For those folks driving!

We are driving from Wichita KS, does anyone have any advice on which route to take? It scares me to think about driving thru Atlanta. We are going the end of August.

Also driving from midwest. I posted a similar question. The only tip I got was to take the HOV lane through Atlanta and it doesn't do much good to take the highway going around Atlanta. It is about the same amount of time. You are just moving rather than sitting in traffic.
 
I live in Georgia and north of Atlanta
I always drive through Atlanta in the morning and do not have traffic issues when driving to Orlando
Usually I hit Atlanta about 8:15-30 am

Maybe I just get lucky...

Returning home from Florida, I try to hit Atlanta m-th before 3:00

This has worked for me


I avoid the Friday/Saturday travel
in Atlanta
 
I avoid the Friday/Saturday travel
in Atlanta

I wish....

Why is Saturday so bad in Atlanta? I get Friday, people traveling for both work and play but why Saturday? Just curious. Unfortunately we will be hitting Atlanta at around 5 pm on a Saturday. :sad2:
 
In two weeks we will be making then drive again from PA to FL. Last year we tried the 81 route and liked it a lot and will be doing it again. Skipping all that traffic below DC and Richmond area is worth it for us.
 


I wish....

Why is Saturday so bad in Atlanta? I get Friday, people traveling for both work and play but why Saturday? Just curious. Unfortunately we will be hitting Atlanta at around 5 pm on a Saturday. :sad2:
Sometimes you have stuff going on in the city that can affect traffic. There is basically two ways to go through Atlanta: use 285 which is the beltway around the city or the Interstates of 75 & 85. Those two interstates merge together in Downtown Atlanta ( refered to as the Connector on the traffic report) and split back apart after downtown. This connector is usually where it’s going to back up. I live off of 75 slightly north of Atlanta. I am driving down to Disney this Saturday. I am going to take 285 and go around the western side of beltway to hit 75 pending google map check.
 
Sometimes you have stuff going on in the city that can affect traffic. There is basically two ways to go through Atlanta: use 285 which is the beltway around the city or the Interstates of 75 & 85. Those two interstates merge together in Downtown Atlanta ( refered to as the Connector on the traffic report) and split back apart after downtown. This connector is usually where it’s going to back up. I live off of 75 slightly north of Atlanta. I am driving down to Disney this Saturday. I am going to take 285 and go around the western side of beltway to hit 75 pending google map check.

Keep us posted on how it goes.
 
In two weeks we will be making then drive again from PA to FL. Last year we tried the 81 route and liked it a lot and will be doing it again. Skipping all that traffic below DC and Richmond area is worth it for us.

I don’t know why, but when my husband suggests to take 81, I cringe! I feel like it’s out of the way and boring. However, it totally serves its purpose of avoiding traffic!! Anytime we take 95, no matter what time of day, we have at least an hour of traffic!! Then my husband gives me the “should have took 81” line. I think I like 95 so much too because the kids favorite part of the trip is looking for Pedro signs in North Carolina! It does give us something to do for a little bit!! LOL
 


I don’t know why, but when my husband suggests to take 81, I cringe! I feel like it’s out of the way and boring. However, it totally serves its purpose of avoiding traffic!! Anytime we take 95, no matter what time of day, we have at least an hour of traffic!! Then my husband gives me the “should have took 81” line. I think I like 95 so much too because the kids favorite part of the trip is looking for Pedro signs in North Carolina! It does give us something to do for a little bit!! LOL

We always count the Pedro signs!!! They've definitely gone down in numbers over the years, but it's still something fun to do to pass the time in NC. :D We debate taking taking 81 (a lot of people in our area take that route) but DH prefers to take 95. His reasoning is that if we take 81, we *know* it will take at least an hour longer than 95. If we take 95, we *might* have delays but it will still usually be faster. I will say that out of our last 7 trips, we've only had significant delays on 95 on 2 of them...and one of those was due to a major accident with multiple fatalities so the road was closed in *both* directions for almost an entire day (we lost about 2-3 hours of time that day due to *every* alternate route being packed). There were also accidents on the 81 route that day as well (no bad weather) so it was going to be a long day no matter which way we went that time! We try to leave home by 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday so we tend to be through the DC area by 9:00 which keeps us ahead of the worst traffic.
 
I don’t know why, but when my husband suggests to take 81, I cringe! I feel like it’s out of the way and boring. However, it totally serves its purpose of avoiding traffic!! Anytime we take 95, no matter what time of day, we have at least an hour of traffic!! Then my husband gives me the “should have took 81” line. I think I like 95 so much too because the kids favorite part of the trip is looking for Pedro signs in North Carolina! It does give us something to do for a little bit!! LOL
We always hit traffic on 95, and we pick up 95 below DC if we don't take 81 all the way down, so I can't blame it on the city traffic. The reason we finally tried the 81 route last year was because our relatives who live in SC kept talking about how much calmer of a drive it is and they always take it up here. I got the directions for the 81 route on this thread (81-77-26-95). It is a pretty drive during the day, but I can see how it's more "boring", especially at night. My kids are all young adults and we take several cars if we all go to WDW together so the calmer drive puts me more at ease with them driving.

We always count the Pedro signs!!! They've definitely gone down in numbers over the years, but it's still something fun to do to pass the time in NC. :D We debate taking taking 81 (a lot of people in our area take that route) but DH prefers to take 95. His reasoning is that if we take 81, we *know* it will take at least an hour longer than 95. If we take 95, we *might* have delays but it will still usually be faster. I will say that out of our last 7 trips, we've only had significant delays on 95 on 2 of them...and one of those was due to a major accident with multiple fatalities so the road was closed in *both* directions for almost an entire day (we lost about 2-3 hours of time that day due to *every* alternate route being packed). There were also accidents on the 81 route that day as well (no bad weather) so it was going to be a long day no matter which way we went that time! We try to leave home by 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday so we tend to be through the DC area by 9:00 which keeps us ahead of the worst traffic.
I was very hesitant to do it also, because I thought it would take much longer. But I can say that for us it took about the same amount of time to get to our overnight stop in Savannah that it did on 95. When we drive home we do it in one shot and it was about 17 hours, which is the same as when we take 95. Technically, the drive takes 15 hours, but with stops it adds another 2 hours roughly for us.

We'll see how long it takes this time. We leave in 2 weeks.
 
we will be making the drive from Houston on June 1st. I have heard some people say to get a Sunpass for Florida toll roads, they have pre-paid ones? Has anyone done this? is it that much more convenient? thanks for the help!
 
We will be driving for the first time from Delaware. Planning on mainly using 95. Our question is leave around 4:00AM Friday morning or same time Saturday morning. Would it really make a difference or would Friday have less traffic as most people will be at work. Thanks for any advice.
 
We will be driving for the first time from Delaware. Planning on mainly using 95. Our question is leave around 4:00AM Friday morning or same time Saturday morning. Would it really make a difference or would Friday have less traffic as most people will be at work. Thanks for any advice.

If you leave DE at 4:00 on a Friday morning you should be fine.

On I-95 from DC southbound, weekday afternoons are crowded, but Friday afternoons are extra crowded. The difference on Friday is that I always see plenty of additional out-of-state plates from NJ, DE, NY, PA, along with other northeast states and often Ontario too. I assume that many people decide to get a head start on their vacation and decide to leave on Friday - however many forget to plan ahead (like you are, so congrats) and leave home normal morning or mid-morning and end up joining me and thousands of my friends on 95 right around rush hour (which on Fridays is pretty much anything between noon and 8:00). So if you leave early enough to pass through before noon you may find a slight delay but not major. The slowdown is generally anywhere from MM170 in Springfield to MM126 in Fredericksburg, and once south of there it's fine until you get to Richmond, and always always always take I-295 around Richmond (more travel lanes and higher speed limit) instead of staying on I-95 through Richmond.

And on the way home, the same people who pass through here on Friday afternoons tend to all try to get home on Sunday afternoon and evening - and I-95 northbound tends to get really backed up between MM118 in Thornburg up to MM140 in Stafford, then has good and bad spots up to the beltway in DC. For those continuing north to DE, NJ, and similar, if you leave I-295 going around Richmond and take US-301 north it will take you more toward a eastern route and will make for a much more scenic and pleasurable drive than watching brake lights for a few hours.

Enjoy your trip!

Also, here's a handy site to know what's located at a given exit on I-95... https://www.i95exitguide.com/
 
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Driving from WDW to Detroit the weekend after the 4th. Should I expect Sunday traffic to be a lot worse than Saturday? I need to make a hotel reservation and am wondering where we should plan to stop. Any advice? I am thinking Lexington maybe.
 
We are driving from Wichita KS, does anyone have any advice on which route to take? It scares me to think about driving thru Atlanta. We are going the end of August.

I drove from minneapolis 5 years ago for the last week of August and on way down, drove thru Atlanta on a Sunday about noon. Right thru the center, no issue. Week later hit it on a Saturday, midday. Went beltway and it was fine.

Things may have gotten worse but probabaly nothing to get too anxious over. Waze has been really good and finding the best route so an app like that should help
 
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If you leave DE at 4:00 on a Friday morning you should be fine.

On I-95 from DC southbound, weekday afternoons are crowded, but Friday afternoons are extra crowded. The difference on Friday is that I always see plenty of additional out-of-state plates from NJ, DE, NY, PA, along with other northeast states and often Ontario too. I assume that many people decide to get a head start on their vacation and decide to leave on Friday - however many forget to plan ahead (like you are, so congrats) and leave home normal morning or mid-morning and end up joining me and thousands of my friends on 95 right around rush hour (which on Fridays is pretty much anything between noon and 8:00). So if you leave early enough to pass through before noon you may find a slight delay but not major. The slowdown is generally anywhere from MM170 in Springfield to MM126 in Fredericksburg, and once south of there it's fine until you get to Richmond, and always always always take I-295 around Richmond (more travel lanes and higher speed limit) instead of staying on I-95 through Richmond.

And on the way home, the same people who pass through here on Friday afternoons tend to all try to get home on Sunday afternoon and evening - and I-95 northbound tends to get really backed up between MM118 in Thornburg up to MM140 in Stafford, then has good and bad spots up to the beltway in DC. For those continuing north to DE, NJ, and similar, if you leave I-295 going around Richmond and take US-301 north it will take you more toward a eastern route and will make for a much more scenic and pleasurable drive than watching brake lights for a few hours.

Enjoy your trip!

Also, here's a handy site to know what's located at a given exit on I-95... https://www.i95exitguide.com/

I will be heading to WDW the day after Thanksgiving this year. Plan on leaving between 3-4am. Do you think there will be extra traffic due to it being a holiday weekend? Thanks!
 
I will be heading to WDW the day after Thanksgiving this year. Plan on leaving between 3-4am. Do you think there will be extra traffic due to it being a holiday weekend? Thanks!

Only speaking for I-95 between DC and Richmond - it will probably be busy anytime during the day on Black Friday due to shoppers going north and south at various hours, but as for the large workforce of govt employees and contractors in the region, most take that day off so at least the commuter traffic is lower.

But if you leave 3-4am from NJ you'd come through this area 6-8am or so and probably be fine.
 
Going to drive to Florida for the first time from Ct on June 19 and driving back home June 28th. Originally we were going to drive straight thru but I think it may be better if we stop somewhere overnight. Hoping to get to Orlando no later then 1pm on the 20th. I figure we will do most of the driving on the 19th. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Feeling very overwhelmed about this.

I know this post is about 5 months old but you still have time before your trip. I have driven to WDW from CT 3 times (3 years in a row) and have thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Last 2 times I have left at midnight and wound up in Savannah area by 3 pm. I only stop for gas (everyone hits restrooms) and we're back on. Next day we leave about 10 am stop and sit down for lunch, wind up in Lake Buena Vista around 3 (perfect for check in). Way back we have stayed in NC or Virginia. As long as you stretch when you stop, have food in car and have a wonderful co-pilot...you should do just fine. We have always taken 95, I just like it better plus there's good places for gas/restrooms...on way back we do 81. BTW if you haven't gotten one already, look into EZ Pass for tolls, it's awesome not having to stop and pay cash.
 
I know this post is about 5 months old but you still have time before your trip. I have driven to WDW from CT 3 times (3 years in a row) and have thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Last 2 times I have left at midnight and wound up in Savannah area by 3 pm. I only stop for gas (everyone hits restrooms) and we're back on. Next day we leave about 10 am stop and sit down for lunch, wind up in Lake Buena Vista around 3 (perfect for check in). Way back we have stayed in NC or Virginia. As long as you stretch when you stop, have food in car and have a wonderful co-pilot...you should do just fine. We have always taken 95, I just like it better plus there's good places for gas/restrooms...on way back we do 81. BTW if you haven't gotten one already, look into EZ Pass for tolls, it's awesome not having to stop and pay cash.
I know this post is about 5 months old but you still have time before your trip. I have driven to WDW from CT 3 times (3 years in a row) and have thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Last 2 times I have left at midnight and wound up in Savannah area by 3 pm. I only stop for gas (everyone hits restrooms) and we're back on. Next day we leave about 10 am stop and sit down for lunch, wind up in Lake Buena Vista around 3 (perfect for check in). Way back we have stayed in NC or Virginia. As long as you stretch when you stop, have food in car and have a wonderful co-pilot...you should do just fine. We have always taken 95, I just like it better plus there's good places for gas/restrooms...on way back we do 81. BTW if you haven't gotten one already, look into EZ Pass for tolls, it's awesome not having to stop and pay cash.


Thank you! We plan on stopping in Savannah for the night too and leaving CT around 7pm the night before. Where have you stayed in Savannah? I still haven’t booked a room yet. We have a EZ pass so I’m happy that will help us.
 
Thank you! We plan on stopping in Savannah for the night too and leaving CT around 7pm the night before. Where have you stayed in Savannah? I still haven’t booked a room yet. We have a EZ pass so I’m happy that will help us.

Our ist trip we stayed at Country Inn and Suites on Yvette Johnson Hagins Dr.
I would highly suggest staying there, it's nice...I believe they had complimentary breakfast. Right on the property there is a gas station (so convenient!) There was a Walmart and lots of restaurants not far down the road. I would stay there again for sure! If you're looking for something cheaper but safe, we have stayed in Richmond Hill at Super 8 and also Dogwood Inn & Suites, same town. Have you thought about where you'll stay on way back?? Are you stopping twice or driving straight thru to Savannah? I would suggest leaving at a different time or you will arrive far too soon to check in. We have left at 5 am and made it to Savannah about 830 pm. The midnight trip we arrived at 3 pm.
 
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I was just getting ready to print off my driving directions from MO to our resort. Funny thing...I have been using Googlemaps which gives estimated driving time 16 hr 5 min. This time I used Mapquest and it gives an estimated driving time of 17 hr 39 min. Any thoughts on why there is such a difference?
 

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