Dif

Planning a drive to St Pete FL from MA and so far taking I-84 to I-81
To avoid going through Washington, will exit I-81 onto 70.
Then 15 to 28 to 55 to 286 to 123 and onto 95.

Any better suggestions to avoid congested traffic on where to get off I-81 and head towards I-95 is appreciated

First road trip of this length and have a couple Hotels in mind along the way.
Not looking to do a marathon run, but objective is to get to Florida

Main concerns are gas and rest stops.
Thanks in advance for any advice

springer-

I've made the trip many times.

84 out of mass to 684 to 287 over the Tappan Zee Bridge.

After the bridge, pick up the Garden State Parkway to the Jersey Turnpike.

Cross over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and follow 95 south.
Optional, take 695 (outer beltway) around Baltimore and pick up 95S on other side.

Take 495 around Washington DC. Pickup 95S

Follow 95 into Florida

Take 10W out of Jacksonville to US301. Follow 301 to Ocala and pickup 75S to Tampa/St. Pete area.

capecodvette

Ha! I am leaving Naples tomorrow morning, heading back to MA. You will be coming into rainy season, HEAT, HUMIDITY. Enjoy

Torch Red Z06

I agree, taken the same route many times.

c8nukeZ51

couldn't agree more

springer-

If you really want to take the long way....

84W out of Hartford to 81S

Follow 81S to 77S in Virginia to 26 in Columbia SC.

26 to 95S and follow 95S the rest of the way as described above.

OR you can take 81S to Knoxville TN and go find Deals Gap (Tail of the Dragon).

Then head to Atlanta and pickup 75S into Tampa, FL.

Rebel Yell

Oh babe, we're headed down next week. I just looked at the projected forecast, and it looks like mid summer's there all ready.

Steebme

I make the run from Long Island to Jacksonville a few times a year. I leave around 8pm and my last trip took 13.5 hours straight down 95. Only traffic I hit is the ga congestion by the fl border. If your through Richmond va by 7 am it's a clear ride.

SFCA1968

weather is not so bad now
its great here in Vero always a nice breeze
but if possible avoid I-95 boring boring boring

obxchartercaptain

If you want a GREAT side trip....When you get to Richmond take 64 East towards Norfolk...the follow the signs to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Rt 12 down the Banks to Cape Hatteras...free Ferry to Ocracoke Island (home of Blackbeard the Pirate) then a paid ferry to Beaufort/Morehead City and down the coast rt 17 to Myrtle Beach. Great side trip if you are not in a hurry and great stops along the way. Travel Safe

$$$frumnuttin'

Avoid I75 into Atlanta at all costs...it's not so much the downtown, but the 60 miles north and south of the central city is total nuts...take your pick; stop and go, crazy drivers (slow and fast), zero rest areas (keep your tank full and your bladder empty), construction, highway signs confusing, etc.... only good thing is HOV lane through downtown is great when violators are not taking up space....

Mike Campbell

Look, I live in Florida now but the reality is if you want to avoid NY, Phila, Baltimore & DC you have to go west and take I 81 south to I 77 south thru Charlotte to Columbia SC then take I 26 south to I 95 south. Follow I 95 to I 295 West around Jacksonville to I 10 west to Rt 301 South. It's about 10 miles. Follow 301 South to Ocala, then get on I 75 to I 275 to St. Pete. People will give you all kinds of routes but this way is the best to avoid all the big cities and traffic. Done it many times and as far as the weather down here he's right "rainy season" a 25% chance of a half hour shower in the afternoon and it clears up. Good luck!

Dif

^ Mike Campbell, just what I was looking for .. 77
Had planned a similar route a few years ago but didn't end up taking the trip.
This time planning I forgot something and 77 was it.
Just need to search hotels now.

Many Thanks to everyone for your input
My bad, I reversed I-84 and I-81 in Original post
Taking notice for the return trip of everyone's suggestions for sights and places to visit

Gotta love this Forum

PS: about that weather ... we're used to the weather all things considered.
My wife is in FL for the winter and I fly back and forth a few times.
But she did say it's hotter than Blue Blazes right now

This time of year I'll fly down before the last week of May.
A week or two into June ship her car home and we fly home for Summer.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, this will be the first Drive down with the Corvette, and, our first Drive home together.

PSS: I heard in Florida a two seated Kayak is called a divorce Kayak

SilverGhost

I 81 in pa and va is a four lane road, being used like it is a 10 lane road. Ya see, all the politicians hate gridlock, so they make i95 (around dc where they live) 12-14-16 lanes or more. No road money gets over to the western part of va and so I81 looks pretty much the same as it did when Eisenhower built it in the early 60's

Truckers love I81, and they love to get paired up in both lanes, four or five trucks in a gang, and do the elephant ballet. 2 trucks, straining on the hill climb, neck and neck, at 40mph. 1000rpm in 6th gear in an 07 z06. some kinda fun.

Instead, From time you can get on it, try 29 south.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_29_in_Virginia

lots of four lane, but "relatively" deserted compared to Die81 and I95.

once you get to North carolina, head to greensboro and pick up I73 (wishful thinking, it is really rt. 220) again deserted four lane to SC appx 100 miles. In South carolina follow Rt one and a few similar two-lane roads to Cheraw, Society Hill, Darlington, and then just before you go into Florence take the second sign on the right advising to get to I20. (all less than 50 miles) I20 east to i95 and its not too bad in that area clear to Florida.

Jacksonville. OMG i've been driving that road, continually under construction, since 1995. If thousands of people perish in Florida due to a force 5 hurricane, it will be because they are stuck in the perpetual bottleneck of road construction on i95 through Jacksonville while attempting to evacuate the state. I would have thought that the Bubba road construction company (that has the exclusive license to rebuild Jacksonvilles 20 miles of i95, continually, in perpetuity) would have been richer than buffet by now.

oh, 77. Fancy Gap mountain says it all. Fog at night, fog in the day, high winds whenever, and 29 mile long backups from i81 to FG mountain on i77 due to the many unfortunate road crashes. A coupla years ago fog took 95 cars down, and added 3 crosses to the road.

headlines: "Three dead in 95-car pileup near Virginia, North Carolina state line" ..."Weather Guy: I-77 at Fancy Gap ... a spectacular nightmare"

I26 - a short dash of "interstate" between i77 and i95. I've never seen more crazy drivers in my life on such a short piece of road in no where's ville, and I live in loony drivers central in SoFlo. As we were evacuating from Matthew to Va on i95 we drove past the i26 interchange and state troopers had blocked all exits off i95 to i26 east or west. Seems the gubernator had closed that road to only his friends and family. I kid you not.

i95 in SC, sports car suspension? stay in the left lane as much as possible. seems like every two hundred feet in the right hand lanes (both sides) there is a cracked concrete pothole. Been there at least since 1982, when I first drove my TR8 down to Daytona. Doan worry, you won't miss hit.

Mike Campbell

Actually I rode that "Dump you Canoe" before I moved to Florida up in PA. It's true we did have a couple of 90 degree days last week which is early for us but I think they had some up north too. All I can say about living down here is the weather is consistent. When a day is cloudy it's unusual. Have a great trip.

cor28vettes

I-97 from the bottom half of the Baltimore Beltway to Millersville, Md. 3/301 all the way to Richmond I-295 S to I-64 to Williamsburg, Va for B&B Fox & Grape.

Better yet, soon after crossing the Potomac River on Rt 301, and entering Va from Md, pick up Rt 17 to historic Yorktown, then Colonial Pkwy to Colonial Williamsburg.

Allow time to tour the Colonial City. Deal w/PITA Norfolk traffic & continue on with Rt 17 Coastal overall. Suggest overnight in Charleston and overnight in Savannah, allowing tour time. Stay coastal to St Augustine FL. Overnight and tour. Daytona Beach I-4 to St Pete after tiring of coastal routes.

Could also do Cape May NJ Ferry to Lewes, Del to Ocean City Md to Norfolk and backtrack to Williamsburg.

Take the best alt route going home to include I-81. If time allows, Skyline Drive in VA through the mountains which starts (or ends) in Front Royal, Va. Caution: VA State Police do a lot of Radar on their portion of I-81, esp around Va Tech.

Now mine is not meant to be the quickest route. But I-95 sucks. It's to do a bit of sightseeing the way they travelled before the Interstate, but for I-97 in Md and I-4 in FL.

Or you could avoid I-95 in the future, cancel St Pete, and just www.visitsouthwalton.com

JRYELLOWCORVETTE

I live in east TN off of I-81. If you are not in a big hurry and want a real senic trip PM or email me for directions. We have a home in FL also.

richelu

Avoid Atlanta traffic at all costs, UNLESS you are either travelling through the area in the middle of the night OR after the projected June completion date for the section of I-85 that collapsed after the fire under that section caused the collapse.
Ever since that fateful day, traffic here has been worse than ever all over the place because people have to work around the closure of a section of a major artery in the Atlanta area.

Rich

richelu

One huge warning about HWY 301.
DO NOT SPEED in Waldo. Notorious speed trap town between Starke and Gainesville. I know too many people that got tickets there when driving up to Jax for the annual Florida/Georgia game.

Dif

Email sent