CT to FL

[mary and bob]

We have a reservation for two nights at Fort McAllister , April 3 & 4, then on to Jekyll Island for two nights in the campground and 7 days in a rental house

[CarolMarie]

I am traveling that way in late April - from southern NY State to Folly Beach SC. I too like to avoid Baltimore and D.C. so I thought I would try this route: Garden State Pkwy to Cape May; ferry to Lewes, DE; straight down to Bay Bridge Tunnel and the 17 all the way south. I just don't know how far I will get or how long it will take me to get to the Va. Beach area so I don't know where to stop overnight. I would like to just make one night stop but maybe I will need 2. Is 17 a rural road or is it a road with towns? Am I being crazy not to take I-95 this time around? Not being able to go through the Baltimore tunnel means going on the Francis Scott Key Bridge with lots of merging and incoming lanes...I was going left left left and then lanes would come on the right so I would be in the middle...then I would go right right right and be in the right lane again. Then it would repeat. I was a wreck!

Is there any place to make a quick overnight stop between Va Beach and SC?
Thanks for your help. I am one of the more nervous trailer people going through traffic and traffic circles, etc.

CarolMarie

[cpaharley2008]

You can also catch #301 north of baltimore and take it south all the way to richmond where it reconnects to 95- this will bypass balto-wash area

[Ron F]

Is towing allowed on the Garden State Pkwy? I know that in NY, any road that is a "Parkway" cannot be used by trucks and trailers.

Ron

[CarolMarie]

Yes, for some reason NJ allows it. They have a special lane for part of the road just for buses (to Atlantic City), small trucks and trailers. You don't see big semi-trucks probably because of all the tolls. In NY, not allowed on parkways, mostly because of the low bridges. Every few months a truck will wander onto the Hutchinson River Pkwy and knock down the overpass!

[mary and bob]

Last time we were on the Garden State Parkway we went to Cape May. There were frequent tolls, seemed like every 10 minutes we were in a toll booth. Couple months ago we went down the Jersey Turnpike, across the Delaware Memorial bridge, down route 13 to the Chesapeake bay bridge. That route was OK. Off the southern end of the Bay Bridge to the east is First Landing State Park. We should have went there instead of Newport News! We have taken the ferry from Cape May to Lewes Delaware, then down the coast through Ocean City MD to Assateague State Park. Look for the old WW2 watch towers if you go that route. In Cape May there was the remains of a WW2 concrete ship, [made of concrete] a lighthouse, and gun bunker.

[theresa p]

carol---when we have gone via the bridge tunnel, we have stayed at kiptopeke state park--it's about 3 miles before the northern entrance, still in virginia, and a quick jaunt the next morning to get to the bridge tunnel.
we have enjoyed our drives down hwy 17 but there are some scary (kind of like out of Deliverance) campgrounds along that route....i'd be interested, norm, in knowing which passport park you use.
another nice park is the campground in croatan national forest. it's off the 17B.

[reydenna]

Here's how I go: from Harrisonburg, VA I go on I81 to 64, then take exit 99 at the top of Afton Mt., a few back roads, eventually ending up on US 29 through the rest of VA; US220 around Greensboro NC, then new I73/74/220 to Rockingham; Rt. 1 to Cheraw, and 52 to Florence, SC, where I usually get on I95, but have managed to get all the way to FL avoiding 95. I like to camp at Cheraw State Park, but Santee is nice, too. I pull a 13' Burro with a Pontiac Vibe. This route is scenic, not much traffic, and 4 lane most of the way. I love the new rest stops along the new interstate south of Greensboro. I81 is a nightmare (to me) of heavy truck traffic to be avoided if possible.

[Ron F]

Returning from FL, we took 301 from Richmond to Newark, DE. where it reconnects with I95. There were traffic lights for the first 5 - 6 miles, then clear sailing till we got closer to Annapolis. From there into Delaware there were traffic lights and significant traffic. I'm not sure we save much over just taking the beltway and gritting our teeth.

BTW, Pocahontas SP is a good stop over for the trip.

Ron