Hello! You can find an updated version of this here.

 

 

 

Check out part one on my road trip from Chicago to Disney World where I explain my route and basic plan of attack.

 

Let’s Hit the Road!

Prior to departing, it’s crucial that you get an oil change, fill up with gas, vacuum, and then load the van as much as you can. If you’re traveling with a electric cooler/van fridge, make sure to plug it in your house for a few hours. This will help to get it cool before you leave. Since I’ll be waking super early, I make sure to stock up our van fridge with some bottled Starbucks drinks. The kids should go to bed at their normal time but parents should go to bed as early as possible.

 

 

Quiet Time- Chicago to Effingham

You’ll be so excited for your trip that you probably won’t sleep much.  It’s important to get on the road between 3-3:30am.  If you depart at this time and keep a steady pace, you’ll make it to Atlanta before rush hour which is crucial.  Otherwise you’ll be stuck in a major traffic jam.  I live in the western suburbs, but no matter where you are starting from, make your way to I-57.  Enjoy this part of your trip.  Your children will fall back asleep shortly and then you’ll have nothing but a quiet vehicle and open road.  Cover as much milage as you can.  Effingham is the first stop I will even entertain making.  My goal is actually Paducah, but depending on your children, you might need to stop here.  Effingham is a quality exit.  Among other amenities, there is a nice McDonalds, Starbucks, and plenty of gas stations.  I’ll also note that I’ve stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites at this exit (separate trip; I have family in the area) so if you need a place to stay overnight, I definitely recommend it.

 

Land of Lincoln- Effingham to Paducah

This is probably one of the most challenging parts of the drive.  The sun is up now.  Your kids are probably waking up.  You’ve been in the car for awhile now, but you’re still in Illinois.  There are a handful of nice exits on this part of the journey (Mt. Vernon, Marion, etc).  You might be tempted to stop and see Super Man in Metropolis, but I recommend that you try to make it to Paducah before stopping.

 

Welcome to Kentucky!  You have survived the most challenging part of your drive.  Paducah makes a good first stop.  There are several exits here, but I stop at the exit for US route 60 and visit McDonalds and one of the gas stations.  Although I pack food, I tend to purchase breakfast and make it a longer stop.  Well, not really long, but long enough for everyone to use the restroom, change diapers, and order breakfast.  We take are food to go and then get gas.  At McDonalds, my two toddlers split an order of hotcakes and sausage. They’re sausage fanatics so we order an extra sausage and also a hash brown.  Hop back in the car and get ready for the next stretch of the trip!

 

Let’s Watch a Movie!-  Paducah to Nashville

This part of the drive is pretty quiet.  Get back onto I-24 in Paducah and head towards Nashville.  The kids will be eating their breakfast.  This is also a good time to start a movie.  I rarely stop anywhere in this portion of the drive.  Sometime, I’d love to rent a house boat at Kentucky Lake.  If you need to stop, the best place will be Clarksville.  It’s near the KY-TN boarder and has quite a few amenities.  Soon you’ll be in Nashville, which is an AMAZING city to visit, but not for this trip.  If possible, drive straight through.  You’ll probably get to Nashville around 10-11am so, most likely, there’s no major traffic.

 

Hill Country- Nashville to Chattanooga

After Nashville, you’ll continue on I-24 towards Chattanooga.  Honestly, the kids start getting a little antsy at this point.  Chattanooga is the halfway point in the drive, but our goal is to travel more on day one so that day 2 is smooth sailing.  Try to keep the kids as occupied as possible with movies and snacks.  They’ll probably be getting ready for a nap soon.  We stop at the Cracker Barrel just before Chattanooga (Tiftonia).  It’s a pretty weird location, but it’s a nice stop.  We get gas at the Kangaroo station and then head toward Cracker Barrel.  No, we’re not eating here.  We just like to let the kids run around, rock in the rocking chairs, ‘play’ checkers, and go to the restroom.  The restrooms are modest, but clean here.  We don’t bother with getting lunch here.  We eat food in the car.  After everyone (adults included) gets a chance to burn some energy, hop back in the car for the final driving hours of day 1.  

 

There’s No Time to Waste- Chattanooga to Atlanta

This part of the drive is beautiful.  After burning off some energy, it’s time to get serious about covering some ground (and fast!).  Eat a light lunch in the car on the road.  There’s no time to stop to eat.  It’s crucial that you make it through Atlanta before rush hour.  I seriously cannot stress that enough.  Atlanta is a great city, and worth a side trip on your way home, but it’s traffic can be a nightmare.  On our last trip, we traveled through here on a Saturday and had zero problems with traffic.  During the week is a totally different story.  I really don’t stop anywhere between Chattanooga unless it’s an emergency.  Upon getting to the Atlanta metro area, I like to use ‘Waze’ on my phone to help decide if I should take the bypass around downtown or head straight through downtown.  Typically, I end up driving straight through.  A benefit of that is that most semi trucks take the bypass.

 

Smooth Sailing– Atlanta to Macon

Welcome to the final leg of day 1!  Once you get past Atlanta, the drive is easy.  Our home base for tonight is the Residence Inn in Macon, Georgia.  Honorable mention is its neighbor, the Courtyard Inn and Suites (the suites there are worth the extra money).  This Residence Inn is located pretty close to the interstate and offers decent amenities including larger rooms (we get a one bedroom suite), complementary drinks and a light evening meal (weeknights), indoor pool, and a continental breakfast.  I do want to note that while the Courtyard is nice, they do not offer the complementary evening reception and breakfast.  This exit is safe and has a good amount of options for food.  We order dinner at Cheddars and they also have Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to grab some coffee before hitting the road in the morning.

Up next:  A short day 2 gets you to Disney by 3pm!