Leave The Villages and head for Tampa on I-75. As you approach Hillsborough County take the I-275 exit. (I-75 bypasses Tampa.)
In order to avoid the heavy downtown Tampa congestion at rush hour you will leave I-275 and move over to the parallel road of Dale Mabry Highway.
Your first opportunity to do this will be at the Bearss Avenue exit; the second will be the Fletcher Avenue exit. I recommend the Fletcher Avenue exit to the West (right turn.)
Fletcher goes straight to Dale Mabry, which is well marked. Turn left (south.)
As you pass the baseball field on the right and football stadium on the left you should move into the second from the right lane. As you pass the next traffic light move into the right lane for a right turn on Boy Scout Blvd. There should be "To Airport" signs there.
As you approach the airport there will be signs for an exit to the right to take you to the airport.
The advantage of this route is that although Dale Mabry has traffic lights, the rush hour traffic will be moving north while you are moving south, and you will avoid the I-275 congestion in downtown Tampa.
It should take under two hours.
|