What to do on a road trip from New York City to Orlando?
September 8, 2011 12:09 PM Subscribe
My wife and I are driving to Orlando and back at the end of the month - suggestions for food and attractions along the way?
Me, my wife and our two young children (1 and 4 years old) are embarking on a (lengthy) road trip. We’ll be driving to Orlando from New York City, spending 5 days at the House that Mickey Built, and then driving home.
We will be taking our time driving down. We are stopping overnight three times on the way there (Washington DC, Florence, SC and Jacksonville, FL) and two (maybe three) times on the way back (locations TBD). And we’re going to spend plenty of time outside the car along the way – specifically in DC and Savannah. So: I have a few questions.
1 – We’re pretty much doing I-95 all the way there, but does it make sense to detour west or east for some/all the return trip? Is there a route that only adds a couple hours, but is more pleasant and will show us different parts of the country?
2 – Where should we eat along the way? My wife and I are roadfood-types (BBQ, fried chicken, burgers, anything that counts as a local/regional specialty). Do you have any suggestions that aren’t too much of a detour off 95? Is there anything worth detouring west or east for (see question 1), because we'll be in the heart of Local Amazing Food country?
3 – Are there any sights we just can’t afford to miss since we’re “in the neighborhood?” Are there any places you stopped at because you felt you had to, but ultimately didn’t care for?
4 – Right now, we’ve only bought park passes for a couple days at Disney (we’re waiting to see how we/the boys deal with everything before committing further). Assuming we have a day or two in Orlando that are not Disney-filled, how should we spend them?
Thank you in advance for your advice!
Me, my wife and our two young children (1 and 4 years old) are embarking on a (lengthy) road trip. We’ll be driving to Orlando from New York City, spending 5 days at the House that Mickey Built, and then driving home.
We will be taking our time driving down. We are stopping overnight three times on the way there (Washington DC, Florence, SC and Jacksonville, FL) and two (maybe three) times on the way back (locations TBD). And we’re going to spend plenty of time outside the car along the way – specifically in DC and Savannah. So: I have a few questions.
1 – We’re pretty much doing I-95 all the way there, but does it make sense to detour west or east for some/all the return trip? Is there a route that only adds a couple hours, but is more pleasant and will show us different parts of the country?
2 – Where should we eat along the way? My wife and I are roadfood-types (BBQ, fried chicken, burgers, anything that counts as a local/regional specialty). Do you have any suggestions that aren’t too much of a detour off 95? Is there anything worth detouring west or east for (see question 1), because we'll be in the heart of Local Amazing Food country?
3 – Are there any sights we just can’t afford to miss since we’re “in the neighborhood?” Are there any places you stopped at because you felt you had to, but ultimately didn’t care for?
4 – Right now, we’ve only bought park passes for a couple days at Disney (we’re waiting to see how we/the boys deal with everything before committing further). Assuming we have a day or two in Orlando that are not Disney-filled, how should we spend them?
Thank you in advance for your advice!
I would seriously consider using I-81 for the return trip if you can: veer inland when I-95 runs into I-26 in South Carolina, drive north through North Carolina into Virginia, and drive that north to just past Harrisburg, PA. At that point I-78 splits off and will take you back to NYC. I used I-81 when driving from the Tampa Bay area up to Western MA about six weeks ago, and very much enjoyed the mountain scenery. According to Google Maps it only adds about an hour to the total 18.5-hour driving time.
If you do go this route and are hungry at the right time, I stumbled across this excellent barbecue place during my drive, and highly recommend it.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:25 PM on September 8, 2011
If you do go this route and are hungry at the right time, I stumbled across this excellent barbecue place during my drive, and highly recommend it.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:25 PM on September 8, 2011
That wasn't terribly clear, was it? Veer inland when I-95 runs into I-26 in South Carolina, drive north on I-77 through North Carolina into Virginia where it meets I-81, and drive that north to just past Harrisburg, PA. At that point I-78 splits off and will take you back to NYC.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:28 PM on September 8, 2011
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:28 PM on September 8, 2011
Behold: the BBQ Map. Opens up centered on central FL but you can drag around along your route. Not everything's on there but so many are.
I'm a BBQ fiend and I can vouch harrrd for Southern Soul BBQ on St. Simons Island, GA, which is just off of Brunswick, GA, which you pass through on 95. The best bbq ribs I've ever eaten. Amazing. No sauce necessary. The pulled pork is great but the ribs shine. Several good sauces. Great sides. Site. It's worth the trip from pretty much anywhere. A hole in the wall, as you'd expect.
I enjoyed Mojo no. 4 BBQ in the Avondale area of Jacksonville. I had eaten at a different Mojo in Jax and didn't think much of it, but the pulled sandwich at this one was great. Plus it's a whiskey bar, with an excellent selection of bourbons, ryes, and whiskies. You know, for the kids. Cute little shop avenue with other options.
Everybody flocks to TacoLu in Jacksonville Beach, though that's a bit more off your path. It's just great soft tacos, some of them fancy, all of them good. They are always busy, a good sign, but I've been able to squeeze in within 15 minutes whenever I've gone, even when they said it would be longer.
Have you heard people play up Jacksonville Landing like it's a place to go? Don't, they're lying. It's an ailing mall with a Hooters and an outdoor court by the river.
posted by Askr at 12:50 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm a BBQ fiend and I can vouch harrrd for Southern Soul BBQ on St. Simons Island, GA, which is just off of Brunswick, GA, which you pass through on 95. The best bbq ribs I've ever eaten. Amazing. No sauce necessary. The pulled pork is great but the ribs shine. Several good sauces. Great sides. Site. It's worth the trip from pretty much anywhere. A hole in the wall, as you'd expect.
I enjoyed Mojo no. 4 BBQ in the Avondale area of Jacksonville. I had eaten at a different Mojo in Jax and didn't think much of it, but the pulled sandwich at this one was great. Plus it's a whiskey bar, with an excellent selection of bourbons, ryes, and whiskies. You know, for the kids. Cute little shop avenue with other options.
Everybody flocks to TacoLu in Jacksonville Beach, though that's a bit more off your path. It's just great soft tacos, some of them fancy, all of them good. They are always busy, a good sign, but I've been able to squeeze in within 15 minutes whenever I've gone, even when they said it would be longer.
Have you heard people play up Jacksonville Landing like it's a place to go? Don't, they're lying. It's an ailing mall with a Hooters and an outdoor court by the river.
posted by Askr at 12:50 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Consider a day trip out to the Kennedy Space Center. Expect this to take most of the day; the visitor center is large and comprehensive, and there are a couple of guided bus tours of the whole complex (launch schedule permitting).
posted by penguinicity at 2:20 PM on September 8, 2011
posted by penguinicity at 2:20 PM on September 8, 2011
Disney protip: Disney weights the pricing of their park admission on the first four days. You can buy up to 10 days' admission at a time, and also purchase the no-expire option. My wife and I were able to get an additional 4 days admission each, for $15/day, and saved them for a return trip a couple of years later.
Disclaimer: That was four years ago, so ticket prices may have increased since then.
posted by Fleebnork at 2:37 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Disclaimer: That was four years ago, so ticket prices may have increased since then.
posted by Fleebnork at 2:37 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Another great place to eat in Jacksonville, just off 95, is Kickbacks Gastropub. They have a huge huge menu of great food of all kinds including breakfast all day and they have 80-something high quality craft/import beers on tap. Neat place, great food, great beer. Beer fan mecca.
posted by Askr at 4:06 PM on September 8, 2011
posted by Askr at 4:06 PM on September 8, 2011
Why not get off I-95 in Jacksonville and take A1A down to Daytona Beach before switching to I-4 to get to Orlando (or reverse it on the way home)? Distance-wise it's barely a detour and time-wise it doesn't appear to be very slow since a decent chunk of that stretch isn't very populated. The scenery will be gorgeous, especially compared to I-95's visual wasteland.
posted by gatorae at 6:43 PM on September 8, 2011
posted by gatorae at 6:43 PM on September 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, stop at the FLA welcome center just as you enter the state. Free freshly squeezed OJ.
posted by Flood at 12:18 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]