Why drive I-75 instead of 79/77 from Toronto?

[MamaLema]

Everyone that I know suggests driving I75 from Toronto to WDW. The I77/79 route seems so much closer?

Am I missing something?

 

[Grumbo]

Interesting question and one friends and I don't agree on.
I MUCH prefer driving I 77/79 as opposed to I 75.

Now I 75 is flatter so in the winter if you end up with snow not as many mountains/hills to contend with.
I 77/79 is a shorter distance.
I 75 (this my wife talking) has many more Factory outlets and better shopping. Sheesh you been in one of those darn Factory outlets you've been in all of them. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I 77/79 has better scenery imho.
I 75 has more motels, restaurants etc.

Last time we had two familes in our van. I did all the driving but we went down I77/79 as the driving was quicker, and on the way back we drove I75.

I've driven probably 20 times now and still like I 77/79 better.

If you've never driven down before you might consider driving down one and back the other so then YOU can decide

Good luck whichever you choose. I love driving down. We had the Honda van with the DVD player and captain's chairs with 6 of us. Yakima roof rack for all the ladies purchases and crap we took on the DCL cruise. Great time.

Cheers,
Grumbo

 

[Disneyof3]

I've heard that I75 is the safest road to head to Florida. My in-laws have gone everyway possible since they stay there for 6 months every year. They have been going down now for 11 years, they have a place down there. They are older now and they say the Safest way is I75. Alot of canadians go that way and I also heard during the 9/11 americans were shooting at Canadians going that way because we wouldn't go to war.

Just another opinion

 

[Grumbo]

They had a sniper on I75 but don't think they weren't shooting at Canadians. They were just shooting at people randomly.
In fact I can't recall any of the victims being Canadian but I do recall the CAA suggesting you "may" want to take an alternate route.

Cheers,
Grumbo

 

[spewey]

I'm pretty new to these boards, but I'm guessing this debate has been going on forever, and doubtless will continue just as long ...

My $ .02: 77/79, without a doubt, no questions, having done 'em both several times. That route is shorter from Toronto, more interesting, less truck traffic, and just as well (if not better maintained). Granted, there is probably more printed material on I-75 - i.e. books, etc. - but I have found just as many inexpensive motels, cheap greasy spoons, and enormous truck stops along 77/79. But aside from all that, there would have to be something very special about 75 to make me want to drive a couple hundred extra miles on my trip.

 

[pjpoohbear]

I like the scenery very pretty. I have a great shot from the back of the car, with the sun raising over the Virginia mountains with a mickey antenna topper hanging from the rear view mirror. Also driving over the mountain is cool, even better driving under them!!!!!

Penny

 

[talicskai]

We have driven for the past 3 trips with small children and prefer the scenery along 77/79. In any case the main factor is weather. We hit an incredibly bad storm in Beckley WV on the way home last year and they weren't calling for any snow at all!
I never come and go the same way. It is so nice to see both highways and enjoy the different states. Mind you, we leave at 8pm and drive straight for 18 hours so you don't see too much between 8pm-7am. The main deciding factor is what the radar shows the day we leave and then we come home the opposite route. Both are great because they lead you to DISNEY!!!!!

My DH prefers 77/79 because he likes to go thru Nascar country!

FYI: the first year we drove we went thru Pittsburgh etc and spent two nights at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. It was awesome and took 18 hours to get there. It was a great drive from there to Orlando. It would have been only about 5.5 hours but it was bike week in Daytona and the traffic was heavy along I95 for a bit.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Just got back from driving 77/79 from Atlanta to Toronto for Canadian Thanksgiving. I have driven both several times over the past few years.
My opinion:

Distance: 77/79 is definately shorter - it was 14 hours to boarder at Buffalo at about average 75mph.
I-75 takes 14 hours to Detroit

Weather: I would take 77/79 down from May to October no questions. The route is beautiful, leaves were changing and weather was great. The only problem we had this time was we stopped overnight in Washington, PA and woke up to very thick fog. I will drive in any weather except fog. We waited until 10am to leave and fog to lift. Drove this route in December once, and never again! Freezing rain/snow and moutains is not my idea of fun. So you are taking your chances during the winter months as the weather changes quickly

Mountains - If you are at all squeemish (sp?) about mountain driving take I-75. 77/79 you have a good 6 hours through the mountains and it's much more moutainous than I-75 through Tennesse - which takes only about 2 hours or so to get through.
Plus, there are two (really neat!) tunnels through mountains on 77/79.

Stops: I-75 has many stops - almost at every exit. There are portions of 77/79, especially through WVa that you can drive for quite a distance without a stop (about 1/2 hour or so) I don't find this a problem, but you just have to be aware of your gas and potty breaks!

Other: Dave Hunter's book is definately a plus for driving I-75, especially if you are the passenger! Tim's up until end of Ohio.
More shopping on I-75 if you are into that. More tourist stops on I-75.

If you are driving Nov - April - check the weather and driving conditions before 77/79 - or take I-75 to be safe
May - October - definately 77/79.

Good luck!

 

[kellyla]

I dont drive, so my husband has to do all of the driving so we decided that since 77/79 was a shorter distance that this would be our route of choice.We have driven the route in December and in April.The CAA tried to talk us out of this for the December trip but we decided to take our chances and i am glad we did.The scenery is amazing going through the mountains and the tunnels even amused my then 12 and 15 year old boys.One of the other reasons we decided to go that was so that my son could visit some NASCAR places(well really DEI)in Mooresville,NC.We found that there were alot of places to eat and get gas(except through the mountains so you plan accordingly)

 

[Mortlives]

Put me down as a 77/79 fan, too. We drove that route to FL last March, and loved it. Beautiful scenery, nice welcome centers, convenient gas, etc. On the way back, we did hit one of those infamous mountain snowstorms with almost 0 visibility, but DH just followed behind a nice truck which seemed stable, and probably knew the route well, and made a nifty trail blazer, until we got through it.

In April, we did the I-75 to my SIL's in Tennessee and hated it. The scenery through Detroit just seemed so bleak (although maybe we were just spoiled?), compared to the other route, and traffic through/around Cincinnati seemed conjured by Hades himself.

Anyway, we decided then that we'd been doing it wrong: we should always fly to visit my SIL, and drive to WDW.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[MamaLema]

Thank you so much. I never thought I would get so many great replies. We will definately be taking 77/79.

 

[TimNDansMom]

We used to always take the I77/I79 route down to Myrtle Beach and while it is a lovely drive in the good weather, I still found some of the steep grades and decents a bit unnerving at those speeds. I much prefer the straightforward route along the I75, flat as it is.

Also, as the passenger, I find following along with Dave Hunter's book, the trip goes very quickly.