Myrtle Beach Message Board

Hi everyone! Can anyone suggest a good driving route from Connecticut? We are going to be in Myrtle Beach in April with two teenage sons. Last big outing before college
Last time we drove to Hilton Head with mapquest directions it was a @#$%^&* nightmare!

I would so appreciate any help.

thanks,

Laura in CT [/quote]

Hi Laura,

After making millions of trips down from NH (and now living in MB), let me give you our route:

Find your way to I-84 West in CT.

A few miles after the NY border, take I-684 (it only goes in one direction).

At the end of I-684, take I-287 West.

Go over the Tappan-Zee bridge and then take the Garden State Parkway south.

Around Exit 11, get on the NJ Turnpike South (which is also I-95). Follow to the end.

Go over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and stay on I-95 South. You'll go through Baltimore (taking the McKinley Tunnel) and eventually end up near Washington, DC.

Take the easterly route on I-495 (Capital Beltway) and about 5 miles in, look for the Baltimore Washington Parkway exit. It may also say "To I-295" which is ultimately where you're going.

Follow the parkway until it turns into I-295 south. Take it all the way south to the interchange with the bottom half of I-495.

Go west/south on the Beltway towards Virginia (it'll probably say "Richmond"). You'll cross the newly improved Woodrow Wilson Bridge about a mile in.

Stay to your left and follow the signs for I-95 South which will be a left exit off I-495.

Follow this for the next billion miles into North Carolina.

From this point you have two ways you can go. If it's not a busy weekend in Myrtle Beach (like a summer Saturday), follow I-95 to the South Carolina border and go south on Hwy. 501 (at the South of the Border theme park area). Follow 501 all the way to Myrtle Beach. Watch your speed through little towns like Dillon, Latta, and Marion. The posted speed limits through those towns (oftentimes 20 mph) are strictly enforced.

If you think MB will have clogged arteries, in Dunn, North Carolina take I-40 East towards Wilmington. Go about 90 miles or so to exit 416 and take I-140 west. I-140 ends and you'll follow the signs to Rt. 17. For a brief time you'll be on 17/421 but essentially you're following Rt. 17 all the way to North Myrtle Beach. Keep your eye on the signs because there are all sorts of double and triple exits in about a mile-long stretch.

If you take this route, you can get off 17 in Little River and take Rt. 9 west for about 3 miles, then pick up Rt. 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) south to Myrtle Beach and points south (Surfside, Socastee, Murrells Inlet, Garden City). Otherwise, you can take 17 all the way down but you'll be in stop-and-go traffic through Little River and North Myrtle Beach as you hit countless street lights along a very developed and urban setting.

If you have any questions, just let us know. There are scores of people on here anxious to help you out.

Exit 129 on the Garden State Parkway South will get you on the NJ Turnpike. which will be exit 11. You be able to see my house when you are exiting the parkway.

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AnnMarie

If its a busy time of year you can take 295 thru NJ, there are no tolls and therefore no backup at the Del Mem Bridge. The backups at the bridge to Delaware can be extremely bad-

Someone was telling me about a shortcut through Delaware that takes you around DC...if anyone knows about it please pass it on.

Hi Leo,
I need your expert opinion!
We have reservations at the Dayton House from July 1st to July 7th. I’m guessing since we’ll be arriving on a Sunday AND the beginning of a major holiday week, I shouldn’t even bother with 501 and just take 40 to 17. Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks,
Glen

Hi Glen,

Sunday's aren't as horrendous ARRIVING as Saturdays. That isn't to say there isn't any turnover. But the largest part of the migration is weekenders who are leaving to go back home with a segment of people who checked in the previous Sunday and who are checking out the current Sunday.

With that said, there's a greater likelihood that you could come in on 501 and get away with dodging a traffic tie-up. I would certainly be more inclined to try it on a Sunday than on a Saturday.

That being said, I would still probably do the Wilmington route. However, something to keep in mind is that traffic at the NC/SC border coming into Little River can be a little congested at times. For the same reasons above, I think it's less likely to occur on a Sunday. But the nice thing about this route is that you get off on Rt. 9 to go west for two miles and then pick up Rt. 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) to miss whatever traffic may be backed up on 17.

So the answer to your question, Glen, is that if you're feeling Clint Eastwood lucky, you can try the 501 route and have a reasonable chance at success. If your knuckles get white just thinking about it, Wilmington is a good option.

Leo,
Thanks for the info. After hearing your thoughts, I think I'm going to take the Rt 40 route just to get off of 95. I've taken 40 to my in-laws in N.C. tons of time and never hit traffic. That alone will be worth it.

I-40 is one of those roads that, when you're on it, you're thinking "Why aren't more people using this road?" Then you remember about all the traffic you're avoiding and think, "Wait! I hope nobody else discovers this road!"

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Myrtle Beach Travel Park - 1992
Apache Campground - 1993
Ocean Lakes Family Campground - 1994-2006; June 2009
Lakewood RV Resort - August 2007; 7/26/2014-8/2/2014 (in a rental unit)
Dayton House - December 2007
Dunes Village - 12/27/08-01/03/09
Oceanside Village - June 2016

My name is Bruce. I'm new to the board and this is my 5th year of going to North Myrtle Beach. I am leaving Westchester County, NY on Thurs July 19 or Friday July 20th around 12 or 1 in the morning. Is that a good time, or is it better to leave earlier in the evening on Thursday. Thank you

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Bruce

Welcome Bruce,

I would leave early in the morning, no traffic and a nice smooth ride. That of course is if your able to stay awake at 1 am in the morning. We were thinking of leaving 4 or 5 pm the night before, but decided not to because didn't want to start out aggravated with all the traffic at that time. :cheerful:

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Ron

That's what we were thinking. I was going to go to my girlfriend's house around 4 or 5 pm and get some shut eye until 12 or 1. We did 3am a few years ago but hit the morning rush around the Beltway. Contrary to common sense I think I'm going to take the George Washington Bridge instead of the Garden State Parkway so she can see the skyline lit up at night Thanks again

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Bruce

If you pass a white suburban with CT plates and a SkiDoo sticker its us! I'm leaving Fri july 20th around 10-11 pm.

I'll be on the lookout!

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Bruce

Is there much difference between going this way and taking 495 West at exit 27 in Maryland all the way around the otherside of Washington instead and merging back with 95?

From where the two routes would split and merge back together, the way you gave is 29.5 miles and the 495 West way is 30. I ask this because Google Directions gives the 495 West way instead of the way you listed, despite being shorter. Is there any "insider" info about these routes, such as traffic, construction, or lights?

If you enter the Beltway (I-495) on the north side from Maryland between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM, the answer to your questions is no. If you merge onto the Beltway at just about any other time of the day or night, the answer is a decidedly resounding yes.

The Beltway (I-495) is notoriously congested at nearly all times of the day and evening. Between construction, accidents, and volume, the road just can't handle the vehicular activity around Washington. Although the miles may be nearly equal, the route outlined (I-295) that bisects I-495 is not well known and thus stays clear on most days and most hours of any given day.

You can try the I-495 West route at the merge and see how you make out. But I'm guessing that for every 10 times you do that, on 8 of them you'll be stopped in a huge scrum of stationary traffic about 15 miles from the I-95 South merge in Virginia with 4,000 of your closest friends while calculating the odds that this will be the half-hour block of time when Jack Bauer was unsuccessful in stopping the nuclear device from going off in the District.

Just your luck.