Memphis to Orlando- Sugestions and Ideas please.

[Rio]

Hello,

I am planning to drive from Memphis TN to Orlando FL this month, and will probably make this as a two day trip, driving just with daylight and sleeping somewhere in the middle of the trip.

Anybody has any ideas, tips, or suggestions that can help me?

Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Without knowing your interests or where you may have visited before, any recommendations would simply be a shotgun blast in the dark. So with that in mind, here are a few of the places I've enjoyed that are on or, within very short detour distance of, your route. Elvis' birthplace i Tupelo MS, Old Cahawba outside Selma AL. the Civil Rights sites of Selma and Montgomery, FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs GA, Andersonville National Historic Site, and the Okefenokee Swamp.

AZBuck

[glc]

Welcome!

Memphis to Orlando is 800 miles. Via the most efficient route, this is a 16 hour drive - two 8 hour days. This time of year, you can't count on much more than 10 hours of daylight a day, so you will have to pick your stops carefully and keep them relatively brief.

Your halfway point is somewhere between Montgomery and Dothan AL. The most efficient route is US-78 (I-22) to Birmingham, I-65 to Montgomery, US-231 to I-10, I-10 to I-75, I-75 to the Florida Turnpike to Orlando.

Depending on where you want to detour or spend some time, you should try to get at least as far as Montgomery for the night.

[Rio]

Hello,

Thank you for the quick answers.

My plan right now is leaving Memphis at sunrise and drive 433 miles to Dothan, which I believe it will be around a 7 hour drive, to spend the night there. Is that right?
Then, leave Dothan at sunrise again to drive 351 miles, 6 hours is my guess, to finally arrive at Orlando.

With those times in mind, am I going to have any problems while passing nearby the big cities such as Tallahassee for example?

Once gain, thanks again for the help!

[Midwest Michael]

I'd guess each of your drives takes about 30-60 minutes longer than you're planning right now, once you include basic stops for fuel, food, restrooms, etc.

The only place I think you're real likely to run into traffic issues is around Montgomery, and that's mostly because you've got to deal with some city streets/stoplights/commercial shopping areas as you transition from I-85 to US-231. Even that shouldn't be too bad.

[glc]

US-78 is almost done with the upgrade to I-22, but you have to deal with city traffic at each end - both Memphis and Birmingham. The direct connections to the other Interstates at each end are not complete. US-231 between Montgomery and the Florida state line is 4 lane, but not Interstate quality, it has grade crossings.

I think it may be more than 8 hours from Memphis to Dothan. Dothan to Orlando in 7 hours is probably pretty close. Tallahassee is a nonissue, I-10 goes north of the city. It's only an issue if you take US-84/US-27 out of Dothan instead of US-231 to I-10.