Has anyone driven, MA to Disney the in land route . I 81 >I 77 >I 26 >I-95??

[Shamrock88]

I've driven to Disney several times, but mainly have taken 95. The whole way. I handful of times I've driven down the Delmarva Peninsula to Virginia Beach, and then onto Florida. Heading down to Disney October 15 via Virginia Beach. But on the way home in late October I'm debating on taking 95 up to South Carolina, then I 26, to 77 then on to 81. I've never gone this way, and honestly am just starting to read up on it. So any knowledge or assistance is greatly appreciated. I'm hoping the Shenandoah Valley would be nice ride in late October with the foliage, but I'm wondering how many more miles I would encounter, and if it would be worth it. If anyone knows of any good stops along the way I would appreciate that. Also. Thanks.

 

[minnie mum]

This is the route that we always take, both coming and going, providing road conditions are good. I definitely don't recommend it in the winter if there are snow and ice forecast. Otherwise it's a beautiful drive. It may be slightly longer mileage wise. But since it avoids some of the larger cities on the 95 to the north, it doesn't take much longer. We tend to take a leisurely pace, stopping around Columbia SC or Charlotte on the first night. Since we live in Canada, we drive to about Hagerstown the next day, then home on the 3rd day.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

As stated because of the vast mountains and elevation it isn't a choice for winter. Unless like last winter with crazy coastal storms, lol.
There is a thread on this board with thousands of replies to planning and experiences in this route. It is called something like the 2,000 mile trippers or drivers. It's usually in the top few pages.

 

[minnie mum]

There is a thread on this board with thousands of replies to planning and experiences in this route. It is called something like the 2,000 mile trippers or drivers. It's usually in the top few pages.

I think this is the thread you were referring to: http://www.disboards.com/threads/fo...ers-only-part-v.3351891/page-48#post-54296069

 

[Shamrock88]

Thank you Minnie mum

 

[kapstar]

It is a very pretty drive. You should be fine in term of weather, with the possible exception of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre section of 81 through to Bingo. If it looks like you would run into a weather issue, you can always head east on 80 to make sure you are on a road with safety patrols, service areas, and more frequent lodging.

The lanes on 81 seem narrower and there is a lot of twists and turns in northern PA, but for daytime driving it is much more beautiful than 95. Double check the contraction schedule too. There is a lot on 95 in Norther Va right now and 81 always seems to be down to one lane 2-3 times in PA.

 

[Jimsig]

What part of MA are you from/driving back to?

I have driven to and from MA via I-81 to VA/TN numerous times. The majority of exits have gas stations and places to stay on I-81 through VA

 

[Shamrock88]

The North Attleboro area

 

[OKW Lover]

Before moving to FL in early 2014, we drove from Plymouth MA down and back 5 times. We always planned our drives to go through NYC early on Sunday morning and took I-95 the whole way down. However, on the way back we always took the inland route since we couldn't time our drive to get through NYC during a non-busy time. We found the inland route to be a nice drive and didn't mind at all the extra time it might (never can tell about traffic) have taken.

 

[Jimsig]

Heading back to the N Attleboro area you can always look at taking I-78 to I-287 and over the Tappan Zee to I-95 instead of heading up through Scranton. Of course it can depend on the time of day etc.

If you have a smart phone use the traffic layer on Google Maps, it can be a huge help planning which way to go.