driving from St. Louis to Key West

[TechBoyJK]

This is going to be my first, "self initiated" vacation ever. I'm going to stay with my grandparents, who live in key west. I'm not sure how long I will stay, I don't really have a definate time to be back. I will probably stop in Savannah Georgia to see some friends of mine who are going to the Art college (SCAD).

Any recommendations on stops along the way? I'm going on almost no money, since I don;t have to pay for hotel, only gas, and a little food. I'll have my digicam.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

how many miles?

 

[Fausto]

Yikes. That's a longass drive. Have fun in KW.....it's an interesting place to visit.

 

[TechBoyJK]

MapQuest'd

 

[Lamont Burns]

Locust street....

Red Bud, IL?

 

[Lamont Burns]

I hate myself. Columbia yes. I am very familiar with there Waterloo and Red Bud.

I fell victim to the just type and post, don't think syndrome.

 

[TechBoyJK]

yep representing from Columbia, IL.

 

[PanzerIV]

Man you are in for some serious driving. I regret when I lived in FL I never made that trip although it was only about four hours from where I was. Now, it would be considerably longer but I still think of it often and still may do it. Have fun!

 

[TheToOTaLL]

Are you taking the trip alone? That's going to be a long 1400 miles.....

I've driven 15 hours straight from Memphis to Miami, and I thought I was going to die!

 

[DrPizza]

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that your route might be longer than going down whichever route it is that runs along the gulf coast of Florida...

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: TheToOTaLL
Are you taking the trip alone? That's going to be a long 1400 miles.....

I've driven 15 hours straight from Memphis to Miami, and I thought I was going to die!

West Lafayette, IN to Houston, TX is a killer.

Several years ago a few of us drove straight through from South Bend, IN to Las Angeles. That was 38 hours of hell.

 

[LordMorpheus]

we drove back to Stl from Tampa . . . in one day.

It was a long day, though.

 

[flot]

That is an absurd drive. I hope you have a nice newish car and plenty of money for gas.

As for the destination - keep in mind that from miami to key west can take anywhere from 2.5 to 5 hours depending on traffic. And for getting there - you'll probably want to head down I-95 south in florida, *until* you get to a point where you can get on the Florida Turnpike instead. Once you get on the FL Turnpike, don't get off it (unless you want to do some sightseeing). You can get on the turnpike somewhere around Orlando, and stay on it all the way down to the end of FL. Once you're there, there are clear signs that will direct you to key west. Tolls on the turnpike for the whole way might end up costing you about $20, but it is definitely worth it since you will avoid a lot of commuter / in town traffic between palm beach and miami.

Edit: There is nothing to see when you're on the turnpike, but nothing to see when you're on I-95 either. If you're looking for touristy destinations, you could swing off in West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, or Miami. (check out south beach) But none of them will be a "quick" detour, and really there's no scenic drive down - any drive with scenery would EASILY take twice as long, if not longer. I once drove from West Palm to Ft Lauderdale... on A1A (the road along the beach). A1A time? 3 hours. I-95 time? 45 mins.

 

[m2kewl]

we drove from buffalo to daytona for spring break...NOT ever doing that again. i'd rather spend the extra $$ and fly.

 

[toant103]

Originally posted by: TheToOTaLL
Are you taking the trip alone? That's going to be a long 1400 miles.....

I've driven 15 hours straight from Memphis to Miami, and I thought I was going to die!

what about gas?

 

[Savarak]

Funny this thread came up... I went from NW suburbs of Chicago to Ft Lauderdale(posting in FL now)... no hotels, just gas breaks and some 1/2 hour to 1 hr sleep breaks in between... about 1400 miles alone It was worth it to see my exended family

 

[Chaotic42]

Man, Indiana to coastal Mississippi doesn't seem so bad now.

Enjoy.

 

[AlienCraft]

What a Sweet road trip! Sounds like FUN.
I recommend stiopping at every tourist trap for :camera: