our driving route....a couple of questions.

[ShellyMouse]

hi, we are leaving from michigan this thursday night. this is the first time we won't only drive during the day. and we are going to try a new route.

we plan to take 31 south to 65 in indianapolis....take 65 south to nashville. then get on 24 to 75 south. i figure if we leave at 8pm thursday night, we should hit Valdosta mid afternoon friday. then saturday morn, we will be refreshed and only have about 3 1/2 hours left to drive to wdw. if we feel good, maybe we will drive farther, who knows.

ok, for my questions.....

*hotels in/near Valdosta.....are there any really good ones (reasonable price), and any we stay clear of? we do need an indoor pool for dd....thats her prize for being so good in the car!

*when we hit the BIG mountains......how many miles are we going to be going through those BIG mountains??
BIG mountains + semi trucks + HUGE drop offs = SCARY to me!


thanks alot!

 

[jlovesee]

Well I know there is a Sleep Inn in Valdosta, I don't think it has a pool though, we stayed there a few years ago and it was nice and clean. I always use Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com) to get an idea. Dont stay at the Days Inn!

As far as mountains, we have driven from KC, MO to Disney several times (last time being just Nov 22nd), and we also take the I-75 to I-24 through Clarksville, Nashville, and Chatanooga. The mountains are not that bad at all. I think there are two heavy inclines, maybe 2 or 3 run off ramps, It starts a little south of Murfreesboro and ends about Chatanooga. Maximum an hour of driving. I always like to look out for all the old Ruby Falls, Look Out Mountain signs! (see 6 states!) You will know what I mean.

Have Fun!

Jennifer

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Shelly, the route you've chosen is likely the best. I-24 between Nashville and Chatanooga is an excellent road and is of course built to interstate highway standards, so you don't need to worry about dropoffs. The road gets pretty high at Monteagle, TN and it is not uncommon to have fog up there overnight. But there rarely are places where you "seem" to be high because the surrounding terrain is high with you. There's a 10-mile section where the eastbound and westbound lanes separate and go around separate sides of a mountain. That's where you'll find a far right lane for slower trucks going up and runaway truck lanes for trucks going down. Watch the weather forcast and if there are fog or snow warnings for that stretch then stay on I-65 at Nashville and head south into Alabama and get to Florida via Montgomery and Dothan on US231 to I-10. For good weather, stay with your plan.

The only hotel in Valdosta that I know of that has an indoor is the Country Inn & Suites. Both the Holiday Inn-Conference Center and Holiday Inn Express-Lake Park, GA have outdoor pools.

BobK/Orlando

 

[ShellyMouse]

thanks for your help!

i will keep in mind about the fog. 65 to 231 to 10 to 75 is usually the way we take.....i thought this time it would be cool for dd to see big mountains!

thanks again!

 

[manning]

Shelly, the route you've chosen is likely the best. I-24 between Nashville and Chatanooga is an excellent road and is of course built to interstate highway standards, so you don't need to worry about dropoffs. The road gets pretty high at Monteagle, TN and it is not uncommon to have fog up there overnight. But there rarely are places where you "seem" to be high because the surrounding terrain is high with you. There's a 10-mile section where the eastbound and westbound lanes separate and go around separate sides of a mountain. That's where you'll find a far right lane for slower trucks going up and runaway truck lanes for trucks going down. Watch the weather forcast and if there are fog or snow warnings for that stretch then stay on I-65 at Nashville and head south into Alabama and get to Florida via Montgomery and Dothan on US231 to I-10. For good weather, stay with your plan.

The only hotel in Valdosta that I know of that has an indoor is the Country Inn & Suites. Both the Holiday Inn-Conference Center and Holiday Inn Express-Lake Park, GA have outdoor pools.

BobK/Orlando

If I remember right the grade there is 5%. They took the fun out of driving that stretch. I drove that back in the 1970' when the speed limit was 70. Now it is 55. I remember coming down that hill and my wife next to me said oh brother. At the bottom I pulled into the rest area to retrieve her from the back seat..... seriously it is a piece of cake.

 

[ShellyMouse]

**getting ready to be laughed at**

"grade is 5%?" the higher the number, the steeper it is? if so, 5% isn't very steep....
i was a passenger on that highway in '93 or '94.....it seemed pretty dang steep to me! down right scary!


tell me how it has changed...how do they change it?

ok...laugh away!