Melissa_DuffyFagan

Hi everyone, we are from Australia and will be driving from Washington DC to Savannah in April 2012. Wondering where we anyone would suggest we stop for a night with our family of 5. I keep reading about I95, so presume this is the route we need to take. We have already booked our accommodation in Savannah, so it would just be a one night stop.

ljv

Hi MDF!

I-95 is the major route down to Savannah from DC. Nothing on 95 is going to be particularly interesting as a stopover. A lot of people will probably mention "South of the Border", which is an iconic, if quite tacky, rest stop. It has a "Mexican" theme,complete with lodging, dining and shopping venues and is located at the N.Carolina/S.Carolina border.

HOWEVER, if you are not into tacky,I would highly recommend Charleston...one of the most charming, historic cities in the U.S. Charleston is a bit off 95(25 miles) and is only about 100 miles north of Charleston. You could make it down from DC in about 8 hours, barring heavy traffic.

Happy planning!

Orlando_Vic

Agree with Charleston. Too bad it would only be a one-night stay, as this is a place you really should explore over several days.

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

artsbabe

Yeah, Charleston is great but it is hardly a half-way stop between DC & Savannah since it is only about 90 minutes north of Savannah.

If you have more time between DC & Savannah, there is a much more scenic route down the Outer Banks.

suewoo

Are you willing to get off 95 and see something interesting, or do you just want a place to spend the night?

Charleston is not halfway but it's certainly worth going 50 miles off 95 to visit.

April is a great time to visit Savannah.

ljv

Hi again!

If you have some flexibility with your time, I would definitely stop in Charleston for 2-3 days.In addition to the main downtown area, there are gorgeous plantations to visit, which s/b in bloom at the time you're visiting. Also, about 30 minutes away from Charleston, are it's barrier islands(Isle of Palms, Kiawah and Seabrook), which are truly beautiful AND provide an opportunity to bicycle on the sand along the shore.

Littleman

Here's a few places to stop and rest on your way to Savannah. Enjoy your trip. Get off I 95 at Exit 161 at Woodbridge, VA on U. S. 1 toward Woodbridge, VA. Go 1.8 miles and take a right on Occoquan Road to Dixie Bones BBQ.
Dixie Bones @ 13440 Occoquan Road, Woodbridge, VA. 703 - 492 - 7885.
http://www.dixiebones.com/index.html
Get off I 95 at Exit 130 B at Fredericksburg, VA and go E on Highway 3 to Jefferson Davis Highway # 1. Take a left and go N to Allman's BBQ in front of Park and Shop shopping center. You will find good BBQ since 1954.
Allman's BBQ @ 1299 Jeff Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, VA‎ 540 - 373 - 9881.
http://allmansbarbeque.com/
A few miles N of Richmond, VA get of I 95 at Exit 92 and go E on E Patrick Henry Road or Highway 54. Go 1.4 miles to N Center Street and turn right. Go .1 mile to Henry Clay Road and turn left. Then Immediately turn left on N Railroad Ave and go .1 mile to Henry Clay Inn for the night. They have fourteen rooms that run $95.00/$195.00 per night. You can walk S on Railroad to the next block for outstanding lunch or dinner at Iron Horse Restaurant.
Henry Clay Inn @ 114 North Railroad Avenue, Ashland, Virginia 804 - 798 - 3100.
http://www.henryclayinn.com/
Iron Horse Restaurant @ 100 S Railroad Avenue, Ashland, Virginia 804 - 752 - 6410.
http://www.ironhorserestaurant.com
Take Exit 138 off I 95 at Rocky Mt., NC and go E on I 64 for 1 1/2 miles to Exit 466 and go S on N Winstead Ave. to Sunset Ave. Take a right and go to Gardner's BBQ. Gardner's has 3 locations in Rocky Mt., NC but this one on Sunset is the most convenient to I 95. You will pass a Hampton Inn on your right when you exit I 64 if you are planning to spend the night in Rocky Mt., NC.
Hampton Inn @ 530 North Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 252 - 937 - 6333.
http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hote...tyhocn=RWINCHX
Gardner's Barbecue @ 3651 Sunset Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 252 - 443 - 3996. I64/EXIT468A.
http://www.gardnerfoods.com/Home.html
Get off I 95 at Exit 181B near Latta, SC and go one mile to Highway 917. Take a left and go about 3 miles to Abingdon Manor Inn and Restaurant at Latta, SC. Spend the night in a soft bed in a grand old inn and have a fantastic dinner.
Abingdon Manor Inn and Restaurant @ 307 Church Street, Latta, SC 843 - 752 - 5090.
http://www.abingdonmanor.com/
In SC get off I 95 at Exit 160 A going S and go E on # 20 less than a mile to Red Bone Alley in Florence Mall Shopping Center on Palmetto St. for a RBA Black and Bleu Burger or a Bubba Burger. The food is fresh and innovative South Carolina regional cuisine. Closely tied to the land, sea and rivers that abound in the region, South Carolina's cuisine is influenced by hundred of years of French, Mediterranean, African, English and West Indian cooking. Or go to Apple Annie's for good road food. There's a fine Hilton Garden Inn at Exit 160 A.

Redbone Alley @ 1903 West Palmetto St., Florence, SC 843 - 673 - 0035.
http://www.redbonealley.com/
Apple Annie's Deli and Pub @ 1720 W Palmetto Street, Florence, SC 843 - 669 - 6247.
Hilton Garden Inn @ 2671 Hospitality Boulevard, Florence, SC 843 - 432 - 3001.
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en...tyhocn=FLOFGGI
Get off I 95 at Exit 98 at Santee, SC and go W on Highway 6 to the 1st street on your left which is Britain. Turn left and go to Maurice's for good BBQ. Get off I 95 at Exit 98 and go W on Highway 6. Take a right on State Park Road and go to Lonestar BBQ for good southern food. Clark's Inn and Restaurant is also a fine place to spend the night and have breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Maurice's Gourmet BBQ @ 263 Britain St, Santee, SC 803 - 854 - 3889.
http://www.mauricesbbq.com/
Lonestar BBQ @ 2212 State Park Rd., Santee, SC. 803 - 854 - 2000
http://www.lonestarbbq.net/
Clark's Inn and Restaurant @ 114 Bradford Boulevard, Santee, SC 803 - 854 - 2101.
http://www.clarksinnandrestaurant.com/
Get off I 95 at Exit 87 at Richmond Hill, GA and go W on Highway 17 half a mile to Smoking Pig BBQ next to the BP Station on N side of Highway 17. The ribs and chicken are excellent. This is probably your best stop for BBQ in GA.

Smoking Pig BBQ @ 3986 U.S. 17, Richmond Hill, GA. 912 - 756 - 7850.

spirobulldog

Littleman,
That's an impressive looking list of BBQ joints. I haven't eaten at any of them. I plan on taking a trip to the area next year. Do you have a favorite among them? Do they all serve traditional style Carolina type sauce and where the cole slaw is on the sandwiches. I have eaten at all the big name BBQ places in Memphis, KC, and Texas, but never any in the east really.

suewoo

Hi spirobulldog,

Actually, I would skip Maurice's unless you enjoy racist memorabilia. Absolutely offensive and the Q is not good.
In SC, the midlands barbeque has mustard sauce on it. The places near the NC border with names like McCabes (in Manning, which I highly recommend) and Scott's (also love love) are more pepper vinegar.

"Carolina type sauce"- that will start fights lol! Both Carolinas have very different styles and allegiances.

When you say slaw do you mean red slaw or slaw with (gasp) mayonnaise?

People get funny about barbeque, I think, because of anchored memories to childhood. Let me know your preference, and I'll point you in the right direction. I like this link:
http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/trail_map.html

spirobulldog

I have to be honest I have had(or at least what I thought was) Carolina Style BBQ and it is my least favorite. However, that would be what I would want to eat when I was in that area. I really like Rendvouz in Memphis and Blues City in Memphis. Blues City has BBQ, but bbq isn't it's exclusive menu- it has a lot of southern stuff. The KC BBQ is among my least favorite. Texas BBQ tends to have a harsher smokier flavor. Rendevouz uses charcoal-which I would think I wouldn't like, but I do. Sometime a street type vendor on the side of the road is pretty good. I'm not the crazy about Corky's or Interstate/Neelys in Memphis.

All that said, I'm not the picky- I really liked all the places above, but some just more so than others. Any bbq I'm eating at the time is usually pretty good to me. It amazes me still at how meat and smoke can taste so different in so many places.

Thanks for the link.

Sue when do you think the best time for a visit to Congaree might be? Spring Break/Mid-March or perhaps the end of May?

spirobulldog

sorry Melissa,
I didn't mean to hijack your post.

Melissa_DuffyFagan

Thanks everyone. We have decided to do the big drive from DC to Savannah in one go. We figure that we would rather spend more time south of Savannah than waste a night and day stopping somewhere on a highway. Lucky we are from Australia and are used to driving 8 - 12 hours in one go to get from one state to another! So wish us luck, we have now decided to go NY, DC, Savannah, Cocoa Beach, Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Monteray and San Francisco - in 5 weeks of fun with the 5 of us!! We will be using planes, trains and automobiles and just can't wait!!
PS: No problem spirobulldog - I found the BBQ chat quite entertaining, especially seeing we had a good old aussie barbie for dinner tonight on our verandah - might be a little different to the ones you were talking about I think

suewoo

Hi Melissa,

Yes, barbeque is this neck of the woods is a noun! Have fun on that trip. It sounds like a dream.

Spiro, I'm not sure about Congaree, but I do know the weather will be considerably warmer (probably) in May.And barbeque, to me, will always be pulled pork !

starrs

That is a list that is regularly cut and pasted on a variety of threads. I don't think the poster has eaten at the restaurants on the list.

I would listen to the locals (suewoo) about where to stop and where to eat BBQ.