Jersey Shore NJ to Cape Coral Fla.

We usually bypass Washington DC because of the traffic. I-76 to I-81 south to
I-64 toward Richmond VA to I-95 South. We prefer to stop at campgrounds each night. Truck stops are fairly safe (except for panhandlers) but they are also very noisy with truck coming in and leaving all night and lots of light in the parking area. Lots of people sleep in Walmart parking lots. Some do not allow overnight parking due to ordinances. Allstays has a list of Walmarts that do allow overnight parking: http://www.allstays.com/c/wal-mart-locations.htm We also arrive early before dark. Google Maps show 21 hours of driving. That's 7 hours a day which we think is way too many for us. We usually drive 4-5 hours a day plus stops to rest and fuel brings it to about 6 hours. If you do drive 7 hours, be sure to leave very early in the morning (6am) so you can arrive early. When we stay overnight I look up the location on Google Maps, earth view and zoom in to see the access and exit points and the size of the parking area.

Depending what time you plan on leaving NJ; We usually leave around midnight and travel down I95, which gets us past the DC-Fredickburg before the rush hour (plus I prefer driving at night - less traffic - less stress).

We take 3 days to get to FL - first night is around Rocky Mount, which is ~450 miles from NJ. The next day we drive down to the Savanha GA area.

IF - we leave during the day , then we tak 301 all the way to Richmond, more relaxing that I95 BUT can get hectic around Waldorf - it's all about timing.

We usually stay at a campsite for an overnight stop.

Gerry

If you leave very early in the morning you will get past Baltimore and Washington before the pm rush hour. Even so there is always heavy traffic but moves along ok. If you are in South Jersey I would use that route. If you are far enough north I would use I78 to I81 and bypass DC area. When I lived in South Jersey (Vineland) I took 40 to the bridge and picked up 95 on the other side. Use the outer routes for both Washington and Baltimore. Folks that live or work in that area should give you some good tips.

Thanks so far all. Yes Bill i'm in South Jersey, right off of off Long Beach Island. Ideally I'd like to do 8 hours of driving at a clip.

Where are you staying in Cape Coral?

RJL wrote:
Thanks so far all. Yes Bill i'm in South Jersey, right off of off Long Beach Island. Ideally I'd like to do 8 hours of driving at a clip.

If you would like to see the sights in DC Cherry Hill RV is very nice and its cheap and easy to ride the subway to Capital. Subway stop is a short walk to the mall. The RV park is on the north side of DC near College Park and easy on/off the beltway. That would be near your 8 hour window. I need to get back there. They have opened a lot of new exhibits in the mall since I was there last. Last time I got a huge kick out of visiting the Air Museum. Standing right next to the BlackBird spy plane was a hoot!

If it were me, from Manahawkin I'd take the GSP south and then the Cape May-Lewes ferry. It's a bit expensive with an RV but worth the money if you've never done it. Then shoot out Route 9 to 113 south around Georgetown, and follow to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Then I-64 around Norfolk to US 58 out to I-95 at Emporia, VA and south from there.

The alternative is coming down the GSP, then go west on the ACE to I-295 south to the Del Mem Bridge, I-95 for a bit to DE 1 down to US 113 and follow as above, OR

Del Mem Bridge to I-95 South, then US 896 exit to DE 1/301 south, 301 to the Bay Bridge over to Annapolis, then 50/301 west to 301 SOUTH again, and follow 301 south to I-95 around Richmond.

The latter is a nice drive down through the Eastern Shore and tidewater Virginia, Fort AP Hill, etc and bypasses all of the******between Baltimore and Richmond. There is just a little bit of traffic around La Plata, but that's it. Otherwise, is four lanes of easy going.

Don't be in a rush. Over the last forty years, I've driven the NJ to Florida route about a zillion times, in cars, trucks and RVs, in winter, spring, summer and fall, rain, snow, ice storms, and 100' heat. The key is getting south of Richmond without having a stroke. Once there, it's eazy-peazy all the way to Jacksonville, where it starts getting messy again.

The problem, as you well know, is that there's no easy way from over on the coast, where you are, to the Philly/Wilmington I-95 area except for the AC expressway. That's one reason I recommend the GSP to the CM Ferry.

Plus, to answer your specific questions, YES, Flying J/Pilots are generally safe, but noisy - if you park near the trucks, the idling and reefer noise will keep you awake all night. When we've done this in the past, we've actually parked around out front, in the corner of the lot instead, after clearing it with the manager. Alternatives are Walmart lots (ask Manager to be sure), Cracker Barrel, and Cabelas, for freebies.

JimFromJersey wrote:
If it were me, from Manahawkin I'd take the GSP south and then the Cape May-Lewes ferry. It's a bit expensive with an RV but worth the money if you've never done it. Then shoot out Route 9 to 113 south around Georgetown, and follow to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Then I-64 around Norfolk to US 58 out to I-95 at Emporia, VA and south from there.

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