When we return, we will most likely be driving from the Boston area. We plan to take two days to get there (Mapquest says about 22 hours).
Anyone done this? Any sights that I shouldn't miss on the road (probably on the way home, I want to get to Florida as quickly as possible). Any good towns to stay in?

Thanks.

A meal stop or other break at South of the Border (right at the first I-95 Southbound Exit in South Carolina) is an interesting experience, especially if you like tackiness.

Is South of the Border a town? A restaurant? A hotel?
Do tell more...

Did Hartford to Orlando in two days down (stopped in Southern NC) and arrived mid-afternoon of the second day. Drove straight through on the way back (18 hours).

South of the Border is a Mexican-themed souvenier area/tourist "destination" just south of the North Carolina/ South Carolina border. Don't worry you can't miss it. I think the signs start in Maine. (Only 1200 more miles to South of the Border!)

Quick piece of advice. Take the 295 around Richmond. It may look like it's going to take longer, but you'll save time.

And of course, take the beltway around D.C.

Bring a roll of dimes and a roll of quarters for NJ.

Living in the south I can think of lots of places starting with Savannah, St. Simons Island , we hit Daytona on the way back , by accident ( totally lost )but a great place. St. Ausustine is beautiful also .Some of these places may be out of the way but worth the trouble. North Carolina has hundreds of places a state worth looking into for vacations they have everything there. Enjoy your trip!!!!!

Is South of the Border a town? A restaurant? A hotel?
Do tell more...
It is a "suburb" of Dillon, SC. It is a very large, spread out motel with lots of restaurants, shops, gas stations, and recreational facilities/attractions.

And actually you will not see their signs until you get into North Carolina; one reason is that Maryland and Virgina do not allow billboards within 800 feet of an Interstate (unless they are on the actual property where the specified goods or services are provided).

Good luck with that (from a fellow New Englander). Let me know how it goes because I can't even imagine.

I have done it over 5 times, I live in Massachusetts.

We've done it a few different ways.
For me, and this wont work for most people, I left home after work on Friday, say 7 pm, drove all night, coffee, doritos, diet cokes and some good cds. I'm a night owl, I fish a lot in the night so I am used to it. My wife would sleep around 10pm. She'd wake around 5am, take over driving. We'd stop a few times and rest and get to Florida by early evening Saturday.
I know, its nuts, but I actually enjoy it!

The other way is to break it up. Leave after work on a Friday, target New Jersey as a stop over. You'll miss the NYC and NJ traffic. Stop for night in NJ, as far as you can get. Leave at 5am, pick an area you want to see, once we stopped at Raleigh, another time Savannah. Drive 10- 12 hrs the next day, and arrive at destination. The next day you'll have an 8hr ride or so to FLorida. So you'll be there Sunday late afternoon.

Jimmy, I don't think that I could do the first option. Even though I would save on lodging and food on the road.

But the second option doesn't sound too bad. My original plan was to do it in two days. But that leaves for two long days in the car. And I am getting there on a Sunday, and if I drive for 12 straight hours, I may not be able to get my tickets in advance, and I won't be very rested when I start on Monday.

Driving wise, would you go straing down 95 into New York, or would you go around Rhode Island (Mass Pike, to 84, to 91, back to 95)?

straight 95, but that depends on any "rush hours" around cities. If you will be near NYC during any rush hours, take the Tappan Zee Bridge route around NYC. If you use AAA, they always send you that way. Its also a little weird around NJ, where 95 becomes the Jersey turnpike, I never quite understood it.
I highly suggest you leave early or late, depending on your plans. Once you get past Washington DC, the trip is a breeze.
Major traffic areas are NYC, Jersey tolls, Baltimore and Washington DC.
Occasionally there will be a major accident once you get down south that can cause a bad delay. I think a GPS would be helpful if you need to get off 95 and go around the accident.

I've done the trip too, the key is to leave EARLY, 4-5am. That way you do 12 hours the first day, have some time to unwind and eat dinner. Then leave the next day early as well and get to FL around 3 or 4.
To some people, its very difficult, but its been easy for us.

I got a GPS for Christmas. I've only needed it a couple of times around here. I have tested it on a couple of trips that I already knew what I was doing. But a couple of weeks ago, I had to drive into Dorchester, and not only did it get me there, it also helped me find a place to eat.

We dp it every year from Long Island NY.We must be on the road at 3am not a minute later or we hit hard traffic in DC.We made it to Brunswick Ga in 16hrs and stayed at Holiday Inn (very nice) the next day is only 3-4 hours to go.We are through NYC,NJ,DELAWARE,MARYLAND AND DC IN 4.5 TO 5HRS.We only stop over now because ds is too little to make the entire way.We have done it in 16,18 20 and 21 hrs...hoping for 18-19 next trip...:D

Out of curiosity, why are you driving? You come out behind in both time and money. Assuming the IRS estimate of $.50 a mile to cover gas/oil/tires/wear and tear/depreciation, that round trip will cost you $1300. Gas alone (at 20mpg and $3/gal) will be $400.

Plane tickets from Boston to Orlando usually run about $200 a person on Southwest (although last August I managed to get a $100 round trip). Add in $100 for a ride to/from Logan, and four people could fly to WDW for $900. That saves $400 and two days over driving. Plus, depending on your work/financial situation, the two days you gain could be used either to extend your time in Florida (the $400 should cover two more hotel nights), or to allow you to work for two more days to earn money for your trip.

Flying may be an option for us, but we may also end up visiting different friends/family on the way back. Some in Northern Florida, then in Maryland, and Virginia.
Also, flying with my daughter may be a challenge to work out. She doesn't live with us, she is actually in Nevada. And I need to fly her into Boston before we go to Florida. It will be the only chance we get to get her a new military ID card, and she will have to fly back west before we are done in Florida (complicated situations here).
And there is also the rental car issue. I don't want to have to rely on Disney transportation. The last time we went, we had our own car, but one day we took the bus to the Studios. The ride over wasn't bad, but when we left, and the rain came pouring from the sky, we did not enjoy waiting for the bus.
So flying may cost $800-$900. Rental car costs about $250 or so (unless we stay longer, then it goes up), so the difference doesn't seem to be that great.

Assuming the IRS estimate of $.50 a mile to cover gas/oil/tires/wear and tear/depreciation, that round trip will cost you $1300.
The only problem with looking at it that way is that you are not using "real" dollars for computing travel costs. And what I mean by that is the actual out of pocket expenses during the time of travel. While there may be expenses in preparing a car for a long trip, chances are it is maintenance that was long overdue anyway.

I drove last summer because I had more time than money and it was a great experience. However, I do prefer to fly if at all possible.

I like to mix it up, flying from Dallas to Orlando sometimes, and then sometimes taking the 2 day drive. For me the driving is part of the fun - hitting that big ol' ribbon of highway, cranking up the tunes on the Ipod, and just watching the miles tick by. Sure, it's more tiring and much more time consuming than flying, and most times it's more expensive once you figure in the extra hotel nights, gas and food. But it's really fun to get out and see the country. And your anticipation is just incredible when you get into Florida and headed south, and the World gets slowly closer and closer!!!

When we return, we will most likely be driving from the Boston area. We plan to take two days to get there (Mapquest says about 22 hours).
Anyone done this? Any sights that I shouldn't miss on the road (probably on the way home, I want to get to Florida as quickly as possible). Any good towns to stay in?

Thanks.

I did this (my Mum and I did) when i moved there to work at Disney. Do you have kids? Its REALLY hard on everyone involved. Honestly, with the price of gas and the hassle , I may still try to go with Jet Blue or something easier. If you are set on driving, let me warn you of a few things.
1) Do as much the first day as you can, the second day you'll be totally warn out and sick of driving and it will be much harder to take on everyone.
2) i THINK we stopped in South Carolina (i started in the Boston Area as well), and if i were you and you have the ability (like 2 drivers?) i may try to go further if i were you. To me, the second day was much harder because i left a bit of the trip after that first day.

No suggestions on a GREAT place to stay sorry. . . good luck!

DoodleMushyBoo, while I'm not saying that you're wrong, my experience growing up was far different. We did a lot of driving vacations, loading all six of us in the family wagon and driving from Washington state down to southern California. We all had plenty of stuff to read, played road games, and just generally had a fun family time of it. Perhaps that's contributed to my love of driving as an adult. So maybe for some with kids the travelling is hard, but for my family it was a total blast!

Flying is not an option for us until ds is out of the "stage" he is in. We do the drive alot anyway as dh loved to drive and dd gets all homework done and likes to catch up on dvds and music etc.Brunswick GA has some nice spots to stay.Interstate95 has a website with alot of great info as well!:cool:

I am bumping an old thread of mine.
After a recent mini-vacation, and a lot of hours in the car, plus considering the rising cost of gas, we have decided NOT to drive after all.
We will be flying. The three of us from Manchester NH, and my daughter from Nevada. We will all get to MCO at about the same time on the same airline. Then we will take the Magical Express to our one night stay at All Star Music. The next day, we will take a cab to Shades Of Green (does anyone know the cost for that?). Then the day before we leave we'll check out of SOG and into Pop Century. That will get us back onto the Magical Express.
We will be relying solely on Disney and SOG transportation...so this will be interesting.

We used taxis several times last trip. The biggest charge was $15, I think, and that was from POFQ to the Fantasia Golf Course. I think the dude took "the LONG way around" though!

It shouldn't be cost prohibitive. Taxis have saved me TONS of headaches, including bailing from one REALLY long line at Epcot one night. It was SO worth the cashola!

We don't have another trip planned anytime soon, but with the rising cost of plane tickets, just out of curiousity, I checked the Amtrak website. For two adults, two kids, with the 10% AAA discount, it would cost about $400 round-trip, from Philadelphia to Orlando, We happen to live less than a block from a local transit station that takes you right to 30th Street Station, which is the Amtrak station, but we could pack light. The train trip would be around 18-19 hours, which is about how long it would take to drive, but less chance of delays and traffic tie-ups, and, you could grab some sleep, even in couch. The food on-board would not be that great, but you could certainly pack some, and lots of snacks, and amusements for the kids. Figure around $70 for cabs between the train station and the hotel, then Disney transport. If plane tickets and fuel prices continue at their current levels, the train may be an option for us.

A meal stop or other break at South of the Border (right at the first I-95 Southbound Exit in South Carolina) is an interesting experience, especially if you like tackiness.

Dude the number of signs you'll see for this place is CRAZY . . . my mum and i drove down and back and had so much fine w/ these signs

Out of curiosity, why are you driving? You come out behind in both time and money. Assuming the IRS estimate of $.50 a mile to cover gas/oil/tires/wear and tear/depreciation, that round trip will cost you $1300. Gas alone (at 20mpg and $3/gal) will be $400.

Plane tickets from Boston to Orlando usually run about $200 a person on Southwest (although last August I managed to get a $100 round trip). Add in $100 for a ride to/from Logan, and four people could fly to WDW for $900. That saves $400 and two days over driving. Plus, depending on your work/financial situation, the two days you gain could be used either to extend your time in Florida (the $400 should cover two more hotel nights), or to allow you to work for two more days to earn money for your trip.
I live in CT and have always flown to FL probably about a dozen times or so for Disney trips, visiting friends/relatives etc. I agree I always prefer flying and for cost it is pretty much a wash if you can get a great airfare which I almost always do.

However, I am starting to plan our next trip and we are planning to drive which is why I found and read this thread. Anyway, here are the reasons why:

1) I have never done it. I am in my 40s now and have traveled to FL dozens of times. I would like to say I did it at least once. And I am sure, the drive will be part of the ‘adventure.’

2) We are planning this trip for President’s week. I am not optimistic about getting $200 R/T airfares for our family of 4. I would guess a “great deal” will be closer to $300 - $400 R/T for that week. So let’s say $350 per person which would be $1400.

3) I would still say it is cheaper to drive. The government mileage rate is high and it is high for a reason to cover all types of vehicles, fluxuations, etc. As gas prices are easing a bit, for a 23 MPG car plus wear and tear on a 2400 mile trip, I would say total cost is closer to $700-$800 not $1300. Also, you need to throw in a rental car in FL which we always get when down there and again, that week will be very expensive (say $300/week)

4) Driving also gives you some flexibility. Airfare locks you in (even SW which has a pretty flexible cancelation policy it is not a full $$ refund). Factor in weather in February and you can leave a day earlier or later to avoid storms, etc.

5) Finally, the last reason people drive (it is not a huge reason for my family because we are not packrats but others are) is that you can bring so much more stuff including food which can offset costs of eating out.

All that being said, if I can get a $200 R/T airfare, I’ll probably jump on it. I still would prefer to fly but planning to drive keeps that option open where as planning to fly locks you in more…Still, someday, I would like to make the drive just to say I did it…

We are also in Connecticut. We were considering driving, but tossed that idea out the window. DH does not enjoy car rides over an hour, and even then, I'm driving. Driving an hour is one thing, but I would end up doing the lion's share of driving to Disney, and I don't really want to try to do that.

I also took a lot of road trips as a kid. It's not bad. Though once we drove from Rockford, IL to Sarasota, FL in a Chevy Corsica, a fairly small car. There were 4 adults and one teenager. It was claustrophobic. My brother and I were desperately trying to either get cheap flights or rent a car, but we were young and had no cash. So if you drive, use a car everyone can fit in :-)