Toronto to Savannah: High Tail it or Scenic Drive?

[Christina_G_M]

We are planning a trip down the East Coast to Savannah, and only have 2 weeks. We're debating weather to drive like maniacs down to Savannah, and enjoy a leisure Southern trip before high tailing it back, or do we do a scenic loop?

[glc]

Welcome to RTA!

"Hightailing it" would take you 2 FULL days, so a leisurely one way or scenic loop is all dependent on how many days you actually want to be on the road. Do not drive like maniacs, there's no point and it's unsafe. If you "hightail it" the logical overnight would be Beckley WV, the fastest route is I-90/I-79/US-19/I-77/I-26/I-95. Do not speed on US-19, the town of Summersville is a speed trap. Portions of I-90 and I-77 are toll.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

In my younger years I would have answered this one way: Hightail it. But now, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I'd answer another way: Take your time and see something. You could get to Savannah in just two days if all you did was drive the Interstates and only take minimal stops. But that's all you'd do. You'd have no time to really get into the scenery as opposed to seeing it from afar, or experience the many sites along the route as opposed to just passing a sign pointing to them. That's four full days when you're not doing much other than sitting in an enclosed space. If you were to take an extra day down and another one coming back you would have some to see what's in between Toronto and Savannah besides exit signs, fast food, and chain motels. You'd still have eight days to devote to the Savannah area, but now the drive would be part of the vacation rather than something to be endured as the cost of having one. You could also take entirely different routes down and back such as swinging as far west as Detroit/Cincinnati/Knoxville and/or as far east as Harrisburg/Washington/Raleigh.

AZBuck

[Christina_G_M]

Hey there! Planning a trip - leaving next Saturday. We have used this site to find fun stops to make along the way and this is our itinerary so far (10 days)
Toronto area Ontario - Danville PA
Danville PA - Hershey PA
Hershey PA - Washington DC (Gettysburg in between)
Washington DC
Washington DC - Virginia Beach (Williamsburg in between)
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach - Charleston SC
Charleston SC
Charleston SC - Savannah
Savannah

We're deciding now on a route home - have 5 or 6 days. Thinking about going straight up through the Appalachian Mountains. Alternatively we would do Atlanta, Nashville, louisville, Detroit, ontario.
thoughts or experience?!!

Moderator Note: Please don't create multiple threads about the same trip.

[DonnaR57]

A stop in Gettysburg usually means a full day, if you want to get anything out of it at all. The Visitor Center itself is incredible -- we took a full morning to see it and we still didn't "see it all". The basic drive is also at least a half day, and that is only stopping at the basic stops and not hiking up Big or Little Round Top, going up the 3 viewing platforms and the Pennsylvania Memorial (another wonderful view of the area), taking the extra half mile into Devil's Den, and walking into the Cemetery to see the Lincoln proclamation podium. To do all of those things, you'll need a day and a half (at least).

Washington DC is another place you could spend a week in, and still not "do" it all.

From what it looks like, all you'll be doing on the 10 days is driving. Are you sure that's how you want to spend your trip? If you'd like to see something, cut it back. If this were MY trip, I'd go from Toronto to DC, and then out to Shenandoah National Park, and then go home. Save the rest for another trip.


Donna

[AZBuck]

A while back, I described two possible routes up and down the east coast. It looks as though you're planning to do essentially those routes now, so have a look at them (HERE) to see if any of the suggestions therein are of use to you.

AZBuck