Help for best route and place to stay: apr/may SE Ontario -> Florida

[waninae39]

we plan to head out soon after the snow starts to melt and reach Florida in late April or early may/2020.

we are thinking of i75 South and landing into the Florida panhandle FL for a few weeks to start the many month journey

the Milton Campground is open 365 days and is just west of Toronto,ON. this will likely be our first stop

when i was young, the family would drive 30 hours straight from Toronto to Miami.

• what is a good recommended duration time to go down 5, 7, 10 days
• we are wondering what else is open along the way south, especially in the northern states

[Lily&Me]

You should find an adequate number of campgrounds open along the major interstates that time of year.

The AllStays app, my personal favorite, allows you to filter for campgrounds open all year.

Have a great trip.

Maggie

[waninae39]

hi

i see no android Allstays rv app
i see allstays for hotes only

can you please post a picture of the icon so i can look for it

[Lily&Me]

I’m sorry, it’s apparently for IPad and IPhone, only.

Whatever campground app you use, there is likely a filter for various options, and the “open all year” should help you in your search.

Good luck,

Maggie

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I-75 is in pretty awful shape over much of it's length. I know this because I've towed over just about every foot of it from the boarder all the way to the Gulf coast. If you are coming over at Windsor / Detroit, that has it's charms as well.

There aren't a lot of simple alternatives (which is why I've towed on it a lot ...). Just be aware that you will be driving in a lot of traffic with construction and less than ideal pavement. Plan your trip accordingly.

One way to do the "where to stay" part is to join Harvest Hosts. You won't save any money. There are always things to do / stuff to buy when you stop at one . (I suppose you *could* save money .... it would not be as much fun though ).

Bob

[waninae39]

hi uncle-bob

if not i75

any alternate routes south

is 95 just as bad?

i hate the i495 bypass around DC

[Jim Flower]

3 days. Buffalo 90 to Erie, 79 to Pittsburg, 19 & 64 to 77. 77 to 95. 95 to 10 at Jacksonville. 10 to the panhandle. When zooming south, I stay at Walmart or Cracker Barrel. Easy Peasy.
75 is nasty. If you go that way, bring rivets. Jim

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by waninae39

when i was young, the family would drive 30 hours straight from Toronto to Miami.what is a good recommended duration time to go down 5, 7, 10 days

The answer would be 1-1/4 days if you hadn't gotten soft in your old age.

[Acheron2010]

I just came in the opposite direction along i-75. From east of Buffalo, I really like Darien Lakes State Park.
Then Geneva State Park in Geneva.
Then Alton RV park, in close proximity to Columbus, OH.
Then of course, the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center. ($10 a night)
Then Stonelick State Park in Pleasant Plain, OH
Fort Boonesborough State Park in Richmond, Ky
North of Knoxville, stop at Raccoon Valley RV Park. This is an Escapees park, or there is a KOA one exit north. While in the area, stop at the Appalachian Museum.
South of that, cannot help.

[waninae39]

these are the route transitions i see on the maps
Ottawa 417,401
Milton QEW
Buffalo NY, i90
Erie PA, i79
Charleston WV i77
Columbia SC, i26
i26 Junc 169, i95
Jacksonville FL, i10
Pensacola stop

[Grace-n-Pup]

Originally Posted by waninae39

these are the route transitions i see on the maps
Ottawa 417,401
Milton QEW
Buffalo NY, i90
Erie PA, i79
Charleston WV i77
Columbia SC, i26
i26 Junc 169, i95
Jacksonville FL, i10
Pensacola stop

For the Jacksonville area you may want to try just North. There is Crooked River State Park in GA. We drove through when we did a quick trip to St. Mary's just to get a camping weekend in. We were staying at the KOA in St Mary's which is ok for an overnight but if you're looking to stay longer try the State Park. Saw alot of Airstreams there. There were a couple at the KOA but some spots at the KOA can have pretty large puddles on the campsite. We had a patio site so we were ok. There is also Skidaway Island State Park as well by Savannah also very nicely kept. We stayed there and it was great. The camp hosts at Skidaway go back and forth between there and Top Sail so you could check out Top Sail on the way to Pensacola. Haven't camped there yet but it is rated one of the best in FL. Fort clinch State Park in FL is also just 45 min north of Jax and very nice. Great place to camp but also check out downtown Fernandina Beach. If you're a foodie it has a good selection of restaurants. We biked from the campground into town. A little bit long bike ride in the heat but we made it. Little Talbot Island also nice but if you have a big rig- this one maybe a bit tougher really have to select the right spot. We have a 25 and some spots even looked to tiny for ours. Oh also there is the county park in Atlantic Beach called Hannah Park. The FL group held a weekend rally there this year. Unfortunately we didnt make it as already has plans for somewhere else.

[polarlyse]

I have no need to travel I-75 so I have no comment on that route but I do use I-81 often and like it enough to recommend it. Even if you need to go out of your way.

[waninae39]

with the good sam planning tool, this is what the route looks
i used the suggestions here to guide it as i wanted to use i75

31 hours
2600 km
about 9-10 days if we limit to 300 km /day average

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

We came down from Nova Scotia earlier this year to Pensacola. Gave ourselves 10 days. Plenty of time. You will also be free to stop and enjoy the journey. You pass through a few national Forrests and two national parks on this route. Make sure you try and take in some of that natural beauty

[Cyclist]

If you are leaving from Ottawa, why don't you consider I-81? Depending upon when you leave (and the weather) you could spend a night at the Shoreline Casino in Gananoque before crossing the border or at Rideau Acres outside Kingston. The latter takes Passport America with restrictions. We've stayed at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Wilkes Barre (about 420 km. from the Shoreline Casino) which is great if the weather cooperates. If not there is a campground near Courtland (which we haven't stayed at yet) and a KOA further south in Pennsylvania. Once in Virginia there are many campgrounds along I-81 that should be open and several take Passport America.

If you are considering Jacksonville, you could take off east on I-77 towards Charleston and Savannah (Skidaway Island SP is excellent) and St. Marys further south (Crooked River SP is one of our favourites). From St. Marys, it's an easy day trip to Amelia Island, Brunswick/St. Simons Island/Jekyll Island. St.Augustine is also just south of Jacksonville (Anastasia SP).

We've done this trip a couple of times north bound in mid to late April.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you do decide on I-81, be aware that it does have it's choke points .. Carlisle is one of them.

Bob