Jukes

Hi,
I've posted on Trip Advisor but just found this site which seems to have lots of useful advice.
April 2011 husband and I, our boys aged 5+7 fly from UK to Baltimore, spend 4 nights in hotel visit family. Then 3 weeks to explore beyond.
Will rent RV (did this 2009, California-great) drive to Orlando. May need to get RV in Charlotte, NC so thinking:
-2 or 3 nights by car Baltimore to Charlotte - via Blue Ridge/Boone/Asheville? or Via Williamsburg, coastal? Where to spend the nights?
-Charlotte - Orlando by RV, approx. 6/7 nights - via Charleston, Savvanah, Ocala, Kennedy Space Centre????
-Orlando 4 or 5 nights Fort Wilderness to see Disney et al. We are set on this.
-Drop RV, hire car. 7 nights villa Gulf Coast (Rotonda West area seems to be central with cheaper villa rentals)?
Any other ideas, suggestions welcome, bearing in mind it will be April and our children are young, lively boys. We like nature, meeting friendly locals, food from the region etc.
Also, alternatives to Gulf Coast incase of oil. want the last week to be somewhere near calm sea, private pool, able to relax but perhaps some day trips. Doesn't have to be Florida (that's just obvious choice for me) but needs to be drivable from Orlando and no more than 2 hours from an International Airport to fly back to UK.
Hope this makes sense, all ideas appreciated as hard to get 'real' picture from books etc. thanks very much.

persimmondeb

Baltimore to Charlotte is a pretty comfortable two-day drive (doable in one, but not that much fun with young children). Williamsburg would be kind of out the way for that, and the Blue Ridge route would make much more sense. If the only reason to go to Charlotte is to pick up the RV, it should be possible to get one substantially closer to Baltimore. There are a number of RV rental places in Eastern Virginia, if not actually in the Baltimore area, if Williamsburg is a priority.

I don't have a lot of input on the rest of it, but seven days is a long time to drive from Charlotte to Orlando, even in an RV. Many people really enjoy RV camping at Fort Wilderness, and that should be a lot of fun. If you go on disboards, there is a forum devoted to the Fort.

Ackislander

There are a lot of questions here. I will respond to two of them.

Take the Shenandoah Valley route to I 77 to Charlotte. I say the "route" and not I-81 because you have the option of popping on and off I-81 to the parallel US highways to see some of the Civil War battlefields (New Market, for example) and Lexington, a charming town which also houses WAshington and Lee University (Burial place of Robert E Lee) and Virginia Military Academy. You can detour up on to the Blue Ridge Parkway multiple times and to places like Boone and ythen resume higher speed travel on the Interstate easily. Consider strongly visiting New River Gorge, on the Virginia-West Virginia border. I would not want an RV for any of this.

I would spend my Florida bit in Islamorada in the Keys. Plenty to do there and in the other Keys and within almost two hours of Miami International if you don't try to do it on Sunday afternoon. There is a Hampton Inn with a big pool and its own small beach that has suites with kitchenettes suitable for families and of course free breakfast. The beaches are better on some of the other islands, but that is the fun of exploring. You can do a nice day trip to Key West, but avoid the weekend.

Jukes

Thanks for replies. Regarding the RV hire, it is possible to hire in Washington DC and drop in Orlando but the companies that operate from there that I know of don't do the RV type we'd like and also appear to have much higher 1 way drop fee. The one that operates from Charlotte supplies what we want at a better price, hence the drive there, and I figured it was on the way anyhow!Who are the rental firms you know of Persimmondeb? Thanks.

Gretchen

From Charlotte to Orlando you could be in Charleston in 4 hours, for a day there. Then down the coast leisurely to Orlando, stopping in Savannah (even for a couple of hours), St. Augustine (oldest city in the US), etc. It would be a nice sightseeing trip and possibly interesting to your little boys.

persimmondeb

My husband is actually the one who told me there are a bunch in that area. I'll see if I can get more specifics out of him.

Jukes

thanks for your replies everyone. I am thinking that Williamsburg may not be too enjoyable for my young children and also it's quite expensive. Therefore looking more at the Shenandoah Route from Baltimore to Charlotte. Any ideas on where to spend the night on route? We could break the journey up by spending up to 2 nights somewhere interesting, perhaps 1 night Boone?Asheville?? Would it be very cold in April? I note some places don't even open until May.We would need 'budget'motel/hotel/cabin options (an indoor pool a bonus!)
Thanks

Orlando_Vic

If you travel from Charlotte to Orlando, part of the route (probably about Savannah) will take you down I-95. The I-95 Exit Guide http://www.i95exitguide.com is a valuable resource. As Gretchen has already said, Savannah and St. Augustine are very worthwhile stops. If you can tolerate a small detour, Charleston is very well worth a visit there.

_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Gretchen

Just to clarify for Vic, to get to I95 from Charlotte, you would hit it AT Charleston--taking I77 to Columbia, and I26 to Charleston--easy 4 hour drive or a little less.
Charleston would be nice for the little ones--nice aquarium, and it is a smallish historical area and easily walkable.

red_herring

Once you arrive in Charleston, I wouldn't bother going to the aquarium there. Its a waste of money and time! A good stroll down near the Battery near the harbor or walking downtown to some of the many restaurants and shops are good choices. The Noisy Oyster offers good food and refreshments!

Hellion

If you choose to take I-81 down to 77 to Charlotte, you might consider a stop in Floyd, especially if it's a Friday night. They've really built up a bluegrass/old-time music scene there, it would definitely be a cultural experience for you. Friday night is their biggest music night. It's also near the Blue Ridge Parkway. http://www.floydvirginia.com/visitor...d-attractions/

Jukes

Thanks for the replies. We have decided to drive to Charlotte via the Blue Ridge Highlands and am looking to spend the 2 nights in 1 place less than 3 hours from Charlotte. Have details of VRBO vacation rentals and like the look of one in Meadows of Dan or one in Fries, VA.
Anyone recommend either of these over the other? I may put a new posting just for this question.
We'll then get the RV and head to Charleston, Savannah and down to Florida. We'll have 6 nights for this before ending in Orlando for a few more days.Then the Gulf Coast for our final week.
Thanks

Jukes

oh, I forgot to add we'll be in the Blue Ridge area on a Monday and Tuesday (shame not a Friday for Floyd!)

DancingBearMD

I've done the drive from Baltimore/DC to Charlotte many times. As an alternative to I-81, consider taking US 29 and stopping in Charlottesville, VA. There you can visit Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and the campus of the University of Virginia, the oldest part of which was designed by Jefferson. Ash Lawn, the home of another early U.S. President, James Monroe is also nearby. (Montpelier, the home of another early U.S. President, James Madison, is located near U.S. 29 about 45 minutes north of Charlottesville).

U.S. 29 is a 4-lane road but much more scenic than I-81. From Baltimore you can take I-95 to the Beltway around DC, then head anti-clockwise around the northern part of the Beltway to I-66 West (passing Manassas Battlefield, an important U.S. Civil War site, if you are interested), then you hit 29 around Gainesville, VA and head south. Continuing south from Charlottesville on U.S. 29 takes you through Lynchburg, VA and the old mill town of Danville, VA, then you hit I-40 at Greensboro, NC, just an hour and a quarter or so North of Charlotte.

The drive from Charlotte to Orlando via I-77, I-26 and I-95 can be a bit of a slog. Charleston is lovely but takes you a bit off of the I-95 trail. Savannah, GA would be a similar stop for your purposes that is not as far off of I-95. You might also consider some combination of Beaufort SC, Hilton Head SC, and Savannah.

From Savannah to Jacksonville I would stay on I-95. At Jacksonville consider heading east (via Butler Blvd/202) to the coast and driving down A1A along the coast to St. Augustine. You hit a stretch there south of Sawgrass driving through parkland where there is no development and there are a few parking areas where you can stop and walk over the dunes to very nice beaches.

Your St. Augustine stop should include a visit to the fort, which the kids should like.

You can keep driving along the coast road south from St. Augustine if you like but it's not particularly interesting IMO so we usually worked back over to I-95 down to Daytona, where you catch I-4 down to Orlando. You could of course continue heading south on I-95 toward Kennedy Space Center, which certainly is worth a visit.

Don't know if you've ever been to Fort Wilderness, but note they have free family movies outside every night, with campfires lit where you can roast marshmallows.

bigbomoho

sounds like youll be in the MTns for a bit.You should look into going with an excursion group that does river rafting on one of the many rivers in NC and Ga--the Chatooge river in Ga is excellent--itd be a half day and be very memorable for the boys.I too love Monticello and Asheville--theres a neat town off I81 called Stanton--lots of BBs there.While in Orlando look for a good airboat ride company--try and steer away from the ones that take like 25 people on one boat--find a guide who takes just a few folks and you acn hear what hes describing.Theres plenty of them all over Fl.good luck PS April is Azalea time along the blueridge and in Ga NC--should be gorgeous

DancingBearMD

If you do the I-81 route you can get some good country cooking at Rowe's restaurant in Staunton. They are known particularly for their homemade pies.

If you do the U.S. 29 route, you can sample classic North Carolina pork barbecue at Stamey's in Greensboro, or at one of several joints in Lexington (Lexington Barbecue #1 and Speedy's are among the best known).

In Charlotte, the newly-opened NASCAR hall of fame might interest the boys. Or check out the U.S. National Whitewater Center:
http://www.usnwc.org/index.php?optio...id=72&Itemid=2

Jukes

Finally narrowed the whole trip down, just trying to finalize 5 days of it.
Fixed plans now:
Baltimore 5 nights visit family
drive to Charlotte, NC; spending 2 nights in rented house in Fries, VA Blue Ridge parkway region on way.
Charlotte to Orlando 5 nights in RV to drive and enjoy.This is the route yet to fix. Thinking Charleston/Savannah/Juniper Springs, or to save time, Beaufort instead of Charleston as we can spend 3 nights here and 2 at Juniper Springs.
Then we've booked 5 nights Camp Wilderness Disney, then 7 nights rented villa, Gulf Coast to relax!
Any comments regarding the 5 nights Charlotte to Orlando appreciated.
Thanks

bigbomoho

if youre spenind that much time in Orlando, consideer a trip to Cape Canaveral, and check for launches

bigbomoho

PS---staunton,va has a very good shakespere theater http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com/
thats worth seeing/Also,there are several good B&Bs near the theater--and dont forget driving to Monticello to visit thomas Jeffersons home,its quite nice and only takes couple hours to walk thru.If you have the time, you might want to hop on the Blue Ridge parkway,which paralells 81--its a little slower,speed limit 55.but some spectacular views of the mountains

Gretchen

I do NOT agree with the slam on the Charleston aquarium at all, and it IS enjoyable to young children. It is not the best aquarium in the world, but it is definitely worth a tour.Why 2 days at the house in VA on the way to Charlotte? And I would DEFINITELY do Charleston rather than Beaufort. Why Juniper Springs instead of a day or so more in Charleston? YOu have a lot of time, and you seem set on making the trip to Orlando as quickly as possible and not enjoying a lot of things that are on the way. That is fine, but in that case, just go to Orlando and florida.