Nj to Charleston SC during Christmas bestate way
 

Greetings All,

I will be traveling to Charleston SC from southern NJ. Last time we did this was spent sitting on rt 95 with all the snowbirds heading south. I will leave 7am 2 days before Christmas. Looking for the best way to avoid as much traffic as/if possible. Any suggestions appreciated. This will be a straight through no stop over, just quick rest stops, toilet, food, and gas....
Thank you for any help.

The Amtrak Palmetto (#89) leaves Philadelphia 30th St. station about 7:20AM. If this is a solo trip without a large amount of luggage it would get you there in about 12 hours.
If you need the car while you are in Charleston, good luck.

This route via I81 (78 out of NJ) is calculated as about an hour and a half longer than the "direct" I95 route.
I have driven this route to NJ from Charlotte and was quite amazed that the time matched the google time==about 11 hours.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/New+...32.7764749!3e0

Question: What dates, exactly, was the last time you did this? A few days can make a difference in traffic.

I have made the drive the week between Xmas and New Year's, and it indeed is miserable.

Are you willing to put up with a whole lot of traffic lights and a ferry crossing?

I cannot imagine going from "southern NJ" over to I-81 when you could probably avoid a lot of traffic by changing the timing you hit I-95/Beltway around DC and the stretch from the bottom of the Beltway to Fredericksburg.

I would leave a LOT earlier than 7AM if I were you.

It' the same distance. And I also think "going west to go south" is odd but there are times it may work out better.

The best way to avoid as much traffic as possible is to use Waze or Google Maps.

Obviously, your travel time and traffic will depend on the day and time you leave and of course there could always be an accident but I think 95 would be the way I’d go.

Greetings. ...thank you for the replies. I have more confirmed info. 2 cars of family will be leaving the Philadelphia area December 26th to travel the quickest way to Charlestown SC. The plans are to stay until New Years and reverse back to NJ. One of the cars(mine with me as the solo driver) will then travel straight to Naples Florida from Charlestown. ...to help my 82 yr old mother with hurricane damage until March.
Rt 95 south is essentially a parking lot from 45 mins N of Washington DC until 1 hour south of Fredricksburg, during the same week 2 years ago. I would like to try to go through Delaware and MD, parallel Washington going straight south and some how work my way to Charlestown. I'd rather go through little towns, non-scenic highways, deal with lights etc then to just sit or crawl for hours. Every 3 hours I am forced to stop for ortho/disability situations and we try to gas up, grab food if needed and for the crew to use bathrooms during this Ortho stop. We carry water and snacks for the trip. Thanks for the suggestions, regardless of the route I think I will leave around 4 am if I can get everyone to go then.

Oopps, sorry Richmond not Fredericksburg....

I think if you enter "Charleston" as your destination, it will help.
WHAT TOWN in southern NJ will you leave from?

IN spite of the long trek west to I81, you should look at a map as to how it gets you to CHARLESTON.

I drive to Florida every winter, from Manhattan, returning in April. We take the Bridge Tunnel and like that much better than 95. I've also taken 81 but we keep returning to the Bridge Tunnel route.

The bridge tunnel is rt 13, that is the way I been mapping out. Thank you

Exactly! That is the way I will drive next month. Let me know if you need ideas for lunch or dinner.