I live 30 miles west of Boston on I-495. I have been to Red Sox Spring Training many times as I have family in the Naples-Fort Myers area. Any time I have more than 2 weeks to play with – I drive. On the way down, this is what I’ve found works for me:

I go to sleep early the night before after packing, etc. and get up around 2 AM. I leave Marlborough at 3:00 AM. Either way I go – I-495 to I-90 to I-84 to I-684 to I-287 or I-495 to I-90 to I-84 to I-91 to I-95 to I-287 I get to the Tappan Zee Bridge about 6:00 AM (I always go around NYC). Then I get on the Garden State Parkway and it’s another hour to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Once on the New Jersey Turnpike I stop around 7:30 AM at one of the service areas for a Starbucks Coffee and a bagel or muffin… then I’m back on the turnpike, over the Delaware Memorial Bridge then into Maryland.

I usually stop at one of the 2 service areas before Baltimore and fill the tank up. I go thru Baltimore via The McHenry Tunnel and head to Washington. I’m on Beltway around 10 AM or so, and around the eastern side of the Beltway to Virginia.

Then I continue on I-95 through Virginia (sometimes I take I-295 around Richmond, it seems there’s never anyone on it) and take a break at the North Carolina Welcome Center as I’m almost at the first night stopover which is Rocky Mount North Carolina.

When at any state Welcome Center I usually pick up the official State Map (only one that didn’t have one last time was New Jersey). I usually get to Rocky Mount around 3:00 PM, give or take a 1/2 hour.

Day 2 – I usually wake up around 5:30, eat the freebie breakfast that the hotels offer, and get going about 6:15 – 6:30. On the way down I like to drive less each day. My day 2 destination is either Orange Park or Daytona Beach. Either way it’s I-95 all the way with stops here and there for gas, or coffee, etc. Two hours through the rest of North Carolina, 3 hours through South Carolina and 1 1/2 hours through Georgia… mostly uneventful, and thankful that I have XM Radio!

I usually get to the Florida state line and get something to eat… then it’s onto the next destination as I almost always take I-295 around Jacksonville with all the I-95/I-10 construction.

Day 3 – If in the Jacksonville area it’s I-295 to I-10 to US301 (watch the speed limits!!!) to 24 to I-75 to the Naples area. If at Daytona Beach, it’s I-95 to I-4, then down the middle of the state taking US27 to 29 to 80 to I-75 to Naples.

From Jacksonville it’s about 6 1/2 hours, From Daytona Beach it’s about 5.