best route ny to florida?

RuneTDI

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we're driving to florida next month and i was wondering if anyone knows the best way to drive through the dc/baltimore area? i know there are some options, so i'm looking for someone that knows this. we'll be leaving ny on a saturday at 3am and our goal is savannah, georgia, by saturday afternoon/evening. from there, i'm estimating about 6 hours to orlando. thanks.
 

bigwoode

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Depending on when you pass through DC, it can vary. For reference, when we travelled from Buffalo to Richmond to Raleigh we just stuck on I-95, but we also passed through there around midnight or so.
 

dieseldorf

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RuneTDI said:
we're driving to florida next month and i was wondering if anyone knows the best way to drive through the dc/baltimore area?
There is no "best" route, Rune. That area seems to be a disaster 24/7 :( I'd give strong consideration to the inland route along I81 to I77. Sure, it adds a few miles, but at least you'll be moving vs. crawling thru the DC area and killing hours. (It used to be you could sneak thru in the middle of the night, that doesn't always seem to be the case nowadays.)
 

VWWV

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Rune......if you are into history and have interest in WWII.....near Savannah on I 95 there is the 8th Air Force Museum at Pooler. It is a great experience. We stay at that exit each trip back to Fl and there are several adequate motels right there. The museum is right off the interstate. You'll see a B 47 alongside the interstate. A late afternoon arrival at Pooler will give you enough time to "do" the museum before dinner. 6 to 7 hours to Orlando from Pooler is about right.....heavy traffic in Jacksonville excepted. Bring money....we took a hard economic hit from the recent weather. Don't waste time looking for biodiesel in central Florida....not commercially available. Try to stage the filling of your tank to be in SC on the trip back (for two reasons): the fuel is more likely to be winterized and the price is the best along the southern parts of I 95.
 

RuneTDI

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good points, people. i'm leaving ny around 3am, sat, so i will pass through the dc area around 7ish. hope that works. we'll stop for breakfast after that. the pooler exit was looking good to stop over for the night. i would love to see that museum. thanks everybody. dieseldorf- nice to "hear" from you again.

still a month away, so please keep the ideas coming. thanks, rune
 

Dodoma

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Since the drive routes are no good, take Amtrak. Your driving fuel cost should offset rail fair and you car will not put any mileage. Moreover, there is not fatigue involved.
 

raybo

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dieseldorf said:
There is no "best" route, Rune. That area seems to be a disaster 24/7 :( I'd give strong consideration to the inland route along I81 to I77. Sure, it adds a few miles, but at least you'll be moving vs. crawling thru the DC area and killing hours. (It used to be you could sneak thru in the middle of the night, that doesn't always seem to be the case nowadays.)
This route doesn't add that much time or miles - much nicer. You also have the opportunity to take the Blue Ridge Parkway for some of the trip, which is really fun.

Ray
 

k1xv

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I don't think the Baltimore or DC area should be that bad on a Saturday morning.

You could pick up US 301 south in Delaware, go across the Bay Bridge into Annapolis MD, then head west for the Beltway.

Your time constraints don't seem to allow much for deviation from the Interstate direct route.
 

daBooj

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I second the 81/77 option. I stay off of 95 when I get the chance. It's not fun even without the people. 81 is a much nicer road to travel on. The time estimate and mileage difference (given by google maps) is trivial compared with the frustrations of 95.
 

Ton

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If you decide to take I-95- take east side 695 around Baltimore ,you have to pay toll but you can move. I'm all for I-81 but that plugs up with trucks. Liberty stations have B-5 along I-81.
 
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RuneTDI

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i like the 81/77 idea. never thought of that. its 85 miles longer , but most likely, less headaches. will the traffic on a saturday (its the 13th of feb- presidents week) be a big difference on 81/77 compared to 95? also, is there any way to find out about ongoing construction on these? at columbia, sc, am i taking 26 to 95?
 

Digital4n6

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I travel the Baltimore/DC/Richmond route at least twice a week. You'll be fine skirting through early Saturday. Exit 104 on I-95 for Mr. Fuel is the best (and cheapest) place for diesel, and it's rated at 45 cetane. Tune into 103.5fm for "WTOP" for "traffic updates every 10 minutes on the 8s" while heading near the DC area.

I'm just 4 miles off I-95 exit 84B in Richmond and am here on weekends if you would like to save some hotel loot and stay in my guest room, let me know.

Once you're headed down to the Carolinas, you'll see plenty of "South of the Border" tourist trap billboards. They are great and start about 100 miles out.

Get an EZ-Pass if you don't already have one. Works from Maine to Florida, and you'll only really need it on the NY bridges and NJ expressways/turnpikes. Borrow one from a buddy and reimburse if you need to, well worth having for discounted rates and high speed lanes.
 

chimmike

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I think the 495-895-595 route around DC/Baltimore is the best. Done it quite a few times but it's been a few years. I do remember that I95 itself ends right in the middle of DC so you've got to take one of those roundabout x95's haha
 

ofhs93

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One more option...which I tend to use. Take 81 south to Harrisburg...then take 15 south to 270...which runs into the beltway on the west side of DC...this route avoids MOST of the possible DC traffic and cuts out Philly and Baltimore completely...it is also not the 85 extra miles that the 81-77 route gives you.
 

dieseldorf

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ofhs93 said:
it is also not the 85 extra miles that the 81-77 route gives you.
But you still get porked on the stretch of I95 towards Richmond VA :eek: I traveled that stretch of road this past summer and we never got over 20 mph :(
 

rme

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What date are you leaving? I live in Savannah and there are many nice hotels just off the I-95. NO RADAR DETECTORS IN VA. (Take it down and hide it in the glove box then lock it up)They will seize them and ticket you. The times I"ve been to Baltimore I simply followed my GPS and seem to have good luck. PM me if you need a POC in Savannah. You are correct Orlando is about 6 hours from Savannah. If Disney is the final stop recommend you get a disney pkg. That way you can park the car and use the disney transportation system....much much better. I have a son and a brother who work in Fl. Hope you don't meet the brother---he's Fl HP.
 

ofhs93

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dieseldorf said:
But you still get porked on the stretch of I95 towards Richmond VA :eek: I traveled that stretch of road this past summer and we never got over 20 mph :(
That is true DD...that stretch can get you if your going through at the wrong time...but at 7am..on a Sat. in Feb. I'm thinking it would probably not be so bad.
 

fastasaturtle

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I work in DC and I'm pretty familiar with the area you'll be traveling. You should be fine passing through at that time; it's all about timing. Any later (say, after 10am) and you risk hitting the weekend rush hour, which is actually worse than the weekday one. At least the weekday drivers are in a hurry to get to and from work. The weekend drivers just kinda ramble about with no particular concern for how quickly they arrive at they're destination...
Hope you have a safe trip.
 

scooperhsd

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Get past Potomac Mills (Dale City VA) before 9AM and I95 should be fine. There's a major outlet mall with an Ikea in that area and you REALLY want to be past it before the weekend shoppers get moving. An don't be afraid to take advantage of the HOV lanes if you're not stopping.

Going the other way (north) - there really isn't a good option... The Baltimore Washington Parkway isn't too bad and gets you away from truck traffic (in either direction). It's also readily accessible at both ends to I95 /etc.

I can't urge enough to stay away from downtown DC - stay on the Beltway unless you know where you're going.

Fredricksburg and points south should be pretty smooth sailing.
 
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uberdiesel

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This is a no brainer. Unless you have family or a reason to go through DC, forget about it. Enjoy one of the most beautiful roadways in the world on 81! If you are in the Hudson River Valley, aren't you on or near 81 anyway?

The only city you pass through is never-crowded Roanoke.

I've done both routes (95 or 81) easily twenty times each, traveling between school in Boston, then work in NYC, home in Philly, Atlanta and SC!!

Have a great trip. Either way.

Best Regards!
 

RuneTDI

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thank you everyone for the great ideas and to digital4n6 for the free stayover- we (wife and 2 kids, also) are shooting for columbia, sc, or savannah, ga, by sat 5-7pm, so we'll just grab a hotel for the night, but thanks anyway- very nice of you to offer.

we're planning on 81/77. i'm betting on a lot of trucks and cars that sat on 95. add in presidents day weekend and hello 81/77. if i can keep it at 10 over the limit the whole trip, we should be ok. keep the ideas coming, thanks, rune
 

berks_tom

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Just tossing an idea in here similar to suggestion from ofhs93. A couple of years ago I traveled from the DC area (following a business trip) to Williamsburg and found I-95 to be horrendous from DC until Fredericksburg-- roughly halfway to Richmond. After that it opened up. So 2 years ago when I traveled from home to FL and back for a Nascar race I found a way to avoid that section of I-95.

If you're planning to run down I-81 you will be passing Harrisburg, PA. At Harrisburg, head South on Rt 15 through Maryland and into Virginia. After passing Leesburg, Rt 15 shrinks to a smaller road, but traffic isn't bad. From Rt 15 take Rt 17 South which will bring you back onto I-95 at Fredericksburg. This route gives a wide berth of DC and avoids the worst of the I-95 traffic (that I had previously experienced).
 

Variant TDI

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RuneTDI said:
i like the 81/77 idea.
Hills-n-truks. If you like going up hills at 45, and down them at 90... you'll love 81 through VA.

95 really isn't that bad, but like everyone's said... timing is key. Hit the DC area on Saturday or Sunday early in the morning,it'll be fine.
Even during the week, if you hit the beltway before 5am, it's fairly smooth running.
 

btcost

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having done both I vote for 81/77

southern Virginia (just past Galax) and into N.Carolina is one of the nicest roads I have seen on the east coast.
 

greenskeeper

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When I lived in the poconos we would take I-81 south instead of I-95 to get to florida. It was about 30miles longer but took less time.

I'd suggest taking I-81 but getting off on I-66 (newer road, nice) and then taking Rt 17 south (not a highway but you can do 60mph 90% of the way) to I-95 which will dump you off just about Richmond.

I've done Orlando to Mt pocono in 16hrs before...1 stop for fuel and hauling @ss the whole way!
 

RuneTDI

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crap- daytona 500 on the 14th

i just realized that the mother of all nascar races is running the 14th, same day i'll be passing through. anyone know the timeframes of when the 95 traffic starts to build up and how far north of daytona it will be? alternatives?
 

rme

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Suggest you take I-295 when your coming down I-95 just north of Jacksonville. Then get off on I-10. Watch yourself this is a quick exit and is not well marked. You will have around 15 miles on I-295. Once on I-10 go West until you see exit 343, for Highway 301. Exit and proceed south again until you get to Waldo (Fl) then follow the signs to I-75. It will take you thru Gainesville but that isn't to bad. Four lanes most of the way. I normally go thru Waldo and keep going south for about another 15-20 miles then start following signs to I-75. But I know where I'm going (most of the time)! Once on I-75 get ready to cruise around 80mph +. That highway is fast and all the floridians are trying to get somewhere in a hurry as well as the snow birds. Proceed to I-4 then exit and go East. Orlando is about 1 hour from the junction. "DO NOT GO THRU ORLANDO....UNLESS YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF HOURS TO BURN. THAT PLACE AS WELL AS DAYTONA WILL BE BUMPER TO BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC!"

When entering the towns of Waldo, Lawtey, and Starke drive the speed limit. Do not drive 1 mph over or they will ticket you. You will see the billboards announcing they are speed traps. Need more info PM me and I'll shoot you my home phone and we can go over your route on the phone.
 

VWWV

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If you are not getting off I 95 at Daytona, you will not experience significant traffic delays because of The Race. I 95 south is 5 or 6 lanes in that area and traffic fills the exit lanes as well as the emergency lane. The lanes going on south will be moving at speed. I definitely would not get off I 95 in Jacksonville to make that loop over to Gainesville. Way, way out of the way (song title?) if your destination is east coast. Even if there is an unlikely delay at Daytona, it won't justify the extra 2 hours (or more) to make the loop. Sounds like a Map Quest route to me. If you are picking up I 4 west at Daytona, you will experience some exit delay but once you clear the exit, it will be classical I 4 traffic going west. All this is based on your prior info that you plan to spend the night in/around Savannah and your Daytona ETA. It's the post-race traffic that is really bad leaving Daytona. Roads are full of drunks and NASCAR wannabes.
 
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