Driving Miami to Oklahoma City need help

January 11, 2007 4:33 AM

Need to drive to Oklahoma City this weekend from Miami, need some help.... Will be helping my son with the driving over there ( he will be training at the FAA air traffic control center at the airport) Because of the short notice,FAA housing is not available at this time so he would have to stay at a motel nearby. If any of you have done the trip, please pass on your driving routes and any helpful suggestions. Also if you could recommend some short term stays near the airport and if there are any bad neighborhoods in the area to avoid. Thanks!
posted by FLHunter3006 to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

can't help with the driving route as i live in oklahoma, but can help with lodging. the meridian corridor is one mile east of macarthur, which i think is the street that has access to the training center. meridian leads you straight to the airport itself. between the airport and i-40 are tons of hotels and restaurants. the nicest is probably the embassay suites. there is also a courtyard marriot that is not right on meridian, but a couple blocks east that used to be pretty nice. there is an amerisuites that is decent also. the biltmore is across i 40 but not so much that nice anymore. any hotel in this area will be well located for you. depends on what you want amenities wise and price wise.

bad neighboorhood wise, if you stay around there you will be fine. areas of okc to avoid would be mostly NE of the capital and SE of downtown (parts are ok, parts not). you won't be in the shiniest part of town, residental area wise, but not dangerous.

if you will be there any length of time, visit bricktown. easy access via i 40 east. it is a renovated area near downtown with a canal, movie theatre, clubs, restaurants.
downtown there is a great musuem as well as the national memorial.

i would be glad to answer any question about the general area you have.
posted by domino at 6:40 AM on January 11, 2007

I drove from OKC to Orlando route pretty often during college, and the quickest way I found would generally be taking the FL Turnpike to 75, I-75 to I-10 (through the New Orleans area, taking I-12), I-10 to I-49, I-49 to I-20, and I-20 to I-35, which'll take you up into OKC.

A lot of map-routing sites will take you out on I-40, through Memphis, then down through Birmingham and Atlanta. It'll get you there, but in my experience, I-10's faster.
posted by ThatSomething at 8:45 AM on January 11, 2007

I used to do the same route as ThatSomething quite often.
Just a minor suggestion. If you like good BBQ, hit up Eddie's in Alexandria, LA (you'll see signs for it..can't remember if it's I-10 or I-49). Best BBQ ever! I would go there every single time I made the trip.

I also recall there being tons of lodging on the way.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 10:02 AM on January 11, 2007

I grew up in OKC and just went home to visit for Thanksgiving. We stayed at the Biltmore, which even during the holidays had really low rates and was nice, clean, friendly, and safe. It's not five star, but I think we payed $50 a night or so. It's an OKC institution, too. Also, it's a straight shot to the airport, maybe a five- to 10-minute drive.

There really isn't a bad part of town. I mean, there are bad parts of town, but mostly those neighborhoods are just old and crummy.
posted by Brittanie at 6:48 PM on January 11, 2007

Great suggestions! Thanks everybody...
Started to actually drive and 1/2 hour into the drive we changed our minds (due to the bad ice storms that will be going on the whole weekend)will fly up on Monday. My son ended up finding a last minute opening at the Meridian Mansions, close to the FAA academy, they provide transportation. Only drawback is that now he won't have a car to move around...
Thanks to all
posted by FLHunter3006 at 7:50 PM on January 13, 2007