Hi All! I'm driving down with my wife and dog from North Jersey to our new place in Lakeland, FL in a few weeks. The goal is to stay overnight in Savannah (would love to have an hour or so to walk around), and have an easier 2nd leg to Lakeland.

Planning on leaving on a Friday (new job starts Monday), and switching back and forth with several stops as I have a bad back and this is new for my dog (30lb).

Please let me know your thoughts and anything I may want to reconsider with timing, stops, route, etc. Thank you!

Leave House: 4am
Route: I-95S to I-895 Baltimore, back to to I-95S to I-295S, to I495 (bypass DC), back to I-95S (Trying to avoid heart of DC, but plan to follow Waze traffic)

DAY 1:
1. Leave Jersey at 4AM and arrive at Chesapeake House Travel Plaza, MD (~6:30am)
2. Take 895s + 295s back to 95s and stop at Love's Travel Stop Ruther Glen, VA (~10am)
3. Take 95s and stop at the Kenly 95 Truck stop, NC (~1:15pm)
4. Take 95s to Buc-ees on Exit 170, SC (~4pm)
5. Take 95s until arrival in Savannah around 7pm. Stay Overnight

DAY 2:
1. Leave Hotel around 6am. Drive to Buc-ees in St. Augustine around 8:30am.
2. Either stop in Flagler Beach or head straight to Lakeland depending on traffic and comfort.
3. Arrive in Lakeland around 12pm.

We frequently stop in Savannah when we drive to FL from Long Island and when we leave Savannah in the morning we stop at a diner in Brunswick GA that is practically right off the highway for breakfast, possibly it is called Sunrise but cannot be sure. In Savannah we generally stay at the Hyatt and park in public parking, Whitaker Street garage. I have seen people with dogs there and so I guess it is Dog-friendly. We live later in the morning and always stop somewhere en route, sometimes for touring but we don't have any animals. If not stopping to tour, we stop at Rocky Mount, NC and stay at the Hampton Inn but there are many chain hotel options.

Thanks for the recommendations. I may try to leave even earlier (3am) as I've gotten feedback 4 wasn't early enough. When do you typically leave/around when do you get to Savannah?

The diner sounds great for the next morning!

Would you consider leaving a day or two earlier, departing at a civilized hour, and stopping for a day in Savannah?

When we stop in Savannah, we generally are heading to visit family on Hutchinson Island right on the Vero/Ft Pierce line. If we are spending a day in Savannah, we generally have breakfast at Goosefeathers but if it is a Saturday and we are not spending more time in Savannah, as they don't open until 8, we get on the road by 7:30 usually, so that we can arrive in late afternoon. I am not someone who can get up in the middle of the night to drive anywhere but we do try to leave NY before 7. Sometimes we will prepare breakfast to take with us in the car. I know once we stopped to get coffee in NJ and then stopped mid-morning for a sit-down breakfast at a diner/restaurant by a large shopping mall in either MD or VA. We don't go to fast food places so don't mind getting off the road to locate a place to eat but local hot spots are much harder to find post-pandemic.

Based on the feedback I've received here and elsewhere I think we will break the trip into 3 days to make it more manageable. Hopefully this makes the whole trip a bit less taxing and we can spend some time in Savannah.

Day 1 (Thurs): Leave ~5am from NJ with a couple quick stops along the way until we stay over in Smithfield, NC.
Day 2 (Fri): Leave ~8am from Smithfield, stop in Florence, SC, and end in Savannah, GA.
Day 3 (Sat): Leave ~8am from Savannah, GA, stop in St. Augustine, FL and on to Lakeland FL.

If you have time to stop for lunch at a BBQ place along the route, let me know. We've driven a few times from NYC to Florida and I plan the stops according to great places to eat along the way.

Here is one place, just off I-95, after Florence; for about $9 each, it's all you can eat; out back is a pond/lake and tables and area you could walk your dog. It's just a great spot (this one is not BBQ at lunch, though):

https://shulersbbq.com

Some great BBQ is at this place, past Edenton; we always stop here when we take the Bridge Tunnel; it's about world famous in the BBQ world:

https://www.skylightinnbbq.com

Thanks! Love BBQ suggestions!

When have you typically left the NYC area? Our current plan is 5am, using 295 and 301 to bypass the worst of the traffic around DC before getting back on 95S, but I'm getting a lot of feedback to just take the longer 81S route through PA. Wonder if you ever compared that route?

I would hate to add so much time to the trip if it wasn't needed.