<p>H was asking me how we were getting S to school in Aug. I was thinking that maybe we would rent a car and fly back since it is 20 hours. That way we could bring some stuff.</p>
<p>I was looking at map quest and this is really unchartered territory for me. I’ve driven down to Florida once or twice but the route went through West Virginia etc. Any thing I need to know about the route? Does it go through the mountains? It looked like they were pretty close from the map?</p>
<p>As you can tell, I like to plan. And between this and orientation it looks like two trips to Tuscaloosa without football ;)</p>
<p>I think it’s pretty much a staight line (at an angle) from CT to Bama.</p>
<p>Mostly going thru PA, VA, TN to Bama</p>
<p>If you have a large car/SUV, I would drive both ways…I think it may be cheaper overall…and you could make a little vacation out of it by stopping at a few places.</p>
<p>If you are coming from CT, you have two/three versions of directions. I’m hoping John441 will join in here, as they are from NJ (my home state.)</p>
<p>You can take 95 South through MD and branch off onto 66 south of D.C. to 81 in VA. 81 to 40 in TN to 75 to 24 to 59 all the way to Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>Or you can take 84/684 to the Saw Mill Parkway to 287 to 78 into PA where you’d pick up 81 and continue as above. </p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>you could take 95 south into South Carolina and then pick up 20 which should go all the way to Tuscaloosa. </p>
<p>You could also modify one of the first two by taking 40 farther west in TN, stopping in Nashville and then taking 65 South to 20/59.</p>
<p>Depends on how direct you want to be or if you need to break things up. We’re pretty direct travelers; no stopping if there’s a final destination ;)</p>
<p>When I was a student at UA I lived in Connecticut and I used to travel 2 routes to school. </p>
<p>One which I called my winter route was taking I-95 South all the way until just below Richmond where I then would take I-85 to Atanta. I then took I-20 to Birmingham which became I-59/20 and that took me into T Town. Now there is a loop around Atlanta and a bypass around Birmingham, which helps avoid some traffic.</p>
<p>The other route which I really liked was my warm weather route. It was I-95 to I-287 going over the Tappanzee. Take I-287 to I-78 in New Jersey. Then I-78 to just North of Harrisburg, PA. where it became I-81. I then took I-81 all the way to just North of Knoxville, TN. where it became I-75. Took I-75 to Chattanooga, TN. where I had to hop onto I-24 for a short distance until I hit I-59. I then took I-59 all the way through to T Town.</p>
<p>Given a choice I would say my favorite route was the warm weather route. It had great scenary, very historical, and a much more relaxed drive.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. We are in CT.
BBfromNC your warm weather route was the one that popped up on Mapquest. I assume it is mountainy if you only take it in warm weather? Since it popped up first I assume it is the shortest route. </p>
<p>It might make a nice trip back through South Carolina or North Carolina, Outer banks or something. Although I’m sure H will be in a hurry if he comes with me. Otherwise, I will probably rent a car and fly back or something if I drive with S myself. I guess if we drive him down once he can store some stuff over the summer and fly back and forth.</p>
<p>For heaven’s sake, don’t go to Nashville! Much quicker to take I-75 at Knoxville, then switch to I-24 for a short stretch at Chattanooga, then I-59 to B’ham…then I-59/I-20 to Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>The only reason I had mentioned the route through Nashville is that I know some folks like to see the sights along the way and take frequent breaks.</p>
<p>Not my family. Despite what Robotbldmom says, we make the trip from TN to NJ with only two stops (one in the Bristol TN area and the other once we hit WV.) So we’d probably only stop 3 times from CT to Tuscaloosa. But that’s not normal ;)</p>
<p>^^^^ I should have said “I” needed plenty of breaks (LOL). My husband could probably go without one
We did not take long breaks, just pit stops for the ahem… necessities, to stretch our legs and switch drivers. Packing a cooler with drinks and snacks saves both time and money.
I really likes the route we took and the Shenandoah Valley is very pretty. We hit some late night unexpected delays due to an accident, otherwise it was a very pleasant drive.</p>
<p>I’ve made the drive from the Philadelphia area many times and I like taking 95 south to 85 south (near Richmond , Va)) and then taking 20/59 from Atlanta west to Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>It’s around 15 driving hours and exactly 1007K miles from my home in South Jersey to Tuscaloosa. I’m around 60 miles from Philly. </p>
<p>I took the route through Virginia & Tennessee once and HATED it. Lots of mountain driving with tractor trailers. IMHO the 95 - 85 - 20/59 is the easiest and more enjoyable drive.</p>
<p>Just wanted to say good luck! This summer we visited schools and drove from North Jersey to Bama, but we stopped along the way to visit schools in VA, SC, and GA. There are plenty of Cracker Barrels along the way if you want to stop and have a quick meal. . .we ate at them in at least three different states during our trip. :)</p>
<p>You guys are good parents; I told my dad I would prefer to drive, instead of fly, so I can bring some of my things. . .he responded that, if that’s what I want, I should go to college close to home.</p>
<p>if you want to pack a bunch of stuff but don’t want to drive then look into taking Amtrak. It’s a good 24 hours on the train but they allow you to check a lot more baggage than airlines do and it’s FREE. You could probably fit most stuff into a couple trunks.</p>
<p>Sign up for a student advantage card and you save 15% on the fares too.</p>
<p>Thanks so much – I’m glad to know I have a travel option other than flying, and I probably never would have thought of that. Where would I get off in Alabama? My dad is moving to Florida, so if I end up at Bama, I’ll have a little bit of a shorter drive from there – but I still need to get my belongings from NJ to AL one way or another.</p>
<p>Regina, you must be in my old area. I’m a Passaic County girl & DH is a Bergen County boy. Bet UA is looking real good after the weather you’re getting this winter ;)</p>
<p>Regina, I have done the Amtrak route and although it is 24hours, it is not terrible. You can take plenty of luggage free and even much more for a small fee. If you book well in advance fares are much cheaper and you can use that student discount as well.</p>
<p>You’d take the train all the way into Tuscaloosa. The train station is on Greensboro & Hargrove which is only about a 5 minute drive from campus. Might cost you a $10 taxi fare at most. </p>
<p>If you do the train I’d definitely suggest buying a “student advantage” membership. Just google it and you’ll see their website. The $20 yearly fee will be more than made up by the 15% discount off the Amtrak fare if roundtrip or equaled if just one way based on the current $132 fare.</p>
<p>I-84 through PA, MD, WV, and into VA is fine. I’ve never been further south on that highway. Just watch out for the speed limits and the big semis.</p>
