Detroit to Disney

[engelstine]

In June we will be taking our TT across the States to Disney Fort Wilderness. I was curious if anyone has an suggestions for Sleeping halfway during the trip. Our first thought was staying at a Rest stop for a short sleep and hit the road again, but safety is starting to factor in as we have 3 kids under 8. I was looking at KOA's along the route and there are a few in TN which seem to be around 40$ for the night. Anyone else have any suggestions on places to stop. Also I am not sure about the Mountains in the Night with the Trailer, I have driven the route a number of times just not with a trailer.

[ken56]

We just had friends visit us in the Sevierville TN. area from the Flint MI. area, no kids but they have 2 dogs. They left at 6am and did not arrive here until 9:30pm. They pulled their 30ft. TT. How fast do you drive? To make it to Chattanooga from Knoxville is still another 2 hrs. about, maybe a tad under. That's a very long day driving, especially with 3 young'uns. To each his own and I know you want to get there.....in one piece, Its inky dark in southern KY and Northern TN so be very careful and watch out for deer. Good luck and safe travels.

[engelstine]

Thanks again for the Information. I went ahead and book a night at the BEST HOLIDAY TRAV-L PARK in Chattanooga. That will also some time to spend there without feeling rushed to get back on the road. We should arrive around 5-6 depending on number of stops. I figure if we leave the site around 6-7 will drive through ATL around 8-9 on Sat so we should be in good shape. Thanks for the advice! On to more forum reading to see if I screwed up winterizing by not undoing that Giant Nut at the bottom of the H. Water Heater.

[mleekamp]

About Atlanta....its always something to think about whether driving a car or pulling the TT.

Best advice I've had: Drive straight THRU...don't get on the bypasses as those are HEAVILY used by locals. On Saturday, when you will be driving thru, and after leaving Holiday Travel Park (as an example...if you stay there): You will be FINE.

If you leave by 7am sat morn, you should hit Atlanta before Noon...and you will be FINE. Traffic, yes, always, but not bad. Again, STRAIGHT THRU. Use *511 on your cell for traffic info when in the area.

Coming home is the bigger issue, sometimes. Depending on what day you leave: Atlanta is farther north when leaving Orlando area, so you will hit it about 2pm. Again, STRAIGHT THRU is you best bet.

I mention STRAIGHT THRU ATLANTA several times: We would often take the bypass(s) around, as thats usually the best plan in a major city. Not Atlanta.

SUMMARY and ADVICE: Drive Straight thru atlanta your 2nd day on way to Ft. Wilderness.
Enjoy the Trip! It's not as bad as you think. It will be remembered FOREVER.

You might, either now or future, think about this: After leaving Ft. Wilderness, drive 400 miles or so to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Destin FL. Full Hookups, near the ocean. We do this every time we go to disney. Spend 2 full days there, and what a relaxing time after the hustle and bustle of DISNEY. White sand beaches, NOT crowded since Topsail is 10-12 miles from Destin center where EVERYONE goes to the beach. From there, take Rt. 331 to I-65, COMPLETELY AVOIDING ATLANTA on the way home.

Yes, this adds days to the trip...but the memories! Enjoy.

[Rangerman40]

After you make the pull up Jellico once you cross the KY/TN border it's all gravy from there night or day. Chattanooga would be my preferred stopping point, but I'm also the type of guy to just keep driving till I'm tired and find a truck stop or rest area. I never book a campground enroute to a destination.

[engelstine]

Thanks for the info. We will be going thru Atlanta on a sat so will it really be that bad? I have been through it and was backed up but no too terrible. If we left the campsite at 6-7 am I'd think we would hit Atlanta around 9-10?

[Dick_B]

X2 on Best Holiday. Get a copy of Mountain Directory East for a heads up on mountain travel.

[afidel]

engelstine wrote:

afidel wrote:
What part of Michigan? If you're coming from the Detroit metro my strong preference is to make it through Atlanta the first day. Coming from NE Ohio it's an ~14 hour drive (so 12-13 from Detroit) to the Jackson GA area, several campgrounds and many truck stops to choose from. There's nothing I enjoy less than Atlanta traffic (except perhaps DC traffic) so I'll do almost anything to avoid going through Atlanta during the day.

Its tough to make it thru Atl with the 3 kids as it would be about 15hours in the car after all the stops.

Then I'd plan my Campground so that I got to Atlanta between 12 and 2 PM, no point in pushing hard the first day just to sit in Atlanta gridlock. Btw you can use the HOV lane on 75, not having to negotiate the central interchange and get across 5 lanes of traffic to stay on 75 makes for a bit easier of a drive.

[engelstine]

afidel wrote:
What part of Michigan? If you're coming from the Detroit metro my strong preference is to make it through Atlanta the first day. Coming from NE Ohio it's an ~14 hour drive (so 12-13 from Detroit) to the Jackson GA area, several campgrounds and many truck stops to choose from. There's nothing I enjoy less than Atlanta traffic (except perhaps DC traffic) so I'll do almost anything to avoid going through Atlanta during the day.

Its tough to make it thru Atl with the 3 kids as it would be about 15hours in the car after all the stops.

[afidel]

What part of Michigan? If you're coming from the Detroit metro my strong preference is to make it through Atlanta the first day. Coming from NE Ohio it's an ~14 hour drive (so 12-13 from Detroit) to the Jackson GA area, several campgrounds and many truck stops to choose from. There's nothing I enjoy less than Atlanta traffic (except perhaps DC traffic) so I'll do almost anything to avoid going through Atlanta during the day.

[engelstine]

Thanks for the information. Last year we stayed at the marriott in Turkey Creek. That seemed to be a good Halfway point. We arrived at like 1am or so because of some pretty nasty rain. I will look up that recommendation.

Looked it up seems pretty good for a quick stop (43$) with a pull thru. I would just have to see about pulling in late, if we leave early enough we should still be there around dinner which wouldn't be bad. Maybe enough time to have a fire and relax. Says we are 650 Miles door to door, and leaves us 550 to the Disney.

[mleekamp]

Oh, forgot: You asked about mountains. We pulled thru that area with our 30 footer TT, and yea, its slower going, but its fine. Take your time, it wall work out. Only 1 time did we hit that area at night, thanks to Nashville traffic that added 3 hours to the drive. Ugh.

Bottom line: You'll be fine if you keep it slow thru the mtns. Enjoy the scenery.

[mleekamp]

We use BEST HOLIDAY TRAV-L PARK in Chattanooga, TN. It is actually located just inside GA, right off I-75. Nice park with pull thrus. We come from Peoria, IL area, and its about 1/2 way. Might work out for you as well. I think that's about 600 miles from Detroit Rock City....which is about the same for us. We leave early (about 630a...wish it was earlier!). We stop 1/2 way to our overnite at a reststop for lunch, and usually get there by 5pm. From Chattanooga, its about 580 miles to Ft. Wilderness.

Website is travelparkchattanooga.com.

NOTE: Raccoon Mtn Campground is also there, but really out of your way as its on the EAST side of Chattanooga, so you'd be going out of your way to get there. Plus, we found it small, harder to pull in/out.