Looking for a good place to stay over one night when I drive from Charlotte to Detroit -- any suggestions? (Columbus: hotels)

[Timm]

In late August, my fiancée and I will be driving from Charlotte to Detroit for a wedding. We'd like to drive about 8 hours away from Charlotte, leaving about 3 hours for the drive to Detroit the next day. Ordinarily my route takes me up I-77 and then across 80-90, but I'm not against taking 75, or veering off the interstates altogether for the right destination. I'm pretty open to suggestions.

The first towns/areas I've looked at are Ashland and Wooster and Mansfield. Mainly I just picked them at random as they're about the right distance, and easy to get to/away from. Anybody know a nice hotel in any of those towns (bonus points for being $50-$70/night)? We'll also need a dinner place and a breakfast place. Are there better towns? (I know very little about any of these places - just trying to give y'all an idea of how far from Charlotte/Detroit I'm looking for).

I'd like to avoid the standard strip-mall type town you usually find at an interstate exit and instead stay in a nice quaint downtown-y type town with some personality and charm. Ideas?

[Crew Chief]

Timm, I'd like to suggest an alternate route that will save you miles, time and tolls. it sounds more complicated than it is. I've run all of it in a truck and most of it is four lane divided highway. There are some sections with traffic lights, but I dodn't think they're long enough to worry about. (And the truck traffic isn't bad enough to worry about, IMHO. Anyway, here it is:

Take I-77 North to I-64 West at Charleston If you didn't already know about it, the "Tamarack" Service Plaza on I-77 is a great place to stop. The "Best of WV" on top of the hill above the travel plaza has food service provided by the Greenbrier Hotel and, I believe, better quality for the same money as the fast food places down in the travel plaza.

On I-64 West, take US 35 (exit 44) into Ohio. It's two lane until you get into OH, but moves along well.

Continue on US 35 to Chillicothe, OH, where you'll change to US 23 North towards Columbus. They're both all 4-laned in OH.

At Columbus, the easiest way around is probably I-270 West to Exit 23, where you'll pick up US 23 again and follow that to I-75 at Findlay, OH

Sorry I can't help with the overnight stay, but I thought I'd propose this alternate route. I do believe it will save you time and money despite taking a little more effort to follow. Have a good trip!

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

Timm, I'd like to suggest an alternate route that will save you miles, time and tolls. it sounds more complicated than it is. I've run all of it in a truck and most of it is four lane divided highway. There are some sections with traffic lights, but I dodn't think they're long enough to worry about. (And the truck traffic isn't bad enough to worry about, IMHO. Anyway, here it is:

Take I-77 North to I-64 West at Charleston If you didn't already know about it, the "Tamarack" Service Plaza on I-77 is a great place to stop. The "Best of WV" on top of the hill above the travel plaza has food service provided by the Greenbrier Hotel and, I believe, better quality for the same money as the fast food places down in the travel plaza.

On I-64 West, take US 35 (exit 44) into Ohio. It's two lane until you get into OH, but moves along well.

Continue on US 35 to Chillicothe, OH, where you'll change to US 23 North towards Columbus. They're both all 4-laned in OH.

At Columbus, the easiest way around is probably I-270 West to Exit 23, where you'll pick up US 23 again and follow that to I-75 at Findlay, OH

Sorry I can't help with the overnight stay, but I thought I'd propose this alternate route. I do believe it will save you time and money despite taking a little more effort to follow. Have a good trip!

Better yet, to totally avoid the WV turnpike tolls (granted, it's only $3.75 one way) and the Ohio turnpike (not sure what it is from Cleveland to Toledo now, it used to be like $5 or so one way, but I'm sure that's gone up), but US 23 runs concurrent w/I-26 from Asheville through Johnson City, TN where it continues on up through WV to Columbus and up to Toledo, so you could take US 321 to I-40 and hit US 23/I-26 in Asheville, or take the US 421 exit off of I-77 that takes you to Boone and onto Johnson City and pick it up there, however, I'm not sure what kind of highway 421 is though. Much of US 23 through WV and Ohio are going to make up the future Interstate 73 if it ever gets enough funding to be upgraded to full interstate standards, but as it is, most parts are like driving an interstate. When we go back to Ohio, we have no choice but to take 77, so I'm very familiar w/it, for the most part it's a smooth ride if you decide to go that route and there is very little traffic at all north of Charleston, WV all the way to Canton.

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

At Columbus, the easiest way around is probably I-270 West to Exit 23, where you'll pick up US 23 again and follow that to I-75 at Findlay, OH

Also, you'll have to make sure you follow the signs as US 23 does not actually meet up w/I-75 until Toledo, and follow OH-15 to I-75 in Findlay, it's very well-signed (at least it was last time I drove it a couple years ago), but just be careful of that, b/c north of OH-15, US-23 is a 2-lane highway for the 50 or so miles until it hits I-75/I-475 near Toledo while 15 is an expressway straight to I-75.

And as a Buckeye fan, I'd definitely suggest a stay in Columbus ! Although it's not a real 'middle point', may want to look at Huntington if you go that route to break your travel time in half. If you choose I-77 to I-80/90, would say go for Marietta or my hometown area of Canton. Marietta will be more of your middle point than Canton.

[NorthPoleMarathoner]

I've driven from Detroit to Marietta. I think it takes 7 hours. It's a wonderful town though if you get a chance to stop.

Mansfield, Fremont or Findlay would probably be fine. Stay away from Bowling Green that time of year as the students will be coming in and it will be a mess.

If you go through Columbus and then north I would definately suggest Findlay.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by NorthPoleMarathoner

Mansfield, Fremont or Findlay would probably be fine. Stay away from Bowling Green that time of year as the students will be coming in and it will be a mess.

Mansfield may not be an option. Hotels there are very expensive due to all the races at Mid-Ohio.

If you stay in Fremont, you might as well drive the 90 minutes to Detroit.

Personally, I would stay somewhere closer to Columbus. Priceline or Hotwire a hotel and you'll get a real bargain.

[rrtechno]

You didn't specify which part of Detroit you are headed to, but as you make your travel plans and are calculating driving time, be aware that there was a MAJOR construction project started last year on I-75 in the Detroit area that is currently scheduled to be completed in December of this year. Be sure to check out the MDOT website as the time approaches to find out where the bottlenecks are.

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by Buckeye in SC

Also, you'll have to make sure you follow the signs as US 23 does not actually meet up w/I-75 until Toledo, and follow OH-15 to I-75 in Findlay, it's very well-signed (at least it was last time I drove it a couple years ago), but just be careful of that, b/c north of OH-15, US-23 is a 2-lane highway for the 50 or so miles until it hits I-75/I-475 near Toledo while 15 is an expressway straight to I-75.

Thanks, Buckeye in SC!!! I've driven that way so many times now that I pretty much just do that without thinking about it! It is well-signed; just follow the signs on OH 15 to "Toledo"!

[HuskerDu]

Stay in Columbus. There is a suprisingly high-end Red Roof hotel (not motel) on Nationwide BLVD that is within walking distance of the best area of Columbus...The Short North. Tons of non-chain dining/coffee shops/pubs and it would be a nice place to walk around to stretch the legs after a long drive.