Key West to Baltimore

[Maryjane365]

Hi all, I was hoping you could give me some advice. We will be driving from Toronto to Key West in August. On our way home we would like to stop in Baltimore to watch an Orioles game. We are planning to leave Key West early Sunday morning and want to be in Baltimore before the game on Monday evening. Our current plan is to stop Sunday night somewhere in Georgia between Bruswick and Savannah. I know there is construction on the 95 in Jacksonville, and the Jaguars will be playing a pre-season game on Sunday (the 28th). I'm expecting traffic to be worse than usual, and think we should bypass Jax. Good idea? Or am I worrying too much? Is there a good alternate route? Any thoughts on the route in general? Thanks so much! Mary

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

The construction on I-95 is now just a short distance. I drove it Memorial weekend, and was expecting the tens of miles of contruction as I had in previous years, but it is now almost finished. The widened section of I-95 runs very well.

I used I-295 to bypass the city. It is not until you get to SC where the road narrows to two lanes, that it slows up somewhat.

Lifey

[glc]

You need to leave Key West sometime Saturday. Key West to Baltimore cannot safely be done in 2 days if you need to get to Baltimore in time for an evening ball game. You also would be hitting DC in the height of rush hour.

[Maryjane365]

Thanks Lifemagician, I'm glad to hear that things may be better than expected in Jax. And thanks for the welcome!

[Maryjane365]

Hi glc, thank you for the advice. This is why I joined the forum; I though our plan was reasonable. It's good hear from others with a different insights. We're fairly early risers and would be on the road by 7am. That would give us twelve hours to make the six hundred miles. Do you think that might work or should we plan on a Saturday departure?

[Midwest Michael]

I'd have to agree, you're trying to push things a bit too hard.

You'd have to be doing nearly 650 miles each day - which is more than we recommend in good conditions. Your conditions will be less than ideal, as you'll have the slow drive on the overseas highway the first day, and the bear that is DC area traffic on the second.

I don't think leaving at 7am would be nearly enough time to leave from Savannah to get there in time to make it to the game. At best, you'd be dealing with a very fatiguing drive, adding in the stress of trying to make it there on time, and while you are at your most tired and most stressed, you'll almost certainly also be dealing with heavy traffic and gridlock.

If I were you, I'd head up to Miami for Saturday night, then plan to stop around St. George or Santee, SC. Even then, you'll need to leave early Monday morning to make it to Baltimore for gametime.

[tnf]

Greetings. You are in for a treat as you drive to and visit the Keys.
I drove from Key West to Wilmington, DE over Memorial Day weekend. I also recommend you do the drive over three days (start on Saturday).
Couple of things to note, Key West to Homestead on US 1 North is around 130 miles but there are many sections of 45 mph and top speed is 55 mph. You must drive very carefully around some portions of US 1 in the lower Keys at 35 mph (till Big Pine) to not hit the endangered Key Deer (about 120 are killed each year in road accidents). The FL Highway Patrol is also out in force. The drive from Key West to Homestead usually takes 3 hours in normal traffic.
I95 through Jacksonville was not an issue for us at 7 pm on Saturday, it may also be a good place to stop for the first night. We stayed at Quality Inn.
Further north, we stayed at a nice and reasonably priced apartment in Kenly, NC (AirBnB). PM me for details. The general Wilson-Rocky Mount area may be suitable as a stop for you also.
The other factor in your trip is DC and Baltimore traffic. You don't have too many options to avoid this if you are driving in rush hour. So this may delay your arrival in Baltimore. Plan this section more carefully. The rest of the trip should be fine, roads are great with minimal construction delays.
One more thing to watch out for...I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have and missed the exit for 95N when driving the Florida Turnpike from Homestead to Miami...Ended up near Orlando and it cost me over $30 in tolls as I was pulling a trailer. I did appreciate the automated windshield washer at the FL Tpk service plazas though...very cool.

[Maryjane365]

Hi everyone and thank you for the advice. I've spent a lot of time in Florida over the years. And Key West is one of my favourite vacation spots in North America. I even like the slower drive along the Overseas Highway. While I'm very familiar with the 79 - 77 - 95 route, I'm not so familiar with the 95 up the east coast so we will rework our plan based on your feedback. Thanks again!