Best Time To Drive From NYC?

[PETE FROM NYC]

As I write this,my Mom and Sister are in the Magic Kingdom.
DW and I are planning to fly down March,2008.
For 2009,however,I want to drive down,along with Mom and Sis,taking at least two days travelling each way
What time of year is good for doing the driving thing?We want to go down for at least 10 days in Florida,with me and Sis as the drivers.
We are looking for a time with fairly easy driving,no extreme temperatures,and moderate crowds.
Thinking maybe September,when kids should be back in school.
None of us has ever done such a long trip before.
Suggestions?

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

We drove down from Long Island a few times. We always go in September. We usually left here around 9pm to hit the Washington area in the middle of the night. Traffic can be a nightmare in that area.
We drive straight down on the way there with DH and I driving. It usually took 18 hours or so.

On the way back, we would spend the day in a park,leave around dinner time and then drive until 1am or so and then get a room for a few hours. Get up, have breakfast and drive straight home. We only stop for bathrooms and meals.

The drive down was never bad but, the drive home was always miserable. We had two young kids at the time though.

Once we had our DD we never drove again. We only fly now..lol.

[rt207]

I drive from PA all the time. I've gone in June, October, November and December (going in January this trip). I hate the cold, but I love driving down in the winter months. It is pure joy for me to leave here in the miserable cold:freeze: and arrive in the beautiful warmth:sun:, but it does make for some cold stops in the early part of the trip. You just have to pay attention to the weather forecast because for the last trip we took in December (2005), a very bad storm was coming the very day we were leaving. I quickly got on the Internet and made some quick reservations for 1 night since we'd arrive a day earlier. This area got a ton of snow:snowball: as I was giggling watching the news reports from Florida:tv:. Ahhh, good times:dance:.

[diz_girl]

It's great to drive down in cooler weather. Try going sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can enjoy both the milder temperatures and the decorations, and pay the value season rates. If it looks like a snowstorm is coming, you just leave a day or two early. It's tougher to do that with flying.

[steveknj]

I've driven down 2x, once in November, once in February. Never had many issues, except if there's construction somewhere. When we left in November (I think it was the mid 1990s), there was some construction outside of Wash DC. We leave early in the morning and stop about 2/3 of the way down in Florence, SC (our rule is there MUST be at least 3 exits in the town and at least 3 "chain" motels to stay in. If there is little traffic, we'll hit our stopover late afternoon, have relaxing dinner and sleep, then head south early the next morning, planning to get to Orlando around mid afternoon, so we can have an evening in the park.