Joy in Virginia

In late August we (2 adults, 2 kids 6 & 13) will be driving from central Virginia to Orlando. We want to AVOID I-95 for much of the trip this time and take several days for a scenic drive south staying near the coastal regions. Is route 17 south a good alternate? Any recommendations on favorite routes or state parks worth a visit along the way? Any ideas would be appreciated.

topsy

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Larry

Joy
I was wondering why you want to AVOID 95? That strech of 95 is the most hassle and trouble free section (with the possible exception of the Jacksonville area), and I drive from Miami to New England several times a year. And while the outer banks, Charlestown, and Savannah are all great places worth seeing, the drive itself will hardly be any more "scenic" than using I95, just MUCH LONGER. My suggestion? Take I95 south to Savannah, stay the night, have a liesurely morning in that town, then take I95 south to I4 and you'll be checking into your hotel in Orlando by dinnertime.
Let me stress again, while coastal NC, SC, and Georgia have many locations worthy of a vacation in themselves, don't waste your time trying to find a "scenic route" in the low country- there just ain't no such animal.

Joy in VA

Back to the top - still looking for ideas. We plan to do a sidetrip / picnic / stretch break stop at jones lake State Pk in NC & at a historic state site at Yulee, FLA & then to Ocala National forest. Any "off the beaten path" (but not too far) places in South carolina or Georgia? We don't want to go into the cities, prefer to stay in rural areas. Coming back to VA we will do 95 direct. We just want to see some different scenery & maybe find a good "home cooking" style restaurant. Thanks in advance!

Diane

We drove this route for years taking our kids to visit Granny & Pops in Fla. We've gone down through NC, taking a slight jog off to visit Chapel Hill...which is a lovely campus-town but hardly rural. There are some lakes and big bass fishing areas off 95 in South Carolina, but frankly they all look pretty much the same. That said, you can find some good bar-b-Q. If you want to spend a couple of days exploring, head further away from 95 to Beaufort, SC. It is a very lovely little town where you could spend a night. But it really will be hot and humid in late August. We did a self-guided walking tour one day in May and nearly melted. But the old homes and gardens make you feel like you're in a period movie. There are also the "barrier" islands, like St Simon's, which you need to drive through the paper pulp factory regions near Brunswick, GA to get to. My kids never forgot that unique smell, but someone has to make all those back-to-school paper products! I really have to agree that it is so easy to simply speed down 95 to Florida, the side trips aren't all that inticing.

chb123

Wow! we are going opposite in march 2011. @adults and 2 kids (6 and 10) from west palm beach, fl. to blacksburg, va. We were hoping to make it a fun trip with stops at parks and monuments. any suggestions as to route? My brother said hwy 81.

Rich

We did a similar trip this spring. We drove 13 and 17 from Delaware to Jacksonville. We stopped in Charleston for a day, wish we had done more!