Heading to Fla. for the first time

[John R]

Heading to the Fla. from Mich. which is the best way south I-75 or I-65?

[wayfun]

I can't speak for I-65 but we recently came down from Central KY via I75 and it was pretty smooth other than a couple of accidents. There was no significant construction.

Dennis

[buckeyebobhockingcamper]

did 77 from ohio last year.planning the same this year,never been on 75,i think atlanta scared me off.im doing keys so i will end up on east side on 95.only my second year so im still experimenting,from sandusky i think 77 is better,less traffic. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!!where ya heading to in fla?

[racin500]

Just came back from Louisville KY to Nashville Tn on I-65. Construction from Louisville south for about 100 miles, on and off. Right lane was miserable to tow in.

[wayfun]

Don't let Atlanta scare you. Just pick the right time to go through. I always go straight through town and try to do it in late evening, after 8:00 and rarely have an issue. There is still traffic but it moves.

Dennis

[Tbristol]

I come down from Michigan also. I never use 75, depending on where in Florida your going. 65 to 231 for the west side of Florida. 77 to 95 for the east side. I love the 77 route. Its all rural no big towns at all until Jacksonville Florida and that is actually 95. 75 is the worst way. Every flipping big city it goes through. Dayton and Cincinnati being the worst 2.

[buckeyebobhockingcamper]

thanks TBRISTOL!!i forgot about cinci and dayton!!i did run that route in 1988 to the smokies,i heard about the horrible turnpike tolls on wv turnpike,wow 7.50 total(250 per toll)with trailer,other folks said it was rough,winding roads,i was relaxed except for my puny 26 gallon fuel tank.every 150 miles looking for fuel.i added a 37 gallon auxillary tank so now i should be goodi have heard there are lessn trucks on 77,dont know for sure though'

[Tbristol]

Yeah the tolls are a bummer. Still better than dealing with 75 though. There are some trucks on 77 just doesn't seem to be as many. 65 is free but I hate Indy. Even taking one of the circles around it I still hate it. Plus there are a couple of busy towns. Last time I took it was pretty rough rds. Looks like though from another post on here. They are working on it. Sounds a little tight tho for a 100 miles.

[Keywestparrothead]

I come down from Michigan also. I never use 75, depending on where in Florida your going. 65 to 231 for the west side of Florida. 77 to 95 for the east side. I love the 77 route. Its all rural no big towns at all until Jacksonville Florida and that is actually 95. 75 is the worst way. Every flipping big city it goes through. Dayton and Cincinnati being the worst 2.
Actually from about Statesville (30 miles north of Charlotte to the SC border can be a nightmare depending on the time of day. Bumper to bumper at 20 mph for several 10 mile stretches at a time. I know because I live here...

[buckeyebobhockingcamper]

yea the main slow area we encountered was rt 26 which connects 77 to 95,columbia sc .its like 55 miles and it took us almost 3 hours!!!!!semis were running on the right berm with horn blaring!!!!the slowdown was caused by people trying to switch lanes at 95 exit,a sign said charlston left lane and 95 south right lane.this is why i try to find rv parks all along the route because ya never know how far you will get that day.some people run all night,strait thru,im too old for that stuff,8 hours is enough!!we had traffic completely stopped where we were trying to get on 95,this lady in a suv was looking at me and i folded my hands saying please and she told her hubby to let me in!!! im not sure if leaving on 26th dec is best as its a weekend and day after christmas,but it seems like the whole world is heading to florida

[2011 keystone]

We took 77 to 95 from charleston wv to disney fort wilderness this summer. I thought it was a pretty easy trip. A couple of slow downs but over all not bad. 15 hours straight thru on the way home pulling close to 10k . freinds of ours took the same trip but without a TT and it took them 12 hours. on the same rout.

[hankpage]

Between I65 and I75 I would have to say I75 since once you get to Fl. you will have to take I75 or I95 to get to where you are going anyway. If you are going to the west coast or the Keys taking I75 all the way makes planing the trip easy ... one highway all the way. As mentioned before, planing for time of day at large cities is advisable but some of the bypasses are not that bad, just time consuming. Once you are in Fla I10 will take you to I95 Jacksonville and Daytona (east coast) and I4 will take you to Orlando. If heading to Fort Lauderdale/Miami area (East coast) I75 at the end, cuts across from west to east. (Alligator Alley)
I guess you can tell, if I were making your trip, I would be using I75. JM2¢, Hank

[buckeyebobhockingcamper]

ok i have a question,im going to the keys and was planning on taking 77 to 26 in columbia sc to 95 south to the keys.i have never done this so is 95 the right course instead of 75 south then east to florida turnpike.how bad is 95 traffic?last year we were in fort myers first so took 75 to pike,to marathon.any thoughts from seasoned keys travelers?another question,i never paid anything or received a "by the plate"toll fee for last years pike useage,my mail was transterred to a relatives box and a lot of 2nd class stuff is not delivered .just dont want a big fine someday!!

[hankpage]

ok i have a question,im going to the keys and was planning on taking 77 to 26 in columbia sc to 95 south to the keys.i have never done this so is 95 the right course instead of 75 south then east to florida turnpike.how bad is 95 traffic?last year we were in fort myers first so took 75 to pike,to marathon.any thoughts from seasoned keys travelers?another question,i never paid anything or received a "by the plate"toll fee for last years pike useage,my mail was transterred to a relatives box and a lot of 2nd class stuff is not delivered .just dont want a big fine someday!!

If you are already on the east coast then I95 is the best choice. As mentioned before time of day is important as far as traffic. Jacksoville can be a nightmare during rush hours, but not too bad the rest of the day or night. After that it is pretty clear all the way to just above Hollywood/Ft Lauderdale. I95 parallels the Turnpike and is free so I stay on I95 until around Hollywood. I am sure some of our Fla members or Snowbirds can be more precise with exit numbers. I do not recommend I95 through Ft. Lauderdale/Miami at any time of day. JMHO
As for tolls ... If you don't have the option of a tollbooth, it is their responsibility to get the toll to you ... If you bypass a booth, it's shame on you. .... It is very easy to get a "SunPass" at any rest area on the turnpike. The OP was already on the west coast so that is why I said I75 the best. .......... Hank

[buckeyebobhockingcamper]

thanks for the info,yea i got on turnpike south of 75,no toll booths.thanks about jville and hollywood