you can do it in 9 hours - if you only stop for gas.....
with a child forget it.
It only takes me 12 hours when Spicey, my cat, is awake - he knows each and every rest stop - and will tell me about it if I miss even one....
all the way until the next rest stop.
but only when he is awake...
10 hours is generally enough if everyone else is sleeping - you get an half hour for meals, and another half hour for the rest stops....
I don't like going through Atlanta - my brother lives in Stockbridge, GA - so we go over there alot - I 20 can be awful, and I 285 has so many wrecks...
not to mention all the construction now - someone else says they have closed all but one lane on I75 in South Ga....
take I65 to I85 (montgomery) get off on exit 9 - turn right - when this roads deadends you will be on US 231. turn left.
I would stick on this route until you get to I10 in Florida - it has rest stops - traveling with a child you will need rest stops. You can get to I10 in around 4 to 3 1/2 hours from Birmingham.
don't turn off of US 231 until you get to I10.
my other short cut is at the end - get on the Florida turnpike - about 8 miles take the first REAL exit off - pay your $1.00 - then turn right - you are now on US 27. about 22 (28??) miles down this road will be a right turn (not left) to US 192. (on us 27 you will go through 2 small towns).
on US 192 (get in the middle lane) you will pass on the left - a publix - then some hotels, Orange Lake - then at 2 lights pass Orange Lake and another publix (get in the left lane) - is Black Lake road - the sign is above the traffic lights - turn left - this road will deadend at Sherbert Rd - turn left - at the next traffic light - turn right - you are now on WDW property (turning left at this light will be AKL) - follow the signs to the theme parks closest to your resort.
to come back this way look for the AKL (not ak).
of course I don't travel during busy times - I leave around midnight to 4 am in the morning - Mother once decided it was better to leave around 10 pm - bad, bad mistake - we got there around 5:30am - nothing at WDW was open....
I am better off driving at night - the Florida sun can be bad.
forgot buy gas in Dothan, then do what I learned here - find a stop with a bunch of gas stations -especially the cheap brands - stop there for gas - except to pay the most for gas along I10.
the turn off to I75 is about 2 miles past the rest stop (there are around 5 on I10) - then and only then will you start to see the signs for I75.
The worst thing is that our local store lost some of the wonderful cast members that we enjoyed visiting with when The Children's Place took over.
