Roadtrip from Boston to Miami
 

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to take my first roadtrip with 2 other friends from Boston to Miami. We’ll start going in January and only want to spend about 3 4 days on the road. We aim to start at 6am and spend about 5hrs to sleep each day so that leaves us about 50hrs. Assuming it takes 24hrs from Boston to Miami, that leaves us about 25hrs for activities.
So my question is what stops should we stop at with which route and what should we do to take the most out of that 25hrs. Our purpose is to learn new things, see beautiful views and meet new people. Any suggesstions would help. Thanks in advance !

>>Assuming it takes 24hrs from Boston to Miami,<<

In the winter - good luck. What about weather delays, traffic on I-95, etc.

Janisj, thanks for your reply. I understand what you’re saying, that’s why i said i can spend 3 to 4 days on the road. I’d prefer 3 days but if there’s a lot delays, that extra day is what its for. Any suggestions ?

I'm hoping that you all can adjust the timing of the trip by at least 3 days to avoid any snowstorms in the Northeast. My preferred route would be to head for Scranton PA and south on I-81 connecting with I-77 SW of Roanoke VA. This avoids Baltimore and the Washington Beltway which can be horrible with even a small snowstorm.
In any case, make sure you all have some winter driving experience and good all season tires on your vehicle.
While in the Scranton area, you might want to visit Steamtown USA. In Virginia, you might want to see Natural Bridge and maybe the University of Virginia.
I-77 takes you through Charlotte and Columbia SC. There is plenty to see and do in each of those cities. Near Columbia you pick up I-26 which takes you back to I-95. It is an easy days drive from Savannah GA to Miami. Gas prices tend to be lower in South Carolina and Georgia than Virginia and North Carolina

>>Any suggestions ?

Yes, add 2 or 3 days . . . and/or go a different time of year. You might have decent weather the first half of the route -- but there is no telling more than maybe 3 days before your scheduled trip. Say it ends up taking 30 hours -- butts in seats -- even with 4 full days you'd be in the car almost 8 hours every day without a single stop. Certainly no time for beautiful views or meeting people. All you might learn is how gawd awful I-95 can be in stretches.

>>Any suggestions ?

Yes, add 2 or 3 days . . . and/or go a different time of year. You might have decent weather the first half of the route -- but there is no telling more than maybe 3 days before your scheduled trip. Say it ends up taking 30 hours -- butts in seats -- even with 4 full days you'd be in the car almost 8 hours every day without a single stop. Certainly no time for beautiful views or meeting people. All you might learn is how gawd awful I-95 can be in stretches.


When are you coming back? When I lived in central PA, I knew many people who drove to central Florida in 2 days sometimes stopping at "South of the Border". The last time I drove north from Melbourne FL to Mifflinburg PA (1017 miles) it took me 17.5 hours. I didn't stop to see any scenery or meet any new people. Remember to stop for gas in the last 10 miles of the day and stay near a breakfast place so that you can get an early start.
I too, hate most of I-95 north of Richmond VA. That is why I suggested I-84 to Scranton and I-81 to western VA to I-77 to Columbia SC to I-26 to get back on I-95. It is a bit farther but time wise it beats I-95.
Your other options are to fly to Florida and rent a car there or take Amtrak to Florida. If you insist on having your own car in Florida, the Amtrak Auto Train goes from Lorton VA to Sanford FL. It's not cheap but you avoid a lot of I-95. Their phone # is 1 877 SKIP I95

What is the purpose of this trip--just to go down and back? Not quite understanding. But....I also think 30 driving hours you cite is VERY optimistic.
Since you seem to live in the northeast and can do sightseeing up that way, I would do some driving switching off to get yourselves to the SC coast. Tom's Idea of taking I 81 and I 77 is good. From the NYC area you can take I78 to reach these and from NYC it is about a 12 hour drive to Charlotte. YOu can then get to Charleston SC in about 3.5 hours. Stop there and do some sightseeing if you can even walk!!
Go on to SAvannah and do some sightseeing. Then head on down to Miami.
And if it is snowing up north, give it up!

And I hate most of it south of central NC. Nothing but sand and pine trees all the way through SC. Drove it far too many times on the way to in-laws in Savannah. South of the Border is pretty awful, too. Pulling off in Lumberton might be better.

That is one reason for doing the inland route of 78-81-77. It bypasses the huge metropolitan areas on I95.

Consider driving down the DELMAVA. If you are going from Boston, you can either go Mass Pike to 84 to 91 to 95 or pick up the Merrit TPK (AKA CT 15) from 91 and then head for either the Tappanzee Bridge or George Washington. Then get onto the Garden State Parkway and go all the way to Cape May and take the ferry to Lewes DE. If the traffic gods are good, you can make your first stop at Chincoteague VA. Visit the National Park, look for wild ponies, take a hike, spend the night. Then head south and take the Bay Bridge Tunnel to Virginia Beach. It's a slow ride down the coast, but you can visit Wilmington, NC, Myrtle Beach and Charlston SC, Savannah GA , Saint Augustine, FL on the way to Miami. Or you could head back to the boring, but faster 95.

Actually the ride down US 17 from Wilmington NC to Charleston is not a bad drive at all once you are over to the coast. It is about and hour and a half from Wilmington to south of Myrtle Beach and another 1.5 hours to Charleston. Interesting things on the way and good food. Good 4 lane road.

You can avoid Washington and Baltimore by taking Del Rte 1 to US 113 south as was partially mentioned above or fly N/S on cheapo JetBlue to Fort Lauderdale

I realize that flying, even cheaply, is not as cheap as driving as a rule. This is a 3000 mile R/T journey and even at an average of $2.50/gallon and assuming the car gets 25 MPG that still only equals $300 not counting the cost of food and drink. But how much is your time worth? Averaging 65MPH that still takes 25 hours each way which means about TWO days total round trip. You can do a lot in two days on the ground in Miami but to each their own.

And we are assuming here there will even BE bad weather on this route and that you aren't smart enough to avoid the Beltway around Washington at off times.