lindafromNJ

My husband and I are driving to North Carolina and are taking 3 days to get there. We are stopping in Winchester, Stauton, Lexington, Roanoke on the way. How is Route 81. Is it scenic, dangerous, etc. What roads are nice that paralel this road other than Skyline Drive. Also any suggestions for places to stay or eat in those cities.

Thanks for your help.

EricH

If there aren't many trucks, 81 can be a pretty nice drive. Unfortunately, I can't think of any time when there won't be lots of trucks. Since you've got plenty of time, take Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you want to combine the two, you absolutely must take the Blue Ridge Parkway once you're past I 77.

denice7

I believe it is route 11 that paralells 81. Take a look at a map. it goes throught he towns including Staunton. Dinner.....the best place along that stretch is the Joshua Wilton House in Harrisonburg. It is also a nice inn as well.

Judy

L'Auberge Provencale is fairly close to Winchester in White Post. It is a wonderful B & B and the restaurant is excellent. If there is room for a splurge on your trip, please look into this place.
www.laubergeprovencale.com

If you have a day to get from Winchester to Staunton, why not Skyline Dr?

gb944

I81 is scenic and far enough away from the metro areas (think I95) that the traffic can flow freely.

The only problem with 81 is that, with only two lanes in each direction and lots of rolling hills, trucks can take what seems to be an eternity to pass each other. The best advice in this situation is patience, patience, patience. Eventually, the pass will be completed and the pace will pick up.

Also, there is a prohibition on radar detectors in Virginia, so if you have one, turn it off or run the risk of a fine and confiscation. You can run ten miles over the speed limit (but not eleven) with impunity.

Gretchen

I think it's a fine drive. Interstates all have trucks. It is through some gorgeous rolling Virginia countryside.

longhorn55

If you find yourself in Staunton at mealtime, I can recommend the Mill Street Grill. Their menu is extensive and the food is excellent. You can check out the menu and hours at their website.

JanetKMR

I-81 is generally a nightmare. We drive it often as we go to Blacksburg for football and this year there has not been one trip where we have not been delayed due to an accident. The trucks are awful and it is not a relaxing drive at all, especially south of Lexington.

bookhall

Rte 11's gonna be the way to go. With the truck traffic on 81, it's pretty much local stuff on 11.

Hellion

As other people said, 81 can be pretty clogged with truck traffic, but 11 can also be stop-and-go with stoplights. What I usually do is call the state's traffic hotline -- 511 -- to see if there are accidents or backups on 81. It's pretty easy to hop off 81 onto 11, which parallels 81. Both roads are fairly scenic.

EricH

Several counties along 81 use it as a major revenue source. There are lots of speed traps, so be careful. And there aren't any "ten mph over the limit is okay" rules you can absolutely count on.

Also, radar detectors aren't just illegal to use in Virginia; possession is illegal. A turned-off radar detector will be confiscated. You should put any such contraband in your trunk and hope that it isn't found.

lindafromNJ

Thanks for your help. Most of our driving on 81 will be on a Saturday and Sunday. Are their less truckers on those days. We are starting from NJ and planning to go through Harpers Ferry and spend our first night in Winchester. Day two we wanted to get to Roanake stopping at Stauton and Lexington on the way. Then on the third day drive and get to Rutherford North Carolina with one stop in Mt Airy North Carolina as my husband is a Mayberry fan. We would be leaving 81 and getting on route 77/74 and then go west on Route 40. Where can we pick up route 11 if we wanted to take that route?

Betsy

A friend and I drove from Washington DC to Columbia SC in late September. We had lunch with a friend in Marshall, VA, then took I-81 to Harrisonburg, where we overnighted. The next day, a Sunday, we drove to Columbia on I-81 and I-77. The Sunday drive on I-81/I-77 was in light traffic the whole route.

We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in Harrisonburg, just off I-81. I can recommend it for a clean, well-run, hotel with a friendly, professional staff. Breakfast, with lots of choices, was included. It worked well for an inexpensive one-night stay, and I'd definitely stay there again. It's adjacent to a truckstop, but we weren't bothered by noise or truck traffic.

Betsy

One more thing...if you're going to be overnighting along I-81 on a Saturday during football season, book your lodging ahead because several of the colleges along the route have football games on Saturdays. The hotels book up early around Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Blacksburg, etc. We had originally planned to leave Marshall earlier and stay in Roanoke, but there wasn't a room to be had for miles around due to the VA Tech game that day.

ronkala

Where are you staying in Winchester? There is the very nice Strasburg Hotel (circa 1905) ten to fifteen minutes south of Winchester in Strasburg off route 11. It has very good food, a pub, and antiques in each room.

I would then suggest taking route 11, a Virginia by-way, from Strasburg to New Market. Interesting stops along the way are the still in use 1795 Shenandoah County Courthouse in Woodstock, the Meems Bottom covered bridge between Mt. Jackson and New Market, and the New Market Battlefield and Museum in New Market.

lindafromNJ

Thanks for all of your help. We were planning on staying Saturday night in Winchester so hopefully we would not be around the football game areas. We are actually going next weekend We did not make hotel reservations and were just going to stop along the way. Our second night(Sunday) would be around Roanoke. There was a Wyndham in Winchester which is an historic hotel where we were thinking of staying. We will think about the Strasburg Hotel. We have been on Skyline Drive before and in late Nov. there are no restaurants or accomodations open. Also it is a pretty slow drive and we have several cities we want to stop in.

djenss

How was the drive in November?