Where to stop along the way?

[mrsboz]

My daughter and I will be driving from Boston to Disney in January. We’d like to stop along the way for a night or two to see some beautiful sights. We don’t want our first stop to be until at least Delaware.

Have any ideas or where to go any what do see and where to stay?

Thank you.

 

[jtopp]

When we drove, we would try to at least get into South Carolina before stopping. I guess it all depends how long you wish to drive. Fortunately, there are info signs on the exits off of I-95 with data for available services. Good luck.

 

[mrsboz]

Thank you for your answer.

It’s not that we want to know where to stop along the way and then continue to drive the next day.

We would like to plan some side trips. I’d like to see some beautiful and or historic places along the way.

 

[nw6675]

There are no 95 side trips. Ew. Go to Charkeston or Savannah.

 

[easyas123]

Nothing to see in Delaware...
signed,
person who used to live in Delaware and still lives within a stones throw of it.

The above poster who suggested Charleston or Savannah makes a good point.
Or...Skyline drive (perhaps a bit iffy in January but as they say, your mileage may vary)
Richmond? Williamsburg? DC? Charlottesville?

 

[SM1992]

I've driven Boston to Myrtle Beach several times, I'm guessing you'll be going rt.95? Some historical suggestions, maybe Fort McHenry, right off 95. There's also (looking at a map) several civil war battlefields close to 95. Colonial Williamsburg, about an hour east of Richmond Va.
If you're not stopping in D.C. , I'd suggest going around not through, traffic there can be horrible.

 

[HeatherC]

We drive from MA to SC and FL a couple times a year. Old Town Alexandria is nice, but we prefer to get past Fredericksburg, VA before stopping since the traffic around there is usually the worst of the entire trip.

Williamsburg/Jamestown would be my suggestion for a stop for a day or two, but not sure as would want to do stop there in January.

Charleston or Savannah are nice stops, (awe prefer Charleston ) as well as St Augustine once you reach Florida. Our favorite is Hilton Head Island actually. We love the beaches and the bike paths.

We will be doing the drive in February and will be staying in Hilton Head for five days on the way back.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[_19disnA]

If you plan to travel in January, seems the further south you go the better the weather will be. I doubt you want to go sightseeing somewhere in the middle of a snowstorm. Also seems like you want to drive at least 1/2 way to Disney in an effort to split up how long you have to drive on any one day.

Many seasonal destinations in colder climates close up during the offseason especially in the winter.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

How far do you want to drive before you're stopping for your trip? Williamsburg VA is nice, but will be chilly in January. Hilton Head is nice as well, still a bit cool, but nothing compared to New England!, and kind of out of your way if you're coming down 95 (wouldn't want to go that far off the path for 1 night, but if you're stopping for 2-3 days, makes for a nice break - we did it before a February Disney trip, and my kids liked it)

 

[Distinkt]

Williamsburg would be nice, and if you are coming from New England may not be too cool for you. There is a lot to see, and I second Charleston or Savannah, though I prefer Savannah. We have gone to Hilton Head in October and November and many of the shops and restaurants are closed for the season, so I really wouldn't recommend going in January.

 

[fla4fun]

Which route are you taking? Are you flexible regarding your route? Depending on the weather, I would probably cut across to I-81 before going through NYC, which takes you diagonally down through the Appalachian mountains. It would take you straight down to Knoxville, TN where you can pick up I-75 south to Disney. The scenery is beautiful any time of year, although I wouldn’t drive it if snowstorms were expected.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Annapolis is really pretty. It’s on the water though so maybe too cold. Charleston like others said is beautiful also

 

[Anna131517]

You could go to Mount Vernon, the Museum of the US Marine Corps, or Christ Church in Richmond (where Patrick Henry said “give me liberty or give me death!”). They’re all pretty close to I-95. And there’s always South of the Border!

 

[QueenIsabella]

Which route are you taking? Are you flexible regarding your route? Depending on the weather, I would probably cut across to I-81 before going through NYC, which takes you diagonally down through the Appalachian mountains. It would take you straight down to Knoxville, TN where you can pick up I-75 south to Disney. The scenery is beautiful any time of year, although I wouldn’t drive it if snowstorms were expected.

We go this way when we head north (from NC to NY). It technically adds an hour to the trip, but one good traffic jam could add that. We find it much better for our blood pressure. We typically go in summer--not so much on weather issues--and have always talked about stopping in the Smokey Mountains some time, check out the caves and such. We just haven't gotten our act together enough to actually do it.

I would consider plotting out this route, but having the alternate, I-95 route as a back-up. I wouldn't want to be going through the mountains if the weather's iffy.

 

[Apiary]

I like driving through Delaware into Virginia, but it’s a bit of a long side trip without a lot to do.
our usual schedule is:
drive to DC, have a museum day if we can fit it in.
drive to Savannah to spend the night. The town is cute, and has good restaurants and decent lodging.
finish drive.

We’ve mixed it up with adding St Augustine, or driving through the Delaware water gap area. But the usual plan is DC and Savannah.

 

[mrsboz]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I’ve already been to Williamsburg and Hilton head. I love the Charleston and Savannah suggestions.

I’m going to look into which way to drive. My friend went through the mountains and loved it. I’m going to check out that route - keeping the weather in mind.

I am thinking of leaving about 4 am. What time do you suggest?

 

[snowwite]

When my DD drove down she drove from Boston to DC then took the auto train to Sanford. She got a hot meal with a carafe of wine but slept in her seat. It was considerably cheaper than gas, meals and a room on the way. She also got to enjoy the views. I felt safer about her doing that rather than driving the entire route in my old car. You could explore DC then catch the train.

 

[HeatherC]

We usually leave around 6am from Central Mass. (near Sturbridge) and instead of going through NYC we take 84 to 684 over the Tappan Zee bridge to the Garden State Parkway and the NJ Turnpike. This works better for us because we can skirt the NYC rush hour and by the time we get to the GSP it has usually mostly cleared.

For some reason whenever we leave earlier we tend to hit more traffic. Unless we can be through NYC before 5:30am we find this route quicker and less stressful.

Hope this helps! Have fun!

 

[mrsboz]

We definitely want our car. We want to sightsee but thank you. Snowite.

Heather. Thx for the suggestion

 

[snowwite]

We definitely want our car. We want to sightsee but thank you. Snowite.

Heather. Thx for the suggestion

You have the car. That’s why it’s an auto train. You take the car on the train. Be sure to post how it goes!