travelling through Georgia/Florida About This Page:

[Tracy Lilly]

My wife and I are making plans for a Disney Cruise. We'll be coming in from Tennessee, into Georgia, then Florida. Our driving plans are set until we get to Macon via I-75; I'm looking at three possible routes from there:
1) I-16 to Savannah, then I-95 to Port Canaveral
2) Continue on I-75 to Lake City, then I-10 to Jacksonville, then I-95 to Port Canaveral
3) Continue on I-75 to FL Turnpike, then go through Orlando to Port Canaveral

Which of these routes do you all recommend? Any thoughts, tips, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

[GATechGal]

Go I-16 to I-95 to Canaveral. It's a pretty straight shot from there. I-16 is a lot less traveled than I-75 so that makes it an easier trip. You might want to stop at Metter for a pit stop as there aren't may places to stop along I-16. Thta's the way we are going to go from Atlanta.

[iloverags2]

We always take I-75 and I-10 (being from Jacksonville when we travel into GA, TN, KY, etc.). It's a wee bit shorter route than I-16 over to I-95.

[Ashli]

I'd also choose #1 (I-16). Less traffic, and seems like a slightly more direct shot. Good luck! (Wave as you go by Exit 94 on I-95 in GA...that's my exit! )

[GATechGal]

So I spoke to my DH about this on the way to church this morning, and he was more for the I-75 to the turnpike route. His contention is that the I-16 and I-10 routes make a corner, while the turnpike is more direct.

Also, I had forgotten to take into account that on I-95 it appears that is where they store the orange road-construction barrels (or at least that's what it seems like since there are always miles of them and they never seem to be taken down).

So I guess my advice is run the numbers through mapquest or whatever your favorite mapping site is and make your choice from there.

[Dave Marx]

For fun, I ran this through a route mapping service. The preferred route for distance and speed is I-16 -> GA 19 -> US 23 -> I-95. #2 is I-75 -> Florida Turnpike (15 miles longer, 15 minutes longer). Last place is I-16 -> I-95 (yet another 15 miles and 15 minutes longer). So #1 is 30 minutes and 30 miles faster than #3, all things being equal.

These times could be affected by time of day - a matter of whether you hit rush hour traffic when you pass through Orlando or Savannah.

[chillepepa]

I have driven routes #1 & #3. I can say the stretch from Macon to Valdosta is one of the dullest routes in the US. There is really nothing to see and highway always seems to be littered with tire parts. I do love the drive from Savannah to Jacksonville.

[Ashli]

Originally Posted by GATechGal

Also, I had forgotten to take into account that on I-95 it appears that is where they store the orange road-construction barrels (or at least that's what it seems like since there are always miles of them and they never seem to be taken down).

I completely know what you are talking about here! But you'll never believe this - I drove from Savannah to Orlando and back last week and there were NO ORANGE BARRELS!!!!! I thought for sure I'd taken a wrong turn somewhere!

Originally Posted by Dave Marx

For fun, I ran this through a route mapping service. The preferred route for distance and speed is I-16 -> GA 19 -> US 23 -> I-95. #2 is I-75 -> Florida Turnpike (15 miles longer, 15 minutes longer). Last place is I-16 -> I-95 (yet another 15 miles and 15 minutes longer). So #1 is 30 minutes and 30 miles faster than #3, all things being equal.

These times could be affected by time of day - a matter of whether you hit rush hour traffic when you pass through Orlando or Savannah.

I'm not sure why it would say it's that much faster to go on GA-19 and US 23, as the speed limit is not as high on either of those roads as it is on 16 & 95. Interesting.

Also, while you might want to make sure you don't hit rush hour in Jacksonville or Orlando, I-95 isn't affected by Savannah during rush hour time. (Trust me, I drive on it every day. )

[GATechGal]

Route 23 is the Golden Islands Highway and is the route my in-laws like to take. But it really takes you through a TON of small towns in GA and the speed limits change A LOT. You have to be careful or you'll get a ticket (if you know what I mean).

And Christine, I-16 isn't much more interesting (although I'd say that I-20 between Atlanta and Augusta is the MOST boring stretch of highway in the USA). In the fall it's a LITTLE more interesting as there are cotton fields on either side and you can tell it's cotton since it's bolled out. Other than that not much to see. And not many exits to stop at - you'll really only have Dublin and Metter between Macon and I-95.

[Winston]

Originally Posted by Tracy Lilly

My wife and I are making plans for a Disney Cruise. We'll be coming in from Tennessee, into Georgia, then Florida. Our driving plans are set until we get to Macon via I-75; I'm looking at three possible routes from there:
1) I-16 to Savannah, then I-95 to Port Canaveral
2) Continue on I-75 to Lake City, then I-10 to Jacksonville, then I-95 to Port Canaveral
3) Continue on I-75 to FL Turnpike, then go through Orlando to Port Canaveral

Which of these routes do you all recommend? Any thoughts, tips, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

I grew up in Nashville and made many drives to/from central and south Florida with my family. I live in Midtown Atlanta now, and I'm still making those trips - they just take about 3.5 hours less!

I'm a huge fan of option 3. The drive through south Georgia is deadly boring, but there are plenty of rest stops, restaurants, gas stations, etc. Once you get into Florida, the drive gets more interesting around Lake City, Ocala, etc. The Turnpike and the Beachline Expressway (aka FL-528) involve some tolls, but the reduced traffic is worth it. I'd say it's your best bet in terms of convenience, traffic, stops along the way, and having plenty of open highway.

[Winston]

Originally Posted by chillepepa

I can say the stretch from Macon to Valdosta is one of the dullest routes in the US. There is really nothing to see and highway always seems to be littered with tire parts.

Amen! When we'd drive to Florida from Nashville, my mother would always hope to fall asleep (or else she'd pop a quaalude) by the time we hit south Georgia.