NYC to Florida, stopping in Charlotte

[mattfromflorida]

Hey

I'm planning on driving to take my car down to orlando, FL with a stop in Charlotte, NC sometime early next week. I'll be flying back. Turns out you really don't need a car when you live in New York City. The plan is to leave New York City sometime early in the morning, either before five to beat traffic or sometime around 9am or 10am. I'm trying to visit all 48 contiguous states before i'm 30 and the only one I haven't been to that is along the way is West Virginia. Is there a route to Charlotte that would go through WV but wouldn't add significantly onto the amount of time driving and would be worthwhile, I'm hoping to get to Charlotte the same day.

I understand that getting to Charlotte maybe a stretch though for me because six weeks ago I drove from Minnesota to NYC and ended up stopping in Chicago and Clarion, PA for the night, but I think that might have been because I left MN at like 4pm, and chicago at 1pm, and am not a huge fan of driving after like 11pm.

Its one thing to just drive through states, but I would like to see something worth the drive while in WV, thanks.

[bacarisse]

A friend of mine made a similar trip a few years ago and she went to Blackwater Falls. I checked and it's about a 6 and a half hours drive from NYC. If you leave before 5 like you said, you could be there by noon. The park should be opened 'till 4.45PM so if you leave at about 4 you can make it to Charlotte by 11PM. (it's a 7 hour drive from the park to Charlotte)
Google maps handed me 3 different routes from the park to Charlotte; one that goes through the Monongahela NF and which according to my friend is really nice to see.

If you'd like to stay longer in the forest, there are plenty of possibilities to eat & stay closer to Elkins which is another hour in the car.

Hope this helps. ;)

[glc]

Welcome!

The fastest route from NYC to Charlotte that goes through WV is I-78 to I-81 to I-77. This is about 650 miles and is a stretch trying to drive in one day. You will be on the road for at least 12 hours. It's actually only about 30 miles longer than taking the (more obvious) route which is I-95 to I-85. With the usual I-95 congestion all the way from NYC to around Richmond, the inland route may actually be faster.

If you must try to do this in 1 day, I'm afraid you will not have the time to do anything in WV except drive through on I-81 and maybe get off at Martinsburg for a tank of gas and a bite to eat. If you want to do any sightseeing, I'd recommend an overnight stop somewhere.