Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-13-2015, 08:40 AM
 
215 posts, read 277,396 times
Reputation: 155

Advertisements

We are moving down in June, and will need to make the drive- with a dog and school aged child. Would love any tips and suggestions for best time to travel, good place en route for an overnight stop (from there I will search for a pet friendly hotel) and any other driving tips you can offer! We are not road trippers, so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-13-2015, 09:32 AM
 
Location: Windermere, FL
782 posts, read 1,360,465 times
Reputation: 599
The two best places to stop overnight will be either Fayetteville, NC or Florence, SC. (It depends whether you want a shorter day on the first day or the second day.) Both places have easy off-the-highway hotels, including pet-friendly ones, and plenty of places to eat. If you are able to travel on a Saturday and Sunday, you will have better luck than traveling in the week, because the traffic around DC can be nightmarish between 6 AM and 10 AM and between 3 PM and 8 PM on weekdays.

I'd suggest bringing a picnic lunch (or do drive-through) for both days, because you won't find too many places along 95 that let you take a dog into the restaurant with you. There are decent rest areas along I-95 to stop for lunch, however. The one exception is that once you get past the I-295 cut around Richmond, there's no rest areas until you get to North Carolina, as many times that we've been in the area, the one at MM108 has been closed. That means you're going from MM131 all the way to the NC border. (So more than 2 hours.) If you don't mind traffic and travel similar to Philadelphia, you can stay on 95 through Richmond instead of taking the loop around it.

In the DC area, tune the radio to 103.5 FM for WTOP, which does traffic every 10 minutes.

When we moved down, we used the I-95 Exit Guide app to help get an idea of what was coming at each exit. It isn't always 100% accurate, but it gives a good idea.

Those are the big things I remember offhand. Just take it nice and easy, take lots of breaks, and make sure to stop at the FL welcome center for your free glass of OJ.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:11 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 61,807,550 times
Reputation: 13161
Hotels in Fayetteville are sketchy beyond belief.

I would suggest staying in Richmond Hill, GA. Plenty of good budget type hotels and a safe area.

Here's how to do this trip--DH does it 12 times a year and I have driven it a couple dozen or more times.

The key is to miss DC traffic. It's best if you can travel on a Saturday/Sunday combo. Get the car packed and get to bed early. Get up and on the road at 3:00 am.

The route is 95 to 895 in Baltimore for the Harbor Tunnel. Stay on 895 to 295 (B-W Parkway--no trucks) to 95/495. Follow to 95/395. Use the Richmond bypass (295) around Richmond, and then stay on 95 until you get to I4 in Daytona, FL.

I don't know why Jules worries about no rest areas, as 95 is not a toll road south of NJ and you can find services along almost every exit. Emporia is a good place for a second stop, with several gas stations and fast food outlets. Very safe area. I would not take the time for a sit down restaurant meal.

Frankly I try to avoid the rest areas in SC and GA as they feel dangerous and very dirty to me. Get off the highway and stop at the gas stations/fast food places.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:25 AM
 
26,817 posts, read 43,286,237 times
Reputation: 31407
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClC053103 View Post
We are moving down in June, and will need to make the drive- with a dog and school aged child. Would love any tips and suggestions for best time to travel, good place en route for an overnight stop (from there I will search for a pet friendly hotel) and any other driving tips you can offer! We are not road trippers, so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!
I have made the drive on a few occasions and once four years ago in a move with a U-Haul, a friend and two freaked out cats. The absolute key to the trip is your timing through the DC Metro area as the window is relatively small for hassle-free in terms of bumper to bumper traffic. It's roughly 2.5 hours from Philly to DC on average without delays. I would recommend leaving Philly post-rush hour (around 10am) so as to arrive in the DC area before 1-1:30 as traffic can begin getting bad around 2pm headed southbound on I-95 believe it or not. Getting through/around Richmond VA is no picnic either so with a timetable of getting through DC by 1pm you're set to miss Richmond's rush hour which usually begins around 4pm. The Lumberton-Fayetteville NC area is usually a good area to shoot for your overnight and I would recommend either the Best Western in Lumberton or the Quality Inn in Fayetteville if that extra half hour seems daunting at the end of the day. Of the hotels that accept pets, both charge only a $10 pet fee versus $40-$50 (or more) at the others. Both are clean properties with affordable rates as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:28 AM
 
7 posts, read 12,600 times
Reputation: 10
Default DOG FRIENDLY I-95 to FLORIDA

Quote:
Originally Posted by ClC053103 View Post
We are moving down in June, and will need to make the drive- with a dog and school aged child. Would love any tips and suggestions for best time to travel, good place en route for an overnight stop (from there I will search for a pet friendly hotel) and any other driving tips you can offer! We are not road trippers, so any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!
Last May I drove from Delray Beach, FL to Philly via I-95 and almost every major exit had a lot of hotels that were very easy to get to. I drove 300 miles a day, which meant I stayed in a hotel or motel a few times ... and every one had people with dogs! Sadly tho, I can't back track to tell you where I stayed each night, but we are driving down in the fall with my Chihuahua's, so I have been doing some research too and I will gladly share what I have found out so far.
Hope it helps & you have a great trip!!

(Note: Most hotels will not permit you to leave your dog alone if you want to go out - but I would never take that chance anyway)

- DO A GOOGLE SEARCH:
I-95 PET FRIENDLY HOTELS on TRIPADVISOR Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor
PET FRIENDLY HOTELS I-95 Philadelphia to Orlando
I-95 PET FRIENDLY PA to FL
dog friendly hotels off I-95

- LINKS:
Interstate 95 Dog-Friendly Accommodation Listings (GOOD!)
DogFriendly.com's Interstate 95 Dog-Friendly Travel Guide

Dog Friendly Guide To Interstate 95 - North Shore Animal League America
Pet Friendly Hotels in North Carolina Along I-95 | USA Today
The I-95 Exit Information Guide - Travel Forum • View topic - Pet Friendly Hotel/Motels
pet friendly hotels along i 95 - WOW.com Results

Last edited by DOGLOVER51; 04-13-2015 at 10:38 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:37 AM
 
7 posts, read 12,600 times
Reputation: 10
OOPS ... I'm new here. Guess I need someone to show me how to make links work here.
Sorry. Hope you know how to copy & paste.
HOW DO I POST CLICKABLE "LINKS" HERE?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Windermere, FL
782 posts, read 1,360,465 times
Reputation: 599
Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk View Post
I don't know why Jules worries about no rest areas, as 95 is not a toll road south of NJ and you can find services along almost every exit.
Most fast-food restaurant stops don't have picnic tables so you can eat outside so you don't have to leave your pooch in the car, and most don't have doggie relief spots. That, and I am not a fan of stopping in a store or restaurant to use their restroom facilities and not buying anything, but I'm too cheap to buy a bottle of $2 water "just cause". Once you get south of Richmond, it's really hit or miss which exits have decent places to stop until you get to Emporia. There's a few decent clusters that have a lot of things, but then you go for miles upon miles with exits that have nothing. It's okay if you're a guy who can just pull over on the side of the road, or if you're an adult who can just hold it, but when kids go into the mix… when the sign tells you that there's a rest area in 40 miles, but it is closed without notice and you're still another 90 minutes until the next one, that's not fun.

Oh, but good mention about the I-895 tunnel. They're doing a MASSIVE project up there with lane closures, so overnight travel is going to be a nightmare in that area and has been causing all sorts of nightmares in the morning rush. (At least when I was up there last month, there was much doom and gloom.)

MDTA Traffic Advisories

If you don't have an EZ Pass, you might want to think about one as a "just in case" you need to take the I-95 Express Toll lanes in Maryland or you are at the right time to take them in Northern VA (open NB in the morning and SB in the evening).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Windermere, FL
782 posts, read 1,360,465 times
Reputation: 599
Quote:
Originally Posted by DOGLOVER51 View Post
OOPS ... I'm new here. Guess I need someone to show me how to make links work here.
Sorry. Hope you know how to copy & paste.
HOW DO I POST CLICKABLE "LINKS" HERE?
Just post the hyperlink directly in the box instead of trying to code it -- it'll do the coding for you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 10:47 AM
 
5,390 posts, read 9,622,737 times
Reputation: 9978
I do the drive from Philadelphia to Miami quite a bit and I've found that the halfway point is Florence, SC. It has a decent selection of hotels, plus it's right off the interstate...decent amount of restaurants to choose from as well. . . It's also a good "half way point"....at least for Miami...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-13-2015, 11:51 AM
 
7 posts, read 12,600 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by EditorJul View Post
Just post the hyperlink directly in the box instead of trying to code it -- it'll do the coding for you.
Hello & thanks.
All I did was copy and paste the URL'S in with my message, is that what you are saying? I wouldn't know how to code anything. I never had this not work before on other forums, so maybe I am having a really dumb day :-)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top