Options other than I95 hotels, are there any?
 

We have been in TV for ten years and the one night stay off of 95 is getting tiring. We are thinking of adding another night and finding nice places to stay with good food in a ten mile distance from 95, is that possible? Any feedback would be appreciated, we would be coming from NY.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The River Street Inn, Andaz Hotel, Hotel indigo. All located in the North Historic District of Savannah, Georgia along the river.

We used to travel from Western NY State, down 81. We liked to make our first stop in Staunton VA. Lots of good food there.

We stayed at an old hotel called "The Stonewall Jackson" right in the heart of Staunton. They changed the name to be more "politically sensitive"....Don't know what it is called anymore, but I'm sure it's still a nice place.

We pretty much stopped driving the trip. We pay the $ to have one car transported down. Not for everybody, but it's probably the best thing for us, for a few reasons I won't get into.

You’re reading my mind, we are planning our post holidays drive and are becoming very tired of the fleebag hotels/motels on our rides between homes. Since Covid, the quality of our go to places has significantly declined while the prices have skyrocketed. We travel with a dog so our options are limited. When we first bought our Villages home several years ago it seemed more hotels were pet friendly (without a significant pet fee up charge), the rooms were better maintained, and the rates were reasonable. Fast forward to today and fewer places are pet friendly, those that are have a pet up charge fee that is more than we used to pay for the entire stay, and the rooms are disgusting. The new standard in maid service appears to be setting off some kind of chemical stink bomb in the room that’s nauseating and causes our eyes to tear up. After driving for around 12 hours all we want is a clean smoke and cleaning chemical product smell free room with a comfortable bed, clean bathroom, a television that works, and a little grass area to walk the dog. Instead, it seems as though all we can find are complete dumps that cost close to $200 for our brief 10 - 11 hour stay.

I'll second Savannah - great place to spend a day or two and is our goto on that drive.

Richmond, VA seems to have potential if you don't feel it is too early into your drive.

Charleston is good too but is a little further off 95.

We're looking at Raleigh for a stop during one of our trips.

Really like Asheville but that is quite a ways off 95. Still, if you have the time to make the trip a few days longer, it has really good restaurants and a lot of things to do.

OP, you might look into the Amtrak Auto train, it leaves from Sanford, and goes to Lorton, VA, last year a round trip for 2 with a car was very close to $1000, this was coach as I do not fit in any of the sleeper cabins.

Way too expensive for an overnight for bunk with claustrophobia, vs a 12 hour drive and a hotel room. Friends just did it, and said never again, too expensive for the lack of comfort.

There aren't any good alternatives just off the highway, as many hotels have had ownership management changes, and trying to generate a great ROI from very transient travelers is difficult, especially with the labor requirements. . Most if not all are 2-3 stars, and have minimal amenities, based on the customer profiles, and most have minimal wage cleaning employees based upon the economics of the area. Depending upon minimum wage employees is the most difficult part.

Lots of activities in Fredericksburg VA

We spent a few nights nights in flea bag motels on our way to Pittsburgh and back.Never again! We plan where we will stay and make reservations. Country Inn and Suites is quite nice in all the states. It is our go to if we do not have a reservation. We stop early and have a nice dinner. We are back on the road at the crack of dawn. The breakfast Comfort Inn provides is quite nice. We take coffee, bagels, fruit, and munchies to go. We have never been disappointed.

Important: If you do not have a reservation, pull into a motel EARLY. By 7:30-8:00 pm, most are full. Make up lost time by getting back on the road between 3 and 4 a.m. You will miss most commuting traffic in larger cities. Have fun and enjoy!

We don't make the drive anymore from Finger Lakes NY, but have done it. Depends on how long you want your driving "legs" to be, but we drove from NY to Florence, SC in one shot and then the rest of the way next day.

It's just off 95, so may not be what you want, but it's a complex with a bunch of national chain hotels and restaurants. Walkable area. Very pleasant for one overnight. Here are the coordinates:

Hotel center:
34°11'12.99"N
79°50'6.79"W

There’s an APP called iEXIT you can load onto your phone or tablet. It will show you every motel, restaurant, gas station at EVERY exit on EVERY Interstate Highway in the country!!

Great reply

Coming from northern NY the train did not work out for us. It is an 8 hr drive to Lorton in perfect conditions. Heading to Fl to make check in time with a buffer for traffic or weather is not practical without a stay over adding dollars and time. Heading back from FL by the time you unload and hit the road you are exhausted when you get home in NY. If you are like us now the unloading of the car and opening the house begins.

My kid ships her car, and flies down with her cat. That's the way to do it.

Uggh. Your post brought up fond memories of staying at the most over advertised, worst dump, South of the Boarder. But we loved arriving to see Pedro!

holiday inn express and Laquita both clean and have a large hot breakfast selection included. We are platinum members and if the hotel is not up to standards they comp the entire stay .

Good site for pet info
 

I’ll 2nd the tip for iEXIT….. very useful app! Since you’re traveling with a pet, you may also get lots of good help/info from an app called “Bring Fido”. You can look for everything from lodging to Vets to Dog Parks and even local events for pet owners. And the hotel listings tell you up front what if any fees there are. Great search filters so you can zero in on just what you’re looking for. Good luck!!

Oh, and take advantage of online check-in, digital keys, etc, if offered. You can often skip the pet fees by just doing a “contactless” arrival and walk right to the room you selected online!! 👍

WE have been in TV and done the NY - FL and vice versa for 18 years. Have learned to despise traveling I 95 and I 81. Our trip is 1350 miles the shortest route. That requires a minimum of one overnight and that is still exhausting on us. Over the years one night stop went to two nights. Where to stay on the interstates was a nightmare. Most hotels are badly in need of upgrades and we seemed to catch the mid night "louds" in the next room often.

We now take 3-5 night stay in Airbnbs (use the self check in and super host features) and stay off the interstates most of the way. We have seen some amazing places when you slow down and do the back roads. No more eating in the car or fast food joints. Keep the daily drive to around 300-350 miles. Usually we pick one spot that is new to us and stay there two nights. First night is arrival. Second day to explore that area. This year our surprise was Providence Canyon in Georgia - amazing scenery. The trip now feels more like a vacation than a dreaded chore. To name just a few must sees - Savannah, Charleston, Beaufort SC, Asheville, Lancaster PA, Greenville SC, PInehurst NC, Federick MD. Also visiting major university campus taking in their architecture is very rewarding.

Fredericksburg is great and visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps right off exit 150 /Quantico. (15 miles North of fredericksburg)

Plus many hotels are up charging if you even arrive a bit early.

Brp
 

Saw Staunton and Asheville mentioned earlier - connected via the Blue Ridge Parkway. Used to drive it every chance I got.

Excellent choices. A few more came to mind - Helen GA, Aiken GA, Harper's Ferry, and Cape May.

Memories
 

More travel memories. Tornado damage was still showing during our pass through Helen. Aiken might actually be just across the river from GA. :-) Shouldn't tell some of my Augusta stories. :-) Took the ferry from Cape May rather than *ever* drive between D.C. and Philly on 95 again. Grrrr. Never saw the first bit of cricket get played at those three grass court clubs in Philly for the National 50's. :-) Folks didn't look all that "German" in Germantown, either. . .

Thanks for the feedback, if there any more, please let me know. We’re looking for a location, probably Virginia or North Carolina the first day that has nice upscale lodging with good dining in the area. The next day, maybe Charleston or Savannah, then to TV. Again, it doesn’t need to be near 95.

Hyatt Place in downtown Florence, SC. The downtown is slowly being re-vitalized and there are several nice eateries with 1-2 blocks of the hotel.

Just checked it out, looks nice. Unfortunately, after seeing price at over $200 with pet fee and taxes to pull in around 7:30 PM, crash, and leave at 6:30 AM is on the pricy side. Would definitely try the place without the $75 pet up charge fee.

Wilmington, N.C. 90 minutes off
I-95 waaay better than Raleigh, but it depends on what you like.

It's a Beach town, but not funky, A rather mid-sized College town and a very Quaint downtown and riverfront. It's a Historic City and has fine architecture in Downtown.

Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beaches UNCW, and Fort Fisher. All fine beaches. Take a beach chair and breathe in the Surf.
Jack Mackerels in Kure.
Flaming Amy's whose motto is Fast, Cheap and Easy on Oleander - the place locals love, love and love- Just Do it, it's low key and unpretentious.

If you travel with a pet, check out bringfido.com. Just make sure that you read the reviews. I will agree that a lot of hotels have really gone down hill over the past few years

This is an interesting topic. We've been driving to the Boston area for a couple of weeks every summer. About 1400 miles via interstates but a little less stressful route.

We haven't been able to figure out how to do some sightseeing along the way and still have productive travels days, say 400 miles of progress. It seems like it's either get the miles in or stop and sight see and find yourself about 100 miles down the road at the end of the day.

Part of it is that we try to do the driving and the visiting in Massachusetts in about 2-1/2 to 3 weeks and 1 week is taken up with travel.

Looking at possibly one night in Fredericksburg and another in Charleston. Any nice hotel recommendations, not looking to do the cheap?

Always stay on the far side of city so the early morning traffic will be going in and you will be leaving city with very little of traffic. My favorite is Hampton Inn..

Usually disappointed with anything off I-95 on our trips to/from CT. Poor conditions and room noise usually ruined the night. Past few trips we skipped the mess and took the Red Bull highway straight through in 19 hours. Can be longer, depending on traffic. Not easy, but no regrets.

What road is the Red Bull highway? Never heard of it.