1st time driving from NY to So Fla...route advice needed

[crazy charlie]

Hello all ,hoping everyone is staying safe.We usually get off long Island for a few weeks and fly to So Fla to get out of the cold.Flying is freaking us out so we are considering driving to So Fla for the 1st time .We are def not the "I drove straight thru in 20 hours " type.Plan is to drive 6-8 hours and stop and stay somewhere on the shore for 2 - 3 days and then continue the trip same way till we get to Ft.Lauderdale.Anyone have a best route or best place to stop .Trying to plan out a relaxing 2 week trip rather than flying this year.Experienced snow bird advice wanted!! Thanks Charlie

 

[redneck joe]

Only done it the 20 hour in one kinda thing so not too much help but have done similar on other paths and my only real input is to not plan your stops. Especially with covid, hotels will not be booked so last minute works - priceline if you want the fun of doing that. Drive until tired(ish), find a good place to eat (yelp) and while eating book a room. Better yet airbnb. We do that and honestly i'd say our house is more hygienic than any hotel and I have no issue with someone coming in, going upstairs and then leaving in the morning. We don't get many so I can wait a few days to a few weeks before I go and clean the room.

 

[Scott Danforth]

taking 3 days to drive from NY to FL would drive me nuts. Im the type to get in and simply go...... and 20-30 hours later I am at my destination.
We routinely drive from Florida to Wisconsin (driving past @redneck joe ) and do it in one trip, with a 2 hour nap at a rest stop along the way. shortest time for that 1500 mile drive is 20 hours, average is 24 hours.

Last cross-country trip to see the sights was a roughly planned trip with 3-4 hours, a stop to see something followed by 3-4 hours and a stop to see something. normally 10-12 hours of driving and 3 stops and a hotel. for rough planning, we took an atlas and the roadside america website and simply marked where things were.... and along the way we changed our mind often. covered 5600 miles in 6 days.

however, from NY to FL, get on I95 and head south.

Agree with Joe, dont try to make it a regimented trip, play it by ear.

plenty of places to stop along the way. I would do one stop in the Carolinas and enjoy some of the scenery.

 

[southkogs]

I routinely (the last few years) drive about 10 hours one way, and in one trip. Anymore I can still handle about 16 straight, but that's about it. Typically, we are going somewhere on a timeline, so it's like Scott said ... punch it, and go.

BUT, if you've got the time there are some great cities on your way down to FL. You could be in the Virginia Beach, Norfolk area relatively easily - Maybe even make it down to Wilmington, NC. That would tee up an easy drive to Savannah, Jacksonville, or St Augustine. From there, you're about 9 hours to Key West, so you've got most of the rest of Florida covered.

 

[aspeck]

I pick up 95 after DC and in 18 hours am in Ft Lauderdale. I drive nonstop to Denver, also. That is why my wife says any vacation we go on over a 6 hour drive, she wants to fly.

Joe’s suggestion about stops is what I would say also. If you want scenic instead of I-95, go east before DC and pick up 301 to 50 to 13 and drive down the Delmarva peninsula, overnight at Chincoteague, cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and pick up I-95 south of Virginia Beach. Second stop would be at Nags Head or in that vicinity. Then to I-95 and Ft Lauderdale.

 

[tpenfield]

I do Boston, MA to Palm Beach FL in 2 days (about 11-12 hours each day) . . . If I have old people (75+) with me, it takes longer because they can't ride in the car as long and are more fussy about where they eat meals, etc. Just went there at the beginning of this month . . . then flew out to CA and then back to MA.

For driving to So FL . . .
I-95 is pretty much it. From LI Get on I-95 south -> NJ tpke -> merges back to I-95. I usually do 895 around Baltimore, but it has been under construction, so maybe 695 or just keep on 95 would be better. The GPS may want to take you down 295 after Baltimore towards Washington, but I don't think it is worth it, so stay on 95. At Washington DC, you'll want to follow 95/495, which goes around the eastern side of the city (not Tysons Corner). After that it is pretty much I-95 the whole way south. There are a few speed traps in the NC - SC - GA area, so be aware when the speed limit drops from 70 to 60 (or 55) for no apparent reason.

Figure that you are going to loose about 1 hour due to traffic in the MD - Wash. DC - VA area because there is a lot of construction and often some crashes in those states.

Can't help you with places to stop off for a few days, as we go right through, stopping only at Benson, NC (I think) for the night. There is a Hampton Inn and a Dog Park there (if you are bringing critters) . . . but no place to eat except fast food . We usually pack a cooler of food and adult beverages for when we stop.

 

[dingbat]

DC is always a nightmare waiting to happen.
At issue, both bridges (Wilson and American Legion) that cross the river in metro DC area are part of the Capital Beltway. Don't take much to turn the Beltway into a parking lot.

Rt. 95 is under construction between DC and Fredericksburg, Va. I would the avoid that area if at all possible.

Take 95 to Rt. 1/13 just south of Wilmington. Follow Rt. 13 to Va. Beach. At that point you can take Rt. 58 back out to Rt. 95 at Emporia Va. or take Rt. 17S down to Rt. 64 and hit Rt. 95 in Rocky Mount NC.

If you want a true scenic route, Rt. 17 will take you all the way to the Florida line.

The other possibility (bypass the DC / Fredericksburg corridor) is stay on Interstate 95 to the Capital Beltway South (95/495S), to Richmond, then take Capital Beltway Exit 7A Branch Ave. (Rt. 5S). Rt. 5 turns into Rt. 301 in Brandywine, MD. Stay on Rt. 301 (cross the Potomac at Dahlgren) until you hit Interstate 295 outside of Richmond.

BTW: Beware of the Express toll lanes in Virginia. The tolls are set based on main thoroughfare backups. A couple sections are notoriously for high fares.....one $40+ to go 7 miles

 

[JASinIL2006]

Richmond, VA is a beautiful city... if you want to sightsee, it’s a lovely place to spend some time. Right on I95, a couple hours south of DC.

 

[ahicks]

I can't help you with a route (though it would seem 95 would be hard to beat), but after driving off the road a few years ago, and living to tell about it, I would NEVER advise or encourage anyone to make a drive like that straight through. There's very little to be gained, and it can cause you a very bad day if things get sideways on you.

When young, I could do stuff like that without even a second thought. That started changing at 50 or so. Unless you make a living doing this sort of thing, don't even try it!

We're snowbirds, commuting from Mi to FL and back once a year. We split the drive in half and take a break in the middle. That's about 10 hours of driving, and the wife gives me a break (time for a short nap) mid day.

 

[crazy charlie]

Thanks all,I am taking it all in.Still no way I am getting behind the wheel and driving straight thru.I CAN,I AM CAPABLE OF DOING IT ,But have absolutely no interest in doing it.If as I understand I can get on 95 and bypass the DC nightmare, that all seem to agree on,I would like to do that and shortly after pull up to the shore and stay somewhere nice for a few days and move on from there.Charlie

 

[dingbat]

If as I understand I can get on 95 and bypass the DC nightmare, that all seem to agree on,I would like to do that and shortly after pull up to the shore and stay somewhere nice for a few days and move on from there.

If you take Rt. 13 south out of Wilmington to Virginia Beach, you pass right by all the Delaware and Maryland beaches.

If you stay on Rt. 17 (south) of Va. Beach, you pass right by, or thru, all the NC and SC beaches.

At issue, the farther south you go on Rt. 17, the longer it takes to get back to Rt. 95.

Go too far and you might as well stay on Rt.17 until it runs back into Rt. 95 south of Charleston.

 

[crazy charlie]

All great info guys!! Thanks