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We are driving to Disney in Florida on April tenth. We are taking our minivan from Boston with three young children. I really need advice about the best route and a good hotel to stop off in on the way. We want to make it there in two days. Any advice?
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
Really, the best thing you to make a roadtrip enjoyable for kids is to do more than just drive all day every day. Find little stops along the way for them to get out and have fun, even if it is just stopping at a playground to work out their energy. This article has more tips for family travel.
I will say that by covering this ground in 2 days, you're going to be looking at some very long days on the road -which is going to limit your ability to make those short fun stops. Taking I-95 is the shortest option, and that's 1300 miles. You're looking at 12+ hour days on the road, and that's assuming you can avoid any serious traffic delays throughout the northeast corridor. Breaking the trip up halfway mileage wise would put you around Rocky Mount, NC, although considering traffic, the south side of Richmond, VA may be closer to the midpoint in total travel time.
I think Michael was being too diplomatic. 1300 miles with 5 people, three of them small children, crammed in a minivan is just too much to try for in just two days. Even without the kids, you and your wife would be exhausted after 2 back-to-back 650 mile days through the northeast corridor and over that kind of distance. I will strongly recommend that you do everyone a favor and plan on at least two overnight stops for this trip. Even just cutting back each day's goal to 500 miles will give you time to make those stops Michael talked about and give everyone time for a good night's sleep each night. Overnight stops in that case would be roughly Fredericksburg, VA and Savannah, GA. That would still let you get to Orlando in the early afternoon on the third day, with time to see at least some of the park before attacking it in earnest the next day. Your kids will have a lot more fun if the trip is part of the adventure rather than just a march through Hades in order to get to the park too tired to really have much fun.
AZBuck
I would actually recommend you avoid the I-95 corridor. Take 3 days and use the following:
Mass Pike to 84
84 through Hartford to Scranton PA
81 to Wytheville VA
77 to Columbia SC
26 to 95 to 4 to Orlando
Overnights around Winchester VA and Columbia SC
This will keep you out of all the major NE metro areas, which will be a lot more relaxing drive, albeit longer - about 130 miles. It's also a lot more scenic.