Need Help Planning Scenic Road Trip from Orlando, FL to Anadarko, Oklahoma

[Julietababy01]

Hi all,

I am planning a road trip from Orlando, Florida to Anadarko, Oklahoma with my teenager.

We will be stopping for 1 overnight stay somewhere between both cities as I plan on taking breaks every 3 hours and hoping to rest for the night after driving 10-12 hours.

This is our first official "Vacation" and our very first, but much dreamed and talked about, road trip.

I would love to provide a beautiful and scenic road trip there and then do the same another way back from Anadarko, OK to Orlando, FL.

I would appreciate and be grateful for any advice.

Thank you so much in advance!

- J

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

By the most direct route, this is a 1340 mile trip, meaning you need MORE than 2 days to get each direction. Trying to do it in 2 days means that you will have to travel 670 miles each day, which is *brutal*!!!! (I know this from experience! Don't do it!) Why not do it in 2-1/2 days? Maybe 500 miles each day and a shorter day of 340 miles?


Donna

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

While I applaud your desire to have a great RoaTrip vacation with your child, the fact is that Orlando to Anadarko is just too far to do in two days with stops every few hours, via scenic roads, and spending 'only' 10-12 hours each day 'driving'. I know that if you map this out using standard software, you'll get an 'estimate' of roughly 20 hours driving time for the trip. But that's using the most direct, all-freeway route with NO stops: not for fuel, not for food, not to go to the bathroom, not even so much as for a stop sign or traffic light, let alone "taking breaks every 3 hours". Federal restrictions on commercial drivers limit them to no more than about 600 miles per day for safety reasons. So trying to do more than that (by the 'best route', any alternative return would be even longer) is simply unwise and would be teaching your teenager all the wrong lessons about driving safely. Instead, since I'm assuming that there's family or some other attraction drawing you to Anadarko, I'd urge you to spend a second night on the road each way, and actually spend some time experiencing what's in between besides just scenery flying by the windshield at 70 mph or so.

As for two different routes, one possibility would be the more-or-less direct route up I-75 to Tifton GA, then taking US-82 west to Albany followed by GA-520 north to Richland and US-280 west. Stay on US-280 to Birmingham and then pick up US-78 to Memphis and I-40 to Oklahoma City, I-44 to Chickasha and US-62 to Anadarko. Note that you'll be driving through small towns as well as major cities, and although some of those US highways are freeway quality, not all are. You will be going slower than you might like on occasion. Evenly spaced overnights (roughly 425 miles apart) on this route would be Auburn/Opelika AL and Little Rock AK.

For a scenic (but slower) alternate route you might want to look at something like taking I-10 to Mobile AL and then striking northwestward using US-98 to Hattiesburg MS, US-49 to Jackson, I-20 to Vicksburg and across the Mississippi River. Then follow US-65 up the west bank to Pine Bluff AR and US-270 through the Ouachita Mountains, and finally picking up OK-9 to Norman and I-44/US-62 to Anadarko. Equally spaced overnights on this route would be Mobile AL and Hot Springs AR. Of course you could use either route in either direction.

There's certainly no shortage of scenery, history and other attractions on your way, You just have to be a bit more realistic in how long this drive is going to take and budget your time accordingly.

AZBuck

[Julietababy01]

Hi Donna,

After looking over the mileage and taking your advice, I've changed the plan and am now going to stay at a hotel 2 days. I do want us to enjoy our road trip and be safe while doing it.

Thanks so much for responding!

[Southwest Dave]

am now going to stay at a hotel 2 days.

I'm not sure if you got the point, but you really need to stay at 2 hotels, not a hotel for 2 days to do the trip safely and comfortably where the Kids will have time to get out and run around during the trip.

[DonnaR57]

Your first overnight should probably be somewhere between Atlanta and Birmingham, AL, perhaps in Anniston, AL (530 mi) or Villa Rica, GA (470 mi). Then your 2nd overnight around Conway, AR (460 mi from Anniston, 510 mi from Villa Rica). That puts you into Anadarko (362 mi from Conway).

If I were to make this trip, I'd probably go home via "the southern route", so that I could pass through places like New Orleans, Mobile, and Pensacola. My husband and I avoided New Orleans one year, but came down through Dallas over to Jackson MS (doing a very brief tour of Vicksburg along the way), then down to I-10 via US-49. We enjoyed it until just after Pensacola, when a storm hit -- then we were too busy trying to stay safe!


Donna

[Julietababy01]

Hi Donna,

I decided we are going to go through the "Southern" route; Pensacola, Mobile, Baton Rouge, and then into TX for some Barbecue. We are going to stop at a hotel somewhere in TX and rest another day. Then finish up by driving up into Oklahoma on the 3rd day.

Thanks so much for your advice!