Driving from NH

[GeekDad]

In less then two weeks I will be driving from NH down to WDW. We are renting a van and will have 4 adults and two 2&1/2 year olds (yes we are insane). We are driving for a few reasons but that's not really important right now. We will be leaving very late at night on the 11th but don't check in till the 13th so we have plenty of time. We will be following I95 most if not all of the way down to FL. I have three questions;

1. We will be making plenty of stops on our way down and back to let the kids get out and stretch as well as get some energy out for the day. Where are some good places to stop along the way anywhere south of DC that aren't too far off of I95?

2. Any suggestions on places to stay for the night of the 12th in FL? Depending on how many stops we need to make we could be anywhere from the top of FL to just outside of WDW before we stop for the night.

3. If we are following I95 all the way down would we be ok taking I4 from I95 or should we look into an alternate route like following I95 all the way to state route 528 or taking I4 and then detouring around Orlando?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and assistance.

 

[brifraz]

In less then two weeks I will be driving from NH down to WDW. We are renting a van and will have 4 adults and two 2&1/2 year olds (yes we are insane). We are driving for a few reasons but that's not really important right now. We will be leaving very late at night on the 11th but don't check in till the 13th so we have plenty of time. We will be following I95 most if not all of the way down to FL. I have three questions;

1. We will be making plenty of stops on our way down and back to let the kids get out and stretch as well as get some energy out for the day. Where are some good places to stop along the way anywhere south of DC that aren't too far off of I95?

2. Any suggestions on places to stay for the night of the 12th in FL? Depending on how many stops we need to make we could be anywhere from the top of FL to just outside of WDW before we stop for the night.

3. If we are following I95 all the way down would we be ok taking I4 from I95 or should we look into an alternate route like following I95 all the way to state route 528 or taking I4 and then detouring around Orlando?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and assistance.

South of the Border is definitely in the dive category. I wouldn't call it outdated, I'd go with cheap. I've driven from Maryland at least 20 times in my life. A big highlight used to be watching the South of the Border signs that started, no joke, in central Virginia and became more frequent as you drove the next 300 miles. The large majority of the signs are gone now and they only start in central North Carolina, so some of the fun is lost. We stopped there a couple trips ago just so our daughter could see it and it was just a bit sad. Last time I had visited was in the late 90s and it was cheap, but not nearly as dirty and run down as it is now.

In terms of hitting/avoiding traffic....I highly recommend night driving. Not necessarily through the overnight (although I usually do that), but late is great for I95. The DC Beltway/Northern Virginia area is actually far worse than people say. If you don't get around DC either before 8am or after 10pm you will be sitting in traffic (and sometimes 10pm it is still bad).

I'm assuming that with 4 adults you will be switching off driving and with a van, you will be sleeping while driving. It's about 8 hours (without stops) from Concord to DC, so if you get on the road at 9pm and go straight through the night even with a a couple stops, you should hit DC before the morning chaos. Luckily the morning is not as bad as the late afternoon, so even if you hit DC after 10 hours driving (with stops) you will likely be OK. If you can get through DC by 8-9am you should be OK.

There is a huge mall just a bit south of DC right on I95 - Potomac Mills. Might be a good place to get out and walk around a bit. Lots of restaurants for a good breakfast are there. You'd then likely be getting to South of the Border some time late afternoon. Personally, I wouldn't eat there!!

In Florida, we have enjoyed stopping in St. Augustine (a bit off the main road, but beautiful), Daytona (easy access as someone else mentioned earlier), and our personal favorite, Orlando! Since we tend to drive overnight, we often hit I4 at about 5am. It is EMPTY until about 7am and then starts to slowly build from there. I can't think of a drive where we haven't hit DW by 9am - and it means our arrival day is a full day (although it is often a tired and somewhat slow day). The little ones will get the initial huge burst of excitement energy when you get there, but be ready for the terror that will follow since they likely won't have gotten a good night sleep in two nights.

Best of luck and have a great trip!

 

[Hot Lava]

There is a huge mall just a bit south of DC right on I95 - Potomac Mills

PM has spent a lot of years going downhill. And keep in mind there aren't restaurants in the mall. A food court, but that is it. There are a lot of chain restaurants in that area, but driving around there can be confusing. It is not laid out particularly well. Not too far south of there is Fredericksburg. The main drag there can be heavy traffic, but there is just about every imaginable chain restaurant and box store there in F'burg.

I would say that Richmond may be your last major stop for awhile when driving south (that is right there on 95). After Richmond there is not a whole lot as far as major areas (unless you get away from 95).

 

[zurgandfriend]

Yea I've heard its pretty outdated now but I still want to check it out and it should be interesting for my wife to see how it has changed from when she was last there. I'll be sure to post our impressions on it if we are able to stop there.

I tell everyone to not bother with South of the Border. it's dirty and all they sell are cheap trickets and junk. That said I know from experience with all the signs etc you'll stop, but just make sure to bring hand sanitizer.

 

[Disney Shib]

In less then two weeks I will be driving from NH down to WDW. We are renting a van and will have 4 adults and two 2&1/2 year olds (yes we are insane). We are driving for a few reasons but that's not really important right now. We will be leaving very late at night on the 11th but don't check in till the 13th so we have plenty of time. We will be following I95 most if not all of the way down to FL. I have three questions;

1. We will be making plenty of stops on our way down and back to let the kids get out and stretch as well as get some energy out for the day. Where are some good places to stop along the way anywhere south of DC that aren't too far off of I95?

2. Any suggestions on places to stay for the night of the 12th in FL? Depending on how many stops we need to make we could be anywhere from the top of FL to just outside of WDW before we stop for the night.

3. If we are following I95 all the way down would we be ok taking I4 from I95 or should we look into an alternate route like following I95 all the way to state route 528 or taking I4 and then detouring around Orlando?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and assistance.

I drove down from Boston a few years ago. We took two full days to drive down because we took our time but didn't have set hotel arrangements. We stopped at a rest stop somewhere in VA and they have brochure stands that had booklets with hotel deals. We would call while we were on the road and lucked out gettign rooms in Richmond at the Hilton for $55.00 for our first night on the road. On the second night we stopped in Jacksonville and found the same type of booklet. We got a room literally on Daytona Beach for $69.00. If you're going to stop anyway for a leg break and to grab food definitely check out those booklets. PLUS THEY ARE FREE!

 

[Chernaboggles]

You may have already seen this but I hadn't when I started planning our drive (from Northeastern PA), so just in case: http://www.i95exitguide.com/

 

[SMS55]

I drive from South Florida, but from Jacksonville to Orlando is about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive. If it's not too late drive to Orlando/Kissimmee and stay close by. If you aren't scheduled to check in to a Disney resort til the next day stay close by and maybe go to DTD or something.

 

[luv]

"The Next Exit" is a pretty good book for road trips.

 

[Hot Lava]

You may have already seen this but I hadn't when I started planning our drive (from Northeastern PA), so just in case: http://www.i95exitguide.com/

I have an app that is called iExit (don't know if it is the same company). It is for the whole country. I used it extensively this past summer driving across country a couple times. Very useful.

 

[Ttocs]

South of the Border only 855 mi. to go

 

[MarFV]

South of the Border is a dump. Plus, as of a few years ago, many of the shops only took cash. I think you are better off stopping at some rest areas and letting the kids run on the grass. NC and SC both have some nice ones.

 

[Alison1975]

In less then two weeks I will be driving from NH down to WDW. We are renting a van and will have 4 adults and two 2&1/2 year olds (yes we are insane). We are driving for a few reasons but that's not really important right now. We will be leaving very late at night on the 11th but don't check in till the 13th so we have plenty of time. We will be following I95 most if not all of the way down to FL. I have three questions;

1. We will be making plenty of stops on our way down and back to let the kids get out and stretch as well as get some energy out for the day. Where are some good places to stop along the way anywhere south of DC that aren't too far off of I95?

2. Any suggestions on places to stay for the night of the 12th in FL? Depending on how many stops we need to make we could be anywhere from the top of FL to just outside of WDW before we stop for the night.

3. If we are following I95 all the way down would we be ok taking I4 from I95 or should we look into an alternate route like following I95 all the way to state route 528 or taking I4 and then detouring around Orlando?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and assistance.

We've done the drive from MA many times...I highly suggest the book Drive I-95..you can get it on Amazon.

 

[zero creativity]

I live south of DC, right where mass construction is going on. There are no shoulders and lots of construction equipment. Rush hour in this area starts early so if you hit this area after noon you could be in for a long back up. 15 miles quickly becomes a 2 hour drive. If you need to stop in this area exit 158 is Potomac Mills mall and lots of chain restaurants. Exit 143 is a couple of hotels and some lower end chain restaurants. After the Fredericksburg area there isn't a lot of stuff until you get to Richmond. After Richmond there is a lot of nothing.