New Jersey to Florida: Road Trip
This is a trip we usually do at least twice a year. I-95 is not my preferred route, but in this case, we had planned to use our Sesame Place Platinum Passes at Water Country, USA, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, followed by a few days in Jekyll Island, GA. My son was recovering from surgery and his wounds had not healed as quickly as we had hoped, so anything water-related was off the table for a few more days. I was also hoping to do some more research for our I-95 Guide, but that would have to wait.
I tend to make last-minute changes to our travels anyway, so this was nothing new. We opted to travel I-81, which is a much more picturesque route and planned stops in Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. Our original hotels were booked with our Best Western points and we could cancel up to 24 hours before arrival. As soon as I canceled my points were back in my account and we were able to book hotels in Virginia and Tennessee. We also recently opened a Hyatt card because we had some upcoming travel through Orlando International Airport and planned to stay in the airport before our trip. We chose a Hyatt in Georgia, as we did not like the Best Western options along that leg of our route. I will be adding a post regarding how we use our hotel points to maximize travel and will link it here when I do.
For many of the destinations below, I will be linking destination guides with more detailed information. I will also post them on our social media, so be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for updates.
Our first stop was Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia. This is a great stop that is not weather-dependent. We visited during a heatwave and the caverns were a delightfully cool way to spend a few hours.
After touring the caverns our first night was spent at The Best Western Plus Inn at Hunt Ridge. We have been staying here as a one-night stopover for almost ten years. The rooms are starting to show some wear and tear, but overall it’s a clean stop with a good breakfast and an easy on/off from the interstate.
The next morning we had a short drive to the Virginia Safari Park. I have had this on my to-do list for a few years, but we have never been able to work it into any of our travels. While this is a pricier stop than we usually do, it was absolutely worth every penny. We love drive-thru safaris and while the drive-thru portion of this attraction was not one of our favorites (the animals were extremely aggressive), the walk-through made it well worth it.
Gatlinburg, TN from a roadside lookout in Great Smoky Mountain National Park
From there we headed to one of my favorite destinations, Pigeon Forge, TN. If you know anything about me, you know I love National Parks and I love tourist traps. I love National Parks for their rich history, for the preservation of our country’s most beautiful spaces, and for quiet time in nature. And to be honest, I don’t know why I love tourist traps so much. I don’t like crowds, or a lot of noise, or buying stuff, but I love some well-themed miniature golf, browsing through cheesy gift shops, and dinner theaters as far as the eye can see! Maybe I enjoy the challenge of avoiding crowds in a place designed to draw in crowds by the thousands, who knows? Either way, Pigeon Forge offers all of these things and more! I detailed our two-night stay in a separate blog, here.
The quaint town of Helen, Georgia
From Pigeon Forge, we continued south with a half-day planned in Helen, Georgia. We have had this on our radar for a while, as we are huge fans of Frankenmuth, Michigan and this gave similar vibes. We had a delicious lunch at Bodensee and spent some time walking around town. The day we visited was particulary busy with tubers on the Chattahoochee River. It was a Sunday, the weather was sunny and hot, and the town was busy! We look forward to coming back around the holidays, as I understand they have excellent Christmas decorations.
Next up was a major mom-fail. I booked our overnight stay at the Hyatt in Athens, GA. It was hot and we finished everything we wanted to see in Helen, so I said “No problem. We can go check in to our hotel early and have a relaxing evening at the pool.” The hotel was beautiful and clean but there was NO POOL! I don’t know how I messed that up, but I did. On top of that Athens is a college town, which means it is a ghost town on a Sunday evening in July. The kids were rightfully bummed, but we decided we didn’t want to add on any unnecessary driving, so we ordered dinner and declared it a movie night. We were only 5 days into a 6-week trip and this was a great reminder to slow down and actually rest on vacation, instead of constantly being on the go.
The next morning we hopped in the car to complete the final leg of our journey. I had originally planned a stop along the coast before heading inland to Orlando, but we were eager to get to our cabin and set up, so we drove straight through with a stop or two for gas and to stretch our legs. We were spending the next week at our favorite Thousand Trails Cabin at Tropical Palms Resort in Kissimmee. Availability in the Northeast using our Cabin Pass has been a struggle lately, but we are still able to book Florida with ease, so this has recently become our home away from home.
Although this trip felt like a vacation in itself, it was just the start of our summer travels. Stay tuned for Legoland Florida, Disney World, our first flight as a family of 4, Michigan adventures, and our first Disney Cruise!
Looking for another great stop in Georgia? Check out the Georgia Aquarium with The Dinkum Tribe: https://dinkumtribe.com/georgia-aquarium-a-world-class-experience/