Website to locate restaurants on our drive to WDW???

[It's A Happy Day]

I thought I had found a link for a website on the boards but now I can't find it??????? We are driving from MA to WDW in October and I wanted to look at what there is to offer as far as food along the way. Is there a website that I can punch in my desitination or route and it will tell me types of restaurants. I would love to know where the McDonalds are WITH playgrounds as well as some sit down restaurants - TGIF, Applebees are 2 specifics I was looking into. I have some points I need to redeem for gift cards to restaurants and I would love to be able to use them for the trip down and back but not sure what is on the way vs. out of the way. Not sure if we are taking 95 or I think the other is 84/81 route (waiting for triptik to arrive to compare) so I would need to find places right off the highway. Help, please???

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

The transportation page on the wdwinfo.com home page has exit information for I-95 from Virginia through Florida.

www.usastar.com has detailed information on I-95 and I-75. I don't know of one for I-81, but maybe someone else here knows.

 

[hobogary]

Another good option is to go the the rest. website and find locations there. Some chains even have maps.I've seen some that will plan your trip with stops at all their locations (i'm sure that's overkill).I do this with Truckstops to find good fuel prices.

 

[umaangel00]

I have another option for you. Buy Microsoft streets and trips. It's well worth the money. you can map out your whole trip. Gas stops, potty stops and food stops. Even shopping stops. You can tell it what gas mileage you get and when you would like it tell you to stop for gas (at a 1/2 tank, 1/4 tank etc). I loved it when we went down in March.

 

[WeLubDeeDub]

I have another option for you. Buy Microsoft streets and trips. It's well worth the money. you can map out your whole trip. Gas stops, potty stops and food stops. Even shopping stops. You can tell it what gas mileage you get and when you would like it tell you to stop for gas (at a 1/2 tank, 1/4 tank etc). I loved it when we went down in March.

I completely agree. We used Streets & Trips 2005 w/GPS on the way down from Chicago, and it worked flawlessly. Down to the mile and time. It was great. We had to use a detour and knew exactly where we were going. We used it to track down a Dairy Queen and a McDonalds (if you can believe it) with no problem.

 

[JimFitz]

We are driving down from NJ in October as well. Are you driving straight thru?

 

[It's A Happy Day]

We are driving down from NJ in October as well. Are you driving straight thru?

Here's the plan so far. It is looking like DH has to work on Saturday till around noon - take off day so we will be leaving around 5:00PM on Saturday - I don't want to hit NY with late traffic if possible so I figure if we wait till 5 then NY will be about 8ish????? Any Advice on leave times to avoid high traffic areas??? In your opinions what is the best time to leave Boston area and avoid traffic??? My inlaws will be taking the kids all day so that I can rest/sleep/last minute checklists/etc...

Pull out 5:00PM - my intent here is to get the kids set up in the car (we have a 2005 Huyndai Elantra) with supper - either buy McDonalds or just bring something from home not sure yet - thinking of doing sandwiches cut in MM shapes, seeing what I could find at the store in the way of MM stuff) I figure this will at least occupy them for a little bit. After this it will be play it by ear and see how they handle the trip. We are planning on borrowing my SIL dvd player for the car so maybe they can watch a movie then hopefully fall asleep. Once it starts to get late then plan is to keep going until we are either in WDW or I'm too tired to drive responsibly. DH will do some of the driving but not until we are past the DC area - he doesn't handle big city driving and interstate changes very well so I will be doing the "tough" driving. Also I'm much more of a night person than him so it will be easier on me than him to drive into the night - he will hopefully catch some zzz's too so that he can drive in the early AM and I can nap a little then. So yes we "plan" on doing the 24 hr stretch but will stop if nec. Our check in date is October 3 and we are leaving on the 1st so if we want/need to plan a night over somewhere its not a loss. If we make it to FL on Sunday we will check in DTD for 1 night, move to AS Sports on October 3rd, rest on Oct 3 & 4th (planning on doing the water parks here maybe) as the rest of our party - inlaws and my mom won't be there till late on the 4th - then on the 5th we hit MK!!! So we have leeway at the beginning and end of our trip to take it at whatever pace we need to.
Off October 1-17 - booked in hotel Oct 3-13 so 2 days before and 2 days after with 2 days to rest at home.

Please any strategy advice would be a great help...this is my first BIG drive anywhere. I have only drive maybe 3 hours away before. I am trying to figure out how long and where we will be so that I can figure out gas stops, restaurants, potty breaks, and coffee breaks along the way. Can't decide if 95 is the best route of 81/...other routes is better???

 

[WeLubDeeDub]

I am trying to figure out how long and where we will be so that I can figure out gas stops, restaurants, potty breaks, and coffee breaks along the way. Can't decide if 95 is the best route of 81/...other routes is better???

Get MS Streets & Trips. It will do all of that for you.

 

[baileybelle]

Here's a great book that includes all exits on all the major highways in the US. http://thenextexit.com/ It lists all the restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc on each exit. It also lists all the rest areas. We used it on our drive to WDW last year from Maine.

 

[paras4ri]

We made the drive from RI to Disney and back 2 weeks ago. We've done it many times and have found this site very helpful
I-95 Exit Information
http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm

 

[JimFitz]

We made the drive from RI to Disney and back 2 weeks ago. We've done it many times and have found this site very helpful
I-95 Exit Information
http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm

Do you drive straight thru?