Hi Crazysun,
Just some driving advise, I would let your hubby know that when he gets to Baton Rouge to take the Interstate 12 exit in Baton Rouge (which will direct you away from New Orleans and any traffic associated with the city, like Houston we still have a certain amount on the weekends). After about an hour and a half straight on I-12 it will reconnect with I-10 in Slidell, LA (another suberb of N.O.) and will even probably shave off a litle bit of time (maybe 30 to 40 minutes) just by avoiding I-10 through N.O. Just like Houston, we have a large hospital community built direct along I-10 and many of them will be going through shift changes in the a.m. We also have a long bridges (12 plus miles) once you get past Baton Rouge heading to N.O. that have reduced speeds not to mention that at the end of the bridge you hit the next largest suberb with both reduced speeds and road work going on.
I-12 was built for the straight shot for those that didn't want to drive through N.O. traffic on I-10. It does work out great but won't give you anything other than pine trees to look at. Once the two Interstates meet up in Slidell you only have about 3 miles before crossing the Mississippi State line. I find that the trip from Slidell to Pensacola, FL is about 3 hours and then you have the pine trees and hills all the way to Tallahassee which is (180 miles) another 2 1/2 to 3 hour stretch. After Tallahassee your officially only 5 hours away. You'll have about an hours drive before you turn down to Orlando and about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from that point on.
Be advised, I have friends who make the drive from N.O. to Orlando in 10 hours. I rarely have had this luck. I have driven this route several times but always manage to get stuck in a traffic accident for HOURS on I-10 between the MS line and the Tallahassee area. Last 4 trips have all worked out this way and caused an hour to two hours delay. Maybe its just me so be glad I'm not heading down. Also, MS State Troopers like to hide in the woods once past the state line. AL is easy to go through and I don't ever recall seeing police. Lastly, we call the stretch of US 90 the "dirty billboard stretch" as you will see plenty of billboards marketing various stripclubs. Have a wonderful trip and see how many pine trees you can count.
) in Lake City is one of the nicest places we've ever stopped (roadside anyway). Modern, extremely well kept, and simply immaculate inside. A bit expensive perhaps, so if cost is an issue, we've also stayed at the Lake City Jameson Inn, also very nice, and somewhat less expensive. 
