I’m thinking we will use spring break to finally visit UA. Since we have time, I thought we’d try driving instead of flying.
We’re not far from Philly.
I don’t want the trip to be too exhausting, so I was hoping for suggestions for a good midway stopping point to stay overnight.
Also any other suggestions from out of staters who’ve attempted this? (It will be our longest family drive if we do it; previous longest drive is approx 8 hours to Niagara).
Roanoke VA would be about 8 hours from you. A good place to stop for the night.
how long would you be in Ttown and what dates would you be here?
Virginia Tech is roughly halfway if you take the I-81 route. You’d also avoid Atlanta traffic, which is a benefit.
Are you planning on driving straight through both ways with only an overnight stop to sleep? If you have the time, stop and see different places. Otherwise, really consider the time saved and extra cost (if any) by flying. Alabama is an easy state to drive in as traffic is generally very light. You can rent a car in Birmingham and drive around Alabama. If the cost is similar, remember that you’re not paying maintenance on the rental car and get to drive a newer, sometimes brand new, vehicle. It’s also possible to fly into Nashville or Atlanta and drive from there.
I’m thinking we’d stay overnight or 2 nights at Tuscaloosa. We’d want to tour (honors & engineering).
I actually have to make a plan A and a plan B.
If by any chance she gets the nod for Vanderbilt before the trip, then we’d drive Philly > Nashville > Tuscaloosa. On the way back we’d still need a midway stop. I’ll check out Roanoke, thanks.
When we drive to UA from the Hershey, PA area, we often stop in the Bristol area over night. We like to drive a little farther the first day so the second day is a bit easier. Seems we have stopped in Cleveland, TN also.
I personally would not suggest Roanoke to stay overnight. I find the hotels pricey for the area, and I find the downtown area a bit depressed. Not trying to insult anyone, that is just my opinion. I have driven from the New York area and suggest going straight through if you have several drivers, then you can spend more time at your destination. Of course, this would depend on any bad weather delays.
We’re from the Philly area and we stayed at the Marriott Meadowview Conference center in Kingsport, TN. It was very nice.