mrsgo

Hi! Please suggest a car route from NJ to Florida, AVOIDING THE WASHINGTON, DC traffic. Thanks so much!

girlonthego

I grew up in Northern NJ and so I would recommend heading west to PA. 287W to 78W to 81S, Go through Harrisburg PA to 81S. You can take 81S to 77S to 95S.
We live in the Richmond VA area now and have family still in Northern NJ. On holidays sometimes, we have taken the route through PA to avoid DC. It added an hour but was worth it because there was little to no traffic. If you choose to go 81 but want to come back to 95 in mid VA, you can take 64E to Richmond and head south. There is never any traffic south of Richmond on 95 unless there is a terrible accident. Or you can 81S in Virginia to 66E to 17S and catch 95S at Fredericksburg VA.

Macross

Are you near Cape May? We have taken the ferry to Lewes and then take the Bay bridge-tunnel and come out in Norfolk. On the last trip from NY, we went to Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and getting on 95 at Rocky Mount, NC. The GPS so wanted us to go to DC.

oldemalloy

We have done the trip down the garden state to the Cape May ferry then down the DELMAVA to the Bay Bridge Tunnel And on south from CT. It is more interesting than straight down 95 and we often stop at Chincoteague to see the ponies and walk the beach. We also have done 81 to near Raleigh then headed to 95 in South Carolina as well as straight down 95.

The most pleasant was the ferry but it also was slower. 81 is longer in miles but usually took the same amount of time as 95. The only time we had no traffic slow down through DC was when we went through at 3 A M.

georgeb944

Interstate 81 is the way to go... Just be patient when the semis are passing each other up hill with a one mph difference in speed. It's a much more relaxing drive than the section of I 95 between Richmond and Baltimore.

Of course, where you connect with I81 depends on where in Florida you start and where in NJ you end.