Same destination, different route?

[jodann]

Will be leaving Central N.J. on 12/27 & heading to Fl. Gulf coast, in the general area of Clearwater. I've allowed 4 days for trip (scheduled to arrive 12/30) & rather than the usual I-95 with detour around Baltimore I was hoping for a change of scenery with some different stopover points. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

[jodann]

Will be leaving Central N.J. on 12/27 & heading to Fl. Gulf coast, in the general area of Clearwater. I've allowed 4 days for trip (scheduled to arrive 12/30) & rather than the usual I-95 with detour around Baltimore I was hoping for a change of scenery with some different stopover points. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

[jrcnlc]

Take cape may lewes ferry then down delaware to bay bridge tunnel then 64 west to 95.A nice ride

[jrcnlc]

The price for ferry was about 90$ with 55 ft long.bridge tunnel was 28$ last year.I saved that in fuel plus less miles to drive

[jodann]

Thanks for your reply but I guess what I really wanted to do is avoid that long, long trip on
I-95 into Fl. before heading west on I-4 to I-75
& on to my final destination. I was thinking perhaps I-85 towards Atlanta & then picking up I-75 into Fl. More of an inland route from NJ, if you will.

[diesellabs]

An alternative, very scenic route would be to get over to I-81 (don't know how out of the way that is from your starting point), take 81 south to the Knoxville, TN area, then 40/75 south...

[Triton]

Make sure you keep a weather eye out. If the weather looks ominous you may want to consider keeping to the east where any precipitation may be rain rather than snow.

I have done both 95 & 81. I prefer 81. Longer but much more relaxed.

Google maps is a valuable resource for planing, has everything including weather and construction as well as Wal-Marts, Flying J's and Campgrounds.

[historyljc]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">An alternative, very scenic route would be to get over to I-81 (don't know how out of the way that is from your starting point), take 81 south </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
From about Trenton, it looks like I-276/176/76 over to Harrisburg. That's you're turf, I'm sure you know the best route over there. As Steve advised, take I-81 south out of Harrisburg. Instead of going down to Knoxville and Chattanooga to get to Atlanta, I would pick up I-26 at Kingsport, TN, and drop down through Asheville to Spartanburg and take I-85 to Atlanta. From Atlanta it's I-75 on down. If you can squeeze the time, stop in Asheville and see the Christmas lights at the Biltmore House and have dinner at the Deer Park Inn (probably a good idea to call ahead for reservations) while you're there.

Keep one eye glued to the weather channel. The weather and road conditions may be the determining factors in your route selection.

[Chickadee]

jodann: G'morning from Ft. Myers. FWIW, I tend to agree with historyljc regarding route to Spartanburg then I-85 SW toward Atlanta, however, to avoid the Atlanta can of worms, ya might consider dropping S. off I-85 just above Athens, GA at Commerce (I-85 exit 149 I think) and following GA. 441 S. to Madison, then GA. 83 out of Madison SW to Forsyth on I-75. That GA 83 is a two lane blacktop but is a picturesque little cruise through the Georgia countryside. We just took it a few months ago with our 45' MHm towing our Honda and had absolutely no problems. Avoiding that Atlanta mess is a BIG plus. Also, once you're on I-75, (and I don't know your timing) ya might want to overnight at a GREAT little cmpgrnd. immediately off I-75 exit 27 at Elko, GA. It's an easy off exit, left (East) about 0.2 mi. on Hyw.#26, and left into campground, with easy in and out pull-through. I think it's also Passport America or ROD (wife's asleep and I'm too old to recall... . Have a great trip. Steve & Lynette

[ParTheCourse]

We like 81 77 85 75. In addition to avoiding 95 & 10, it has Flying J’s spaced just right for fuel, eats and overnights.

81 77 26 95 301 75 is also I little different but…


While typing this Chickadee posted some good ideas that I am going to look into, thanks Chickadee.

We have used several Georgia State Parks along the 85 75 and 95 routes and recommend them for staying a few days to enjoy local flavor.

[jodann]

Thanks for all your input. Some great alternatives there. Might just leave a day early to take a leisurely drive to Fl. & spend a bit of time at campgrounds suggested. Thanks again. Jodann

[historyljc]

One small correction on Chickadee's post. Elko exit number is 127, not 27.

We have five coaches from our Northwest Florida Allegro, Chapter 182 booked there for the FMCA rally next March. The campground is:

Twin Oaks RV Park & Campground
phone 478-987-9361
email info@twinoaksrvpark.com
home page www.twinoaksrvpark.com
address 305 Highway 26 East
Elko GA 31025

Have a safe trip and enjoy.