I-95 Christmas Eve/Day-What's there to eat?

"What's there to eat?...
Especially in the way of food"

What else do you eat besides food?

We all make typos...

If you know exactly where you'll be, this has some ideas of restaurant possibilities: http://www.i95exitguide.com/

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

The Golden Arches will BE open..eat the fish

No fish, either. Should have clarified that.

That's tough.

See if Cracker Barrel at Smithfield NC or Florence SC is open on Christmas Eve. There are lots of restaurants at the intersection of 52 and 95 in Florence. OrlandoVic's link is a good one.

If nothing else, you can get sandwiches at your gas station. I wouldn't count on a lot of fast food places being open actually. Maybe on the interstate, but they are closed in our town.
Sue is right about the 52/I95 exit.
Put some bread and cold cuts in a cooler. Fruit. Drinks.

I assume that when you say that this is an annual trip you mean that the exception is the dates.

Christmas Eve should not be a problem up until about 8 PM. You will find something open in the larger towns, and most supermarket salad bars and delis will be open.

On Christmas Day I would be pretty pessimistic about anything other than truck stops, esp away from the major road junctions. This applies to fuel as well as food. Most of the gas stations and convenience stores at on and off ramps are likely to be closed on Christmas or open very limited hours. Rest areas and visitor information centers may well be closed, too, so bathrooms could be a problem.

I am pessimistic because we had a terrible time finding any place open on a Thanksgiving Day between Richmond and the Outer Banks, at least any place right off I-64.

If you can only take food for one day, why not eat where you can on Christmas Eve and eat your own food on Christmas Day?

I wish we could keep food for the 25th-but would be unlikely to keep well (fruit & veggies, bagels, etc).

I hear truck stops will be open-in the past we've sometimes eaten at a Pilot/Subway place. Would that be open?

We will be on 95 the whole way (er...95% of it).

And no bathrooms? Uh...that's...new to me.

I wouldn't assume that the Golden Arches will be open. Most aren't.

Cracker Barrel will be closed on Christmas day.

Your best bets will be IHOP and Waffle House.

Where are you planning to stop for the night? A hotel chain with a decent courtesy breakfast will solve some of your problem. Even more if it has it's own restaurant. There is a Holiday Inn in Lumberton with it's own Denny's attached (I know, not gourmet, but they have food and it's not that difficult for an ovo-lacto vegetarian), but it may be too far north to be useful.

Gretchen,
"If nothing else, you can get sandwiches at your gas station.
Put some bread and cold cuts in a cooler."

Did you read any of the comments or the OP? Most sandwiches at a gas station contain meat and unless your cold cuts are tofu, then I just don't get it.

Gabs,
You are going to need to call specific locations. Finding a spot to eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas day is tough. Finding one without meat, super tough. I recall my dad having a kidney stone about noon on a Christmas Eve and spending 3 or 4 days in the hospital. We had a tough time finding anything to eat. And that was in a decent size city. Everything was closed. Even the C-store across the street from the hospital didn't open until noon.

Wouldn't a small cooler solve your problem?

It sounds like very few places are open.

We will probably spend the night at the Residence Inn in Florence, SC (breakfast is included).

And again, does anyone know about the Subways attached to the Pilot gas stations specifically?


We've tried coolers. They don't really work well for us. No idea why.

No meat/fish doesn't mean vegan. I love eggs and pizza (no pepperoni).

Cracker Barrel, McDonald's, Waffle House, and IHOP. Never had a meal at the first three...and the last might tempt me off my diet (chocolate chip pancakes, yum!).

Denny's is still open?

The first two won't be open. The second two will be.

What do you want to know about Subways connected to Pilot Stations?

There aren't that many Denny's around this area.

Hampton Inns have decent breakfast and great coffee.

Call Clarks in Santee, SC. It's an inn so the restaurant may be open.
http://www.clarksinnandrestaurant.com/

Stop by Trader Joe's before you leave and load up on stuff to eat. Heck, they have enough options to go cross-country with. Get their hummus and white bean dip. Buy some of their pre-made (non-meat) sandwiches or pitas. Grab a few tubs of pre-cut fruit. Add in some cheese, crackers, cookies. Their wine crackers are amazing. Pretend you are traveling in days of yore and take your own food along.

And/or do what suewoo suggests.

TJ's is a great suggestion. Bags of nuts and trail mixes. For dinner, dried miso soup, thai and indian stuff in a pouch. You can almost always find hot water or a microwave. Vegetable crisps and rice crackers. Bags of dried green beans, berries, granolas. Some avocadoes, apples, bananas, oranges. None of these require refrigeration.

Don't know about Denny's in general, but thought that one probably would be, since it's attached to a hotel.

Well, gee, Spiro, sorry to bother you so much. they have pimento cheese, and egg salad usually at gas stations. It is only a suggestion to remind of another possibility.
Cheese, hard boiled eggs, vegetables, etc. I am sure that they were able to "get the idea" to fill it with what would please their palate.
And to the OP, sorry a cooler "doesn't work". Maybe in the face of real need, it might. The frozen cooler thingies helps so it doesn't get all wet from ice bags.
Cheese actually doesn't even need a cooler for a day or two.

I toss in one of those frozen tubes of corn in a day cooler to keep things cool. It won't keep things frozen, but works great to keep most things cool for a day or two - and doesn't make a mess. I have the thingies you freeze to put in cooler, but for some bizarre reason I like the corn tube better.

Good idea. I am frequently really surprised at how cold those things keep a cooler. Much better than ice, for sure. When I go west I sometimes get some dry ice for the trip but to really keep things frozen solid.

We use a large cooler with ice and soda (you could even add some salt, if you liked), and food items on top, in plastic bags. Keeps pretty well, if not necessarily conducive to an exciting diet. It is very, very difficult to get my DH to stop on 95, so we need to bring food.

I honestly HATE those damn stryofoam coolers and their annoying squeaks in the car. Years ago, we bought an insulated tote that became our "carry on" bag for most trips. It held the stuff we wanted for the plane ride and then when we got to where we were going, we filled it up with muchies and drinks. We'd rotate in water/sodas/juice as needed to cool for the next stop. Anyway, it worked great. I hate boxy coolers taking up room in the car.

They were something like this -
http://www.keepyourcooler.com/cooler-bags-totes.html

LOVE them. I'd fill a Trader Joe's bag with munchies, toss in their hummus, fruit and some sandwiches in the cooler and take off. If you find a place that's open to eat, great. If not, you'll have what you need in the car with you.

Oh heck. Who am I kidding? We'd stop at a Waffle House too and I'd have a BLT, lightly toasted with scattered hash browns at least ONCE on the trip. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...it doesn't matter. It's what I order. Hot chocolate for dessert. Shoot me

The styrofoam ones are terrible. We use the big insulated kind that you take camping. It is both bulky and heavy, but it does the job well.

do what i do...bring a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. fruit like bananas, grapes, and apples don't need refridgeration. bring some protein bars.

Merry Christmas. LOL. Sounds like a wonderful holiday meal anyway you look at it. Maybe you should just fast that day.

All right...I think I have to discuss this with the other members of the traveling party. Will provide update soon. Thanks to everyone for the input so far.

My family will be following you down I-95 from Philadelphia to Hilton Head SC but we are leaving very early Christmas Day. We also were wondering about food but actually more important for us are bathrooms. We have two young children. We were thinking hotels might be the only place to "go". But the Waffle house sound like another alternative.

"We also were wondering about food but actually more important for us are bathrooms. "

I would imagine that rest stops will be open.

Yes ... I"m not sure why everyone is so concerned. The interstate service areas will all be open. They all have some kind of food service, gas, and restrooms. On a major interstate highway, this really isn't a big deal. Now I"m not going to say that these places are good, but they will be open. It's extremely unlikely that much of anything will be open off I-95, and it seems to me like a waste of time to try to find something. But there could be exceptions such as Chinese buffet restaurants.

You may not be allowed to use a hotel bathroom if you are not a guest.

In VA, NC, and SC "interstate service areas" don't have gas and the food options will be in a vending machine. I highly recommend gassing up when you see an open station.

Sorry, Doug, but this is one of the very rare cases where you are wrong.

Rest areas in NC and Florida are closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The southernmost rest area in Virginia is closed Christmas and New Year's, though the ones farther north are open. There is some evidence that Georgia rest areas are closed after 5 on Christmas Eve until the 26th and all day New Year's, but I can't find any info on SC.

I think that along I95 that the large truck stops will be open--could be wrong, but the one we often stop at in Darlington/Florence just looks too geared to real truckers to be closed any time. I think it is a Pilot stop. You might google for where they are--or other truck stop brands. That one is on Route 52 (might be exit 164?).

the best coolers (that keep things cold) are the ones designed for fishing. they are *really* cold. And yes, I am a cooler expert.

Get a small hard cooler (for fishing) and you'll be fine.

"..."interstate service areas" don't have gas and the food options will be in a vending machine"

I think he was envisioning the "interstate service areas" that exist in the NE and Florida. We don't have the equivalent in the SE.

Keep the gas topped off, keep snacks in the car in case you really get hungry, and try the suggestions listed earlier. The "interstate service areas" aren't going to be solutions for you here. Truck stops? Yes.
Pilot gas stations are nice as well.
http://www.pilotflyingj.com/?_ASP.default_aspx

OK .. then I stand corrected. Look for truck stops. I've never been on an insterstate highway that didn't have gas stations that were open, either in a service area in the middle or immediately off the road. But someone mentioned hotels, and that's worth looking at.

Hotels and Motels that have restaurants usually offer some kind of food service on major holidays, even at Christmas. Service is usually restricted and minimal, but there is usually something open. But so many of the new hotels are the limited-service variety like Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard, which have pantries or machines. Most independent restaurants in the south and midwest (particularly brands like Cracker Barrel) are usually closed.

Some convenience stores and gas stations are usually open, and I suspect that the ones immediately off interstates are the best candidates even in smaller cities; some of those in the southeast do have limited food items available (maybe microwave burritos or the like).

That Florence Pilot is a good recommendation. There are a couple of others at that exit as well.

I still say gas up when you see something open.

You won't have any trouble finding gas stations open on Xmas Eve or Day. In addition to Waffle House and Chinese restaurants mentioned above, Hardee's (a low brow fast food chain with surprisingly edible burgers) is open on Xmas. I can tell you from experience trying to eat on a recent Xmas day that most Waffle Houses will have a wait.

"...Hardee's (a low brow fast food chain with surprisingly edible burgers)..."

Hardee's = "low brow" fast food chain?

I love the things one learns on Fodors.


Hardee's = Carl's Jr on the west coast.

ps - Hardee's does great biscuits in the morning

I agree on the biscuits. Perhaps "lowbrow" and "fast food chain" is redundant. But you only have to watch a couple of Hardee's TV commercials to see what kind of customer they're targeting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHW6QbKzJtw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WKtQZX9TSQ

Well, this has gotten MORE interesting.

The "low brow fast food" was an interesting read...but the links to those videos makes your premise even more interesting.

Sexy women = "to see what kind of customer they're targeting"

Re the "kind of customer they're targeting" =

http://blogs.menshealth.com/guy-gourmet/eat-this-burger/2011/03/28/

Yep, those Mens Health editors are low brow.


Just wondering, Brian...which are the "high brow" fast food restaurants?

Personally at one time or another I like 'em all!! But then I'm so sexy!! BIG LOL

LOL Gretchen!

It just seems such a strange thing to say?

My parents go for biscuits sometimes. Mama used to make great biscuits but she doesn't cook much anymore (they are in their 80s).

Paris Hilton did the washing a car in a bikini commercial for Carl's Jr.
Women in bikinis = not new for their commercials.
Interesting that kind of marketing = "low brow" though.

Wow the Christmas road trip is looking much better now

Will South of the Border be open on Christmas day? Or will Pedro be too busy opening his gifts?

I skipped over the fast food posts so perhaps this has already been asked: Aren't there any chinese restaurants south of Wilmington? You can even follow it up with a pit stop at a movie theater, and then get some popcorn or a box of candy for dessert.

My mom works at the McDonald's at I-95 in Titusville, FL. She tells me they will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. She'll probably be working both mornings. She says many of the McDonald's will be open. And don't rule Mickey D's out because you don't eat meat. They offer salads, fruit, and yogurt. I worked there years ago, and we'd get orders for a Big Mac, hold the meat. We could also make a cheese sandwich if asked, which was putting two hamburger bun tops, bottoms facing out, with two slices of cheese in-between, and toasting them in the bun warmer until the cheese melted.

We travel between Charleston and central Florida almost every holiday. Getting gas or food has never been a problem. Now, the I-95 traffic, on the other hand, was miserable last year. Nearly bumper to bumper through three states, with two delays of an hour each due to accidents. I'd keep snacks in the car, just in case you have the same delays.

Oh, and all rest areas were open last Christmas, but most of them do close off access to the vending machines at night, even when its not a holiday.

Chinese restaurants may not be very close to I95 or easy to find. Nor movie theaters.It isn't NYC!! I95 is a pretty "rural" road, bypassing a lot of cities.

Wow, if Gretchen is right, the south really is like a third world country if there isnt even a movie theater in Richmond or Savannah, and GPS and google stop working so you can't find the chinese restaurants ( eg, in Santee, SC, exit 98). I guess I'm now with the crew that suggests stockpiling provisions in a cooler before you cross the mason dixon line.

Tangentially related question: what do jews, muslims and other non-christians do on christmas day in the south?

They don't eat out. I am in Oklahoma. Movie Theaters will be open here only after like 4:00. I don't think they will be open at all on Christmas Eve, though. I can't think of a single place other than perhaps The Waffle House or Denny's that might be open here. Even Denny's installed a lock on their door here a couple of years ago so they could close on Christmas. The C-stores here open up at Noon, but are closed on Christmas Eve and Morn.

Oh, ML, get over yourself. These folks are driving through to get somewhere on an interstate on THE major holiday of the year. Interstates largely bypass the larger cities and not many restaurants really like to be on the interstate corridors in the large cities. Do you know the road? Where it is not near the large centers it is the boonies!!
And what spiro says is true. It's the South, it can be and is diverse, but things CLOSE on Christmas Day. People actually cook in their homes here no matter their ethnicity/background.

Hi...I'm back! First day we packed lunch, ate at the Olive Garden in Florence dinner. Day two we ate lunch at Denny's- very long wait at 2 pm. Dinner was eaten once we got there, and we made it ourselves (stayed with family). It worked out...but next time we might drive another day. It would have been so much easier if Subways had been open.

Thanks for reporting back, Gabs. It is nice to have data.

Did the Olive Garden close early on Christmas Eve?

How about gas stations, rest areas, etc?

And how was the traffic?