Heading South From Indiana to FL AVOID ATL

Liltippy wrote:
I wil be heading south on I-65 headed to Bonita Springs FL. I want to avoid and take the path of least resistance thru or around Atlanta.
Suggestions.
I will probably stop at DeSoto State Park in Alabama the night before I tackle Atlanta
Which will bring me into Atlanta on I-75.
Thanks

Not that I have a problem with Atlanta.....if I did go thru,it would be straight thru on 75...
But if I was coming down 65,I would and have continued straight down 65 to Montgomery and there pickup 231 thru Dothan to 10 to 75..really a great ride
some good campgrounds along the way...Cave Cty,Ky.....Cullman,Ala and some other ones along 231....Chuck

I-75 on the southside of Atlanta, Clayton/Henry Counies has been a parking lot recently. Had to jump over to US19/US341 going south on 12/26. Had to jump over to US 41 on 12/28 going north. If you are going through Georgia and do not need to go to Atlanta use US-27 down the westside of the state. Atlanta's traffic is getting worse. A lot of people on this board say they go thru with no problem are either lucky or talking from dated results. I am very familiar with the area, I live 45 miles from Atlanta. US 27 is a great highway with very little traffic. Get on/off just south of Chattanooga. It is a new 4 lane highway with lots of 65mph. Switch over to I-185 in LaGrange and go thru Columbus to Fort Benning. Just after Fort Benning you can go straight to Albany and get back on I-75 in Tifton (4 lane all the way also), or stay on US27 to Tallahassee.

When you leave Desoto State Park go east to Summerville, Georgia. Then take US 27 south all the way to Tallahassee. Except hop on I-85 from LaGrange to Columbus (Fort Benning). New 4 lane all the way thru Georgia. Georgia is advertising it as their new western interstate.

Whaler wrote:
Make it easy for yourself. When you get around Indy, pick up 37 to Bloomington then hiway 45 to 58. Get on the new I-69 at the 58/231 junction. Cross river to Henderson Ky where it is a good place to take a break. Follow Breathitt Parkway to I-24. Good fuel stops at the Clarksville exits off I-24. There is much less traffic all the way to I-24. I normally take I-65 to Montgomery then go over to Dothan and pick up 19/98 in Florida to connect I-75 further south.
Much less truck traffic and traffic in general. It will add about 90 miles to your trip but you will have less grey hair at the end of the day. I have done Atlanta during the night, day and rush hour in the bypass or straight through. Once had a guy try to squeeze between my motorhome and toad. He was honking and shaking his fist at the imaginary driver in the toad. Very rude guy in the toad.

I avoid Atlanta also. We have done over 30 trips back and forth from Illinois to Florida, the last few years we have used a similar route as stated above.

We spend the night in Clarksville so that we can get through the Nashville traffic at a decent hour. If you use the route down through Alabama and avoid Atlanta, Nashville is the only city that really has traffic issues.

U.S. 231 down through Dothan and on to I-10 has many new upgrades and is almost 100% 4-lane divided. I probably should quit suggesting it because someday there will be more RV's heading south on it instead of I-75!

From Chattanooga, take I-59 to Gadsden AL then US 431 south to Columbus GA. Then US 27 south to Tallahassee. I-10 east to exit 225 US 19 south. Just after Homosassa Springs, take US98 east stop light with Publix grocery on the corner, to Brooksville then FL 50 east back to I-75. Less traffic, less stress.

Love DeSoto State Park. If you have the time, head to Birmingham and pick up 65 south like Whaler suggested. Deer Run is a really nice RV park on 231 if you don't want to drive all day. From there you are a short hop to I10 and lots of options along the panhandle if you want to drop down to the gulf along the way. After the panhandle I use US19 south along the West coast until cutting across to 75 well north of Tampa. 19 is four lane and light traffic until Crystal River. If you turn East at Chiefland, Williston Crossings is a super RV park, concrete pull thrus and reasonably priced. From there you are a short hop to I75 and an easy day to Bonita Springs. Try to avoid 75 around Tampa at rush hour just like you would any busy city. There is some construction but no delays in the Tampa area. Last fall there were some significant construction on 75 between Port Charlotte and Bonita Springs on my way to Marco, that caused a long backup, but it may have finished by now.

I've given up on Atlanta. Whether I go through or around Atlanta, construction is happening. Its not Atlanta's fault, they're trying to deal with increased volumes. So now, from Cincinnati, I cut over to I-71S to Nashville, then I-65S to Mobile, AL. and then I-10E to pick up I-75S again if I'm headed to the Gulf coast or further east to I-95S in Jacksonville if I'm headed to the Atlantic coast. It adds about 300 miles to the trip, but my sanity remains intact.
One year, I was already in a CG near Cape Canaveral, watching the news. Jacksonville had a freak snow storm. Road crews were trying to deal with it by spreading sand on the bridge approaches - using shovels. Then it dawned on me that Florida cities don't have salt barns or the machinery to deal with ice and snow on the roads, but they have lots of sand. Rush hour was a mess.

Make it easy for yourself. When you get around Indy, pick up 37 to Bloomington then hiway 45 to 58. Get on the new I-69 at the 58/231 junction. Cross river to Henderson Ky where it is a good place to take a break. Follow Breathitt Parkway to I-24. Good fuel stops at the Clarksville exits off I-24. There is much less traffic all the way to I-24. I normally take I-65 to Montgomery then go over to Dothan and pick up 19/98 in Florida to connect I-75 further south.
Much less truck traffic and traffic in general. It will add about 90 miles to your trip but you will have less grey hair at the end of the day. I have done Atlanta during the night, day and rush hour in the bypass or straight through. Once had a guy try to squeeze between my motorhome and toad. He was honking and shaking his fist at the imaginary driver in the toad. Very rude guy in the toad.

Stay on I-65 to Montgomery, US-82/US-231 into Florida, and you won't get anywhere near Atlanta. Or you can divert to US-84 at Dothan to enter Florida further to the east, or connect with I-75.

The Interstate system got routed to connect major cities. Some of the remaining numbered US highways are not drawn into the biggest. Atlanta is avoidable if you will except going through some smaller cities like Nashville, Montgomery, Mobile, and most of these have still usable bypasses.

OP, if traffic on 75 in south GA is forecasted to be bad I'll use I-285 to I-85S to Columbus. Then to Albany and south to 98 in Fla to Bonita Springs. I was surprised to learn it's less than 40 miles further tha using 75.
We are headed south Christmas day as it is the best day to travel during the holidays.