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!