Driving advice - MA on the 23rd

[Pat_RI]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

[Babubhat]

Check aaa trip tick online . Or just use waze during your trip. Hopefully construction paused for holidays

[Paul1934]

Just down from CT, left 7pm and breezed through DC and on. Surprised at all the projects that had been completed and great road surface through to SC.
Just watch out for the crazed wannabe racers darting in and out.
Also despite the talk of supply line issues, I have never seen as many trucks on the way.
Good luck and keep watching your mirrors. (Gas is slightly cheaper once you get out of New England)

[VApeople]

I have heard that some people catch Route 301 after Baltimore and follow it until it joins I-95 south of Fredericksburg.

On the other hand, if you are planning to take the Beltway around D.C., you may want to avoid crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge during the morning rush hour. We lived in Virginia and I worked in Maryland and I would cross that bridge in the morning, and it was usually no problem. However, the people living in Maryland had a much harder time driving into Virginia in the morning. This was 20 years ago, so maybe things are different now.

[tophcfa]

We leave from Western MA and never risk going anywhere near NYC, NJ, Delaware, Baltimore, or Washington DC. Not worth it, drive an extra 100 miles and avoid all potential big city traffic issues. I would much rather drive the hour and a half to knock off the extra 100 miles than risk dealing with hours of high stress stop and go traffic. Plus, you avoid a bunch of tolls. Take 84 west to Scranton and then take 81 south through Pensilvania, a small slice of both Maryland and West Virginia, then once you get into Virginia there are a couple of good options to cut back east to I95 south below the beltway. The first option is to take Rt. 66 (about 12 miles south of Winchester, VA) to Rt. 17 to I 95 south in Fredericksburg, VA. The second option is to continue on 81 south past Roanoke, VA and then take I77 toward Charlotte, NC and then pick up RT. 26 around Columbia to I 95 south about an hours drive north of the Georgia state line. Both ways are almost the exact same distance. Gas is the cheapest in Virginia and South Carolina, so tank up before leaving those states. Have a safe and traffic free drive and a Merry Christmas.

[DAVES]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

We are ex-New Yorkers. I tend to think in about that numbers but the drive from NY to Florida is roughly 24 hours straight drive. My wife does not drive so I drove all of it.

On the 23rd, you will hit Holiday Traffic. Between the tolls, gas, wear and tear on your car and wear and tear on the driver, flying may well be cheaper. Reminder at least one hotel stop, meals etc. You can likely get one of the thrifty car rentals while you are here.

DC traffic? If, you decide to drive, an ex-New Yorker says, New York traffic at 8am is at least as bad as DC at 11 am.

[mulligan]

We did basically the same route from Central Mass. If you go west on I-10 from Jacksonville, and take the much improved 301 south, you will wind up right at the Western edge of the villages.

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Just down from CT, left 7pm and breezed through DC and on. Surprised at all the projects that had been completed and great road surface through to SC.
Just watch out for the crazed wannabe racers darting in and out.
Also despite the talk of supply line issues, I have never seen as many trucks on the way.
Good luck and keep watching your mirrors. (Gas is slightly cheaper once you get out of New England) I don’t get the late hour leaving but everyone has there own preference, I always left coming or going on a Saturday morning around 5am , usually stopped in rocky mount or close by and then hit Boston or Villages on Sunday afternoon , finally stopped the driving because I never used car much in Boston anyway

[Hape2Bhr]

We did basically the same route from Central Mass. If you go west on I-10 from Jacksonville, and take the much improved 301 south, you will wind up right at the Western edge of the villages.

Even better - take A1A /200 off of Rt 95 in Georgia thru Callahan; connects to Rt 301 south. There are newer bypasses similar to the Stark bypass. :a040:

[tophcfa]

We are ex-New Yorkers. I tend to think in about that numbers but the drive from NY to Florida is roughly 24 hours straight drive. My wife does not drive so I drove all of it.

On the 23rd, you will hit Holiday Traffic. Between the tolls, gas, wear and tear on your car and wear and tear on the driver, flying may well be cheaper. Reminder at least one hotel stop, meals etc. You can likely get one of the thrifty car rentals while you are here.

DC traffic? If, you decide to drive, an ex-New Yorker says, New York traffic at 8am is at least as bad as DC at 11 am.

But flying isn’t an option if you have a mid sized dog and/or you don’t want to risk Covid exposure and long flight delays or cancellations that frequently occur these days. Also, if you are coming down for the entire winter, what do you do with your vehicle at the airport? Driving is much easier, you can bring lots of stuff from Costco with you, and you have your car/truck while at the Villages.

[tophcfa]

We did basically the same route from Central Mass. If you go west on I-10 from Jacksonville, and take the much improved 301 south, you will wind up right at the Western edge of the villages.

Better yet, take exit #373 north of Jacksonville off of 95 toward Callahan, FL. You will go a very short distance on Rt 200 before it turns into 301. Then cut over from 301 to 75 just north of Ocala to avoid lots of traffic in Ocala. After getting south of Ocala you can cut back over to 301 if you live in the northern part of the Villages, or stay on 75 if you are heading to the southern sections.

[coralway]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas




You have a good travel plan. I make that drive 3 times a year, never have a problem. Then again, I love driving. I always stay on 95 all the way down. I am in NY now and staying here until after New Year.

FYI - I filled up my tank yesterday (12/11) - EXXON regular is now $3.29 a gallon, down from $3.99 a couple of weeks ago.

[Stu from NYC]

You may have another problem.
Drove home from DC Sat after Thanksgiving.
N and S Carolina on I 95 were nightmares to go thru. Waze kept giving incorrect info on traffic.

[Garywt]

We drive from MA, about 22 hours with the dog. We follow the gps and it usually takes us just south of DC and then we use the express lane if open. Once it took us 301 which was easy. We use to leave at about 5PM and drive through but after a few trips the 2AM-5AM time got tough. We starting staying over night in Virginia. The last couple times we left at 5AM and drove straight through and got here about 1-2AM.

Good luck and safe travels.

[BRN_RI_FL]

This is our route from The Villages to Chepachet RI. From 84 we take 384 to Route 6 into RI. It may be about 100 miles more than your quickest route but other than possibly Hartford and Charlotte it’s a low pressure drive. Also no tolls on the way down, one in NY after the bridge on the way back.

[laboutj]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

Your estimates are spot on. If it were me, I’d leave at 7:30 in the morning. You would hit some traffic heading into CT, but avoid the worst traffic from New Haven, NYC and NJ. That would also put you around DC at 2 in the afternoon or so, right before the afternoon commute. You would hit traffic in Richmond however. Our spots to stop on the way down are either Rocky Mount or Lumberton NC. With it being a weekday and right before Christmas, I would shoot for Rocky Mount as a first day destination, my guesstimate is that you would be there by 7:30 pm

[ladyarwen3]

THe 84/81 route will get you much further south and you can avoid a LOT of the big cities ... no NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC to contend with!! Hubby and I disagree on the best route but the stress of those major cities takes its toll on you. Go the little extra distance and enjoy the drive rather than the white knuckled stress of the capital beltway, the Baltimore tunnels and NYC !

We leave from Western MA and never risk going anywhere near NYC, NJ, Delaware, Baltimore, or Washington DC. Not worth it, drive an extra 100 miles and avoid all potential big city traffic issues. I would much rather drive the hour and a half to knock off the extra 100 miles than risk dealing with hours of high stress stop and go traffic. Plus, you avoid a bunch of tolls. Take 84 west to Scranton and then take 81 south through Pensilvania, a small slice of both Maryland and West Virginia, then once you get into Virginia there are a couple of good options to cut back east to I95 south below the beltway. The first option is to take Rt. 66 (about 12 miles south of Winchester, VA) to Rt. 17 to I 95 south in Fredericksburg, VA. The second option is to continue on 81 south past Roanoke, VA and then take I77 toward Charlotte, NC and then pick up RT. 26 around Columbia to I 95 south about an hours drive north of the Georgia state line. Both ways are almost the exact same distance. Gas is the cheapest in Virginia and South Carolina, so tank up before leaving those states. Have a safe and traffic free drive and a Merry Christmas.

[mcwood4d]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

We try to always leave New England on a Saturday morning. This puts us in the VA area for the overnight stop depending on traffic and weather. Always worked well for us. Consider following waze for traffic mitigation. Best of luck 🤞

[Cranford61]

I have heard that some people catch Route 301 after Baltimore and follow it until it joins I-95 south of Fredericksburg.

On the other hand, if you are planning to take the Beltway around D.C., you may want to avoid crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge during the morning rush hour. We lived in Virginia and I worked in Maryland and I would cross that bridge in the morning, and it was usually no problem. However, the people living in Maryland had a much harder time driving into Virginia in the morning. This was 20 years ago, so maybe things are different now.
You like endless strip mall egresses and traffic lights?? Then you’ll enjoy this detour.

[EZRIDERMD]

When you cross Delaware Memorial Bridge take RT#1 to the "beaches", stay on 1 then go Rt113 to Pocomoke City, then onto Rt #13 across Chesapeake Bay Bay bridge tunnel to Virginia. Go south around Norfolk/Newport News to Rt 17 south around Elizabeth City, take Rt #64 to Rocky Mount, hop on I 95 south.

[MandoMan]

We leave from Western MA and never risk going anywhere near NYC, NJ, Delaware, Baltimore, or Washington DC. Not worth it, drive an extra 100 miles and avoid all potential big city traffic issues. I would much rather drive the hour and a half to knock off the extra 100 miles than risk dealing with hours of high stress stop and go traffic. Plus, you avoid a bunch of tolls. Take 84 west to Scranton and then take 81 south through Pensilvania, a small slice of both Maryland and West Virginia, then once you get into Virginia there are a couple of good options to cut back east to I95 south below the beltway. The first option is to take Rt. 66 (about 12 miles south of Winchester, VA) to Rt. 17 to I 95 south in Fredericksburg, VA. The second option is to continue on 81 south past Roanoke, VA and then take I77 toward Charlotte, NC and then pick up RT. 26 around Columbia to I 95 south about an hours drive north of the Georgia state line. Both ways are almost the exact same distance. Gas is the cheapest in Virginia and South Carolina, so tank up before leaving those states. Have a safe and traffic free drive and a Merry Christmas.

I agree with you. I usually take the last option, Roanoke to Charlotte. However, last summer, after a night in a Roanoke motel, Waze took me south on 220 to Greensboro, NC, and then South on I-74 to I-95 near Florence, SC. The scenery was beautiful, it was all four lane highway, except for driving through a couple picturesque Southern towns, and there was hardly any traffic. I enjoyed it, even though I was driving a moving truck.

In Florida, I turned right on Highway 200 , North of Jacksonville (see map) and took that to Highway 301, which I took all the way to The Villages. Highway 200 looks small on the map, but it is fast four lane with almost no traffic. An alternative with a bit more traffic is I-95 to I-295 in Jacksonville, then West on I-10, getting off at Highway 301 to head to The Villages.

I agree with you: I’d rather drive a little farther to avoid hours of terror on I-95.

[Annie66]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

We lived in the Annapolis area for 12 years. I can count on one hand the number of times I drove on the beltway around the District. The reason is we never found the 495/95 beltway an easy drive no matter what time of the day.

You may want to look at the following route. As you enter the Baltimore beltway (I-695), from the north, proceed to I-97 southbound. The entrance for I-97 is on the southside of the I-695 beltway. You can go either east or westbound on I-695. The distance is about the same. An alternate route is taking I-895. Once you are on I-97, take Exit 3 to MD3 southbound (do not get fooled and exit onto MD3 at Exit 7). Take MD3 to Crofton/Bowie and merge onto US 301 southbound. Follow US 301 to VA207 for about 14 miles and re-enter I-95 southbound at mile marker 104. You'll find yourself on I-95 just north of the Kings Dominion amusement park.

It's an easy ride and avoids the entire DC beltway and the congestion present on I-95 down through Woodbridge VA. We used this route exclusively when headed south to visit family and friends in NC. Hope this helps.

[Susan1234]

Do not thru NY City, go over the Tappan Zee bridge. I would avoid DC at all costs.I left at 5 from Ri and had no problems..

[mambeg]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas
A nice relaxing alternative is to take the Garden State Parkway. To the Cape May Ferry. Then take Rt 13 to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Norfolk VA. You will end up in Emporia, VA on 95.
Adds time bus removes stress.

[JMintzer]

Your estimates are spot on. If it were me, I’d leave at 7:30 in the morning. You would hit some traffic heading into CT, but avoid the worst traffic from New Haven, NYC and NJ. That would also put you around DC at 2 in the afternoon or so, right before the afternoon commute. You would hit traffic in Richmond however. Our spots to stop on the way down are either Rocky Mount or Lumberton NC. With it being a weekday and right before Christmas, I would shoot for Rocky Mount as a first day destination, my guesstimate is that you would be there by 7:30 pm

Richmond has an Eastern bypass (295), much like the Jacksonville bypass that avoids their rush hour quite well... Only adds a few miles to the trip, but can save lots of time...

And rush hour in DC starts pretty close to 2-3 o'clock...

[laboutj]

Richmond has an Eastern bypass (295), much like the Jacksonville bypass that avoids their rush hour quite well... Only adds a few miles to the trip, but can save lots of time...

And rush hour in DC starts pretty close to 2-3 o'clock...

That is correct. If it looks like the OP or anyone else that's interested is going to get to DC between 2:30 PM and 7PM, get on 70 and head out to 81 and go from there.

If however the plan is to leave late afternoon, personally I would avoid driving on 81 late at night. There are stretches where it is very dark and very far between rest areas/exits, not to mention the huge number of deer.

[Marcojb]

I drive often from Massachusetts to Florida usually in one day (21 hours) . I recommend that you have AAA give you a trip ticket but avoid NY, Washington, and New Jersey; in essence stay off Rt 95. If its a one day trip suggest very early in the morning otherwise drive late morning and stay overnight in Virginia ( 12 hours)

[merrymini]

Check with maps or waze on line. There is a beltway around cities like DC which helps avoid city gridlock.

[laboutj]

Check with maps or waze on line. There is a beltway around cities like DC which helps avoid city gridlock.

There is a beltway around DC, unfortunately it's also gridlocked during the morning or afternoon commute.

I've done this drive south 4x this year (don't ask). The last time was a weekday and I left SE Mass at 6:30am because I was driving a large UHaul truck. I hit traffic in southwestern CT because I couldn't take the Merritt and then a little bit more getting over the GW bridge. After that it was fairly easy, even with a large truck that maxed out at 70. I stopped several times along the way for bathroom/food/fuel and was at the hotel in Lumberton NC by 8pm. In hindsight I should have waited a little bit to leave because I caught up to the morning commute in CT, that's why I said in an earlier post that I'd leave at 7:15.

[Joe C.]

I agree with Tophcfa ...... I've driven to the Villages many, many times from R.I. and Vt. His way has way less traffic delays, although I've seen some on Rt.81 once or twice, but nowhere near as many as NY, NJ, DC, and VA.
I like to leave between 3 and 4 am, and stop for breakfast around 7am. I always make it to Virginia the first day, and if I feel like it, I drive to the North Carolina border for my overnight rest. Have a good trip.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

We just drove down last week with great results, from central mass. We have done several different routes, as well as straight through twice. The western route (77, 81) is longer and avoids DC and NY, but has fewer three lane miles, which is key to making good time with lots of trucks. In wintertime, the western route has more of a chance of higher elevation weather. Its easy to avoid 95 through NYC with the Mario Cuomo bridge to the palisades or garden state parkways back to NJ turnpike, as the turnpike has many lanes, though narrows to two near the Delaware memorial bridge.

We avoid most of Baltimore/DC traffic by going 301 through Delaware, which has very little traffic but very few services, to Cheasapeake Bay bridge to 495 back to 95 South. The section of 95 South from 495, DC, to Fredericksburg VA has construction, and can be extremely slow with traffic, and this time in december is the only time the slow was about 5 miles. The Cheasapeake bridge / tunnel is fun, but the route from norfolk back to 95 has too many lights.

We try to leave as early in the morning as possible. 4AM for us works as we can be early morning people and prefer to drive in sunlight near the end of the day's drive when driving can get monotonous, and we get tired A good first days' drive gets us to Florence SC by 6 pm though we have family exactly 1/2 down on the VA/NC border so we visit with them for an evening.

Leaving on a Friday when most people who can work from home are working from home is best weekday, Monday through Thursday not so much for the weekday meetings which the WFH crowd has to attend. . . Weekends are better in winter, not so much in the summer when everyone has the same idea for that one+ week vacation starting with a rental on Sunday and returning home on a Saturday.

Get an EZ pass and you will be saving money on tolls, and not have to slow down for them. Use Waze or Google maps for local suggestions, and remember, one idiot driver can make a mess of your time and plans. We lost an hour going north last july for a class 1 camper into the woods, lost an hour south this time looking for on highway diesel in Delaware (also idiot driver), which is why we don't book a room until we are fairly certain of our arrival time, like within 2 hours of ending for the day.

Good luck,

[RPDaly]

I agree with avoiding DC AND Fredericksburg which as also is very congested. 301 is a good alternative using the DelMAr peninsula for some of the route. if you leave at 5AM you should be able to get to southern VA or even northern NC by early evening. Of course the weather is the wildcard this time of year as well as a lot of other people on the road traveling for Christmas

[Goinghiway]

Go thru Pa....I-84 to I-81.....take Rte 17 in Va to I-95,,,,,best rte Ive taken for over 10 years,,,,avoid traffic....leave any time....:welcome:

[BlackhawksFan]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. S7hould I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

I-95S to Tappen Zee bridge
I-287 to I-78W to I-81 S
I-77 S in Charlotte
I-26 E to I-95 S
I-295 S to I-10 W to US 301 S

[Notsocrates]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas


As you can see, lot's of alternatives.
Bottlenecks are NYC, Delaware bridge, and DC.
For many years we avoid that and NYC via Tappen Zee bridge , then to Harriburg, PA, down RT15 to pick up I95 South of DC.

[tophcfa]

Any current reports on construction related traffic from people recently making the drive would be much appreciated. Specifically, between Fredericksburg, VA and Santee, SC on 95 south, or alternatively on the 77 to 26 route to 95 south. Our packing pile is growing large and we will be loading up the truck and heading south shortly, can’t wait :) Trying to decide which route to take on this trip to cut east to 95 from 81. Thanks.

[frank1975]

You're much better off calling AAA. As you can see if you ask 10 people you'll get 10 different answers. GOOD LUCK!!!

[jaj523]

You can pick up the Auto Train at Lorton, VA (just south of DC) off 95. You put your car on the train and then relax inside for the trip to Orlando. Then it's just an hour to The Villages.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Any current reports on construction related traffic from people recently making the drive would be much appreciated. Specifically, between Fredericksburg, VA and Santee, SC on 95 south, or alternatively on the 77 to 26 route to 95 south. Our packing pile is growing large and we will be loading up the truck and heading south shortly, can’t wait :) Trying to decide which route to take on this trip to cut east to 95 from 81. Thanks.

We didn't find any issue between Fredericksburg, VA and Santee, SC on 95 10 days ago. . though there were occassional issues on the other side :icon_wink: could be your side this time :shocked:

weekends might be better as there is less vacation travel at the moment and lots of local traffic

[tophcfa]

We didn't find any issue between Fredericksburg, VA and Santee, SC on 95 10 days ago. . though there were occassional issues on the other side :icon_wink: could be your side this time :shocked:

weekends might be better as there is less vacation travel at the moment and lots of local traffic

Thanks, good information. We are leaving on a Saturday, weather permitting (New Year’s Day). That should be both a very slow traffic day as well as a day with little to no construction. The only problem with that schedule is that I am going to have to figure out how I can stream the radio broadcast of the Patriots game on Sunday while driving. I can probably count on one hand the number of Patriots games I have missed since the early 70’s. Oh well, they are playing Jacksonville so it projects as a relatively easy win, hopefully not a trap game?

[jmaccallum]

We did basically the same route from Central Mass. If you go west on I-10 from Jacksonville, and take the much improved 301 south, you will wind up right at the Western edge of the villages.

Actually on that part of the trip, I’d go one better. The second exit off I-95 after crossing the border from Georgia into Florida is Route 200. Take it West/South (a right hand turn off I-95) and it turns into Route 301. Follow 301 South, then just South of Ocala bear right unto 441 and come straight down to the Villages. Easy route that completely avoids Jacksonville and I-10. :coolsmiley:

[tophcfa]

You can pick up the Auto Train at Lorton, VA (just south of DC) off 95. You put your car on the train and then relax inside for the trip to Orlando. Then it's just an hour to The Villages.

Not if you travel with a dog.

[Sandy and Ed]

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas
To get through the DC nightmare we would take US I95 to US I895 thru Harbor Tunnel to Maryland Rte 295 to US I295 to US I495 to IS I95 south. Pretty clear sailing from there.

[JMintzer]

To get through the DC nightmare we would take US I95 to US I895 thru Harbor Tunnel to Maryland Rte 295 to US I295 to US I495 to IS I95 south. Pretty clear sailing from there.

295 is the BW Parkway. It parallels I-95 and only puts you on 495 a few miles SE of I-95...

Problem is, it's only 2 lanes and it can get locked down in a heartbeat...

[Pat_RI]

Thanks for all the options. The reason I am leaving at 5PM is I have to work that day (from home) and plan on driving 10 hours or whenever I get tired I’ll stop for a quick nap. I’m driving down because I need to bring a bunch of stuff with me and plan on driving around FL to do some sightseeing and kayaking….rentals for a month or 2 would be outrageous. I’m guessing I’ll be dealing with heavy traffic for most of the trip due to the holiday. I plan on using Waze for GPS and traffic but also keep Apple/Google maps on also. I’m guessing I’ll stop somewhere in VA for a nap but hoping to make the NC border but that’s highly doubtful. Wish me luck and have a nice Christmas.

[laboutj]

Thanks for all the options. The reason I am leaving at 5PM is I have to work that day (from home) and plan on driving 10 hours or whenever I get tired I’ll stop for a quick nap. I’m driving down because I need to bring a bunch of stuff with me and plan on driving around FL to do some sightseeing and kayaking….rentals for a month or 2 would be outrageous. I’m guessing I’ll be dealing with heavy traffic for most of the trip due to the holiday. I plan on using Waze for GPS and traffic but also keep Apple/Google maps on also. I’m guessing I’ll stop somewhere in VA for a nap but hoping to make the NC border but that’s highly doubtful. Wish me luck and have a nice Christmas.

Leaving at 5pm is fine. Six hours should get you to Baltimore/DC metro area, 10 hours should get you to southern VA. If you plan on taking a nap I would avoid taking the western route of 81 through Virginia, exits and rest areas can be very far apart and you have many more options on 95. Good luck with your drive.

[Pat_RI]

Took a little over 18 hours of driving. Went 95S thru CT over Tappan Zee to the Jersey Turnpike to 95. Took 495 around DC and 95 the rest of the way. CT was simply horrible but the rest of the ride no problems. Jersey service Centers are trash. Route 75 in FL was a white knuckle ride. 301 was a nice ride to 75. Merry Christmas.