How bad is it to drive during Thanksgiving?

[Don L]

Always spent Thanksgiving in town cuz all the family are in the area. Thinking of visiting a good friend this time around down in Tampa. How crazy does the traffic get on the way down there from Maryland on that Wednesday evening and coming back up on that Sunday? Should I avoid driving at all costs?

[hamstrat]

IMHO not such a good idea. If you have to do it pray the weather is good. 95 can be a nightmare in bad rainy conditions with holiday drivers.

Wednesday night? You do realize it is a 14-15 hour drive with relatively moderate traffic. That is a lot of driving for such a short stay. I drove from St. Augustine to Silver Spring, Md. (shorter drive) during the same holiday 30 years ago and it was an 16 hour nightmare.

Good luck to you if you have to go and I hope things work out.

[lcjc800]

I used to drive Nashville to Buffalo on all sorts of Holidays, same roads as any other day of the year, sometimes less truck traffic, definitely more, less experienced drivers commuting with students and the like. Make a plan with plenty of time and options, take a good look at the weather allong the route and go live your life man, if it only takes traffic you may as well not live. ;)

[RupertB]

IMHO not such a good idea. If you have to do it pray the weather is good. 95 can be a nightmare in bad rainy conditions with holiday drivers.

Wednesday night? You do realize it is a 14-15 hour drive with relatively moderate traffic. That is a lot of driving for such a short stay. I drove from St. Augustine to Silver Spring, Md. (shorter drive) during the same holiday 30 years ago and it was an 16 hour nightmare.

Good luck to you if you have to go and I hope things work out.

Agreed.
If I were making that drive, I'd just wait until after 9pm to leave Wednesday night. DC to Richmond at 5-8pm is a nightmare even on non-holidays & good weather.

I'd be more inclined to pony up the $400-500 for a flight. Better yet, stay home for TG and go for a long weekend in January.

[hamstrat]

Agreed.
If I were making that drive, I'd just wait until after 9pm to leave Wednesday night. DC to Richmond at 5-8pm is a nightmare even on non-holidays & good weather.

I'd be more inclined to pony up the $400-500 for a flight. Better yet, stay home for TG and go for a long weekend in January.

Check out the road repairs outside of Richmond. A month ago they had 95 down to one lane, at 2 different places 15 miles apart, at 7:00am on a Monday morning. It was great fun. I think it is supposed to be weekends only and at night, but not really sure.

[tonydetiger]

I gave up on driving during holidays. We went from Nashville to Charlotte one year, normally a 6.5 hour drive. It took us 11 hours to get there, and 13 to get back. That was leaving the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and going home the Sunday after.

If you had the flexibility to leave earlier in the week and drive home even the Monday after, it might be better.

[coldfingaz]

Yeah, I wouldn't do it in that time span. Wednesday is probably the worst travel day of the year. Sunday likely won't be much better.

We're driving down to NC the weekend prior to Thanksgiving & I'll probably head back up at the crack of dawn the Saturday after unless the weather looks dicey.

[CharAznable]

DC to New York in Thanksgiving Day: 9 hours. Normally, 4 hours and a half.

Stay out of 95, please.

[RobT]

Avoid it. One of the worst times to travel on 1-95. I drove it dozens of times when I lived in Alexandria VA and had a family and house in St Augustine. 1-95 through SC will will be a bottle neck as its mostly all 2 lanes. One accident and your toast. When you get to the GA line its all 3 lanes.

[dlab]

ABSURD. You quoted the exact worst times to drive. Also to echo the sentiments above, I can confirm that GA interstates will be 2 or 3 lanes solid (all 3 - i95, i85, and i75).

[T.Wesley]

How crazy does the traffic get on the way down there from Maryland on that Wednesday evening and coming back up on that Sunday?
Depends on what part of Maryland you have to go through - if you're transiting the Baltimore/DC corridor (I-95), forget it. Leave early Wednesday morning - if you can't, just wait til Thursday.

Go home on Saturday. It'll still suck, but it'll suck a lot less. Trust me, I live here :) I have to go to Pittsburgh for T-day this year & we're doing it Thurs/Sat.

[Jim S]

I lived in Maryland and in south Florida.

I would not do it.