Fuel prices, the availability of EV chargers and traffic jams may affect your road trip in unexpected ways. Prepare yourself for a possible bumpy ride with the driving cost calculator at travelmath.com<\/a>, the EV charging station finder at afdc.energy.gov<\/a> and the rush-hour traffic monitor at waze.com<\/a>.Taking I-95 \u2014 the route most traveled<\/p>\n Route I-95, the East Coast\u2019s main North-South interstate highway, has been called America\u2019s Main Street. It spans more than 1,900 miles along the East Coast from Maine to Florida. For Long Islanders, it\u2019s the most direct, easy-to-follow route to Florida\u2019s East Coast, a superhighway lined with off ramps for food, gas, lodgings and other conveniences at the region\u2019s sprawling rest stops. You\u2019ll also pay tolls, so an E-Z-Pass is a good investment if you don\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n In the spirit of 1776, the United States\u2019 Semiquincentennial, I-95 passes through nine of the original 13 colonies and the District of Columbia. If you travel by night, be sure to look out your car window for the U.S. Capitol Dome and the Washington Monument gleaming in the distance like beacons of democracy.<\/p>\n A nighttime journey along this route offers a glimpse of the U.S. Capitol Dome and the Washington Monument. Credit: Getty Images\/Eric Lee<\/p>\n Get an early start and coffee for the road<\/p>\n Peggy Leeson, a retired Lindenhurst public school teacher, and her husband, John, a retired NYPD detective, both 79, of Amityville, spent 17 years driving back and forth from Fort Lauderdale in their Sebring convertibles.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got it down to almost like a science,\u201d Peggy\u00a0said of 4 a.m. Saturday starts to avoid I-95 corridor traffic and arrive in Savannah, Georgia, by cocktail hour on Sunday. Their first stop occurred an hour and a half into the trip to pick up \u201cgrab and go\u201d coffee and breakfast snacks at The Molly Pitcher Service Area in Cranbury, New Jersey, between Interchanges 8A and 8 (njta.gov<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cThe key thing was to stop every three hours, stretch your legs and make a pit stop,\u201d Peggy\u00a0said. \u201cIf you take the dog you have an excuse to get out and take a walk.\u201d<\/p>\n Take the pup, make new friends<\/p>\n Sean Sheer, founder of Urban Dog, an online resource for city-dwelling dog owners, and his spouse, Clark Beasley, often take road trips from New York to Florida with their Weimaraners, Booker and Baxter.<\/p>\n Sheer said that before taking a long road trip, dogs should be acclimated to traveling by car \u201con short rides to places that are fun, like dog parks.\u201d Sheer adds, \u201cDon\u2019t feed them [the dogs] too soon before you leave and make sure they get plenty of rest stops, roughly every two to three hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Sheer said that a travel-ready canine companion becomes a \u201cgreat ice breaker\u201d for conversations with fellow dog lovers at dog-friendly hotels such as the Best Western in Lumberton, North Carolina (910-618-9799, bestwestern.com<\/a>;\u00a0$72 plus $20 pet fee).<\/p>\n Cruising the scenic coastal route<\/p>\n I-95 may be the shortest distance between New York and the Florida state line, but some Long Islanders prefer routes off the beaten interstate.<\/p>\n While his wife takes the plane to Florida, Chuck Vinciulla, 78, of Amityville, drives south solo in his fuel-efficient 2025 Nissan Altima.<\/p>\n To see \u201cwhat\u2019s still left of the America of 100 years ago,\u201d Vinciulla said, he leaves I-95 to take U.S. Routes 13 and 113.<\/p>\n The rural route along Delaware\u2019s Atlantic coast is \u201cone of the most scenic routes in America,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s basically open fields, farmlands, old barns, old houses \u2014 for me it\u2019s very relaxing.\u201d<\/p>\n Vinciulla crosses the scenic Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Virginia Beach, Virginia, to visit old friends from his 38 years in the U.S. Navy, before returning to I-95 via U.S. 58.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some overlooks down in Virginia that are really nice,\u201d Vinciulla said of his back-roads adventure. \u201cThat\u2019s the excitement of taking a road trip. You find these little spots and you say, let\u2019s pull over and take a picture.\u201d<\/p>\n Enjoy a meal money can\u2019t buy back home Topping the list of must-visit breakfast spots is Cracker Barrel, known for its charming front porch with rocking chairs, vintage d\u00e9cor and a menu featuring all-day breakfast delights. Credit: Getty Images\/Joe Raedle<\/p>\n At many a road stop on I-95, you can put on the feed bag at a trio of roadside eateries that have never entered the New York market, but are prized by road trip aficionados. Number one on the breakfast-bucket list is Cracker Barrel, famous for its front porch rocking chairs, antique interior decor and all-day breakfast items such a Chicken n’ Dumplins,\u00a0Momma’s Pancake Breakfasts\u00a0and biscuits (crackerbarrel.com<\/a>). For a quick, calorie-rich serving of Southern hospitality, Waffle House restaurants\u2019 All-Star Special fills your plate but doesn\u2019t empty your wallet with a heapin\u2019 helpin\u2019 of eggs, bacon, hash browns (or grits), toast and a waffle combo starting at $12.35 (wafflehouse.com<\/a>). Stuckey\u2019s, a market located at the South of the Border rest stop off I-95 in Hamer, South Carolina, is another roadside staple, beloved for is pecan log rolls and candies (stuckeys.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n Unfasten your seat belts (and overnight) at Rocky Mount<\/p>\n Many a weary traveler finds a reasonably priced overnight accommodation at the halfway (500-mile) mark in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Budget-minded travelers can find lodging options in the $50 to $150 range, according to a recent search on booking.com<\/a>, including midscale, limited-service brands such as Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott, Hampton by Hilton and Holiday Inn Express & Suites, all of which include buffet breakfasts and Wi-Fi. For a unique lodging experience, try River and Twine, a collection of 21 boutique tiny houses that’s about a 10-minute drive from the Rocky Mount I-95 exit 138 (24 E. Elm St., Rocky Mount,\u00a0252-904-4731, riverandtwine.com<\/a>; $129).<\/p>\n While in Rocky Mount, stretch your legs at free-admission 25-acre Sunset Park, which features a playground and a riverside trail (1550 River Dr., Rocky Mount, 252-446-0500, rockymountnc.gov<\/a>).<\/p>\n Celebrate the army\u2019s 251st birthday The “Cobra King” Sherman Tank at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir. Credit: National Museum of the United St\/National Museum of the United States Army, Duane Lempke<\/p>\n If you have a few hours to spare, two free museums located near I-95 tell the history of the U.S. military branch founded more than a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n The National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, features a new exhibition, \u201cCall to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War.\u201d The rare artifacts on display include a pair of Gen. George Washington\u2019s pistols and the original flag carried by the Army\u2019s first African American soldiers. There\u2019s also a display of interactive, 3D maps of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Yorktown. The museum\u2019s Army Action Center is set to debut virtual reality and motion theater experiences this season (1775 Liberty Dr., Fort Belvoir, 800-506-2672, thenmusa.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n Further down the interstate, the U.S. Army Center of Military History Airborne and Special Operations Museum honors the nation\u2019s elite soldiers in exhibits covering the past 80 years (100 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville, 910-643-2778, asomf.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n Eat, get gas and souvenirs at South of the Border The tourist attraction, ‘South of the Border,’ is a popular roadside destination located along Interstate 95 near Dillon, South Carolina. Credit: Getty Images\/Michael Warren<\/p>\n South of the Border, a former beer stand turned massive rest stop and tourist attraction off I-95 in Hamer, South Carolina, is best known to generations of travelers for roadside billboards featuring corny puns and a sombrero-wearing mascot.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a slice of retro Americana,\u201d said Laura Hersey, associate travel advisor for the automobile club of America about the Mexico-themed roadside destination. One of I-95\u2019s famously sprawling rest stops, it features restaurants, gift shops, an indoor reptile lagoon stocked with crocodiles and a glass-enclosed elevator ride to the top of the 200-foot-high Sombrero Observation Tower.<\/p>\n Discover South Carolina Lowcountry The South Carolina Lowcountry, a region steeped in history that spans from Charleston, SC to Savannah, GA. Credit: Getty Images\/Win McNamee<\/p>\n South Carolina Lowcountry, a historically rich region stretching from Charleston, South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia, is renowned for its African American Gullah-Geechee culture, coastal landscapes and sandy beaches.<\/p>\n The stretches of road through South Carolina Lowcountry \u201cgive you the prettiest views from the highway,\u201d Sheer said.<\/p>\n Charleston is worth visiting for its South of Broad neighborhood, which Peggy Leeson said is famous for \u201call the beautiful old homes, gardens and restaurants\u201d on scenic Charleston Harbor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vinciulla said no side trip to Savannah \u2014 or road trip to Florida \u2014 can be considered complete without lunch at the \u201cworld famous\u201d Olde Pink House (23 Abercorn St., Savannah, 912-232-4286, theoldepinkhouserestaurant.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n Vinciulla said he\u2019ll splurge on the restaurant\u2019s fish plate or Cobb salad, then rise early next morning to cross the Florida border at Jacksonville.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve arrived.\u00a0Down your free cup of OJ<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779614170_841_image.jpeg\"\/)
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