What are the best attractions to stop at on the way and what is the best time of the day for travel. Any ideas on where to stay in case we need to stay over night somewhere?
What are the best attractions to stop at on the way and what is the best time of the day for travel. Any ideas on where to stay in case we need to stay over night somewhere?
Welcome to RTA!
It's not going to be "in case" you have to stay overnight - this is a 3 day drive and you will need 2 overnight stops. There is no way you can drive over 1400 miles safely in one stretch, especially with restless kids in the car. The "best" time of day to travel is between breakfast and dinner.
The fastest route is I-94/I-294/I-57/I-24/I-75. Breaking it up into 3 close to equal days, your overnights should be around Paducah KY and Macon GA.
If you don't have the time to spend 3 days driving each way, it's time to start looking for airfare/car rental deals.
It is a 21 hour drive that we will make in two days. Just trying to figure out if it is better to travel at night or day with kids and where to stop.
Despite what online mapping programs will tell you, it's simply impossible to cover this distance in 21 hours in the real world. Absolute best case, making the bare minimum of stops and traveling slightly above the speed limit, you're going to need 26 hours.
Doing it in 2 days is would mean back to back days of at least 13 hours on the road. That's not recommended, especially with kids, and because of safety laws, professional driver would not be allowed to attempt this trip without making 2 overnight stops.
I suspect you are still going to attempt this in two days, and as such, you should certainly do as much driving as you can during daylight hours. Trying to do this at night will make the dangers of drowsy driving even more prominent. Driving at night would also be counter-productive, as you would then have to sleep while your kids are awake, and you'll be setting yourselves up to have your body clocks good and screwed up as you start the "vacation" portion of your trip.
If you insist in doing this in 2 days, the halfway point is Chattanooga, there's a wide choice of hotels in all budget ranges. I'm not even going to mention any attractions because you will not have time to stop for anything except quick food and bathroom breaks.
Consider your 18 months old being tied up and restrained from physical activities for 13 hours - not just on one day, but two days in a row. Which at Easter time is likely to be all daylight hours. With all that pent up energy you will be expecting the little one to sleep that night. I'd guess that neither he/she nor you will get any worthwhile rest overnight. Then face another day on the road.
A recipe for disaster!
Lifey