Best way to route 81
 

I'm planning my yearly trip to New England and want to avoid rte 95 and try rte 81. I see there are several options to get to 81. Any suggestions on the best way?

I75 North to Chatanooga, and on to Knoxville. Pick up I40 east and you will intersect I81

Fastest is I75 north to Knoxville then I40 to I81

We almost always use 81 to get back to MA. You still have to hit 95 going out of FL IMO. There are many different and good opinions on how to get out of FL. I always used 301...


For me it was 301 N to 10E to 295N around Jacksonville to 95N to 26W to 77N to 81N

drive safe.

stay on rt 81 till you get to Hershey pa than rt 78 to new jersey than to rt 287 to new england

I take I95 up to I26 towards Columbia SC and pick up I77 in Columbia SC which will take you to I81. I've looked at the Atlanta/Chattanooga/Knoxville route, but it's almost 200 miles out of the way and at least 2-3 hours longer to get to I81. And you can stop in Mayberry (Mt Airy SC) for a nice little side trip!

Oops, that should read Mt Airy NC !

I-81 route
 

This is exactly the route we plan to follow to return to Central NY this summer. It worked well coming south last Sept.

95 to Va 17(Fredericksburg Va) to 66 to 81 at Winchester Va. have traveled every possible route and this is my preferred route.
Many others use this same route. Best all weather. almost no traffic bottlenecks. No speed traps almost all interstate Routes.

301
 

If you will hit Jacksonville at rush hour,stay on 301 north of I10.Go thru Baldwin and follow 301 to AIA to I95.
After Baldwin 301 is now 4 lanes to I95.
According to my GPS,this way is 5 minutes longer but no traffic.

VA 17 helps avoid the usual traffic bottlenecks in Northern VA, DC, and Baltimore. But VA 17 is not a simple route to follow without a GPS because it's not a highway and full of turn-offs. We took it once going North and while it was very scenic, we vowed not to use it again, and especially in the dark. We much prefer the 95, I-26, 77, to I-81. But like art, everyone has their personal preference.

For anyone traveling 301 north of TV, make sure you are watching the plethora of speed zone changes closely, as some of these little towns use speeding tickets as a major source of revenue.

Although once so notorious as a speed trap that AAA paid for signs warning motorists (they also paid for signs coming into Lawtey), Waldo recently disbanded its corrupt police force. You can still see a bunch of their police cars parked in various locations next to 301, but they don't have an LEO in them.

Florida speed trap town disbands police department


Hawthorne, Starke and Lawtey however still have active speed traps so just be careful. Not to mention that there are zillions of traffic lights on 301 and although Google Maps and your GPS may say using 301 is quicker, I have found that going to Jax or points north on I-95 it is a much nicer (and quicker) trip going through Salt Springs, Palatka and then getting on I-95 through Hastings.

Not to mention much more scenic and enjoyable.