"Musts" for I95 Stops

[barbeml]

On our first drive to the World from NJ last Fall, we made the obligatory stop at South of the Border. Hilarious. Also, we really enjoyed the Cracker Barrels for cheap eats.

What are some of the places you always stop along the way? Best restaurants, rest stops, souvenirs, tourist traps, etc.

 

[n2mm]

My husband works at the Disney Catalog outlet in Potomac Mills, VA (off of 95). You wouldn't believe how many people stop in the store on their way to WDW and on their way home from WDW. It can be hit or miss, but you never know what you might find.

 

[sueg]

We love to stop to eat in Mannassas, VA. In particular, the Macaroni Grille. I'm not big on fast food and this is a guaranteed good meal. Not a typical stop, but a real favorite w/ our family.

 

[SamR]

...we made the obligatory stop at South of the Border.

Since you brought up "South of the Border"...

Does anyone else make a game out of keeping count of the "South of the Border" billboards? ("You're always a weiner at Pedro's South of the Border"...)

I think that we've counted up to about one hundred before, and we don't even get on I-95 until I-40 intersects it near Raleigh. I know we usually see our first one shortly after we merge onto I-95...Don't know how much further north the billboards go.

The things we do to amuse ourselves on long drives!

 

[barbeml]

And those billboards are so much more entertaining than the actual place!!

 

[dylansdad]

Great thread: DW not happy with the price of air for upcoming April trip ($1500 for the 3 of us) She wants to drive says itll be fun. I'm not so sure cause 4yo Dylan asks are we there yet on the 1 hour drive to the shore. We live about 40 mins from the delaware memorial bridge, any tips on driving? Thanks

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I think there's a SOTB billboard just off I-95 here in Richmond. Not sure if there are any further north.

For anyone looking for Disney outlets, there is one at an outlet mall south of Jacksonville, near St. Augustine, I believe.

 

[Pat_Elliott]

We have two "obligations" when driving down from PA: #1, hit a Stucky's and get a chicken salad sandwich. As a child my family drove to NC every year (relatives) and it just doesn't seem like a trip south without a Stucky's chicken salad sandwich. And a Mr. Pibb.

Our other obligation? Drive very fast past South of the Border. Never, never again. The first time you drive down, you're expecting the Taj Mahal. Instead, you get a cross between Tijuana and Sea Isle City, done in miniature.

 

[barbeml]

dylansdad--we are already planning to drive again. I will admit part of it is that I hate to fly and am particulary nervous about it these days. But driving was so much more enjoyable for us when we tried it for the first time last fall. Since we used to stay at Philly Airport Hilton night before in order to fly out first thing in the AM, we were spending a lot of hours and money in addition to the actual flight.

By driving, we left when we wanted to, stopped when we wanted to, and had a lot more elbow room! I packed a cooler with sandwiches, salad, fruit, and lots of beverages, and that became our in-room mini bar (without the outrageous prices). We listened to a couple of books on CD which really ate up the miles. Also, my Hubby is a land surveyor so we had his GPS unit on the dash and watched the miles fly by. We spent one night on the road each way (Hampton Inns in Rchmond Hill VA and Fayetteville NC respectively). We still saved a bundle compared to flying. I think we did the round trip on 6 tanks of gas (I have a Cavalier) with some to spare.

I don't have kids, but it might help to give them a simple map for tracking progress.

There are lots of clean facilities and inexpensive places to eat en route. We arrived at the World far more refreshed and ready to go than we ever have by plane. One of the biggest plusses was having our car and not having to depend on WDW transport to visit others resorts and DTD.

We collect animation art and just popped it in the trunk--no carry on hassles.

Drive safely and good luck!!

 

[DisneyPoly]

We just returned from driving to WDW. We left on a Tues. afternoon at 1:00 -- wanted to leave earlier but kids had some tests to take before leaving -- drove until 7:00 -- stopped 1 hr. for dinner and then drove till about 11:00 -- we stayed over in Florence, S.C. Left 8:30 a.m. on Wed. a.m., stopped in Augusta, GA for 1/2 hour for lunch and then arrived at OKW at 3:00 p.m.

Ride down was great -- ride home seemed a lot longer. We stayed in Disney till 1:00 p.m. (had planned to leave by 11:00, but weather was so great, we couldn't get motivated), had hoped to drive till 11:00, but only made it till 9:00 and kids were tired. Stayed again in Florence and then drove home to Philly following day.

I HATE to fly, so don't mind the drive. We've taken the AutoTrain in the past, and have found that enjoyable also. The kids liked the car ride better because they could watch DVDs and play Game Cube, on the AutoTrain you don't have easy access to outlets. The plus in taking the train is you arrive in Sanford at 8:30 (if you're on time).

The drive is as good as you make it. With a positive attitude, it can be a fun trip!

 

[dylansdad]

Thanks, but where do you stop to see the big ball-o-twine?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Not exactly the sort of "stop" envisioned in the thread, but if you have the time, seeing a bit of St. Augustine is interesting.

 

[hobogary]

JR's is similar to South of the Boarder, not nearly as big, we like St. Augustine and also Brunswick, Ga. Maybe too far north for you, but the Best Western at Kings Dominion amusment park has snowbird specials in the winter.Also kind of a back road to Disney, but Silver Springs in Ocala is very nice.

 

[mom23guys2]

Dylan's Dad
If you're still interested in flying check bwi(great airport with SWA) and also the other 2 DC airports. The rates are significantly lower than Philly or AC.

We always make shopping stops in NC and Georgia. Once we stopped at the 8th Air Force Museum along I-95 in Georgia. It was neat for us because my Dad was a pilot in the 8th.

Definitely stop at Cracker Barrells for a good meal.
If you're going at Easter make sure to reserve a room for you're first stop, if you don't you could be looking for hours.

 

[barbeml]

hobogary--is King's Dominion all coasters or is there enough to do for chickens like me? We hated Busch Gardens Williamsburg (bad food, nonexistent crowd control, high prices, shows all running simultaneously instead of staggered so could only see two).

Thanks!

 

[hobogary]

I think its mostly costers and things, we have never been there when its open, but in the winter when its closed, the motel is quiet and cheap.

 

[mcr5298]

Well of course nothing is like Disney World as far as shows and attractions. But I'm sure that there are other good amusement parks around. Forget about Great Adventure, that has gone down the tubes in my opinion.

Here is a link to Paramont's Kings Dominion web-site:

http://www.kingsdominion.com/

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Originally posted by DisneyPoly
We just returned from driving to WDW. We left on a Tues. afternoon at 1:00 -- wanted to leave earlier but kids had some tests to take before leaving -- drove until 7:00 -- stopped 1 hr. for dinner and then drove till about 11:00 -- we stayed over in Florence, S.C. Left 8:30 a.m. on Wed. a.m., stopped in Augusta, GA for 1/2 hour for lunch and then arrived at OKW at 3:00 p.m.



The drive is as good as you make it. With a positive attitude, it can be a fun trip!

Thanks for the info neighbor We just ordered our Honda Odyssey which we bought with intentions of driving to WDW once a year, and fly once. Glad to hear it is not that bad. We will be traveling to HH in June so that will definatley be our test run
We will be traveling with a 4 year old, so that might add a few hours to the trip with potty breaks

 

[barbeml]

mcr5298--Thanks for the link, it looks promising. I agree--Great Adventure is the pits. I was first there as a little kid the day Nixon resigned and it was a beautifully lanscaped park with a family atmosphere. Now, I would not enter the place without head-to-toe body armor.