San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale

Hey guys! First time poster here, be gentle! :)

I plan on driving next week from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, FL. I am driving by myself, it will be the first time that I drive such long distance alone. I don't have a set number of days that I need to complete the trip by but would like to keep the time frame reasonable( or my gf will kill me ! haha) I would like however, to keep cost of the trip low but enjoyable! Is that possible? I was thinking of taking Route 1 (Pacific Highway) from SF to L.A... from L.A. I guess I would take I-10? Not much preparation in my part, but i am ready to embark on this adventure! Any tips, suggestions of where to stay and what route to take? What are must stop cities along the way? Thanks in advance!

Ps. Got my GOPRO ready to rock and roll!!

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

I have driven between Ft Lauderdale to both Houston and New Orleans a couple of times. When you get to Louisiana I suggest you look at driving US90 along the coast road, to Tallahassee. You may be lucky enough to be around Gulfport when the Cruisin the Coast is there. If you are into classic cars, it may take some time to pass through there.

From Tallahassee take USAlt27 to Williston, then US27 to Ocala. This highway is almost interstate standard, but much more pleasant to drive. From Ocala you could take scenic route 40 to Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach. This will take you through the Ocala National Forest. From there you could take US1 down to Ft Pierce, where you will see some magnificent murals on the Arcade Building at number 101 US1, North. This drive will take you by the Kennedy Space Centre and along the Space Coast.

From Ft Pierce you could take the scenic route to Ft Lauderdale, When I drive it, I alternate between A1A and US1. A1A is along the Atlantic coast, with several chances to access the beaches. South of Palm Beach US1 can get busy during rush hour, and you may like to take I-95 - though that gets even more congested at those times.

Be sure you get hold of some good maps of the States you will travel, before you leave home. If you are a member of AAA (advisable before a cross country trip) maps will be free.

Lifey

San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale is *at least* at 6 day drive via all interstates. To go via the PCH (*great* idea, but warning that the overnights along there are a bit more costly), add another day. You'll want to stop at many of the scenic viewpoints, which adds to travel time. Your halfway point between SF and LA is Cambria. Hope you will be driving that leg of the trip on a weekday, as the weekends add to the overnight prices.

Add yet another day (or two) to do some of the routes that Lifey has suggested along the east coast. If you just can't swing these extra days, I-10 is a good thing. Judge whether to use the beltways around Houston, by the time of the day you will plow through it.


Donna