Why rent a car?

Go for it if you really want to get to Florida, but my family lives there and they have been complaining that it has been too cold to go swimming lately. Cold is relative since it has been in the 70s and maybe 80 for them.

I would go to Great Wolf Lodge. I've never been but the photos look nice, people say it is fun and at least it is indoor so you don't have to worry about the weather or a long drive.

OP, I’m wondering if you need to reframe how you travel. There’s the “Gotta Get From Point A to Point B.” That’s the trip where you’re trying to get somewhere so that you can enjoy as much time there as possible. The goal is to stay on the highway with no distractions other than food, rest and bathroom. You’ve presented your trip to Florida as this kind of trip.

And then there’s the “The Journey is the Vacation.” This would be a trip where you intentionally stop at several places so that you enjoy what they have to offer. Then you move along to the next destination.

Sounds like you might be trying to combine both, and in the end, you miss out. If I were going to drive an hour off of 95 to Charleston, I’d make the time to actually visit it. Instead you’re treating it as a quick stopover. You add 2 more hours onto your trip and don’t really get to enjoy Charleston, a lovely place.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where would you be blazing by that you would like to explore?

Raleigh/Durham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Savannah, Richmond, Cumberland Island, Amelia Island, Pawleys Island, Hilton Head Island (had a roommate from there, have always been curious about it). The whole freaking coast, actually, and all those state parks and nature preserves. Are you insinuating there's nothing to see between here and there? I lived in FL for two years as a kid. One of the coolest things we did is canoe in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. I bet there are cool things all along the way, if we had time.

DP here: No one is insinuating that there is nothing to see between here and Florida. I think it's that you're using the term "blazing by" as if it's just a short jump off the highway. For example, you won't be anywhere near Chapel Hill or Raleigh/Durham. Charleston is an hour's drive off of 95.

You started this thread saying you hadn't made any plans and wanted to go to a lazy river. Next you say you're headed to Florida. And you're talking about wanting to do a tour of a lot of different places. You have a lot of time and could visit some of these places. Instead you just chose to wait until the last minute to plan and are headed to a specific place in Florida. No judgement. Just what it is.

Sorry it's confusing. It's hard to express everything that goes into such a decision in a post. I wanted a lazy river because my kids are reluctant swimmers, so I think a pool that is fun would be good for them. But from this thread and my research, I quickly learned that the close ones would be too cold, and the Florida ones are sold out or too expensive. So, given that a fancy lazy river won't work, I'd just like spending some relaxing time in the sunshine. Different motivation. The main goal is just to have a nice spring break. From my perspective, we will be blazing past places like Charleston, even if we spend a night there. Can't do it justice in such a short time. (And being an hour away when we're usually 8 hours away is pretty close!) Same goes for the other places. I could spend a month doing this drive to Florida. That's all I meant. The best road trips involve a certain amount of meandering.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where would you be blazing by that you would like to explore?

Raleigh/Durham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Savannah, Richmond, Cumberland Island, Amelia Island, Pawleys Island, Hilton Head Island (had a roommate from there, have always been curious about it). The whole freaking coast, actually, and all those state parks and nature preserves. Are you insinuating there's nothing to see between here and there? I lived in FL for two years as a kid. One of the coolest things we did is canoe in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. I bet there are cool things all along the way, if we had time.

DP here: No one is insinuating that there is nothing to see between here and Florida. I think it's that you're using the term "blazing by" as if it's just a short jump off the highway. For example, you won't be anywhere near Chapel Hill or Raleigh/Durham. Charleston is an hour's drive off of 95.

You started this thread saying you hadn't made any plans and wanted to go to a lazy river. Next you say you're headed to Florida. And you're talking about wanting to do a tour of a lot of different places. You have a lot of time and could visit some of these places. Instead you just chose to wait until the last minute to plan and are headed to a specific place in Florida. No judgement. Just what it is.

Anonymous wrote:Op you are really not good at this planning stuff are you... Why go to Orlando if not doing any parks? Hope you figure out some things your kids will like...

Sigh, if I didn't know better I'd say you're being a little unfriendly.

But my kids will have a great time. They don't really like being over stimulated, and don't like roller coasters or spinny things. Are you suggesting that all there is to Florida is Disney, Seaworld and Universal Studios? You're missing out, honey! And we're not going all the way to Orlando. We're just going far enough to find a warm beach. Probably around St. Augustine. My kids aren't that eager for Disney. When I told them that one day there would cost more than our rental car for the week, they said "then let's not go." They like hanging out in new places and seeing what there is to see, and enjoying the hotel or vacation rental. They also enjoy the road trip itself, and crossing the border into new states.

Anonymous wrote:Where would you be blazing by that you would like to explore?

Raleigh/Durham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Savannah, Richmond, Cumberland Island, Amelia Island, Pawleys Island, Hilton Head Island (had a roommate from there, have always been curious about it). The whole freaking coast, actually, and all those state parks and nature preserves. Are you insinuating there's nothing to see between here and there? I lived in FL for two years as a kid. One of the coolest things we did is canoe in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. I bet there are cool things all along the way, if we had time.

Anonymous wrote:Where would you be blazing by that you would like to explore?

Please, I hope it's not South of the Border.

Op you are really not good at this planning stuff are you... Why go to Orlando if not doing any parks? Hope you figure out some things your kids will like...

Where would you be blazing by that you would like to explore?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear, Orlando is NOT 8 hours from Richmond. It’s at least 10, not counting stops, and I doubt your entire family can hold their bladder for 10 hours.

Yes, I noticed that too. But 12 hours (from here) is okay. We'll probably make a stop in Charleston going one way, and Savannah going the other. I think I've found a VRBO that is about an hour this side of Orlando, close to the coast. Disney and those parks cost too much, and we're more nature people than crowd people anyway. I do appreciate all the input!

No, you won’t do anything in 12 hours, especially if you stop in Charleston. Look on a map—it’s not off of 95. Savannah—Yes. Charleston—no.
We drive from DC to Palm Coast, an hour east of Orlando almost every spring break. Plan on a 14 hour trip with stops right off 95 and random traffic.

Yes, of course, I get that. Just talking driving time. We are used to road trips! I did look at the map. If we stop in Charleston, it is out of the way, but stopping means that it's two days instead of one, so it's okay that it's a little longer. When I look at the map, though, the hard part is that we'd be blazing right past lots of places I'd like to explore!