Driving down from DC area

[punkin]

I am driving down alone with two children (10 and 4). Never did this before. We are leaving Friday, Nov 22 (at 2:30 pm) and hope to be in WDW Saturday afternoon. Any advice on a safe place to stay overnight on I95 and good places to eat.

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

First of all, good for you! I also drove alone with my 2 kids from NH to Ft. Pierce, FL, to see my parents, years ago when they were 8 and 11. I asssume you are the Mom, as I am.

First, figure how far you want to get the first night. If you don't have a good atlas, get one, and calculate your mileage. I remember deciding to make it halfway, which for me was in NC. I checked out all the Days Inns on I95 and found the best price, made a reservation and that was the first day's mission. There are web sites for all the major motel chains, and also http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm
which is excellent for finding anything on 95 from Maine to Florida.

Depending on your taste, the I 95 site link above will give you virtually every restaurant on every I95 exit, so you can pick and choose.

I 95 is so easy, you should have no problem. I grew up going to FL every other Christmas with my parents, from PA to Coral Gables (near Miami), so maybe I am more comfortable with the ride than some, but it really is a breeze.

If you have any other specific questions, shoot, but this should get you started. Good luck and have fun!

 

[punkin]

That site is relly something! It helps lots, but does anyone have personal recomendations for hotels on the way. I'd hate to wind up in a real dump with two kids late at night.

 

[JudithM]

If you are in the Santee, SC area when you want to stop for the night, then I recommend Clarke's Inn. It is a nice, clean two story motel with a restaurant in front. We have stayed there many times & have also eaten at the restaurant (both dinner & breakfast).

 

[punkin]

Actually, I was hoping to stop somewhere in North Carolina - maybe around Fayetteville or so. I don't think I could do more than 350 miles on Friday night since I'm starting out around 3:00 pm after school lets out.

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

Now that you mention it, Fayetteville was where I stopped on the trip I mentioned earlier. We stayed at a Days Inn, and there was a Denny's nearby where we had our supper.

It was no Disney resort, but it was clean, reasonable, and pre-arranged. Of course, this was a few years ago (eek - actually 10 years ago - time flies!!!), so more current recommendations would certainly help you more. Good luck.

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Punkin,

We drove down from Central PA in 2000. Spent the night at a relative in Fredericksburg, then drove until we ran out of steam, which ended up being Walterboro, SC. Best I can tell, the main economy of Walterboro, SC is conveniences for people that run out of steam on the way to Orlando.

We found a ton of hotels, both luxury and relatively safe-n-cheap varieties, plenty of sit down restaurants as well as your normal fast-food and chain fare, and some of the best gas prices we found in that neck of the woods. There also seems to be little "night life," which made us feel safer. When you wake up in the morning, you're a managable six hours from Lake Buena Vista.

 

[ZerasPride]

We are doing our first driving trip next month and I am excited (nervous, but excited). We will be staying on Hilton Head Island (DVC members) on the way down for a few days but coming back home we plan to stop in Charlotte, North Carolina and stay at a Residence Inn. I find sticking with hotel chains I'm familiar with to be the best route. I like the Marriott product as well as Hampton Inns. We got a rate on a 2 bedroom suite that is about the same as one room at the Hampton so the Residence Inn is the winner. Hope this helps a bit. You can also do a search on hotel chain websites and see what properties they have in the vicinity you are looking to stay in and/or around. That's what we did. Have a wonderful and safe trip!