Toronto to the Fort :)

[peterparker520]

Hello to all

Going to the Fort on May/2017 for 10 days, it will our first time, will also be celebrating my son(10y), should be fun times. Anyways, we will be driving from Toronto and taking our trailer, has anybody done the drive from around this area?...we are planning to do just one stop at a rest area. Any suggestions are appreciated...

 

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I haven't done the drive myself, but as a kid I was a passenger for many of those good drives down.
We did the middle route 90-79-19-77-26-95-4.

Where you stop depends on how far you want to drive the first day.
We generally stopped for night in Walterboro, SC.
That's about 15 hrs from T.O not including stops.

 

[morrik5]

We did the trip from Oshawa in 2014. We travelled south via Detroit and came home via Fort Erie. We planned our trip around two separate stays each way at KOA campgrounds - a couple of which we were not happy with. We are planning on going again next April and are travelling the opposite route this time. Most rest areas say you cannot stay overnight to my recollection however you can stay at Flying J-Pilot travel centers (who usually have Denny's Restaurants) or at a Wal-Mart.

 

[North of Mouse]

No overnights at rest areas - just a few hours to catch some zzzz's. For that long of a trip we'd definitely have to have two 'full' nights of rest to be safe.

 

[morrik5]

No overnights at rest areas - just a few hours to catch some zzzz's. For that long of a trip we'd definitely have to have two 'full' nights of rest to be safe.

We are thinking of staying the 1st night in Sutton, WV and the 2nd in Richmond Hill, GA giving us half the travel time on the last day to get to the Fort.

 

[CDNCruiser]

KOA at Richmond Hill GA is OK . . . but Coastal Georgia RV Resort at Brunswick is much nicer. Exit #29 - easy in and out, all pull-thru sites. One of our favourites for an overnight.

We're from Kingston, ON but we made the trek many times from our previous home in Burlington.

We also used the 90-79-19-77-26-95-4 route when we lived down your way!

 

[morrik5]

KOA at Richmond Hill GA is OK . . . but Coastal Georgia RV Resort at Brunswick is much nicer. Exit #29 - easy in and out, all pull-thru sites. One of our favourites for an overnight.

We're from Kingston, ON but we made the trek many times from our previous home in Burlington.

We also used the 90-79-19-77-26-95-4 route when we lived down your way!

CDNCruiser, where did you stay before Brunswick or was this a one day drive for you from Burlington?

 

[peg110]

Most rest areas say you cannot stay overnight to my recollection however you can stay at Flying J-Pilot travel centers (who usually have Denny's Restaurants) or at a Wal-Mart.

We have stayed in travel centers and rest stops. Even those that say "No Over Night Parking". That said, however, we pull in. Do our business. Then go to sleep for 5 to 7 hours. Get up and move on. We don't "Camp" we don't extend our camper or do anything with stabilizers. Our objective is to "Rest" for the next leg of our trip. We have never had anyone bother us and tell us to move on. If someone did though, I'd be sure to note their name and inform them that we were staying there because we were too tired to travel (and not just boondocking as a way of life).

Some areas are a bit "Scarier" then others, so use your judgement there. We have never stayed in a WalMart parking lot, but have spent a couple of hours outside of a cracker barrel waiting for them to open. Love the Flying J's and similar type truck stops. We try to stay out of the way of the truckers too. We will park more off to the side in those locations. DW hates the idling sound of the trucks, but for me it's white noise. Since I am the only one driving, then MY rest is what really counts.... Right?

 

[CDNCruiser]

CDNCruiser, where did you stay before Brunswick or was this a one day drive for you from Burlington?

We're retired and we take our time on the way back and forth. We usually take 4 days each way. From Burlington we went to the KOA at Washington, PA, then to the KOA at Wytheville, VA, then to New Green Acres at Walterboro, SC then to the Fort.

 

[peterparker520]

Thinking of living home around 7pm and driving 4 to 5 hours and stop sleep, that way we get a head start, next day drive as much as possible, stop at a walmart or flying j for the night and be at the Fort on the next day.
I already have a few places in mind that we can stop to sleep, it is going to depend on were we are at the time.

 

[morrik5]

We're retired and we take our time on the way back and forth. We usually take 4 days each way. From Burlington we went to the KOA at Washington, PA, then to the KOA at Wytheville, VA, then to New Green Acres at Walterboro, SC then to the Fort.

What did you think of the KOA in Wytheville? It is a bit of a hike for our first day of travel but if we can attain that and then another stop in Georgia, we will only have a short drive to WDW the last day and hopefully meet up quicker than last time with our daughter's family who are flying in the day of check-in.

 

[CDNCruiser]

KOA in Wytheville is one of our regular stops. It's great for an overnight. They have added a couple of rows of new sites with long pull-thru's - plenty of room.

If you like Chinese food, try the Peking Restaurant in Wytheville. From the campground go down the big hill, then turn left on the Service Road. When you come to the first stop sign Shoney's will be on your right. Look left and you'll see the Peking at the top of the hill. It's great!

 

[pmountain]

We come from the Sauble Beach area, about 3 hours NW of Toronto. We take I75, it is busy but probably not as mountainous as the other way, and we know all the stops well by now. We often do it in two nights on the way down. Work/school for the morning and then leave about 1:00 pm and drive to Troy Ohio Walmart (just N of Dayton) and arrive about 9-10:00 pm. Leave at 5:00am and then stop in Lake City about 9:30 pm, on I75 just S of I10, at another Walmart. From there it is only about 2.5 hours to the Fort so you can get an early start. We have also done it in one night and stopped at Sweetwater KOA in Tennessee. On the way back we usually leave the Fort about 6:30am and stop at Walmart around Lexington Kentucky at about 10:30 pm. Leave Walmart about 5:30 am and home by about 6:00. I do most of the driving but my wife will take over for an hour or so to let me have a nap and then I am good to go again. For my wife to drive towing the trailer I have to pick the right stretch of highway,... not too busy, no big cities, no mountains, not in the dark... I travel about 62 to 65 mph with the trailer, lunch is usually in the truck while on the go, and supper will sometimes be quick hot dogs or spaghetti in the trailer at a rest stop.

I usually winterize at the Fort before we head home unless the forecast is for warm temperatures at home. I always bring my own antifreeze, I doubt you can by Plumbers Antifreeze in South Florida...

Heading out in less than two weeks to Key West and then will hit the Fort on the way back just for one night...couldn't resist to get a quick dose of Disney.

 

[Cosmic]

I'm a little late to the game, but I live just down the road in Buffalo. We've done the drive on the 90-79-19-77-26-95-4 route three times (twice headed north and once south). My advice is to be prepared for what feels like a long slough through West Virginia. It's a relatively small state, but there are actually red lights (!) and regular surface roads on the route... it feels much bigger than it looks on the map! Other than that stretch, it will all be mega-highways. We've always driven straight through, and going through West Virginia on the way home is when we're very far from WDW, very far from home still, and we never want to see the car again! Going to try something different on the way back this time.

 

[peterparker520]

Thanks for all the input..keep them coming

 

[Cosmic]

You might already be aware, but there's a phone number that will give you the traffic info for all of the Buffalo-area border crossings. Being on the wrong bridge at the wrong time would be a bad way to start or end your drive. I always check it when I'm headed to the Great White North.

1 800-715-6722

 

[peterparker520]

You might already be aware, but there's a phone number that will give you the traffic info for all of the Buffalo-area border crossings. Being on the wrong bridge at the wrong time would be a bad way to start or end your drive. I always check it when I'm headed to the Great White North.

1 800-715-6722

Good reminder...thanks