MB to FL...advice?

[ywgflyer]

I'm planning a trip from Winnipeg (MB) to Ft. Myers, FL (long story short, visiting a friend ;) )

anyways, I'm looking for advice on a decent route to take. My basic guidelines: avoid toll routes (if possible), find nice scenery (and out-of-the-way places that're kinda cool)...speed is somewhat of a consideration, depends on how much time I can get off work (the life of a commercial pilot is NOT too great as far as days off go)...

Anyways...enough rambling from me...over to you, everyone...post your suggestions here :)

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The most direct, fastest, and toll-free route is just MB-75 south to I-29 once you enter the US. At Fargo hop on I-94 east to Madison, WI where I-39 south will take you to Normal, IL. A short jaunt on US-136 east will connect you with I-57 south and I-24 east in southern Illinois. I-24 will take you to Chattanooga, TN and I-75 south the rest of the way to Fort Myers. You can bypass some of the traffic in downtown Atlanta and Macon by using I-285 and I-475 respectively, but there really aren't too many other options that won't cost you significant hours. As it is that route is 2165 miles and will take about 4 days to do at a comfortable pace that will let you see some of the attractions along the way, The scenery will not be bad, but it doesn't sound like you'll have time for 'out of the way', and we'd need to know what you consider kind of cool \before we could recommend specific places to stop.

AZBuck

[ywgflyer]

Thanks for the welcome :)

As far as things I'd like to see...yeah, tourist traps are interesting sometimes, but moreso small towns that have 'character' (or at least something interesting to see/visit, hopefully while not shelling out tons of money at the same time). In my spare time, I'm a storm chaser (crazy, I know), so I often find my way through tiny little spots on the map, and I've found they're usually awesome places to stop and grab a coffee. So that's what I'd say would be an 'interesting' place. I'm sure there's probably tons of that along that route though.

Anyways, that route sounds good...you're right, I probably won't have time to stop and see everything I could probably see if I was to stretch out the drive as much as I could...but I guess it'll all be a matter of how much time I can get off in the first place. As much as I hate to admit it, that fact right there might force me to pull the often-considered-but-never-smart 20hr day on the road. Oh well, I'll bring my camera along :)

[AZBuck]

Given the need to make tracks on this drive, and the desire to see small towns with character, I think you're best bet is to stick mainly to the largely Interstate route I outlined for you in my last post, but take the occasional short detour. So a few recommendations:

Rather than stay on I-29 down the left bank of the Missouri River, come down through Nebraska on the Lewis & Clark Scenic Byway (US-75). This will bring you through the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations, give you the chance to take a lakeside break, and visit towns like Tekamah and Blair, before using US-30 to hop back on I-29.

From St. Louis, head south on I-55 rather than east on I-64. Spend some time in the town of Ste. Genevieve, take the ferry over to Modoc, IL and follow the Great River Road (IL-3) for a bit before cutting east on IL-149 and IL-13 through Murphysboro and Carbondale to hook back up with I-57 and I-24.

Finally, once you're past your last major hurdle (Atlanta) and you know how you're doing on time, you can leave I-75 via GA-36 (west) to US-19 south through Thomaston and Americus and then use US-280 to rejoin I-75

Anyway, those are a few possibilities that shouldn't cost you too much in the way of time, while still providing a look at something interesting.

AZBuck