The Fastest Driving Route to Florida
The fastest driving route to Florida? Have you ever wondered what the fastest driving route to Florida is?
If you live in the northeastern United States or in the Canadian province of Ontario, read on! After many years of exploring the major north-south routes (and driving my wife crazy with noting travel times between various locations) we have determined that the following route gets you to Florida sunshine, white sandy beaches and great Florida golf the fastest.
1/ If you are crossing the Canada/US border or live in northern Ohio or New York, Interstate #90 provides the best connection to Interstate #79, your first north-south highway on the Fastest Route to Florida. (Remember that I-90 in most of New York State is a toll route)
2/ Take I-90 to Erie Pennsylvania to connect with I-79.
3/ Follow I-79 south through the rolling hills of northern Pennsylvania. One caution, keep watch for deer, I have never seen so many deer (dead or alive) along one stretch of road anywhere else in North America.
4/ There are not many commercial service areas between Erie and Pittsburgh, but there are some clean rest stop areas (about every twenty minutes).
5/ Washington Pennsylvania, just south of Pittsburgh, offers some good accommodation, dining and shopping venues.
6/ I-70 connects with I-79 at Washington, so if you live along the I-70 corridor you can easily connect with the fastest route to Florida.
7/ Continuing southward, it is not long before you enter the State of West Virginia. If you are a college football fan, the University of West Virginia football stadium can be seen in the distance to the east as you pass through Morgantown.
8/ As you approach Charleston, I-79 ends and you connect with I-77. (You could take I-77 all the way from I-90, just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, but we like the scenery of I-79 and it is a faster route.)
9/ Your route takes you right through Charleston, and although we have never spent much time in the area, the mix of southern architecture and modern structures provides for interesting scenery.
10/ Leaving Charleston, the mountains and valleys seem to engulf you as you make your way towards your destination, Englewood Florida.
11/ About an hour after leaving Charleston, you will reach Beckley. This town is known for its coal mining (if time is available check out the coal mining museum.) At each of the exits in the Beckley area you will find accommodations, food and fuel readily available.
12/ If you enjoy mountainous scenery, the next couple of hours will delight you! I-77 twists and turns through the mountains of West Virginia, then as you pass through a tunnel the panorama of the mountains of the State of Virginia literally explodes through your windshield as you exit from the tunnel.
13/ After passing through Wytheville with its numerous venues for food, fuel and accommodation, you will soon be in North Carolina.
14/ The State of North Carolina makes an equally dramatic entrance. As you pass by an exit announcing Fancy Gap, the highway begins a decent down the mountains. The view is spectacular, but the numerous run-away truck ramps serve as an ominous warning that the steepness of the hill can cause trucks to have trouble stopping.
15/ At the bottom of the hill, a beautiful rest area provides a great picnic location, or just a spot to take a leisurely stroll amongst the well-manicured gardens.
16/ I-77 continues on through Charlotte, North Carolina and on to Columbia, South Carolina. One of our favorite moments occurs as we enter the South Carolina Welcome Center. At the entrance we see our first palm tree, evidence that Florida and Englewood are not far away.
17/ A short distance from Columbia we connect with I-95 and continue southward, passing Savannah and then Brunswick until we reach the Florida Welcome Center.
18/ A few minutes south of Jacksonville is one of my favorite stops along the World Golf Village. Besides the great golf atmosphere at the shops and restaurants in the village, there is the World Golf Hall of Fame. Believe me, it is worth the visit!
19/ Continuing down I-95, we arrive at Daytona (try not to travel through this area around the time of any racing event, especially the Daytona 500, the traffic is crazy. But if you are a car racing fan, go for it!), where we connect with I-4.
20/ I-4 goes through Orlando (try to avoid weekday rush hours). You might want to plan a few days at any of the major theme parks in the area.
21/ Just east of Tampa take I-75 southbound.
22/ About an hour later, take the River Road exit and in 10-15 minutes you will be in Englewood Florida.
Let your winter vacation begin! You can now truly forget about the cold weather and snow and just Enjoy Englewood Florida!
About the Author
Paul White is a freelance writer specializing in travel and sports (golf and hockey) and my wife is also a writer and an avid bird watcher http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com After getting the kids to finally leave home (we really like it when they come back with grandkids for us to enjoy though), we have explored many options concerning how we are going to spend our “golden years”. Visit my website http://www.enjoy-englewood-florida.com where I share a big part of what we decided. You can also read articles I’ve written on other topics such as sports, at http://www.suite101.com/writer_articles.cfm/paul2795
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here