If you value your sanity, get inland as soon as you can. I would keep it simple…90 to 84 to 81 to 77 to 85.
Looking at my-3-sons’ route above, I agree that if you want to avoid traffic, the inland route looks more appealing (and scenic!). I much prefer adding extra miles and scenery if it means I don’t have to deal with constant stop and go traffic. Since you are doing this as s multi-day trip, why not take the scenic route?
Route 81 is much better - and you can do it through NY (84 to 81) or through NJ (287 to 78 to 81). We have taken it a couple of times (although I can’t remember our destination) and it saved tons of time.
Yep!
I like the idea of cutting inland early. To be fair to the helpful posters who were recommending routes in and out of NYC, I did have DC as the destination in the OP. Looking at the map I’ve realized we really don’t need to hug the coast. It looks like the Pike to 84-81-77-85 all the way to Auburn will probably be the best mix of efficiency and scenery.
Thank you to the College Confidential Parents hive mind!
@Sue22, we’re not saying you should get up at 4 am. You should leave the evening before. That’s when teenagers are most awake!
When we took a family vacation we flew into Boston and were going to drive to DC. A Boston local was sitting on the plane next to DH and STRONGLY recommended taking the train instead. So we did and it was so nice! IDK if thats an option but we had to regrets
We did this drive but it was to a different destination in NC, and another in GA. We actually stayed in VA someplace.
I drove from Maine to Florida a few years ago with SIL and DD, because SIL was moving to Daytona Beach. Don’t think I’ll do that again!
Not to blow minds, but we always take 95. But we time it to miss rush hours in Prov, New Haven, NYC, Baltinore and DC. When we head to eastern VA, we do use 301. Time it right and you can breeze through green lights. But it’s a more local road.
Traffic from an hour south of DC to Richmond has been ridiculously awful for the last 15 years. Beautiful plantings along the way, in season, but that doesn’t make up for the annoyance.
I’ll give an example. Sorry for this.
If you get through Prov by 730am, you hit Balto about 5. Oops. 6am, youd hit DC traffic at 430. Nope. 12noon, hit NYC at 430.
We leave to get thru Prov by 430am. Yikes.
Leaving at night makes more sense, if you’re comfortable with that. Pass through Prov after their rush hour and you’re good. Assume you know the evening traffic issue is into RI, less so leaving Prov.
My kids just made the drive south west. Not quite the route you will be taking as their destination was Texas. But I agree with @thumper1 that going west and through western Va is a beautiful drive.
Mine started in the early morning—5am and got as far as Nashville that evening for a latish dinner, spent the night at a hotel. Enjoyed a few hours looking at the area before heading off to Little Rock, Arkansas for a shorter drive because of some planned activities the next day there. They could have done it in a decent two day drive staying only one night in a hotel before hitting their destination city.
So, I’d either go very early BEFORE rush hour or late at night. I’m a night owl; DH and kids prefer getting up st the crack of dawn. For safety issues, I’m forcing myself to go the early morning route these days—just returned from a trip that put me on s 5 am flight—meaning with return of rental car, and drive to airport 3 -3:30am wake up (still was pretty close timing). But I got to my destination in time for lunch and a whole day and evening yet to do things. There are advantages
Getting inland and eventually getting to 81 has worked for me, and my family, for multiple trips per year since the early 90’s. Waze always attempts to default towards 95 from the North East. I’d enter the Tappan Zee Bridge as your first location to give yourself the best shot at 90 to 84. If it still directs you to 95 ignore it and you’ll finally beat it into submission. Once at the TZB put in an address in WVA(Martinsburg) or VA(Winchester) along 81, prior to the 66 interchange, and you should be good to go.
We drive from Northern CT to our beach home in SC, about 850 miles, almost every other month so quite familiar with that route. If we leave our house around 3:30am we pretty much miss all rush hour traffic driving 91-95-287-Garden State-NJ Tpke- 295- 95. (We used to do 84-684 and continue but decided 684’s not fun in the dark.)
We’re good until we get to that area between DC and Richmond, where I swear there is not one minute of the day where it is not congested.
We’ve taken the inland route (mostly when travelling north) and it’s easier but LONG.
Get and use an EZ Pass transponder.
Edit: See you are going to Alabama. Don’t even consider I-95, IMO. Head west and south and avoid the east coast corridor. You are lucky that you can!
Be very careful to not speed if you go through Virginia.
Just want to throw this tidbit into the mix, for any future reader: We live in Maryland, between Baltimore and DC. Last night we went to a concert in DC - metroed into DC to avoid traffic, but metro only takes you so far out of the city. On the 11 PM drive home from the metro stop we got stuck in a previously announced beltway road construction mess. The announced clousure was “3 of the 4 lanes of traffic will be closed over night”. What actually happened was all four lanes were closed for half hour stretches at a time while workers were dangling on an overpass to repair the parts over the fourth lane going under it. There were no exits at this point. We were four cars from the front of the line, and had a great view of what was going on. Behind us four lanes of traffic were funneled into a single lane and stopped dead. The backup was miles long. At midnight.
Go to I 81, or hug the coast on 301. Avoid I-95 like plague.
(On a happier note, the concert was Queen, and it was worth the delay getting home!)
You absolutely need EZ Pass. There are toll places that have NO other option…and the Tappan Zee is one of them.
I got one of those tickets in VA. No kidding, it can be severe.
In VA 15 mph over posted limit OR 80 mph will get you the nasty reckless driving ticket. When the speed limit is 70 mph people get caught on that 80 mph limit.