Who has driven from Arkansas to WDW?

[Sherrilatte]

We are planning to drive down in August--to escort our new freshman to college this fall and get in some fun time before he hits the books. Can you give me a better route than the one mapquest has recommended. I find sometimes that it does not alway provide the best route. What was your experiences? Any good advice?

Would you do it again? Help!

 

[Karibeth19]

You didn't say what route MapQuest gave you, but we drive from Oklahoma, so we always go through Arkansas; maybe I can help. Last year, we went through Little Rock, and we then took Highway 65 southeast into Louisiana. It was an interesting drive, two lanes for a large portion, and you go through a lot of small towns. The really neat part was driving alongside the Mississippi Rivier for the last few miles. Once we hit Louisiana, we got on I-20 to Jackson, hwy 49 to Hattiesburg, and hwy 98 to Mobile. Then I-10 all the way to I-75 in Fla. It wasn't a bad drive, but I thought the stretch between Little Rock and I-20 was long and boring, and going through all those small towns really slowed us down. This year, we are going to go from Little Rock to Memphis, to Birmingham, to Atlanta, where we'll hit I-75. It's interstate or major highway the whole way, and I hope it's a little faster. Hope this helps!

 

[Sherrilatte]

This year, we are going to go from Little Rock to Memphis, to Birmingham, to Atlanta, where we'll hit I-75. It's interstate or major highway the whole way, and I hope it's a little faster. Hope this helps!

Thanks Karibeth19! The route through Memphis, to Birmingham, to Atlanta, etc. is the route recommended by mapquest. If you're going before August, I would love to get some feedback on how long it took you to get there, etc. If not, I will share my experiences---at least from Little Rock to WDW...

Thanks for your advice--it was very helpful.

 

[GEM]

We've driven from Clarksville many, many times and that's usually the way we go. (Although we have also done a more scenic route that takes us down to Pensecola and then along the Florida coast.) I think the route through Atlanta takes us about 20 hours or so, or it used to before we had a little one - now it takes longer because we have to stop more often. We enjoy the drive. The only part that can be tricky is going through Atlanta. We try to make sure we aren't doing that anywhere near morning or evening rush hour because it can take hours to get through there at that time. We usually leave at night (like around midnight) and drive straight through to Ocala (arriving around 8pm). Then we spend the night there and wake up with only about an hour left to drive to Disney World! Like I said, we actually enjoy the drive - even with our little boy. We like road trips and do several drivng vacations each year. If you have any other questions, just let me know! It's nice to see another Arkansan hanging around here!

 

[DisFlan]

We live on the Ark. state line in SW Missouri. We usually take the route through Fort Smith, Little Rock, Memphis and Montgomery, Al. and usually end up spending a night around Birmingham or Montgomery. The next morning we drive down 231 from Montgomery (double lane) and catch I-10 in Fla. and on to WDW around noon or a little after. It's not a bad drive, just boring in spots. We've gone a couple of other routes, but this seems to be the shortest and easiest.

Have a good trip!

DisFlan

 

[Karibeth19]

Thanks Karibeth19! The route through Memphis, to Birmingham, to Atlanta, etc. is the route recommended by mapquest. If you're going before August, I would love to get some feedback on how long it took you to get there, etc. If not, I will share my experiences---at least from Little Rock to WDW...

Thanks for your advice--it was very helpful.

We leave Friday, so I'll let you know when we get back!