Hi. My husband and I will rent a car this July and drive from Williamsburg VA to Wilmington NC on route to a family reunion in South Carolina. This is our first trip north of the SC beaches.
What is the best way to drive from Williamsburg to Wilmington? MapQuest and Yahoo recommend 1-64 to Richmond and then through Raleigh. 17 or 32 look more interesting--will taking these lesser roads add a lot of time to the trip? Any other untold horrors staying further east?
We plan to make this leg of the trip in one day and so understand that any real sightseeing is out but I would at least like to look at some interesting landscapes while we drive.
Thanks in advance!
Best Drive from Williamsburg VA to Wilmington NC in July.
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I live around here. DO take the scenic route! there will be some major construction /repairs taking place beginning this summer around I-64 & I-95 in Richmond so DO avoid it! I recommend you drive from Williamsburg to Jamestown - James River Ferry that will take you over to Surry county, head south! More maps to the Carolina line are available at the Virginia Dept of Transportation website at http://www.vdot.state.va.us/ You may actually make better time if you avoid interstate, it gets really crowded esp on summer weekends. Route 17 will take you thru lots of small towns, you never know what you might see of interest & want to stop at! Have fun!
I am from Virginia but now live in NC. I don't know what the latest is on 95, but although it would be fastest, it will also be very boring and stressful. Don't know which beach you are going to in NC, but the fastest way if it is a northern SC beach, would be to take 95 to 40 East at Benson to Wilmington. The cut off is farther south for the more southern beaches.
If you decide to take the scenic route, and I have done it, understand that it takes quite a bit longer. But, you will be going on interesting back roads, sometimes way back. Cutting through from Williamsburg south, you go through peanut country, then once in NC, you hop coastal towns until you get to Wilmington. Then go over the big bridge in Wilmington and go south.
Thank you both! This is great information, exactly what I needed.