Driving ?

[yjgirl32]

We are planning to drive from Pa to Fl. I know everyone says to drive 95- I have a couple of questions- what time(s) to stay away from DC area and is there any other areas I should avoid. We are excited to be driving- we have taken long drives to Indy and have done very well. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[JROriole8Fan]

We drive this 3-4 times a year as we live in MD. The problem we always encounter is in VA, all the way until you pass Fredrickburg. Essentially rush hour starts around here at 2pm and continues thru 8pm. So, plan to be past Fredricksburg before 2. The best time is early in the morning, because everyone is coming north and you are going the other way. Unless you want to be very frustrated, avoid 2-8pm. What time do you want to leave PA? When would you get to the MD/VA beltway?

[goofyfan4466]

what part of pa. are you leaving from ? we are from se pa. and we will be driving down on the 22 nd we leave @ midnight ,no later than 1:00 am.we normally only run into construction traffic or the occasional accident.we usually get thru dc early morning.hope this helps.

[betteratmk]

It really depends where in PA you live!

[wdwfansince75]

From Harrisburg, it is about 40 miles further to use I-81/I-77/I-26/I-95/I-4 instead of 95 & 4...And my experience over the years is that it is quicker...No tolls, no Wilmington/Balt/DC/Richmond traffic....and a more scenic drive....
The difference (40 miles) is about the same for our trips between Easley, SC, and NE PA....and 81/77/85 is always quicker than 85/95....We will be going to Souderton for DGD#1's graduation next month...Going up 85/95, since we will be making a stop at Arlington for the Memorial Service for the Guy in Front....I was the GIB...Guy in Back...for over 100 carrier landings...One last salute for a dear friend.
Although this takes us up 85 and 95, we will return via 81, 77, and 85, our usual route.
Maybe my fixation on this route comes from our Honeymoon trip, in '64, through the Shenandoah Valley on US 11, across the mtn to Danville, then on 29 and 85 on our way from Brodheadsville, PA, where we were married, to Pensacola, FL, to start flight training. Was that really 46 years ago?

[yjgirl32]

We live near Allentown, Pa. A friend of mine had taken a different route other than 95 to get past the dc area. We were hoping to leave around 1 in the afternoon so I know we will be hitting the rush hour traffic somewhere. Thanks for all the help it is greatly appreciated.

[diz_girl]

If you left Allentown at 1 p.m., then you're hitting DC at the height of rush hour, so avoid DC. There are two basic routes to get around DC. The first is to go west and get on 81 south and join up with I-95 around Richmond. The other is to go down the Delmarva penninsula and cross over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel. You would then join I-95 around Emporia, VA. I actually just did a comparison (from Allentown, PA to Emporia, VA) on Goggle Maps and the I-81 route is estimated to take 6 minutes longer, so there is no real time savings either way. Taking either route adds about 1 1/2 hours to your trip over going straight through DC during non-rush hour.

I've never taken I-81, but I have gone down the Delmarva penninsula and I'd definitely recommend doing the same. Going down I-81 the scenery is mountains, while the Delmarva penninsula has water. I just love the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel. There is a place to stop on the bridge towards the southern end. It has a CS restaurant and a gift shop. I'd recommend that you take the Delmarva route and stop for dinner at the restaurant on the bridge. I don't remember the menu, but you can always brown bag your dinner and stop there for the view while you eat on/in your car.

Once you get back on I-95, it's pretty smooth sailing all the way to WDW, excepting major holiday weekends, like Thanksgiving, as I found out the hard way. You might want to check for any contstruction along the way.

[yjgirl32]

Thank you very much. We are very nervous about the dc traffic. We are so unsure if we should let our son have a half day at school or just leave the night before.

[DisneyMomx2]

As a kid, my family and I would leave 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. (from central NJ) and try to get to DC before rush hour. Now with 2 kids of my own, my DH and I leave around 6:00 p.m. the night before and don't hit too much traffic except on the NJ Turnpike sometimes.

Have a safe and wonderful trip!!

[yjgirl32]

We are still contemplating on when to leave. I was trying to let ds6 have a half day of school- but dh says to just leave at like 5 in the am to beat some of the traffic and get as far as possible- stop for the night so ds can have like an hour of swimming at a hotel pool.

[LauraByTheSea]

We used to live in Upstate NY, and we always took 81 until VA, then cross over to 95. Probably you're best bet...

[GrumpySue]

We drive from New York and always take the I-81/I-77/I-26/I-95/I-4 route, even though it is an hour longer. It is a MUCH nicer ride, very scenic and no DC traffic to worry about. If you are already in PA I would definately go this way, a LOT less stressful.