Tips for driving from MA?

[reenie1]

We will be driving down to Pop Century from central Mass. and are planning to leave right after the kids get home from school this coming Friday, around 3:00. We will be happy to get away from all this crazy snow from Nemo!

We plan to drive 6-8 hours Friday night, stay at a hotel, then drive most of the day Saturday and see if we can easily make it to Disney or stay an hour or two away and finish the drive Sunday morning. Any tips for avoiding traffic as much as possible? I'm assuming we should avoid the George Washington so I think we will go over the Tappan Zee. But I'm never sure the best way to get around the DC area. The GPS and mapquest never seem to agree and then I panic and somehow end up on little streets right in DC instead of main roads!

Also, does anyone have an idea of where we will be after 6-8 hours if we leave the Worcester area around 3 in the afternoon? I'd like to get hotel ideas ahead of time but can't figure out how far we might get. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[eeyoresmom]

We have driven from Worcester several times. 8 hours should get you just past DC as long as you don't get lost. Since you are traveling over school break, make hotel reservations ahead! One vacation I didn't, wanting to see how far I could get. I drove alone with 5 kids from DW to just north of DC before I could find a room! Also, make sure your GPS has updated maps. I agree with the Tappan Zee over GW as you will be hitting NYC around 6:30-7:00 on a Friday evening.We ALWAYS get stuck in massive traffic around NYC on the way home. My GPS was keeping me on 95 the whole way, but I remember saying if I ever drove again to try Merrit PKWY. Plan the timing of NYC carefully on your way home.

 

[NE2]

Back in the day when my family would drive from NJ we'd take US 301 from northern Delaware into Virginia. I've heard that this has become congested in southern Maryland, but you may still want to consider going via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and continuing on US 50 to the DC Beltway. With the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge the DC area shouldn't be as bad as it used to be.

As for New England, consider using I-84 to I-684 to the Saw Mill and over the Tappan Zee.

 

[Jimsig]

but I remember saying if I ever drove again to try Merrit PKWY.

A bonus for driving the Merrit Pky is no trucks, highly recomended. The fact that it keeps you off of I-95 is icing on the cake.

 

[jenstall]

I've made this trip many times and for the past several years I've avoided the NYC to Washington DC congestion by going through PA on I-84 instead and then taking I-81 south until you reach either I-64 or I-77. I prefer I-77 to take me back to I-95 and then it's smooth sailing down to Florida and you'v bypassed all the big cities along the northeast corridor.

This route is longer by about a 100 miles, but it has no tolls once you leave New York and it is a lot more relaxing because there's so much less traffic.

 

[reenie1]

Thank you all very much for the tips! I will be checking everything out to try and decide what the best route for us is.

 

[stevil73]

Thank you all very much for the tips! I will be checking everything out to try and decide what the best route for us is.

I'm driving to WDW from Southern NH next month. We are driving through the night, so the only major city I am avoiding is NYC by using 84/684/Tappen Zee. In Baltimore I plan on using the Ft. McHenry tunnel (I 95) then jumping on 295 and follow that to where it rejoins 495/95 just before the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in DC. Then 95 south except for 295 around Richmond.

 

[NJRRK]

I'm driving to WDW from Southern NH next month. We are driving through the night, so the only major city I am avoiding is NYC by using 84/684/Tappen Zee. In Baltimore I plan on using the Ft. McHenry tunnel (I 95) then jumping on 295 and follow that to where it rejoins 495/95 just before the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in DC. Then 95 south except for 295 around Richmond.

Going that way if you want to avoid tolls in NJ take I-287 south to US 202/206 south (Somerville) stay on US 202 south to NJ 31 then get on I-95 south through Philly take I-495 around Newark DE, then hookup with I-95 again in Delaware.

This adds about 20 minutes but no tolls (including across the Delaware River) until Delaware.

 

[NE2]

I've made this trip many times and for the past several years I've avoided the NYC to Washington DC congestion by going through PA on I-84 instead and then taking I-81 south until you reach either I-64 or I-77. I prefer I-77 to take me back to I-95 and then it's smooth sailing down to Florida and you'v bypassed all the big cities along the northeast corridor.

This route is longer by about a 100 miles, but it has no tolls once you leave New York and it is a lot more relaxing because there's so much less traffic.

Really? I've heard bad things about I-81 in Virginia (two lanes in each direction and extremely heavy truck traffic). Enough that Virginia was looking into building separate toll truck lanes ca. 2005.

 

[lodgelady]

Leave at dinnertime on Friday to avoid rush-hour, be sure you have EZ Pass, and get below Washington D.C. before stopping. It worked for us everytime when we lived in central MA.

 

[edbo77]

Leave at dinnertime on Friday to avoid rush-hour, be sure you have EZ Pass, and get below Washington D.C. before stopping. It worked for us everytime when we lived in central MA.

You should get to DC around midnight when there will be no traffic so you should be OK. Fredericksburg VA has plenty of lodging options, I've stayed here more than once and it's been a good stopover for me.

 

[dsneprincess]

If you are looking to make Fredericksburg, VA there is a Comfort Suites where 17 & 95 meet. It is just off the exit, I highly recommend it. Super clean, great breakfast, well lit, & well managed, super safe & quiet for an overnight stay. We have had excellent experiences stopping there.

 

[reenie1]

Thank you, all! Fredericksburg sounds like a good goal so I will definitely check out that hotel!

 

[katie111]

Not to be a sound negative but Fredricksburg seems really aggressive to me. Just mapping it on Mapquest from Worcester, it shows it as being 8.5 hours away. And that's with no traffic. We also live in MA and almost everyone I know is headed somewhere on Friday after the kids get out. Lots are heading norh for skiing, but lots are headed to DC and NY as well and a couple to FL. I think traffic is going to be pretty bad. Also, like the PP mentioned, you're going to be hitting NYC at rush hour. I would probably just book something while on the road and get most of your driving done on Saturday. My other suggestion would be that if possible, I would pull your ids out of school around 1 and get ahead of the traffic.

 

[reenie1]

Thanks for your input. We plan to go until about midnight and just get a hotel wherever we are, which hopefully will be VA, but if not that is ok. We have traveled the Friday before vaca. , leaving after school, many times and so far have only had traffic issues on the George Washington and not the Tappan Zee way, so I am hopeful but aware we might hit traffic-you can never be sure on these long rides how things will go! Since I work in the schools I am contractually obligated to work the whole day, so we are stuck leaving after school unfortunately. Since we have no plans on Sunday we don't have to rush and will just get there as quickly as we can while being safe. We tried going straight through the night once and said never again! Last year with a third driver we went straight through to Naples and it was great, but it is just two of us this year. I just hope the weather cooperates!

 

[GranddadTom]

I have made the trip from Worcester to DC more times than I wish to count - probably 100. It's an easy 7 1/2 hours assuming you can get through southern Connecticut (but at least you'll be heading in the right direction - South). Arriving at the Washington Beltway at 10:00 pm, you'll have no issues there or, more importantly, on I-95 in Northern Virginia. I would make a reservation in Fredericksburg. STAY OFF I-85, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTERTIME.

 

[WMorganS]

We drive from eastern MA (Westford) several times per year. We try to leave around 3pm, so even if we're delayed we make it past Richmond before the morning rush hour. We take shifts sleeping, and stop just once for a quick breakfast (e.g. McDonalds) in Florida. The whole trip takes us about 21 hours and the route doesn't matter much if the timing is right.

We find that the car trip costs about $600, once we figure in wear and tear, so when we won't be needing a car, we sometime fly. If we fly on Tues-Wed EARLY morning, and book 6+ months in advance, we can usually get 4 round trip nonstop tickets for under $900.

You can get cheaper seats if you go red-eye, but we've never done that because it doesn't seem better than driving... since you're beat when you there and have to pay for an extra day to check in at 3am.