Cross Country road trip from Los Angeles to Florida?

[Disappointed]

My wife and I are planning a driving trip from Los Angeles to Florida (I-10), we have never done a cross country trip before. This is more of a sightseeing than any specific destinations. Coming back, we are looking at I-40 (from Florida).

Looks like we will be stopping possibly in Phoenix, El Paso, San Antonio, New Orleans ... somewhere in Florida, still working on these stops. Right now kind of basing stops on how many miles we intend to drive per day. We may spend an extra day at some stops, other stops are just for the night. We think between 3 to 4 weeks should be plenty of time? Have not looked at I-40 yet.

Thinking about spending a few days in Florida, looking for ideas of where and what to do in Florida. So far, I have been going through AAA books and Tripadvisor.

Also, looking for suggestions on where we should stop both on I-10 and I-40. I think we can probably do between 400 to 500 miles per day, not really sure as our most recent road trip was Los Angeles to Las Vegas which was less than 250 miles.

Should we rent a car? Anything we should look out for?

Thanks,

mp

 

[Big_Hitter]

have fun driving through houston

 

[Ian S]

Depending on when you plan to travel, the I-10 can be brutally hot pretty much of the way. I doubt you'd be doing much outdoorsy stuff in the Phoenix area June through most of September, for example. I'd suggest a stop at Kartchner Caverns State Park east of Tucson for an interesting tour.

I-40 through northern Arizona is interesting but not so enjoyable in the winter. Things to do around Flagstaff include the Grand Canyon (~2hr north), Sedona (~1/2 hr south), Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater and Lowell Observatory. Other amazing sights east and north of Flagstaff include Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley. North of Kingman AZ, there's the Hoover Dam.

 

[lja0703]

Take a few extra days and don't wear yourself out. Make plans but be flexible. We just came back from 5000 mile trip from Bella Vista Arkansas to Memphis to Biloxi to several Florida places including Key West and then back. For the most part we did about 250-300 miles a day with multiple day stops to visit friends and family. Don't over drive, enjoy. We were on road for 3 1/2 weeks and had a blast.

 

[mystang52]

If cost is not an issue, I suggest renting a car. Anything goes wrong, pretty quickly you'll be able to get a replacement car from the nearest rental agency location. Use your own car, and something goes wrong, that could be a major hassle/delay for your vacation.
Make sure your car rental contract doesn't restrict where you can take the car (e.g., here in New Jersey sometimes the rental contract limits driving to just the nearby states).

 

[meierlde]

Note that I-40 starts in Wilmington N.C. and crosses near Smoky Mountain National Park, into TN, goes thru Ark and into Ok before hitting the west. So you should at least visit the Smoky Mountains on the way back. (Although you could catch it in Nashville, by going thru Atlanta instead.

 

[check6]

Keep in mind there is an incredible amount of truck traffic on east/west interstates.

 

[harley]

If cost is not an issue, I suggest renting a car. Anything goes wrong, pretty quickly you'll be able to get a replacement car from the nearest rental agency location. Use your own car, and something goes wrong, that could be a major hassle/delay for your vacation.
Make sure your car rental contract doesn't restrict where you can take the car (e.g., here in New Jersey sometimes the rental contract limits driving to just the nearby states).

+1 on the rental (maybe a minivan). I've done that for long trips and it's always worked out well. I picked up a minivan once that had 8 miles on the odometer. I got some annoyed looks when I returned it with over 3000, but it was their contract.

 

[MichaelB]

Thinking about spending a few days in Florida, looking for ideas of where and what to do in Florida. So far, I have been going through AAA books and Tripadvisor.

Everglades, Florida keys, and St Augustine are all good options.

Anything we should look out for?

Watch out for gators...

 

[Ronstar]

I've taken I 40 several times on my Chicago-Phoenix trips.

Sightseeing - US 66 attractions. US 66 runs close to 40. I did a lot of research and hit a lot of spots along the route

Grand Canyon - 2 hr detour off I40

Monument valley - 3 hour detour off I40

Sedona, az - half hour off I40, but on the way to Phoenix

I40 can be rough in the winter - especially around Flagstaff. I also hit an ice/snow storm in Ok and East Texas in early March

 

[Dash man]

Everglades, Florida keys, and St Augustine are all good options.



Watch out for gators...

Especially the gators around Gainesville!

 

[travelover]

If cost is not an issue, I suggest renting a car....... .

Note that the credit card provided auto insurance doesn't cover longer term rentals.

 

[MRG]

Note that the credit card provided auto insurance doesn't cover longer term rentals.

Or cover liability or collision until your own insurance refuses to pay. I don't see the much value.

 

[BTravlin]

I would definitely include Great Smoky Mountain National Park if you're going that far east. And don't miss the drive through Cades Cove there. It's a one way circular drive through a gorgeous valley loaded with wildlife, old settler cabins, churches and cemeteries from the early 1800's. You could easily spend 3-4 days there in the park area. Have a great trip!

Cade's Cove

 

[timo2]

I recommend a stop at Carlsbad Caverns in the very south of New Mexico. Also, a side trip off the boring interstate in southern AZ and SW NM is to cut over to Silver City, NM

Also, check this road trip map out out The Perfect American Road Trip Has Finally Been Planned

and Trip Advisor has a 'road trip forum' Road Trips Forum - TripAdvisor

 

[tomz]

We did I-40 from Florida to LA last summer. It was hot. We rented a van (had some things to deliver to brother-in-law). I would definitely rent if we did it again. We tried to drive no more than 300 miles a day. Stops included Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma City (much better than we thought - loved the Banjo Museum), Amarillo, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Flagstaff/Grand Canyon. For the most part, we stayed in chain hotels, except for Santa Fe and Flagstaff. There we stayed in B&Bs. Tripadvisor was our guide. Rt 66 Museum in Oklahoma was fun.

We drove 600 miles the first day to Birmingham so we could get to Memphis the next day so we missed the Smokies.

Lots of good Southwestern food in NM and AZ. In Florida, would second the recommendation to visit St. Augustine.

Have fun.

 

[Beldar]

If you rent a vehicle consider a SUV or full size. You can pack more items without overcrowding (and have some concealment), and have spare room for items you purchase along the way.

Plus, a larger vehicle rides better and after 4-5 hrs you won't be as road wasted as you might be in a smaller vehicle. I've done trips like that over the years and the vehicle choice can make the difference between a pleasure trip and a chore.

Have fun!

 

[38Chevy454]

I-10 between El Paso and San Antonio is not much, so just plan on a long day between those points.

Second the recommendation I-40 has more to see and the western part it has a lot of old Rt 66 that parallels it with a lot of interesting stopping points. I-40 ends at Barstow, CA and you would take I-15 down into LA area at that point.

I see no reason to rent a car unless yours is not up to the task or is too small. A bigger vehicle will make for a nicer ride.

 

[RunningBum]

To me, this is like asking for a book recommendation without knowing if you like mysteries, spy novels, biographies, romance, or what. Do you want outdoors stuff? Active, or drive your car to an overlook and maybe get out for a look? Museums? Small town sights, or big city nightlife?

 

[harley]

I see no reason to rent a car unless yours is not up to the task or is too small. A bigger vehicle will make for a nicer ride.

If cost is not an issue, I suggest renting a car. Anything goes wrong, pretty quickly you'll be able to get a replacement car from the nearest rental agency location. Use your own car, and something goes wrong, that could be a major hassle/delay for your vacation.

Asked and answered.

 

[38Chevy454]

Asked and answered.

.....and 3-4 weeks of rental car expense to add in to the costs for that same trip. If approx $150/week is what it takes to have the security of the rental car, that is a choice OP can make. I would keep the $600 in my pocket and take the chances with my personal vehicle. Most car issues would not leave you stranded, and even then a tow would be about same time as waiting to get a new rental car. Repairs on personal car should be fairly quick, not 4 days lost.

I can anticipate the next question, what about all those miles on personal car. I will take that as part of ownership using my vehicle, as mine are maintained and go for long time and many miles.

 

[Disappointed]

To me, this is like asking for a book recommendation without knowing if you like mysteries, spy novels, biographies, romance, or what. Do you want outdoors stuff? Active, or drive your car to an overlook and maybe get out for a look? Museums? Small town sights, or big city nightlife?

Thanks for all replies, keep them coming, lots of good ideas. We are open to all activities except those that required participants to be really in good shape (no hiking for example). Mostly sightseeing, my wife just wants an experience driving cross country, I would like to take advantage of perhaps visiting interesting places along the route.

 

[MBAustin]

Make sure you miss Houston anywhere near rush hour. The Houston-New Orleans leg is nearly as boring as El Paso-San Antonio (except for the gators sunning on the banks of the canals). Note that Houston has some incredible museums if you are into that - exceptional science and art museums in a walkable district that also includes a great zoo.

 

[ivinsfan]

I suggest driving your own car and buying a AAA membership, buy the more expensive one that will tow your car longer distances for free. You can also order a Trip-tik on line that is a bound book with your starting and ending points and all side stops you want to make mapped out. It's a good companion to a GPS. Many hotel chains have great AAA discounts that will almost pay for your membership. Also look around at which hotels chains are most common in that area. Look for a credit card offer with lots of free points, that might get you a night or 2 for free. Join the hotels loyalty program and you get many, many points for staying and paying with your chain credit card. Also you might get bumped up a level or 2 and get a little nicer room or a few extra perks.

We did a long trip recently and our number tension saver was to try to avoid all major metro areas around rush hours. The interstates are awash in semis and the small roads seem to have so many bottlenecks, that doesn't make for a relaxing driving experience.

 

[RunningBum]

Fair enough. I've done most of that El Paso - San Antonio drive before. Almost literally there is nothing there. At one point I think you go 82 miles between gas stations. Be aware and prepared.

My advice is to get off the interstate at least at times. For example, instead of I-10 straight into San Antonio, get off on 290 and stop in Fredericksburg, a quaint small town in hill country with the Nimitz museum and a nice brewpub. That would also put you inline with Austin, which has a lot to do including the LBJ presidential library on the UT campus. This bypasses San Antonio but you still may want to go down I-35 to get there and take in Riverwalk.

I agree that you really do want to avoid the big cities, especially Houston, in rush hour. Most of my 2 day drives were not sightseeing trips so I always like to get through a big city at the end of the day so I was on the other side and not hitting morning rush hour. But if you're stopping to see the sights in a city that's not really an option.

You sure you don't want to start with a week or two trip, maybe just to El Paso and back, and if that works then fly out to Florida and do a loop around the Southeast, like to the Great Smokies, Atlanta, New Orleans? It doesn't sound like you've done that much for long driving and this is a big trip to take on. Just a thought.