Travelling to FL.

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Msbudlite

Msbudlite

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Posts
78
Location
Montreal, Quebec
Would someone please explain route by route how we should proceed too FL.  Tampa or the Atlantic seaboard.
We will be crossing into the USA around Brockville, Ontario and would like to avoid NY City.

All info is great.  And, which campgrounds you found at decent prices on your way south.

Thanks
 
Here is a map:


https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tampa,+FL/Brockville,+ON,+Canada/@35.9540883,-88.0416745,5z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x88c2b782b3b9d1e1:0xa75f1389af96b463!2m2!1d-82.4571776!2d27.950575!1m5!1m1!1s0x4ccd0f197bd257df:0x5037b28c7231550!2m2!1d-75.6842858!2d44.5895244
 
I would follow Rene's advice since he has made the trip a lot more times than I have. You can drag the route on the Google map and it will recompute the mileage and times.
 
SeilerBird said:
I would follow Rene's advice since he has made the trip a lot more times than I have. You can drag the route on the Google map and it will recompute the mileage and times.
Click to expand...

No I haven't Tom. I take I-81 down into VA then I take I-64 over to Richmond. Then pick up 288 to go south of Richmond then pick up I-95 South down to just north of Jacksonville. I then work my way south through the center of the state. I believe it may be shorter for me to go this way because I end up in Lakeland. 
 
Rene T said:
No I haven't Tom. I take I-81 down into VA then I take I-64 over to Richmond. Then pick up 288 to go south of Richmond then pick up I-95 South down to just north of Jacksonville. I then work my way south through the center of the state. I believe it may be shorter for me to go this way because I end up in Lakeland.
Click to expand...


That is one of my prefered route driving down to FL; I have also taken the exit to I-66 and then the  US 17 to I-95 which is also a great route.
 
From Brockville, I would take the 401 to I-81 to I-77 to I-26 to I-95 to I-10 to US301 to I-75 to Tampa. That's about 300 km shorter than going through Knoxville. That's the way we go in January when we head out from upstate NY, except that we take I-88 to connect with I-81.
 
    I agree with Dutch, we usually come that way from our kids in Ottawa each December.  I would not recommend Rene's route to Knoxville then down I 75.  It is much longer and lots more traffic.
    As for places to stay, we usually overnight at one of several Flying J's along i 81.

Ed
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
    I agree with Dutch, we usually come that way from our kids in Ottawa each December.  I would not recommend Rene's route to Knoxville then down I 75.  It is much longer and lots more traffic.
    As for places to stay, we usually overnight at one of several Flying J's along i 81.

Ed
Click to expand...

I only mentioned that route because I took a quick look at  the map and it appeared to be the most easiest route but obviously I was wrong. Thanks for recalibrating me.
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
    I agree with Dutch, we usually come that way from our kids in Ottawa each December.  I would not recommend Rene's route to Knoxville then down I 75.  It is much longer and lots more traffic.
    As for places to stay, we usually overnight at one of several Flying J's along i 81.

Ed
Click to expand...

I did forget to add the I-485 bypass around Charlotte and the I-295 bypass around Jacksonville though. ;)

In January, our first overnight stop is the Jonestown, PA KOA. They're open year round, and we like the fried chicken and steak fries from the on-site deli/general store... :)
 
    Dutch, we usually stay on the 77 through , but avoid rush hour.  As for Jacksonville, we avoid it totally by heading over to HWY 301 just north of Jacksonville, it is the first exit passed the Florida Welcome Center, and if memory serve me correctly, that is the route Tom Seiler recommended.

Ed
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
    Dutch, we usually stay on the 77 through , but avoid rush hour.  As for Jacksonville, we avoid it totally by heading over to HWY 301 just north of Jacksonville, it is the first exit passed the Florida Welcome Center, and if memory serve me correctly, that is the route Tom Seiler recommended.

Ed
Click to expand...

The I-485 bypass around Charlotte only adds about 3 miles to the trip, but has been much less stressful driving when we've gone that way instead of straight through.

We tried the Rt 200 to US301 route last winter, and it worked well enough going south, but when we were going back north in the spring, we got held up in Callahan for over an hour by some sort of train delay blocking the road. I'll probably go that way again in January, but I'm not quite ready to recommend it yet.
 
NY_Dutch said:
The I-485 bypass around Charlotte only adds about 3 miles to the trip, but has been much less stressful driving when we've gone that way instead of straight through.

We tried the Rt 200 to US301 route last winter, and it worked well enough going south, but when we were going back north in the spring, we got held up in Callahan for over an hour by some sort of train delay blocking the road. I'll probably go that way again in January, but I'm not quite ready to recommend it yet.
Click to expand...

Ed recommended the 301 a couple of tears ago to me and I've been using it since. Never had any issues in Callahan
 
Rene T said:
Ed recommended the 301 a couple of tears ago to me and I've been using it since. Never had any issues in Callahan
Click to expand...

I expect that was likely a one time incident, Rene, and I'll certainly be trying it again next trip down that way. We've always taken 301 south from I-10 though, so we're quite familiar with the section running down to I-75 at Ocala, and we do like it.
 
All of them seem like good routes but what does the OP want from this. The most direct. shortest or most scenic route? Just a note, I-95 thru Richmond and Jacksonville is pretty well torn up with construction so travel should be timed for the least traffic.
 
For the west coast as Rene suggested 81 to Knoxville TN Short stint on 40 to 75 south I've done that at least 5 times. My only advice is time it through Atlanta either very early morning or around 11am to avoid rush hour. If I'm heading to Florida's east coast I take 81 to 64 over to Richmond and pick up 95 south. I usually don't take the bypasses and just go right through the city, never had a problem. There's no reason for you to go anywhere near NY if you come down 81.

We go through NYC a lot on the way home from Florida if we're anxious to get home because it will save us time if we time traffic right. The tolls will get you but if I'm in a hurry it doesn't matter right over the George Washington we go. If i'm tired it really wakes me up after I cross the bridge because I need to merge right for the 87N exit into two lanes of traffic merging right it gets exciting haha. Good luck on your trip - Rob
 
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