Where to stop between Cincinnati and Tampa

[Katzateer]

We are planning to leave Thanksgiving Day and have 3 days until we need to be in WDW for our 6 night stay.

We have not driven to Florida-we always fly.

I think we are going to head to Tampa and go to the beaches for one day.

Where would be an interesting place to stop on the way to Tampa for one night? It doesn't have to be exactly halfway. We have spend time in the Gaitlinburg area recently so I would like to get further than that (it is about 5 hours from us).

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Itchy]

We drive all the time ( from the St Louis area )
and we stop in Macon, Ga which is a little over half way for us ( 11 hrs ).

They have all kinds of stuff to do and see but we just have not taken the time to take it in.

DW is about 6 hrs from Macon.

Have a great trip.:mickey:

[eam]

1) Atlanta, about 450 to get there about 450 to Tampa. Seven hours and change both legs. Visit new Atlanta Aquarium in the morning then beat feet for Tampa.
2) Savannah, about 650 from the Queen City, leaving you an easy drive on the second day. Even in the evening walking through the historic district is great fun and the area is loaded with excellent restaurants.
3) Jacksonville, makes for a long fist day, but leaves you with time to wander the second day. The Riverwalk along the the St. John's is lots of fun and doted with informal places to eat. You might also see some Naval flight training.
4) Perry (GA) nothing to do but reasonable motels and an easy shot to Tampa the next day.
Addendum) I like Clearwater Beach which is the beach spot in the Tampa Bay area, the beach is excellent and there are lots Dolphin watching tours, sream boat rides, and fun joints. However, as you are heading south in a cooler month you might concider going fifty miles further to Sarasota, as the temperature is often three or four degrees warmer south of Tampa Bay. Lido Beach (Sarasota) is spectacular, the adjoining Saint Aramands Circle is a window shoppers paradise, Palm Avenue (Downtown) is the best street on the west coast for art and antiques. Sarasota is awash in great restaurants,
Have Fun!

[CleveSJM]

Chattanooga without a doubt. They have a great aquarium, national park civil war battlefield visitor centers, and Rock City for the kids.

See Rock City!

And it's just about half way.

[SallyP]

We always used to try and make it to the Valdosta area from West Chester in one day. Not much in that area but when all you need is a shower and a bed????

[brewcrew26]

We haven't driven for a long time but in the past we had made stops from Milwaukee to:

Lexington, KY
Nashville, TN
Atlanta
Charleston
Chattanooga

I really liked Nashville and Atlanta a lot as a kid. Charleston was really fun when I got older.

[mac badger]

do you want to go out of your way, or stay mostly on track? savannah and st augustine would both be nice stops, but they involve going out of your way to the east. we drive from st augustine to columbus 2 times a year, we always stop in chatanooga. its a fun little city, i love rock city and the downtown area has a great aquarium. you can find pretty reasonable hotel rooms too

[Aggie97]

If you don't want to go out of your way to somewhere like Savannah (which is really nice), Atlanta might be a good option. The new Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola are very cool, and are located right next to each other downtown. This fall the Aquarium has a neat temporary exhibition of artifacts from the Titanic. If you like art, the High Museum of Art will have two fantastic displays at that time -- The Louvre and the Masterpiece, and The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army. Also, by that time the Atlanta Civic Center will have Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, which is supposed to be amazing. Have a great trip! :mickey: