Best driving route to Tampa? (Raleigh, Chapel Hill: coupons, chapel, hotels)

[CHwboy]

Hi all,

Driving to Tampa next week from Chapel Hill... done it a few times and I-95 is deathly boring. Any suggestions for a more scenic route? I like small towns.

Thanks!

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by CHwboy

Any suggestions for a more scenic route? I like small towns.

Thanks!

US 1 you'll see every small town all the way down

It happened one night - YouTube

[CHwboy]

Oh man that film is pretty good - funny how buses have gone from a fairly respectable form of travel, to being reserved mostly for poor people (except for the slightly fashionable cheap intercity services popping up).

[pitroad]

From Raleigh I have taken I-40E / I-95S to Santee, SC and there picked up Highway 301 just after the Santee Cooper Reservoir. 301 is a throwback to a time before the Interstate system. You could take it all the way to Ocala, Fl and then jump on I-75 to Tampa. I love the little college town of Statesboro, Ga. Use to stay overnight at a mom-pop place called the Trellis Inn but that has since closed. Looks like there are several nice B&B's according to Trip Advisor Statesboro Hotels: Check out 16 hotels, with 510 reviews. You could pick up 301 in NC just before I-95 but it jumps on and off I-95 a lot (301 parallels I-95 through most of NC).

[gball721]

building on previous post's route suggestion; Just a heads-up:

Watch the speedtraps in Lawtey and Waldo, FL (on 301 South between Baldwin and Ocala)! People have been busted going 1 above the speed limit

--but if you're looking for the scenic drive, you probly won't be speeding anyway ;o)

[CHwboy]

Thansk - these are very helpful! I've done the 301 in Florida before, as you say it's very pretty. Looks like 301 is the route for me.

[wizard-xyzzy]

Ditto comments about speed enforcement on 301 in Florida.

Stop in Folkston, Georgia and watch trains for a while. US 1 and US 301 pass through there, although US 17 does not.

[rnc2mbfl]

Go with boring. It's not worth the extra time.

[ZimaCheryl]

If you have an AAA membership, stop by an office & ask about a trip tik.
They can probably help you map out a route & if you plan on stopping or site seeing along the way they may even be able to hook you up w/some discounts & coupons.

[CHwboy]

Just a quick update - I took 15/501 to South Carolina, then caught US-601, then US-301 to Ocala in Florida. A very interesting drive. Took about 3 hours more than the interstate, I'd say. So many empty-looking motels...