Driving from CT to TV
 

We are driving for the first time this Saturday to our home in Buttonwood. We expect to leave 6-7 am Saturday from western Connecticut and would like to arrive at our home as early as possible on Sunday (late afternoon or evening).

For any who have made a similar drive, how long did it take, what route would you follow (I95 or I81, etc.).

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Comcast is arriving Monday am so we have to be there Sunday night.

Thanks for your help. We're looking forward to our first extended stay.

We used to drive from Norwalk to Orlando taking I 95.
Drove from 6 AM to about 5:00 pm. stopping for lunch and at least one other time.
Left the next day about 7AM stopping for lunch and arriving at 4:00 PM

Good luck! Can't wait to join you. A couple of more years.

Drive
 

We've done the run from Long Island both for the move and visiting. We take Rt 95 south. Leave around 5AM drive about 12-13 hrs depending on weather.Usually try and make Sanatee SC the first day. We stay at the Holiday Inn in sanatee,nice rooms on site Rest & Bar. Get on the road around 7AM and make it to TV arond 2-3 PM the next day. Once you get into Fl. rt 10 over to 301.Just use extreme caution on 301.Adhere to the speed limits as posted. Good luck on your trip.We took 81 down from upstate after Thanksgiving one year. Only made NC that trip.

I'm glad I don't have to go through the New York and Philly areas. Were down the road in Maryland, two exits after you pass Cal Ripken Stadium on the right side of I-95. From here we usually make Savannah the first day, takes about 12 hours, and then same as you take I-10 to 301.

We'll be heading down April 17th for a week long LSV, can't wait, and hopefully make it a permanent move this summer.

95 South works well. Being a weekend I would think getting through or around DC would be ok.
Good Luck.

Drive from Danbury, CT
 

10 hrs on day one with minimal stopping and 8 hrs the second day. We took I-95.

OK - I am the dissenter...I HATE 95. We traveled from Branford to TV. We would take 81 to Charlotte and then pick up 85 to Atlanta, because our daughter lives there. If I was coming to TV, I would take 77 through SC to pick up 95 near Jacksonville.

Time is about the same - but the ride is infinitely less stressful and less likely to be impacted by major traffic in the NY - DC corridor.

Funny, we are too!
 

We are doing the same trip Sat 2/26 from Bethlehem, planning to arrive the 1st. :a040:
We had just about decided on 95, but you all have me thinking again. Plus is Sat through the city and Jersey. Love riding through PA which is why we were considering 81. Shortest trip on Mapquest comes out using 95.
Have a safe and wonderful trip. Perhaps we'll see you while we're scouting around Buttonwood.
Peg & Bob

We live in North Jersey and took the 81 to 77 route the day after Christmas before the big blizzard hit. Nice ride but very long. Took us 13 1/2 hours stopping for 1/2 each for breakfast & lunch and made it to Florence, S.C. The second day we took 95 all the way into Florida then 10 to 301. TOok about 8 hours, with a stop for lunch. If the weather's good, it's a weekend and you want to get to TV asap, 95 is the way to go. We'll do the 81/77 or 81/85/75 one day when we're not anxious to get back to TV (THough don't think that day will ever come!!)

Ct to TV
 

You might want to consider the Auto-Train.Depart DC(Lawton Va.) 4pm. Relax in a First class seat until supper time,sit down to a nice meal,adjourn to the lounge car for a first run movie.After the movie sit around with a cup of coffee or a cocktail.Return to your seat,play some games on your laptop(110 v power supply provided)Tilt your seat back and snooze until 6am(or later)when breakfast is served,Arrive in Sanford Fla around 9:30 am refreshed and be in the Villages by 12:N.(Try to book a seat in a lower compartment its a lot more comfortable)We do it every summer and fall and its worth every cent.Look up prices on the internet as they vary according to day of departure.www.amtrak.com

Easiest way is 95 to I10 to 75 South to Florida Tpke a short distance to 301 to 466A or further down on 301 to 466.

I would never again drive on 301 South. When you drive thru Starke and other small towns the chances of getting a ticket with an out of state plate are very good. That is how these towns support themselves. I very carefully kept to the posted limit and would up with a ticket for about $250.00 and I can tell you that I was not speeding. Nothing you can do about it either. AAA will not even give you directions thru Starke. It is also a very slow route and even though the mileage is less you can make up the time on 75 South since the speed limit is 70 in most places and 25-35 to 20 and to 15 back to 20 (you get the idea) on 301 South. Stay off if you can.

We go to Northern Jersey and Danbury a couple of times a year. We usually do I-95 although we take great pains to hit DC around noon because the traffic can be HELL through that stretch. We leave TV around 7AM and get up to Fayetteville, NC and stay the night. Next day, we leave at 7AM, hit DC around 1ish, and into Westfield, NJ around 5. Danbury is another 2 hours. We do I-81 when the weather permits as it is an easier drive most of the way although lots of truck traffic. I-81 is our route of preference to CT. We do Route 301 because we just slow down and go under the speed limit in Starke, Lawtey, and Waldo which are the three speed traps although, frankly, 301 is one big speed trap. I-75 takes about another 45 minutes to an hour than 301 but is worth it for those with a great aversion to 301.

You have to be careful and watch the weather on I-81 although I-95 is no picnic either....it's a tough two day drive but if you watch the weather, you are usually OK..we have been doing this for six years now so we are veterans.

Welcome back!
 

Repost of previous post ...hope it helps....Driving on Weekend like you are is best....

We drive from Clinton CT to FL a couple of times per year. Previously Sarasota, now The Villages(20 hours driving). Tried every way and found this route is usually the fastest.

Since I work on a company PC (Desktop not Laptop) driving is the only feasible way to travel back and forth with this computer .

We do 2 days...1 long day(12-14 hours) and 1 short day(6-8 hours). I've done this mostly with the wife but sometimes alone. We found that driving anything shorter on the 1st day, ends up with us sitting on a bed in a motel room, waiting for dark to fall asleep.We drive til 10-11PM and get a room wherever we stop.

Sometimes we make reservations during our Christmas travel....busy time.

Our normal practices & recommendations are:

• Try to travel on Sat. & Sunday if possible,
• Make Tappen Zee / GW Bridge decision based on radio traffic reports(WCBS 880 Traffic on the 8 minute mark, 1130 Bloomberg radio on the 5's, and 1010 WINS on the 10's)
• Getting an EZ Pass for tolls can save 1-2 hours during busy travel at tolls(good for all tolls til you hit the FL line).,
• Take 895 outside Baltimore to the Harbor Tunnel(avoids Baltimore Center city traffic)
• Take the BW expressway & 295 Balt. to D.C. (straight shot and avoids I-495 around D.C.)
• Take I-295 around Richmond(few miles longer, but much faster...avoids Richmond
  traffic and curves)
• IN FL we take I-95 to I-295 south above Jacksonville to I-10 to 301 south.

All good suggestions in these replies, so you takes your choice and all roads lead to The Villages...be safe and welcome back!!!!

Many thanks
 

Many thanks to all you veterans. I think this time (because the cable guy is coming Monday between 9-12), we'll take the I95 route and then I10 to I75 to 301. I tend to have a heavy foot and I definitely don't need a speeding ticket, justified or not.

We've been toying with leaving Friday afternoon and getting to Maryland/DC area for Friday night. Traffic will be heavy on Friday because of the holiday weekend so we may just wait until 7 am Saturday.

Thanks again. We're looking forward to seeing some old college friends and making some new ones.

We have been using the I-81 route in our trips from TV back to Windsor CT and much prefer that over I-95. While we have used both routes the time is almost the same but avoiding the NY to Washington stretch provides less traffic and less tolls. It takes us about 21 hrs and we usually stop for the night in Christiansburg VA, which is about halfway.

I know about tickets, I lived in Georgia for ten years and drove a Corvette. However, what I learned was, to drive slower. Going south on Hwy 301 from I-10 to Ocala is 82 miles, from that same point west on I-10 to Lake City and then I-75 south to Ocala is 132 miles. I grew up on the west coast of Florida and have been up and down Hwy 301 a thousand times without a ticket. I think driving an extra 50 miles is a bit much to avoid slowing down, but that's just me.

I also like going through Starke because I usually get there about lunch time from Savannah. They have a Captain D's on the left side across from Walmart, it's nice getting seafood from a drive thru.

As far as bypassing Baltimore, Washington and Richmond. Get a map and check this out because it might seem confusing, but it's much better than driving near those three cities. From I-95 just north of Baltimore take I-895 to I-97. Then just before Annapolis Hwy 2 to Hwy 301. Stay on Hwy 301 into Virginia to Rte 2 south. Take Rte 2 until you reach I-295 southbound (the Richmond Bypass), stay on that around Richmond and you will join I-95 south of Richmond.

Drive
 

95 is fine just be sure to take the eastern way around DC (495).

The advice to take Rt.10 at Jacksonville is correct (295 west) but even though 301 South off of 10 is shorter - staying on 10 to 75 South is less aggravating.

JMO

Drive
 

I just read your other post:

Many thanks to all you veterans. I think this time (because the cable guy is coming Monday between 9-12), we'll take the I95 route and then I10 to I75 to 301. I tend to have a heavy foot and I definitely don't need a speeding ticket, justified or not.

We've been toying with leaving Friday afternoon and getting to Maryland/DC area for Friday night. Traffic will be heavy on Friday because of the holiday weekend so we may just wait until 7 am Saturday.

Thanks again. We're looking forward to seeing some old college friends and making some new ones.

GOOD PLAN!

If you are coming from CT, avoid NYC and the GW bridge. Take the Tappan Zee bridge and head for I-81. I-81 is a bit longer by an hour or two but the driving is far better, almost all country. You bypass the Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC areas and, I found, there were many good places to eat and to overnight without reservations. Two nights make the trip easier but, if you leave early and drive late, you can do it with one stop.

Good luck and drive safely!

We arrived in Buttonwood Sunday at about 4:30 pm after an interesting trip from Connecticut. We left an hour later than we planned on Saturdy at 8 am. We were making great time over the Tappan Zee, down the Garden State Parkway onto the Jersey Turnpike until we reached the last toll. There traffic was backed up until we got to the other side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The high winds (gusts in excess of 60 mph) created a backup that cost us an hour by our reckoning. Unfortunately that wasn't our only problem. Near Washington, we ran into a brush fire that had smoke billowing across I-95. We lost another hour in that traffic jam and another hour after we got back on 95 after taking the 495 DC bypass. Another brush fire. There must have been dozens of those fires bevause of the dry conditions and the incredible winds.

We managed to stay the night in Florence, SC where we arrived at 9:30 pm.
Sunday we left at 9 am and the trip was much easier. A couple of pit stops and a lunch break and our first trip down 301 (sorely testing my patience with the frequent speed limit changes.)

Now we begin the process of furnishing our Buttonwood home after only buying a bed and sofa when we closed in December. I hope the next 5 weeks will be productive in that regard but also filled with fun.

The storm in Connecticut today did bring a smile to my face when we received a call from my grandson's school system this am that there was no school. We are on a telephone list as well as his mother. We're not there and I don't have to shovel that white stuff.

The television and internet are operational, the cabinets are filled with food and other supplies so we're off to a great start. Kudos to Comcast for being here when they said they would.

Glad you made it safely and missed the white stuff up there...

The travel issue you encountered are one of the main reasons that we don't take the NJ turnpike and 95. If you drive back up to see kids/grandkids, give one of the other options a try...

Welcome to TV and the beginning of everything. We are leaving this week to go to Virginia and I still can not decide whether to take I75 OR 301. GRRRR.. I have done the 301 route before and did not like it.

65er...glad you arrived safely. When we came down in Dec., there was ice storms all the way to Georgia. (we also come from CT). Thank God my husband's a great driver. Now, we're back in CT and boy, do I miss TV. I heard it was in the 80s today...sigh

:sing:

My husband and I have made the drive from ma to tv, twice straight through 1-95 took us 22 hrs. We are in buttonwood also, welcome neighbor!