Driving advice - Orlando to Washington DC
 

Hi
The family is ending a 3 weeks trip in Orlando by driving to IAD to catch a 22:45pm back to London. I'm checking out on Saturday and the flight is due out on Tuesday.

This will be the return segment and we would have spent enough time in Washington DC on our initial arrival. I was thinking of doing about 4hr drive a day.

On Saturday I am planning to drive to Savannah and am not to sure what else after that. I'm just looking at the map and thought maybe Richmond, VA

I also realise that I can afford to drive on Tuesday afternoon to reach the airport given how late the flight is and hence don't have to hurry.

Any ideas on the best route or places to stop by ? This is a family holiday with kids from 8 to 15 but looking to wind down after Orlando.

Thanks

Don't think this qualifies for winding down, but you may find interesting: https://www.sobpedro.com/
Charleston SC is very nice but further from 95 than Savannah.
Could detour a slight bit up to Raleigh NC
Could detour significantly more after Savannah and go up through Charlotte to I-81 and stay away from I-95. Much more scenic trip. Roanoke VA could be the final stopping point.

12 hours driving divided into 4 hours per day is a big big best case. So much traffic on that route.
Richmond to Dulles is a 2 hour drive in good traffic so if that is your final leg you will be putting in more hours the two days before. Raleigh might be a better point to stop.

I-95 is a long, boring drive with nothing of interest visually up until mid-VA. Personally, I would try and drive as long as possible on day one and break this into a two-day trip (rather than three 4-hour chunks).

I've always found the NC/VA border to be the start of heavy traffic heading north (essentially that rest stop once you cross over into Virginia).

Can't really suggest anything of interest but nothing really wrong with whlinder's suggestion above.

I-81 is scenic, in theory. But it tends to have heavy truck traffic. If you have time, there are scenic (but slower) drives through the Shenandoah Valley. The last time I was out that way, I detoured through Shenandoah National Park. Route 11 is another option.

I've also been known to get off 95 north of Fredericksburg (which is worth a stop) and go up 123.

Downtown Fredericksburg is lovely area. 123 is nothing but a slightly faster option to IAD and the western NOVA suburbs from I-95.
I do like the idea of a leisurely trip up Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park after I-81. I've done that when coming back from SW Virginia.

OP's destination is IAD. I wouldn't have suggested 123 to someone who was going to DC (or Arlington).

Was just trying to clarify for the OP that it is not a scenic drive or something to target; just an alt route to Dulles at the finish line of this trek which might save a few mins depending on traffic.

After Savannah you could do one of two things:

1) Wend your way up to Charleston on Rt 17 which is also a charming city and has many good restaurants, then finish drive along I 95 from there. The downside is that I 95 is awful. There can be a lot of traffic and it’s pretty boring.

2) Return to I 95 north and drive to I 26 W to I 77 N to Exit 100 (about a five hour drive from Savannah). From there, it is about 15 miles west to an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway which is one of the most beautiful roads in our country. You can follow it up to Shenandoah in our Appalachian Mountains. Lots of opportunities for short hikes and stunning nature scenery. If you go north to Front Royal, VA, you can then take I 66 east and find your way to IAD.

Another variation which I just thought of is to get back on I 95 from Savannah and take it to Virginia and then go east to Norfolk, VA. Lovely little botanical garden there as well as you could visit battleships at the Naval Yard and there is the Chrysler Museum of Art. You could also go to Williamsburg, VA, a historic town.

I would not just take 95 to Richmond. It would be a pretty boring way to end the trip when there are some great alternatives.

Are you guys really meaning either Routes 29 or 17? Cause Rt 123 has terminals at 95 next to Occoquan many miles north of Fredericksburg and the other end is close to CIA and DC/Chain Bridge in Arlington.

But 17 is next to Fredericksburg and 29 would give some great scenery - both have excellent opportunities for sightseeing (Monticello at Charlottesville, Appomattox and lots of other civil war locations along the way) coming out of North Carolina. If taking three days and looking to go about 4 hours of driving a day then one could fit in lots of potential sites: such as stopping at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (they still show a film my step-dad made in the visitor center!), the Biltmore in Asheville, NC, for example. With three days you could fit in tons of cool places.

123 to the Fairfax County parkway to 66 to 28 to get to/from IAD from the south can be faster. It is often the recommended route driving from western suburbs to get south on 95. It is... not scenic.

17 to 29 I've done, I would call it ok scenery, better than 95, but not that worth it.

29 is a beautiful drive and adds some additional options coming north; not sure how to best tie it to the NC/SC stops but certainly lovely through Charlottesville.

On closer reading I see the suggestion was to pick up 123 "north of Fredericksburg" and not "at" Fredericksburg. Yes, definitely, unless there is a serious traffic, using 123 to get to IAD makes way more sense than continuing up 95 and going around 495 to 50/66/267 to get to IAD.

If following the suggestion to hit Norfolk, then taking 17N from Newport News is a much nicer ride than I-64 to 95 - and goes past a few very nice antebellum mansions for an optional quick tour.

Route 123 doesn't exist until you get to Fairfax County anyhow.... If you're going to Dulles I might actually leave I-95 at VA-234. Its an outer, outer ring and allows to avoid the hellscape that is I-95 in Woodbridge.