How to Plan a Road Trip From Portland, Maine, to Miami
The drive from Portland, Maine, to Miami covers more than 1,600 miles and takes about 30 hours of driving time. There's a lot to see along the way, including famous Colonial and Revolutionary sites in Boston and Philadelphia, Civil War sites and antebellum plantations throughout the South, the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.
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Things You'll Need
- Atlases & Maps
- Walkie-talkies
- Weather Radios
- Sunscreen
- Cameras
- Film
- Coolers
Instructions
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Head south from Portland on Interstate 95 and pass through Boston. Stop here to walk the Freedom Trail and visit some of the most famous landmarks of Colonial America.
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Continue south from Boston to New York and take a break to check out the Big Apple. If you have time to spare, see a Broadway show, go window shopping along Fifth Avenue, or take a stroll through Central Park before getting back on the road.
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Get back onto I-95 south and head for Philadelphia. Stop to visit more historic landmarks, including the Betsy Ross house, the Benjamin Franklin memorial, and the Liberty Bell.
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Detour to Atlantic City if you like ' try your luck in the casinos, or just stroll along the boardwalk.
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Continue south on I-95 to Washington, D.C., and spend some time visiting the nation's capital. Visit the White House, the Capitol Building, and as many of the museums and memorials as you have time for.
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Keep driving south, passing through Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. You may decide to stop at Richmond or Durham (a slight detour) along the way, or make your way to Columbia, South Carolina, where you can visit some fine antebellum mansions.
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Detour to Charleston on Highway 26 to visit some well-preserved plantations and more Civil War sites, then head back to I-95 and continue south into Georgia.
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Spend some time in the historic squares, gardens and cemeteries of Savannah, or take a "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" tour of locations featured in the book and the movie.
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Keep driving south on I-95 through Georgia, then enter Florida. You may want to take a break at Jacksonville to tour some historic landmarks, play a round of golf, or just lie on some sandy beaches.
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Continue on I-95. You may want to stop at Daytona Beach if you are a racing fan, then decide if you want to detour west along Highway 4 to Orlando and Walt Disney World, or head east on Highway 528 to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.
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Get back onto I-95, and keep heading south. Pass through West Palm Beach (you can detour from here to visit the Loxahatchee wildlife preserve if you like), then continue to Fort Lauderdale, where you can enjoy the sand and surf, or visit the Everglades Holiday Park.
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Continue south on I-95 straight into Miami, stopping in trendy Miami Beach along the way.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase current maps of the regions you plan to visit, and follow them closely. They should contain up-to-date information about detours or road closures.
Bring clothing that you can layer, since your journey may take you through many different climate zones, depending on the timing of your trip.
If you plan to carry food with you, bring a cooler. Keep it well-stocked with ice, and be especially careful with perishable foods such as mayonnaise.
Pack lots of sunscreen! It's important to protect yourself from the sun's damaging rays throughout the year, not just at the height of summer.
Read your maps very carefully. As you pass through larger cities, you may need to travel on smaller highways or connecting roads to get back onto the interstate. Some of these roads will be toll roads, so follow directional signs carefully, and have some money ready.
Remember to include admission costs for museums and other attractions in your travel budget. Just visiting a couple of major attractions could set you back a few hundred dollars.
For your personal safety, avoid stopping for hitchhikers or others who may try to flag you down. If you see a motorist in difficulty, pull off the road at the next exit and call the highway patrol to come and help.
