Where should we stop for the night during our drive home from WDW to NJ?

[darrengs]

Our first family drive down from NJ was 2012, we did not mind the drive and the money saved more than paid for the 2 days we added at Sea World during that trip. So we are planning to drive again this coming August.

Thanks to advice we got here we ended up leaving early at 3:00 AM and had planned to stop in Georgia. the ride was going so well that we ended up changing the plans while enroute and drove straight through arriving in Orlando by 10:30 PM.

We also ended up driving straight through on the way home, and here is where I would like some advice. We arrived home at 6:30 AM and this was too much on me. So where should we stop for the night during our drive home from WDW to NJ?

 

[cranbiz]

Depends on how long you want to drive day 1 and how much you want to drive day 2.
WDW to Roanoke Rapids, NC is about 9 hours. Probably another 5 hours to Jersey. Just to give you a relative time frame.

What time you wish to leave WDW and the day of the week will determine the best stopping place. You do not want to get caught up in the VA/DC/MD rush hour traffic if you can help it.

 

[Iamthequeen]

We are driving from/to PA. We like to spend a 1/2 day in a park before we leave on our last day, leaving around noon - 1 pm. We stop right around the NC/SC border and spend the night, then finish the trip the next day, arriving home around 4 pm - probably more because of traffic in Northern VA.

If you are planning to leave early on your last day, you could probably get through to the NC/VA border before stopping.

 

[darrengs]

We will be leaving on Sunday August 31st. Probably around noon.

 

[amcnj]

When we used to stop I tried to get to Virginia the first day so the second day would be much shorter. What time that Sunday night would you like to stop driving? Also be mindful that since you are leaving on a Sunday, your second day on the road will be a weekday so plot out where you will be rush hour times to avoid as much road congestion as possible.

 

[cranbiz]

If you drive 8 hours, you will be around the Dunn/Benson area. It's about another hour and a half to The NC/VA border. There you can stay in Roanoke Rapids, NC or Emporia Va. It is then about a 2 hour drive to where the DC traffic issues start (make sure you take 295 around Richmond). You need 3 to use the HOV lane so if you have 3, plan on using that. Congestion in the Alexandria / Manassas area runs until 9am at a minimum, so I would leave the NC/VA border around 8am.

 

[darrengs]

When we used to stop I tried to get to Virginia the first day so the second day would be much shorter. What time that Sunday night would you like to stop driving? Also be mindful that since you are leaving on a Sunday, your second day on the road will be a weekday so plot out where you will be rush hour times to avoid as much road congestion as possible.

I do think now that Virginia will be my goal. Monday is Labor Day so I don't kniow how traffic will be.

 

[ncc1701]

I do think now that Virginia will be my goal. Monday is Labor Day so I don't kniow how traffic will be.

No rush hour stuff but you will run into traffic coming home from the various shores/beaches and other holiday weekend trips.