cforza

Hi! We'll be leaving on a driving trip to the Charleston area next week and expect to stop the first night between the Virginia/North Carolina Border and Wilson, North Carolina. I'd love to know if anyone can recommend a nice, clean Hotel off of 95? I've always been leery of the types of Hotels along Highways and would love to get info from someone who has stayed somewhere in that area that they can recommend. Thanks so much!

cforza

Bump

Tar Heel

Sounds like you are going southbound, but it's not clear where you are beginning. If it were me, I would stay in Petersburg/Colonial Heights, VA, in preference to that stretch of I-95. I love my state, but I'm not fond of much that lies along I-95, esp. at night. Whatever you do, don't stay at a place south of I-40 intersection.

cforza

Thanks for the reply. We're starting in CT. I was hoping to get a little further south than Virginia that first day so we have more time in Charleston the next day, that's why I was hoping to get to Rocky Mount. Can anyone else help?

Tar Heel

The distance between P'burg and Rocky Mount is about an hour. In general, travel from P'burg south will go a lot faster, relatively speaking, than what you will have to deal with around NYC, Balt., and esp. WashDC. Hope you are not traveling on a Fri. or Sunday.

And BTW: Hope you have a good plan for dealing with -- or evading -- the whole Beltway madness, esp. between 3 pm and 7-8 pm. I-95 in summer is notorious for being gridlocked from DC to Fredericksburg -- no exaggeration. Either do a search on I-95 here, or I can suggest some alternatives. If I were doing that drive (I have done the Boston-NC run often), I would do anything to avoid I-95 from Balt. to Richmond.

Anyway, as you can learn from AAA guides, etc., there are plenty of chain motels in Rocky Mount. Rocky Mount is a quiet, old-fashioned sort of a town itself, but out on the I-95 corridor a lot of people come through, of all kinds with all sorts of "missions," so -- a word to the wise: be particularly scrupulous about not leaving things in your car overnight, not being obvious about leaving the motel with things still in the room (for a meal...), etc. My favorite trick is to leave the radio and light on with the "do not disturb" tag on the door.

In any case, I hope someone who has actually stayed in the Rocky Mount Holiday Inn or Best Western, etc. is checking this thread.

cforza

Tar heel, As a matter of fact we ARE leaving on a Sunday and will be going south at about the time you just mentioned as being the worst!! If you can help me in avoiding that traffic mess I would really appreciate it. We had planned on taking I-80 through PA and Maryland then 270 to connect with 95 at the Beltway. Do you have a better suggestion? If so, please tell me! Thanks so much for your help!

rqf

One alternative is going througoh Virginia Beach and picking up I95 at Emporia or even further south in NC. Doing this on a Sunday in summer would not be a good idea since yo will be fighting all kinds of beach related traffic. I have done this 195 through Rocky Mount a number of times and if you stay in Rocky Mount one of the chain motels would be a good choice. Don't know where you are starting from in CT but I would leave as early as 6am. This should get you through NYC and NJ before heavy traffic builds up. If you get to DC by noon of earlier you could miss the traffic problems encountered from 3 to 8 pm in Virginia.

Tar Heel

First, the earlier you get started on a Sunday, the better. :-}

If you are going that far west (Harrisburg PA?), and I assume you mean you are taking I80 to I81, you might as well stay on I81 to I77 to I26. It really is the LONG way around, though -- a spectacular trip but hugely out of your way. I-81 wiggles and winds. You could cut off a lot by taking Rt. 9 south from 80 to Phila. I276.

Alternatives: I84 to Saw Mill and Tappan Zee Br., but there's construction on 287 connector to NYThruway, so you might do better to stay on I84 to Palisades Pkwy. In any case take Garden State down to Jersey Pike -- there may be congestion where Cars Only Lanes merge near Pennsy Turnpike. (We've occasionally taken I287 to Rte. 202 into Penn. Bucks County, then 263 to I276 around Phila. Pretty and avoids worst of Garden St. and NJ Pike, but wanders a little.)

ANYWAY: To avoid DC-Fredericksburg bottleneck, here's what I recommend:

Take I95 inside Balt. Beltway follow signs for 895 tunnel. (If you get another tunnel, that's ok, but keep your eyes on a map.) You are aiming at I97 south, and that 895 tunnel should feed you right to it, but it's accessible from the I695=beltway. Once on I97, stay on it until it splits with Rte. 3. Stay on Rte. 3 as it merges with 301. Stay on 301 through Upper Marlboro (which has lights) and Waldorf (ditto) all the way across the "Nice" Bridge across the Potomac. Once you are in VA, you can stay on 301 til it merges with 207 and 207 will take you back to I95 south of Fredericksburg mess.

You may not move at lightning speed through the U. Marlboro/Waldorf corridor, but you will move and you've avoided the DC Beltway, construction in Alexandria, gridlock getting from Beltway to I95 South, and gridlock to F'Burg. You'll be in a much better mood, too.

Have a good time in Charleston, but keep the fluids coming! Remember that iced tea is automatically sweet tea unless you ask for it unsweetened.

Tar Heel

Just realized that if you have Ariel or other font without "serifs" you don't know whether I wrote I (Interstate) 95 or 195 (one-nine-five). But assume that all "I's" are "eye's" -- no "ones" anywhere in that post except at the end of I-81 and 301.

cforza

Thanks so much Tar heel and rqf for all your help! I did mean I 81, not I 80. We'll try to rouse the troops earlier as you suggested. Tar heel, you sure do know your roads, I take it you drive a lot? Thanks again for the great advice!

Tar Heel

You're quite welcome, "cforza." We take this trip (from Raleigh-Durham area) to Boston about 6 times a year, and to Baltimore or WashDC another 3-4 times (family is sprinkled all up and down the East Coast). The NJ pike beyond Penn. Tpke. is pretty reasonable as is I-95 from the bridge to Balt. Otherwise, I'll do anything to avoid I-95, esp. in the summer.

I do recommend, however, keeping those maps handy!

Enjoy Charleston! And next time, go a little further to Savannah (I'm one of those weird people who prefers it to C'ton, somewhat). Wilmingon, NC, is also a nice side trip and a pleasant surprise to most travellers.

RB

Stayed in the Hampton Inn in Rocky Mount in 1999- it was very clean, secure, and had a decent continental breakfast. Phone: 252-937-6333. Directions: From I-95, take Exit 138 one mile to Winstead Ave. exit. Exit right off ramp, 1/2 mile on the right. There's a handy restaurant with good home vegetables for lunch called Sisters' right down the road, and there's a nice home accents shop beside it, John's Gifts. The folks at the front desk can give you easy directions to Bob Melton's BBQ. (think you're the person who posted here previously on BBQ recommendations) Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

cforza

Thanks so much for the hotel info RB, as well as the Barbecue info! We'll look into it!