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Driving from North Carolina to New Jersey over 2 days. Which city should I stop in/sleep over in? (Richmond, Alexandria, DC, etc.)
I just did this drive and I couldn’t agree more. 81 is a joy to drive on. 95 is hell.
Yes, 95 from Richmond to DC and beyond is tough. Be aware that most if not all of 81 in VA is just two lanes, and a lot of trucks, pick your poison🤟
I’m here to agree with this. I drive from sc to NY atleast once a month and i81-77 are beautiful. I believe it’s christiansburg Virginia is very pretty and populated. We always get gas there and there’s big box stores and grocery stores there. Additionally anywhere on the blue ridge parkway is really pretty. There’s a lot less tolls (maybe no tolls) on i81- 77
Came here to suggest this and it’s u/spong3 beat me to it. I-81 is sooo much better than 95 - more scenic, less traffic, fun places to stop. As stated, keep speed with 10mph of the posted limit.
Take the western route and stay in Gettysburg.
Go to the Gerryowen Irish pub. Tour the battlefield. Watching Gettysburg, the movie, first helps appreciate it.
Or try the pricketts charge buffet, not usually a buffet fan but it is all of the best home cooked food
I’ve never seen that buffet so I googled it. It must be the General Pickett’s Buffet? Unfortunately it’s closed permanently.
“General Lee…I have no buffet, sir.”
Oh that’s too bad
That sucks, I loved that place
I recommend changing the route and going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, it's worth it (the missing links are a tunnel under the ocean). There's a pier that you can stop in the middle as well.
You can't stop there now, it's under construction
Still? I thought it was supposed to open a year ago, or more.
Check their website. I went through it just last month & it looked like a construction site.
Alternately, if you don't want to go quite that far out of the way, take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (in Maryland). There are two possibilites:
start on I-95 N; pick up US-301 N in Richmond; follow it all the way to the bridge; stay on US 301 until it ends as DE-1, then take DE-1 up to I-95 just south/west of Wilmington.
I-95 all the way up to the Washington Beltway (I-495); I-495 east to US-50; through Annapolis and over the bridge; then US-301 to DE-1 as above. (The bridge is both US-50 and US-301.)
To go back to the original suggestion: I've done that bit of I-81 in the middle of the night and it was hard to stay awake. But during the day it's probably less stressful than I-95.
Did the overnight 81 thank God for the shoulder rumble strips woke me up scary 💩
Harper's Ferry - it's about halfway, and maximally pleasant.
The pedestrian bridge over the Potomac is awesome, along with the Maryland Heights hike.
Can confirm.
Looks promising, I might drive there tommorow but just sleep, then I could have the whole morning to explore the area before leaving for NJ in the afternoon. What would you suggest to do while I'm there?
I-95 is going to have a ton of traffic and you’re going to regret your life choices if you’re anywhere in the DC metro at rush hour
you’re going to regret your life choices if you’re anywhere in the DC metro at rush hour
BTW DC rush hour runs from 4:30am until 8pm
Plus we are missing a bridge in Baltimore. Morning and evening rush hour is terrible now. Recommend avoiding. Take either the bay bridge or Chesapeake tunnel.
I go to SC every year from NY.
Take I-81, the small amount of extra time Will completely balance out on the traffic/construction/stress of driving I-95.
I am a big fan of front loading a trip. Your 10 hours I would do 6-7 on day one, and 3-4 on day two. Sometimes, I even get greedier.
My thought is I want more time at the destination, so I push more on day one.
For your trip something in the MD/WV border would work out pretty well.
Avoid I-95 like you owe it money (and with the tolls, you WILL). Go I-77 to I-81 to I-78. Much more pleasant drive, much less tolls, much less traffic.
Your halfway point is going to be somewhere like Front Royal, VA or Harper's Ferry, WV. Those are fine small towns to visit for a stopover. If you push a little further, your next convenient stopping point is Harrisburg, PA. Not a terrible city, but not that exciting. Still, nothing wrong with stopping there either.
Just for a night over? I’d just skip DC. I love the city but it’s a pain in the ass, especially with a car. If I’m going to DC, most of the time I park my car at a Metro station for the weekend and take the metro in.
Alexandria and Richmond are both fine for a layover. I live/lived in both cities. They have slightly different vibes: Richmond is a mid-early gentrified hipster town so a little rougher around the edges but “weirder,” while Alexandria is a pretty upscale city.
But ultimately they offer similar activities for a one-day visitor. Hang out by the river, look at art, get good coffee and/or beer, eat good food, vibe out around historical buildings, maybe check out some live music. I’d choose Richmond because the river is nicer, things are cheaper, parking is easier, and it’s overall less hectic but it’s kind of half a dozen of one, six of the other for your purposes
Avoid Metro DC it's a tarpit of traffic and chaos. Harrisonburg or Winchester seem about right.
I have made this drive a few times, both in 1 day and 2 (slept over in Harrisonburg, VA). Never been to Richmond or Alexandria, have been to Washington DC as a kid. I'm thinking drive to Richmond in the morning, spend the afternoon there, then drive to either alexandria or DC in the evening and sleep. In the morning I can spend a few hours in alexandria or DC then drive home to NJ in the afternoon/evening.
DC is worth the traffic if you’re going to visit it
If you do take the tolled route, you’ll benefit by having an E-ZPass account.
Delaware -> MD -> VA on the east side. Anywhere around DC, traffic and drivers are cheeks
Abingdon, VA. Great accommodations and resources. Highly recommend.
You can actually walk the whole way as well
Depends on your budget, and your convenience. You gave no clue. If you're just looking to drive this like a trucker there's plenty of places just to stop along the way and much cheaper. Are you going to get out and walk for a few hours around. Then downtown Richmond is a lovely place and so is Alexandria..
That toll route is like $50-60 worth of toll each way.
Just to give you a heads up, the vast majority of hotels in DC charge for parking, I've seen 50/day.
Alexandria is cool if you stay near Old Town but the hotels cost a ton, there's hotels in the Fairfax County part of Alexandria but there's nothing there besides suburbs unless you travel closer to DC. If you drive a Kia or Hyundai or a Dodge Charger/Challenger, I don't recommend parking in an open lot in Alexandria or DC.
Go rt-81
Roanoke cheap Prices on Overnights 😉
Do you have to stop? It’s doable in a day (source: my family moved from Ridgewood to Charlotte when I was young, but extended family stayed in Bergen County. Made the drive a bit throughout the years.)
Others have mentioned- Harrisonburg and Harpers Ferry are good stops. DC traffic is awful and Bmore/bridge stuff is with avoiding 95 if possible.
My knowledge of North Carolina's geography isn't great, but it looks like you're driving from somewhere in the Charlotte area. Take I-77 to I-81 and stop in Staunton, Harrisonburg, or Winchester, VA. You will have lots of lodging and food options. If you stop in Staunton, you can make a trip to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello but it will take a good chunk of time. If you want to drive a bit farther, you could head to Carlisle, PA for your overnight. I would stay away from the DC area and I-95 at all costs. Traffic is unpredictable and you'll avoid some tolls.
If you want to stop for a good meal on your first day, consider Mac & Bob's in Salem, VA. Dixie Caverns is nearby. It's a fun tour and the price isn't overwhelming. Factory Antique Mall in Verona, VA is supposedly the largest in America. I haven't been there yet, but it could be a nice place to stretch your legs and it's just north of Staunton. On your second day, you could also get off the main roads in PA and do part of the drive through the Poconos.
Winchester VA would be a good half way point! Stayed there between Nashville and Long Island one summer
I’ve stayed in Harrisonburg and Winchester in western VA. Both nice small towns if you enjoy hiking and the outdoors. I’d avoid I-95 like the plague.
That’s a one day drive.
Next time i go i plan to stop in Littleton to see the cryptid/Sasquatch museum
Old Town Alexandria is one of my favorite places.
Why are you stopping?
I’d stay in either Harper’s Ferry or Gettysburg. There’s a post saying to go on the blue ridge parkway as well which I agree to as well!
Hit up Jugg Handle in while in Jersey the best wings known to man
Don’t take 95, don’t stop anywhere near dc
Take 81
I need a round trip from Ontario California to anywhere in the USA
I say Richmond as a Richmond resident and grew up in Bergen county nj
Winchester or Front Royal, VA off I-81
That's a 1 sitting drive..... but If you are intent on taking 2 days I would start with taking I-81 into PA & then 78 east into NJ (95 sucks, the DC/richmond area sucks more.) Stop near the PA line to get a room, most of the holiday inn express' have been renovated along that route. The 81 route is also toll free. Have a safe trip.
Go along I-81. It’s beautiful along the mountains. Find a hike. Maybe Natural Bridge VA for an easy and amazing pit stop. If you have time, maybe get on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a couple hours and have a picnic. It’s gorgeous.
Avoid 95 south of DC at all cost. It’s terrible. Do NOT speed more than 10mph over in VA, it’s an automatic misdemeanor for reckless driving and you will need a lawyer to get you out of it.