NYC to HHI

[Holly]

My DH wants to DRIVE from NY to HHI for our exchange in May. I think it's crazy. Mapquest says it's 14 hours...we could stop halfway and spend the night. Has anyone done this drive? Any recommendations on where we should plan to stop and spend the night? We check into Waterside on Saturday. We are picking up my parents in Savannah at 4ish, so I figure that we could drive straight to the Savannah airport, then all go together to HHI and check in.

Is this a sane idea or should I make flight reservations right away?

Thanks.

[Janette]

One of our neighbors drives down every few weeks from New City. He hasn't retired yet and built the house to be ready. He drives straight through and it takes about 14 hours. We have several New Yorkers on our street and they think he is crazy. If cost isn't a factor, I would say fly. The cost of gas, meals, lodging is also a factor. Any way that you get here will be worth the effort.

[Big Matt]

I drove from just west of Washington DC and it took ten hours with stops, traffic, etc. I was planning on 8. There is virtually nothing on I-95 from Rocky Mount, North Carolina to Savannah unless you count places like Fayetteville and Florence. Of course there is South of the Border.

Fly.

[ira g]

We were at HHI last NOV and drove straight through from the northern suburbs of NYC. It took us about 14 hours. The only thing to be concerned about is the timing around Wash, DC. IMHO the traffic makes NYC's look like a day in the park. Whenever we travel on I-95 we try to go through Wash after 10pm and before 6 am to avoid that additional stress. It really isn't a bad drive and considering airport delays and extra time at the airport we consider it a reasonable compromise.

[Holly]

That's what we were thinking...there is no way to get there without changing planes, etc. We have a 2-year old...at least in the car when she gets fussy we are the only ones that have to hear it. It is a long way though.

[senorak]

We drive every summer from PA (near Allentown) with at least 3 kids in the van. We don't drive straight through.....usually stop in Charlotte, NC (visit w/ friends) and spend the night at a hotel (usually a Residence Inn). It's about a 9 hour drive to Charlotte (stopping for breakfast and perhaps lunch); then about 4 hours more to HHI. We usually leave early a.m. (around 4), so we avoid the DC traffic; in addition the last 2 years we've avoided I-95 completely until we hit SC....a bit longer, but we haven't encountered the terrible traffic jams/construction. On the way home, we usually stop somewhere in VA for the night.

DEB

[pcgirl54]

We have driven that same trip but from the Massachusetts area . We have also driven to FLorida and Myrtle Beach. I never minded the mega rides when the kids were small but they bother me now. The last few years we have flown.

We are going to Outer Banks in June and DH wants to drive. SWA flies to Norfolk VA direct which is my choice then rent a car. However that limits my wanting to see Ocean City MD for a day or two.


If you fly ,2-3 hours each way can be factored just for airport time plus the flight time with a stop which can turn into 8 hours or more combined.

If you drive you can save on a car rental and stop when you want. Compare that to one day less vacation time and factor cost of flight/car rental versus with cost of gas/hotel stay/meals and loss of vacation time.

[IreneLF]

Have driven with two kids from central NJ to Orlando twice and to HHI once.
All three times did a quick overnight stop (Darien, GA, just south of Savannah, which as you know is further south than HHI than for the FL trips, Florence (I think, somewhere way north in SC) for HHI. We've done NJ to Darien in about 13 1/2 hours.
It all depends on your ability to sit in the car - we 4 manage quite well (i am the worst of the bunch) -- With all the airport time spent these days, iit's not that much longer. (in fact, we beat friends who flew from Orlando as they were delayed for hours).
When we go to HHI again we plan to drive straight through - the only reason we stopped before was we were told how difficult it would be to find the condo after dark; now we know where to go.
We leave home by 5AM, therefore bypassing the DC traffic, and make minimal stops. I"ve brought a picnic lunch (using up all the cold cuts at home) and saving more time. It's been a game to see if we can beat our previous times.
Everyone's tolerance is different, but I"d vote for driving especially as in our case when you are saving 4 airfares and a rental car.

[wrkirt]

All comes down to time and money. If these are not factors, i would fly; if they are factors, i would drive. We drive from MD to HHI yearly and takes about 10 hours, NY City is 4.5-5 hrs from where we are. Its not a bad drive if you choose to do it this way but you will spend 2 days going and coming. From NY, you could make it into North Carolina where there are plenty of cheap of motels along 95. If you leave NY in morning and plan on arriving DC area in early afternoon, you will be able to get on 95 at Washington Beltway(Route 496) by 1 or 2 pm at latest, takes 3.5 hrs to get through VA and then another 2.5-3 to get through NC and about 3.5 from SC line to Savan. You could have an easy day on Saturday to pick up at Savan and then check in at Waterside. Its not a fun drive but once you get past DC, its not too bad.

[jme]

I don't live in NY, but a trip to HHI sorta resembles our drive recently from Georgia down to Palm Beach's Ocean Pointe (& close , but not as far as, Orlando & Disney World) , and so we broke it up halfway, spent a great night, and it wasn't so bad...even enjoyed it. I'd recommend a DRIVE for you, too. You'll need a car at HHI, and if you can borrow (or purchase) a small DVD player (which comes with cigarette lighter power adapter) the kids will stay GLUED to the movies, cartoons, whatever you provide. Guaranteed. That's a lifesaver, and worth the price.....and they can also use it on planes, inside the condo units, or wherever.....a great investment. MAKE sure you get headphones, so YOU don't have to listen to all the stuff...it gets old. The flight and vehicle rental will be an expense and a hassle, so just take the extra time off, and drive. Then, next time, evaluate and see if you wish to do that again. It goes faster than you think. jme

[bigfrank]

I have driven it twice straight in. Leave real early like 3am and you will go right in at under 14 hours. If you want to go with a nice view and no traffic you can drive through PA, into the Shenandoah Valley in VA. This will add a lot of miles to your trip but you will avoid all traffic and the views are breath taking. If you take this route your time on 95 will only be about 50 miles.

[dive-in]

I found this site a few years ago for our trip to Disney. It has detailed I-95 information from DC to Daytona. It has gas, hotels, restaurants, etc. listed for each exit. I printed it off in December and used it for our trip from Raleigh to HHI.

One tip that is noted on the NC exits page is don't gas up in NC. We have about the highest gas taxes in the US. Get gas in VA and hope you can make it to SC. I usually stop at Exit 181 (Latta) in SC. My wife had a bad experience at South of the Border in college so we never stop there.

[maggie mae]

You may want to look at some alternative routes around the DC area instead of getting into the I-95 and I-495 (beltway) mess. Two alternatives would be 1) from the Baltimore beltway follow the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Route 295 I think) south towards Bowie and pick up US Route 301 south. 301 will take you through some smaller towns outside of DC with some lights but if you hit it at the right time of day it may not be as bad as the DC beltway. 301 will also take you back to I-95 south of DC and not too far north of Richmond, VA. 2) I'm not sure about this route but I'll throw it out for you to consider....... pick up I-81 from somewhere up in the northern PA area and follow I-81 south into Virginia. Near Winchester VA you can pickup and follow US Route 17 south all the way to I-95 near Fredericksburg which is about an hour or so south of the DC beltway. Much of the scenery along route 17 is very pretty with rolling hills and many beautiful horse farms. When we lived in south central PA we used this route all the time when heading anywhere south of the DC area, HHI, Myrtle Beach, Williamsburg, Outer Banks. Much easier drive than the beltway.

Maggie Mae

[jjslats1]

I drove with my wife and two year old from long island (nassau cnty) to Waterside this past august. I was about 850 miles door to door and it took
15 hrs. with 5 stops for food, gas and streaching. It took the same amount of time on the return trip. It was about 13 hrs of actual drive time.

I would recommend you drive at least to the Va,Nc border which is about
the 1/2 way point or better yet drive straight through, stay in Hilton Head or Savanna and enjoy the day before you have to pick up your parents.

I'm sure you are going to love Hilton Head and the Waterside Resort. The pool by bld 8 is heated.

Enjoy