Route Chicago to St Augustine

We also head down to Florida. But after getting stuck in Atlanta 3 hours in stop and go traffic we now take a different route. We take 65 south out of Nashville then cut off on 231 to Dolton. We pick uo 10E from there. Good roads. Food for thought

It may make a difference on where you call northern FL.

I get off of 65 at Montgomery and run 231 all the way to the gulf, that being my destination is just east of Panama City.

I'd do 65/231 as well if you are on the west side of Florida.

If you need to do Atlanta, you want to roll through in the middle of the workday if you can. Traffic there is just never good and when it goes bad it is atrocious.

My two cents is that Nashville is a long day on the road if you start out going through Chicago. Paducah, KY would be a much better first day's destination if you can swing that. That would make it possible to get through Atlanta on your second day if you wanted to put in 7 or so hours on the road.

I'm a pessimist according to my wife, realist according to me, but first days on the road never cover as many miles as you plan for without pain and suffering.

We usually leave from Chicago and travel down I-57 to Paducah and stay at Duck Creek a Good Sam park. 2nd day to Chattanooga TN, pickup I-75 and stay at the Holiday Travel Park. The 3rd day we stay at Cordele, GA at the KOA. The next day it is a short hop to Bushnell where we stay for a week.
At the exit before Bushnell there is a truck washing facility on the west side of I-75 in case your rig is dirty. One year it was $50 and another year is was $40; go figure.

Dave H M wrote:
It may make a difference on where you call northern FL.

I get off of 65 at Montgomery and run 231 all the way to the gulf, that being my destination is just east of Panama City.

If he goes that route he misses Atlanta traffic :B and it would be nice to bypass Nashville to. When he gets to Florida just take 10 over to St. Augustine .

Dick_B wrote:
We usually leave from Chicago and travel down I-57 to Paducah ...............

This is the most direct route and IF you use a little common sense about when you go through the big towns the traffic should not be too bad either. For example, in Atlanta the big trucks are prohibited on I75/85 through downtown so they all use 285 so......your best bet in getting through Atlanta is straight through the middle, in the middle of the day or VERY early or late.

ANY ROUTE YOU TAKE can end up being a mess if there is an accident or major construction.

There are virtually NO good campgrounds right near metro Atlanta except for Stone Mountain.

I plan most of my trips around time/length and where I want to stay. There are several decent travel planners; KOA and Good Sam are the ones I use......but may not be the "best" depending on what you want to do.

I’ve taken both I57 through Illinois and I65 through Indiana. There isn’t a whole lot of difference. I57 is slightly longer but I’ve found traffic to be lighter going through Illinois. If you opt for I65 you should know that the bridge across the Ohio River by Louisville is now a toll bridge. Google Maps can show you an alternate route if you want to avoid the toll.
Keep an eye on the weather and be flexible with your plans. Heading south I’d be more concerned about icy conditions than with snow.

X10

I57 down to I24 Paducah,to I65 Nashville, and then what I do is take a turn at Birmingham to Route 20 over to I75 and that down to Florida.

Why you ask do I take this route? It is a 'pleasant' drive in an RV with nice roads. AND to avoid the steep grade in Chattanooga.

Be aware that if you take the Chattanooga route you will encounter a 7-1/2% grade STRAIGHT DOWN. I did it ONCE and NEVER again!. :E

IMHO, JMHO I'd think about it with your new to you 5'er. Bring a change of clothes if you opt to take that route with that grade. :W

rockhillmanor wrote:
X10

I57 down to I24 Paducah,to I65 Nashville, and then what I do is take a turn at Birmingham to Route 20 over to I75 and that down to Florida.

Why you ask do I take this route? It is a 'pleasant' drive in an RV with nice roads. AND to avoid the steep grade in Chattanooga.

Be aware that if you take the Chattanooga route you will encounter a 7-1/2% grade STRAIGHT DOWN. I did it ONCE and NEVER again!. :E

IMHO, JMHO I'd think about it with your new to you 5'er. Bring a change of clothes if you opt to take that route with that grade. :W

He has a new Ford. 7-1/2 grade is nothing for it with towhaul and exhaust brake start down at 45 it will stay at 45. Even with my 09 it was no problem without the exhaust brake. You got to keep up with new technology. He may also have electric over hydralic disk brakes on his fiver. A vast improvement over drum brakes.

bad99ram wrote:
We also head down to Florida. But after getting stuck in Atlanta 3 hours in stop and go traffic we now take a different route. We take 65 south out of Nashville then cut off on 231 to Dothan. We pick uo 10E from there. Good roads. Food for thought

Yep, Atlanta is a nightmare. Actually all of I-75 is a nightmare anymore.

For your stay in Nashville you can hit Two Rivers Campground. It's right by the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Mills.

This fall we stayed Nashville Shores Campground. This has beautiful scenery looking over Percy Priest Lake.

KJ