Need advice driving north and eliminating going through DC
 

Has anyone by passed the DC area by taking 301 north which starts north of Richmond VA? We are headed to NJ and really hate to drive through DC. Any advice or help in helping us to avoid that area would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks...

yes, my husband and I did that always when we lived in NY and my mother lived in Richmond. It's longer than I95 and there are stop lights, but it completely bypasses DC and Baltimore and there are interesting places (farmers markets, restaurants) along the highway. Highly recommend it.

:agree:

I agree, with the caveat that I personally consider long distance travel on old highways to be more dangerous than on Interstates where all of the traffic on your side is going in the same direction with a wide median in between opposing lanes of travel.

I have traveled that section of 301 many times, extending back to the pre-Interstate days when that was the route you took to get to DC.

Are you an AAA member? It's well worth the price for many services other than highway break-down. One of them is the Trip-tix which gives you personalized travel maps which not only show you the route to travel, but also has notations about road construction, heavy traffic areas and interesting topographical features.

Be safe on your trip.

Good idea! To supplement a AAA member can design a personal route on their PC as easily as doing it in Google Maps. I just designed a routing on AAA.com from my home here in The Villages to my prior home in NYS, and it took practically no time at all. You can spend more time on it if you want to add up to a dozen different types of locations to the map i.e. lodging, restaurants, gas stations, etc. and even spend some time getting into travel guides for numerous cities. Once your map is set, you can then print the TripTik on your printer.

AAA Membership

When we drive to Randolph, N.J.; it's I-95 to Fredricksburg, VA., a left onto Route 17 then North on I-81. Exit I-81 on either 78 or 80 to 287. That's it. Have a safe Journey!

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Thanks for all the info. It is really appreciated. Senior, you have me totally confused on what you are trying to say. I don't want to avoid NJ, that is where I am going. Anyway, thanks all, once again TOTV folks are awesome. If anyone else has any more info. it will be appreciated.

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Oh good Senior, I thought for sure that I was missing something or having one of those so called senior moments again. They are happening way too frequently lately! Now I am just praying for good weather on the way up and on the way back.

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Steve, we tried the I-95 N to Rt 17 from Fredricksburg, VA to I-81 last May. It might be fine during daylight hours with a GPS, and maybe in the Winter months if you wish to avoid taking the I-26, and 77 to I-81 N route, but we were disappointed with Rt 17 and would never use it again. It's not one straight highway as it appears on a map but a series of local roads through a very winding, picturesque, agricultural area of VA. Yes, AAA suggested it but I'm sure it was based on their computer assisted mapping software. I would also expect that crossing deer could also become an issue on Rt 17 at dawn or dusk.

George

Avoiding DC
 

My favorite route because it is very scenic, but not necessarily the shortest, is to cut over to Virginia Beach from I-95, go through the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel, up through Maryland (Ocean City) into Delaware and take the Lewes Ferry to Cape May, NJ and then up the Garden State Parkway. It's a very pretty drive if you have the time and sure beats the heavy traffic. You do need to look up ferry schedules and best to make a reservation for the time you want.

:agree: Beautiful drive!

The last time I came South (using the AutoTrain) I avoided Baltimore and DC completely. In reverse, from I95 Lorton, Va, head towards Frederick, then head towards Harrisburg, Pa, then head east to your final destination. This is out of your way, but it is a nice ride, and MUCH better then I95, and there plenty of places to stop if you need to. As stated before, I would use AAA or at a minimum Google maps to confirm route.