 here. Its just about 45 mins to an hour to P'cola from my house and est. 7ish to 8ish drive to Orlando. Oh and it's 2 to 3 hours from Montgomery to here and all interstate as well. Hope this helps.....

 

[PrincessTori]

We always stop over in B-ham on our trips to Destin FL. If you get into town early enough and want somewhere to go other than just your hotel, they have a awesome mall! The Riverchase Galleria Mall. There is an Amerisuites right near there that we try to always stay at (Riverchase Amerisuites). We have also stayed at Inverness Amerisuites and was happy with it as well. We always grab dinner at the Full Moon BBQ. There may be better BBQ places in town, but we went there on our first visit to the area, and have always made it a point to stop there when ever in the area. Compared to what we can get here, the BBQ is great!

 

[LuvN~Travel]

We like the Galleria, too. Especially the American Cafe and Godiva Chocolates!
Kim

 

[TNKBELL]

Thanks you have all got me thinkin' mmmmm....

 

[indigoxtreme]

I cannot believe that some one told you to skip Macon entirely, the downtown part of the city may be bad just like any metropolitan city. Macon is a beautiful old town. I-75 runs on the out skirts and I-475 has some nice places to stay as well as a great Cracker Barrell to eat at. The only warning for Macon is the State Patrol, they are out there for sure and traffic during the week days can be bad. Also look out for GA St Patrol in Valdosta and Fl State Patrol upon entering the state line. If you keep it between 5 and no more than 10 mi over you will be ok. Of course there is always construction down South I-75.

 

[TNKBELL]

I cannot believe that some one told you to skip Macon entirely, the downtown part of the city may be bad just like any metropolitan city. Macon is a beautiful old town. I-75 runs on the out skirts and I-475 has some nice places to stay as well as a great Cracker Barrell to eat at. The only warning for Macon is the State Patrol, they are out there for sure and traffic during the week days can be bad. Also look out for GA St Patrol in Valdosta and Fl State Patrol upon entering the state line. If you keep it between 5 and no more than 10 mi over you will be ok. Of course there is always construction down South I-75.

I think that when people give advice to avoid certain cities, they don't mean to avoid the entire city just the part along the highway. I live in a very nice town, but I would not recommend anyone stay at any of the hotels along the highway, they are not safe. (High crime, always on the news for scary activity). So even though someone did recommend not to stop there, I didn't take it to mean that Macon was a horrible drug infested city or anything. Every city has good and bad areas and some cities bad areas just happen to be along the interstate. I'm not asking for sight seeing info just a safe place to spend the night for my family. I don't want to have to go too far in and away from the highway just to avoid the bad areas, it just makes more sense to avoid it all together.

 

[indigoxtreme]

FYI I-475 is the By Pass for 75 so it doesn't take you out of the way. Try using Trip Advisor and put in Macon Ga or any city for that matter and you will get forum reviews like this of specific hotels in the area. They usually hit the nail on the head with correct info. We live 1 hour north of Atlanta and usually drive down to Valdosta to stay over night, Birmingham is a great place too and it looks like you have been given some good info as to directions to go and places to stay. Yes I am with you, sadly, downtown areas etc are not the place to stay with small children traveling with you.