Is it crazy to drive from Chicago?

[tandcg]

We are tossing around the idea of driving down from the Chicago area during spring break. We have never had a vacation where we drove and I am worried about all the time in the car. (Kids are 14, 12 and 8)

Does anyone have any advice / recommendations? I don't think we would drive straight through, so where's the best stopping point? Anything interesting to see or do along the way to break up the drive a little?

 

[hearts8701]

my husband and i drive several times a year from the o'hare area straight thru no kids we take 65 to 24 to 75 it takes us 18 hours i have to tell you if you drive staright thru you will be exhausted when you arrive
we have also stopped on the way down when we stop sometimes because of weather we drive to dalton Ga than continue the next day

 

[deebits]

That is a long trip to take in the car. We drove from NJ and swore we would never do it again. Everyone got too restless. I guess only you know how your family will be in the car for a long trip. Mine are not good for that distance.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

IMO, yes, over 4 - 5 hours, too long to drive.

 

[mousescrapper]

I have done it once...but that was w/ no kids. we made it to the Atlanta area and then went on from there for the 2nd day.

My DH and I have debated driving to WDW again...but w/ 4 kids all younger than yours eek.

Beyond just the driving consider the fact if you are doing this in conjuction w/ SB (it does get crowded down there) if you leave Sat after kids are out of school and leave at say 5 am...you will not tour the parks when you arrive...and possibly if you split it into 2 days so consider that on the return too. figure if you drive Sat-Sun both in and out you'll have Monday-Friday for touring

that can be enough for some, we weren't willing to give up touring for driving and saving some money plus I wanted the kids to have a rest day at home before school resumed.

(I went SB last week March in '09 but we pulled kids from school Thurs-Friday and came home the following Friday)

the drive...

portable DVD's more than 1 may help.

lots of fruit, crackers in the car for snacks and water.

any handheld games you can think of electronic or otherwise.

Pack a filling lunch and stop at a nice rest area say Tennessee and take an hour break to rest, and stretch out.

Good luck w/ whatever you decide

You can do it...I have down long car trips twice w/ a nursing baby (once to Myrtle Beach SC and to Atlanta)

 

[Microcell]

Dh and I decided never to drive from Denver to Kansas City again and that is half the time for us to get to Florida. We did it in one day (Denver to KC) and boy were we ready to be done driving.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

The larger the number of travelers, the cheaper it is on a per person basis to drive. For 1-2 people it's probably cheaper to fly. If driving from Chicago, the Atlanta area is a natural place to stop. South of Atlanta is better so that you are beyond the rush hour the next morning. Lot to be said for flying though; 2.5 hours and you're there!

BobK/Orlando
live in Chicago though

 

[uva185]

That is a lot of vacation time you are wasting just getting there and coming back. Especially when you can hop on a plane and be there in 2.5 hours!

 

[WizardLarz]

It is doable. Your mileage halfway point is around Chatanooga, TN.
I did St.Louis to Disney in '08. Got on the road at 8:30am. Got gas and lunch in Nashville,TN. Had Dinner in Chatanooga. About 4 hours later at 9:00pm I pulled into the KOA campgrounds in Cordele,GA. I was on the road by 8am. and in Orlando by 12:30pm. By time I got gas. I rolled up to Fort Wilderness Campgrounds aand checked in at 1:15pm.

It is a Great drive. The section thru Tennessee from just past Murfreesboro all the way thru Atlanta runs Up and Down the sothern part of the Appalachian Mountains. Here were some incredible views. I plan on drive there sometime in the fall; just so I can see the area painted in the fall colors!

 

[txo1474]

We have been doing the Chicago to Orlando drive with the kids for several years now. What works best for us is to leave between 8 and 10pm. I dont mind nite driving and the kids sleep til somewhere past Nashville. After a stop for breakfast we play it by ear as to how far we drive. Usually Valdosta is where we stop which leaves about 4 hours the next day. Our last trip ( kids were 8-11-13) we drove straight thru with little problem.

Ipods and dvd players help with the awake time.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

To us, its a bigger hassle to fly. When we drive, we can leave when we want to, can bring what we wants to etc.. And it doesn't save us that much time honestly. While people might say "I would rather ben there in 2 hours", thats not realistic. While the flight itself might only take that long, the drive to the airport, waiting in the airport, waiting at MCO and then driving to WDW needs to be factored in as well. Last time we flew it took us 8.5 hours from our door to AKL, last time we drove it took us 17 hours. To us, the extra 9 hours is worth it, especially since a good part of the drive the kids are sleeping.

Soooooooooooooo... when we drive, we leave our house in Kankakee County around 4:00 PM, stop for dinner in Effingham around 6:00, by 9:00 we are to Paducah were we stop, let the kids (6,4) get a snack, stretch, go potty and change into PJs/sweats.. 2:00AM EST we are to Georgia and by breakfast were are to Valdosta or Lake City.. Kids will usually sleep thru Tennessee and Georgia, then by lunch we are at our offsite hotel before checking into the WDW resort the next morning before the parks open.

 

[hearts8701]

you are so right HHSTigerFan i have waited in airports for hours with delays i bring in my car anything i want what i forget to bring i have my car so i take a run to walgreens when i need to i can also buy and bring home anything i want no restrictions the few times i flew in the past few years have been a pain
we make the drive part of the trip it gives DH and myself a chance to talk.. laugh..i watch a DVD while he drives i make CD's we enjoy the music even though we have XM radio if you travel with kids you can bring all you need to bring for them
by now we have favorite stops along the way
but more important at the end day at Disney we get into our car and have a seat back to our hotel no waiting for buses
we go down several times a year and i look forward to the ride if you like driving you will do it again and again

 

[Virtucomp]

We are tossing around the idea of driving down from the Chicago area during spring break. We have never had a vacation where we drove and I am worried about all the time in the car. (Kids are 14, 12 and 8)

Does anyone have any advice / recommendations? I don't think we would drive straight through, so where's the best stopping point? Anything interesting to see or do along the way to break up the drive a little?

Didn't the Griswolds leave from Chicago to go to Wally World??? That turned out ok right?

Luckily they don't close Disney World. We made the trip from New England once. We spent multiple days to go down and back since we were pulling a camper. It is difficult to pass up a 2.5 hour flight over 24 hours of driving.

Friends of ours do it all the time straight through. They have AP so it works out good. I've thought of doing it as a part of the vacation. Stop along the way to see the sights. If you have the vacation time to do it why not.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Growing up we drove down every year from Wisconsin (so longer then Chicago) I've actually only ever flown 1x (on my honeymoon).

The drive isn't so bad. We'd leave around 4am and if we stopped we'd stop as far into Georgia as possible. My favorite place is Valdosta because then you only have 3-4 hours of driving the next day. We brought along travel games to play in the car. Now a days it's so much easier cause you can watch a video. (couldn't do that when I was a kid)

On the way home we'd always stop near Louisville, Kentucky.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Ick, double ick.

Did it once and flew 30 times since. There is nothing like getting on a plane, read a magazine and boom you are in Orlando.

Driving to me has too many potential hazards - weather, traffic, accidents, time, boredom, countless bathroom breaks or food breaks.

at least I only have to worry about weather in Chicago to know I will be in Florida in 2 hours.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Depends.. do you want to spend that many hours in a vehicle or fly and get there quicker, put wear and tear on your car. Heaven forbid you encounter car trouble while driving there. Then you will have to make an unscheduled stop for a day or two while you get your car fixed.

 

[Funwith4kids]

We have been going to WDW every spring break for 9 years. 1st 7 were driving. We mixed it up on time of day leaving to see what works best with the kids. We found 2 days down and straight through on way back works best so everyone is fresh upon arrival. We would leave early AM and stop south of Atlanta.

I suggest if planning to stop on way down to plan a few places to stop to ensure you have a ressie as there are lots of people stopping for the night and one year could not find a place to stay (there is 6 of us) and ended up driving to FL before finding a hotel @ 3 AM. Kids travel real well since they "grew up" doing it. Movies, Ninetendo DS's, iPods, XM Radio, make it so much easier for the kids to stay occupied.

By dirving, we liked the flexibility of leaving home a day early or staying another day by driving. However, the last 2 years we have flown due to great airfares and ease of flying now that the kids are old enough to not lug strollers, car seats, etc.. with us. We have not experienced any weather issues flying as it has been very smooth and easy. Hands down much easier sitting in plane and airport for a few hours that in the van for 18 hours fighting traffic and construction. Not sure if we will go back to driving...unless airfares get ridiculous again....If you are looking for any specifics, PM me.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

at least I only have to worry about weather in Chicago to know I will be in Florida in 2 hours.

But you won't be, will be at least 6 from your door to WDW..

Its a personal preference. I like to drive, especially once everyone else goes to sleep and I can enjoy a little quiet time, so that makes a big difference.. I would die if I let the airlines set our schedule, seems we pretty much always end up spending an extra day or 2, either going to Sea World, the beach or whatever else we might see that seems fun.

Last time we flew we spent $2K on airfare and car rental, this time we are driving and spending an extra 6 days with the money saved, seems like a no brainer.

 

[uva185]

Honestly even if flying took longer I would still do it. Spending 6 hours resting enjoying a cocktail beats navigating I-95 or whatever road you will take. Save the road trip for when you go somewhere obscure that is not easily (or cheaply) accessible by air. Whether people on DIS realize it or not, on average MCO is very cheap to fly to compared to other destinations.