ATL to Keys via 27

We are traveling for business from the ATL metro to the keys, for an art show. I want to take the route that brings us from 75 to Fl-27 but have concerns about availability of rest areas, hotels (it's a long drive and I'm not young!) and restaurants. Has anyone made this route or, barring that, how can I customize my map to choose this route so that I can see roadside places marked on it? I have been searching to see how to get alternative routes when planning using the map tool, but haven't figured out how to accomplish this yet. When I enter my start and finish destinations I only get one route, the 95 one. I just thought it could be more fun if we took the state hwy part of the way so we can stop at antique stores and other attractions. Thx for any help.

Non-Interstates generally don't have rest areas, but almost all towns along the road will have someplace safe to stop and rest for a bit with restrooms - gas stations, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, etc. Occasionally you might find turnouts with a picnic table and maybe a porta potty. The larger towns may have hotels, more likely mom and pop motels from the days before the Interstates, US-27 was a major highway in those days.

What you can do to find hotels is use a search engine with the name of the town (example - Lake Placid FL lodging) and see if anything comes up.

Yes, this can be a long drive if you stay off the Interstates - how many days are you allocating? It's 2 full days via the Interstates, how many more days do you have? Fastest way is I-75 to the Turnpike, not I-95 (although I-95 parallels the Turnpike for a considerable distance). The Turnpike in Miami-Dade County is now cashless, without a Sunpass it takes a photo of your license plate and you are mailed a bill for the tolls plus a $2.50 service charge (per month).

Why limit yourself to the confines of a computer programme. If you were to pop over to AAA and get their map of FL (free to members), you will see the details of all the routes available to you, and places along the way.

There are some very scenic routes through FL with small towns and antique malls along the way. These are not all necessarily much slower than the interstates. US27 and Alt27 to Ocala is a four lane highway divided road. I also recall in the vicinity of Chiefland seeing a sign to the Quilt Museum.

From Ocala to I-95 FL-40 is a lovely, albeit slower, scenic route. Down the coast you could take I-95 with periods of respite along US-1 and A1A along the coast.

You might be interested in The Arcade building with its magnificent murals, at 101 on US-1 in Fort Pierce.

Lifey

When we travel on the red roads, and need facilities, we look for the following: Target, Wal-Mart, a grocery store, McDonald's or similar, or a larger convenience store. Of course, it is polite to purchase something whenever you stop at one of those, which is why we like the larger discount stores. We usually carry our own snacks and drinks, anyway, and those make good "stock-up" stops.

This past summer, we went through a town along a "red route", US-83 between I-94 in ND and I-90 in SD. It was a small town, and it advertised a "rest area", which surprised us. Following the signs, it took us to a public park that was right along the highway, complete with restroom facilities.




Donna