ljv

Our family of four will be driving from central Jersey to Charleston,SC this August.

Any recommendations for a 1-2 night stopover, and why?

We'll be coming down the dreaded I-95.
Thanks!

vjpblovesitaly

Why, that is the question. Not a very long drive to make it into such a big trip.

gail

There is nothing that I have found along I95 in North Carolina on my many trips on that road - even hotels that are not sketchy are few and far between. It will also be very hot. Stop at South of the Border for a few laughs (in case you do not know, it is a bizarre collection of fireworks shops, bad food, a trailer park, creepy motel - all with signs from "Pedro" telling you how many miles it is - it is on the NC/SC border). That stop should take about 15 minutes, though. I would just drive - unless you have any interest in seeing Baltimore or Washington, the obvious places of itnerest.

Ackislander

If you want to make a trip of it, leave I-95 after the Delaware Memorial Bridge and drive down through coastal Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia, taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

An even better trip would be to take the Parkway to Cape May, then take the Cape May ferry to Lewes, DE, proceeding as above after you land.

Depending on the age of your children, you may want to stop off for a day in one of the waterfront towns along the route or you can spend a day touring Williamsburg or visiting one of the nearby amusement parks before rejoining I-95 in Petersburg. This is an especially good idea if your kids are the age that needs to work off some energy.

Following US 17 from Norfolk all the way to Charleston is a great trip, but you really don't have enough time.

emalloy

If you follow Ackislander's suggestion of taking the parkway to Cape May and then the ferry, stop in Chincoteague for the night, take the kids into the NP there and see the ponies. There are also lots of deer, birds, nice trails for walks, beautiful beach, etc. Do get the book, Misty of Chincoteague and read it in the car on the way down. There are motels in Chincoteague that are open year round.

Birdie

The ferry/Eastern shore route is gorgeous and I recommend it whenever I can. If you take it, though, it will bring you pretty far out of your way. To get back to 95 from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel it will take you 1 1/2 hours of backtracking northwesterly and that is without traffic. You will have to make sure you won't be traveling it during rush hours.

If you travel down 95 you can stop in Richmond. There are some good kids activities we can recommend.

Gretchen

I pretty much agree with "it isn't that far to just go on to Charleston".
I've been to the eastern shore and it is lovely, but I think is worth more than a drive-by. Save it for a later trip and spend some time.
You could leave I95 at I40 and go to Wilmington, NC for a day. The historic district is nice, and if you wanted to spend some time on the beach, Wrightsville is a nice beach. Then just drive down Route 17 to Charleston--about a 4 hour drive.

Gretchen

Just read the reply about South of the Border. An interesting fact is that our present Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, worked there when he was young!!