Boston>Fort Lauderdale.. first time road trippers

[lmmazing]

Hi all :) My boyfriend and I are heading to Fort Lauderdale in 2 weeks, departing from Boston and this is the first roadtrip for both of us! We're heading down to Florida with the intent to stop at least once or twice along the way. We have 2 weeks total for the whole trip and plan to spend at least 6-7 days in Florida. I've mapquested directions to see which areas we can plan to travel through, but it's not a 'set in stone' route guide.

Both my boyfriend and I would like to see some beautiful spots and/or hidden gems along the way. We're both up for whatever, we're just not so interested in the beach at this point (we'll have plenty of that once we reach Florida!) but I suppose anything goes! :) We have been looking up places to stop and we've received a few suggestions as far as the cities we should visit (Baltimore, Savannah, Myrtle Beach) but those are quite "blah" and a bit obvious.

We've looked up some places to stop and do some fishing along the way, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, that is a thought. We'd love to see some mountains, maybe a historical town, a waterfall, a lake, park, etc. Please throw out suggestions. The weirder, the better.. Appreciate any and all of your thoughts. Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Boston to Fort Lauderdale is nearly 1500 miles through some of the worst traffic in the country. You need to plan on at least two overnight stops to make this trip even approach manageable. Three days down and three days back still leaves you 8-10 days, so it is time well spent in making the drive enjoyable rather than a death march. If you can take another day or so each way, then you can really start to get off the well-worn I-95 path, take a different route and make some interesting stops.

AZBuck

[lmmazing]

Hi AZBuck! Thank you for the welcome and advice :) Being from Boston, I am no stranger to heavy traffic and will try and avoid it at all cost! We plan to leave around 9:00 pm and then drive for about 9 hours until about 6 a.m, avoiding the "rush hour." That'll take us into Philly, at least.. and possibly even further depending on how many 'quick stops' for gas, food, etc. we make. We're more interested in stopping once we have driven for at least 9 hours and spending the day somewhere once we make it further south, past NY, NJ and through Philly.

We absolutely agree w/you and will try and avoid 95 as much as possible. I haven't looked at the alternative route link you provided just yet, but I will right after this response. I entered the info for directions into mapquest, not sure if or how familiar you are with the highways suggested but I'll post the directions anyway just incase anyone else happens to view this thread that is familiar (as I am not past NYC) Rather than trying to sum up the directions/routes that mapquest has provided, I will just post them and if anyone has anything to work with from these, please feel free to suggest...

- Merge onto I-90 W / MASS PIKE / MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE (Portions toll). 54.9 mi
total 55.9 mi

- Merge onto I-84 W via EXIT 9 toward US-20 / HARTFORD / NEW YORK CITY (Portions toll) (Crossing into CONNECTICUT).
total 97.6 mi

- Merge onto CT-15 S via EXIT 57 on the LEFT toward I-91 S / CHARTER OAK BR / N.Y. CITY. go 1.9 mi
total 99.6 mi

- Merge onto I-91 S via EXIT 86 toward NEW HAVEN / N.Y. CITY. go 36.6 mi
total 136.1 mi

- Merge onto I-95 S via the exit on the LEFT (Crossing into NEW YORK). go 70.1 mi
total 206.2 mi

- Keep RIGHT to take I-95 S toward G W BRIDGE / LOWER LEVEL / LAST NY EXIT (Crossing into NEW JERSEY). go 2.6 mi
total 208.8 mi

- Keep LEFT to take NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE S toward I-80 / GARDEN STATE PARKWAY / PATERSON. go 3.3 mi
total 212.1 mi

- Merge onto I-95 S / NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE S via EXIT 68 toward US-46 / THE RIDGEFIELDS (Portions toll). go 1.5 mi
total 213.6 mi

- Keep RIGHT to take I-95 S / NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE S via EXIT 16W toward RT-3 / RUTHERFORD / MEADOWLANDS SPORTS COMPLEX (Portions toll). go 2.7 mi
total 216.3 mi

- Keep LEFT at the fork to continue on I-95 S / NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE S (Portions toll). go 7.9 mi
total 224.2 mi

- Keep RIGHT to take NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE S toward CARS-TRUCKS-BUSES (Portions toll). go 105.9 mi
total 330.1 mi

- NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE S becomes I-295 S (Portions toll) (Crossing into DELAWARE). go 5.6 mi
total 335.7 mi

- Merge onto I-95 S via the exit on the LEFT toward NEWARK / BALTIMORE (Portions toll) (Crossing into MARYLAND). go 93.8 mi
total 429.5 mi

- Merge onto I-495 W / CAPITAL BELTWAY via EXIT 27 toward SILVER SPRING (Crossing into VIRGINIA). go 30.2 mi
total 459.8 mi

- Merge onto I-95 S via EXIT 57A toward I-95 S / VA-644 / RICHMOND. go 85.8 mi
total 545.5 mi

- Merge onto I-295 S via EXIT 84A on the LEFT toward ROCKY MOUNT NC / RICHMOND INT'L AIRPORT. go 43.3 mi
total 588.8 mi

- Merge onto I-95 S via the exit on the LEFT toward I-295 S / EMPORIA / ROCKY MT NC (Passing through NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, and GEORGIA, then crossing into FLORIDA). go 895.6 mi
total 1484.5 mi

- Merge onto W BROWARD BLVD / FL-842 E via EXIT 27 toward DOWNTOWN. go 2.0 mi
total 1486.5 mi

... and Welcome to FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. w/ a Total Travel Estimate : 1486.53 mi and about 1 day 11 minutes

These directions seem to have us take I-95 from New York and all the way into Virgina and then again through the Carolinas, so it seems for a good amount of our drive. Like you mentioned, we would much prefer to enjoy the ride over making a 'death march.' We can take another day and route each way, as we really are interested in making stops to different places and seeing as much as we can in the time alloted. That is actually our main goal overall. In fact we would be perfectly happy spending 6 days in FL if the drive was enjoyable. Both my boyfriend and I have never been to most parts of Maryland, Virginia, North or South Carolina, or Georgia.. so we'd love to see these places.

We would love to hear some of these "interesting spots" that you mention.. and plan to at least try and hit as many as we can long the way. Please, if anyone knows or has seen some "must see" sights and attractions that you recommend we'd love to know and hear as many as possible :)

Thanks again!

[AZBuck]

I used to routinely make the drive between Portsmouth, NH and Wilmington, DE overnight, leaving at 11:00 PM and arriving before 7:00 AM. But there was an important difference. I worked the graveyard shift at Portsmouth General Hospital so that those were my normal waking hours. If you are normally awake during the day, and will be awake for all, most, or even a good portion of the day before you leave, then trying to drive through the night is ill advised at best. I will tell you from experience, that I saw at least three separate fatal accidents during my midnight rides. In two of them, the car simply drove off the road into an obstacle with no brake lights evident. Classic examples of asleep at the wheel. I lost count of how many victims and fatalities we treated in the ER from nearby I-95. You really need to think about what it is you are planning to do. Unless you can have two people awake at all times, you have no business driving at other than your normal waking hours.

As to the route MapQuest proposes. Even if you do drive through New York in the middle of the night, there is no way that I would drive I-95, the Cross Bronx Expressway. Ever. No way. Fuhgeddaboudit. Stay on I-84 through Hartford, Waterbury and Danbury and shortly after crossing into New York state, take I-684 south toward the city. Switch over to the Hutchinson River Parkway at White Plains and then the Cross County Expressway to Yonkers and I-87, the New York State Thruway - Deegan Expressway, south to the George Washington Bridge. Through Baltimore, I highly recommend the Harbor Tunnel (I-895) rather than the Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95). There is much less traffic and the Harbor Tunnel connects with I-95 at both ends. Other than that, look to get away from I-95 as much as possible within your time constraints, or else all you'll see are exit ramp fast food joints and South of the Border.

AZBuck

[glc]

take I-684 south toward the city. Switch over to the Hutchinson River Parkway at White Plains and then the Cross County Expressway to Yonkers and I-87, the New York State Thruway - Deegan Expressway, south to the George Washington Bridge.

I wouldn't even do that. Stay on I-84 all the way to I-87 (NY Thruway), take that south to Suffern and take I-287 around the west NJ suburbs to the NJ Turnpike.

[AZBuck]

All things being equal, I would avoid New York myself during a daytime run. But the original poster is, as far as I know, still planning to make this drive during the night and as quickly as possible. Adding nearly a hundred miles and another hour and a half of driving hardly seems warranted.

[glc]

Not trying to be picky, but that only adds 50 miles and the speed limits are going to be considerably higher.