I-75 in
Florida
Interstate 75 originates
in Miami - as does I-95. It gets to Florida's west coast crossing the
famous Everglades using the Alligator Alley Toll Parkway. Curving north,
finally, it touches each of the popular tourist destinations. Departing
from the west coast, I-75 darts to Ocala after meeting the Florida
Turnpike, then by Gainesville (home of University of Florida), finally
crossing I-10 and entering Georgia.
Touring Highlights are mostly between
Forth Myers and Tampa. Not
only are there beautiful beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, there are many
man-made attractions ranging from Thomas Edison's summer home in Fort
Myers to Busch Gardens in Tampa.
I-75 in
Georgia
Interstate 75 enters central Georgia running in a slightly
northwestern slant. At exit 20 (GA-31) you pass the southern entrance to
Valdosta, source of the world-famous Valdosta onions (and they're worth
every penny). You see Georgia Pines but
actually there used to be a lot of wetlands in this area. The soil is
unique and very productive.
As you get to Tifton, site of Georgia's Agrirama (exit 63-B)
— 'Georgia's Living History Center' — you have
an excellent opportunity to stop, stretch your legs and see some very
interesting exhibits. The installation consists of five areas including
a traditional farm community as it would have appeared in the 1870s.
This isn't some dry, boring museum; it is fascinating and especially
educating for the kids.
As we progress to the north you will notice how the terrain becomes
more hilly. We're also about 100 feet higher. We've left most of the
wetlands behind. Also there are far fewer row crops and more pecan and
peach orchards. Those great, thin-shelled, pecans can be purchased here
and, in season, can be very inexpensive. You'll find many vendors at the
exits, even in the gas stations, raring to sell them to you. Peanuts are
also in abundance and you can see some cotton fields. We're still in an
agricultural area but it is very different from further south.
In Perry (exit 134) is a favorite stop of our: Priester's Pecans at
106 Fairview Drive (800-277-3226). Here you can not only buy but you can
see
pecan pralines, divinity, fudge, sugar nuts and lots of others delights being
made, sample many of their homemade candies. Every day they also have a lunch buffet
and on weekends a seafood dinner buffet.
Exit 156 is where northbound traffic gets off I-75 to use I-475 to
bypass the
Macon
traffic. Southbound traffic uses exit 177 for their
escape. For folks with an interest in ancient civilization, however, you
might rather stay on I-75, through Macon to I-16. Head east on I-16 to
exit 2. Turn left on US-80 and go about 0.6 mile north to the junction
of US-23. Turn right and go 0.8 mile to the entrance of
Ocmulgee National Monument (on
your right). And there is no admission charge!
RV parks in and around Atlanta are few and far between. When you
get to the north side (on I-75) there is one in
Marietta. There is also one — our
favorite by the way — in Stone Mountain Park. You have a choice in
getting from one side of Atlanta to the other. You can go straight
through (by far the shortest) or you can use the infamous belt highway,
I-285. If you're northbound and in a hurry but need to spend the night
in the Atlanta area, we recommend staying in Marietta to avoid a lot of
the morning rush-hour traffic. If you're south bound on I-75 the nearest
(we know of) is in McDonough, about 20 miles south of Atlanta. But, at
least for us, Stone Mountain Park is a very special place and we like to
take a break there.
Okay, we made it out of Atlanta. At exit 290 (GA-20) you have
access to a very popular campground on the shore of
Allatoona Lake.
Unfortunately it is only open from March to Labor Day and, in the summer
months, it is almost always full. They take reservation (at least 3 days
in advance) but have some 'first come first served' spots for the lucky
folks. There is a private campground accessed from exit 283.
Allatoona Landing Campground.
You choose.
There is another 'in the wilds' campground in the Coosawattee Wildlife Management Area
at Carters Lake (near Oakman and US-411). You would access it from
I-75 exit 320 going east on GA-136. We've never been there nor do we
know anyone who has but you can phone the US Army Corps of Engineers
office at 706--334-2248 for information.
We've had 354 miles of Georgia; are you ready for Tennessee?
I-75 in Tennessee
Chattanooga has a
grandiose welcome for us entering Tennessee. This is a fun town with a
lot of things to see and do. You've been seeing billboards and barns
advertising Lookout Mountain
for miles. This is a special place and, if you haven't seen it yet, you
really shouldn't pass it by. advertising. Here is "America's
deepest cave, largest underground waterfall accessible to the public
and the world's steepest passenger railway. You also have a view of
seven states!
Chattanooga has the exciting
Tennessee Aquarium (yes,
aquariums can be exciting), the
Creative Discovery Museum, a wonderland for kids, and the
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
which is a whole lot more than a museum, We recommend the Hiwassee River
Rail Adventure which runs from Memorial Day clear through November. Take
a day off from driving and really enjoy some spectacular scenery from
aboard a beautifully restored train. Or, if you're on a tight schedule,
take their Missionary Ridge Local (only an hour) which also includes a
guided tour through their restoration shop.
In Chattanooga, Interstate 75 does a
right-angle turn to head northeasterly toward Knoxville. At Cleveland TN
(exit 20) it touches US-64/74, the back door into North Carolina. Both
are beautiful drives, US-74 to Asheville and east, US-64 to
Hendersonville and east. At milepost 35½ I-75
crosses over the famous Hiwassee River on its way to join the Tennessee
River (which I-75 crosses just north of milepost 74. There are many
natural attractions in this part of Tennessee. We recommend sending for
the (free) Tennessee vacation guide available from the
Tennessee Department of
Tourist Development. At exit 84, I-75 joins I-40 and takes on I-40s
milepost numbering until it reaches I-640 just west of downtown
Knoxville. It skirts around downtown and, 3.6 miles later strikes off on
its own again for Jellico and entry into Kentucky.
One of the striking features about I-75 in Tennessee is its
routing. This part of the United States is very mountainous. While
creeks and rivers have cut passes in many directions, generally these
mountains run southwest to northeast. From about 900 feet elevation in
Knoxville, I-75 heads northwest, doing a roller coaster ride across a
series of minor mountain ranges, to a point near Hackle Knob near
Pioneer where, at nearly 2300 feet elevation it does another right-angle
turn to follow the ridge almost all the way to Jellico and Kentucky. For
most of the way your passengers can look down at the valley floor, 1,000
feet below, and see the coal trails creeping along the Norfolk Southern
railroad track. Near the twin peaks of Long Mountain (near Newcomb) I-75
starts its descent to the valley floor. It tries to stay in the valley
floors the rest of the way north.
In Jellico (exit 160) we
say good bye to Tennessee but Tennessee has one last, lovely campground
for us:
Indian Mountain State Park. Sited at the base of Indian Mountain
just northwest of Jellico, the park features to small lakes, two easy
walking trails (one paved and one unpaved), a swimming pool (with
lifeguards) and a 49 site (paved pads) with water, 30 Amp power plus a
dump station. There are also pedal boats available for rent if you wish
to give your legs a workout.
I-75 in Kentucky
In Tennessee, at
least from Pioneer to Jellico, the I-75 right-of-way followed the
mountain ranges. In Kentucky, I-75 has to go over each one of them so it
is up and down like a yoyo. Once in awhile I-75 will sneak through a
pass, along side a river. In fact, we're starting out with the
Cumberland River. Five miles later we lose it and then we climb a hill
or two, find a stream, follow it a few miles and so on. But, at least,
there is nothing boring about driving on this part of I-75.
In London we have the
Levi Jackson State
Park with a 146 pad campground and full hook-ups. Plus, it's less
than 3 miles from exit 38. At exit 41 we cross the Daniel Boone Parkway
(most of this scenic highway is toll). Fifty miles on, near
Richmond, we have another state park (Ft
Boonesborough State Park) with a similar campground. There's no
Internet connection at either but there is cell phone coverage.
Richmond was a big surprise for us; on the campus of Eastern
Kentucky University is the
Hummel Planetarium, one of the largest planetariums in the country.
Parking may be a problem for a class A rig with a toad but you can park
at the Wal-Mart at 820 Eastern Bypass (KY-820) and unhook your toad.
Take exit 87 and go east on the Eastern Bypass. Wal-Mart is at the
junction of US-25 but you'll see the Wal-Mart before you see US-25. The
Hummel Planetarium is off Kit Carson Dr (on you left 1.4 miles west of
Wal-Mart — or on your right 1.3 miles from exit 87), Phone 859-622-1547
during business hours for schedules, etc.
The City and County of Lexington
has been noted as one of the most progressive communities in the nation.
Many years ago they combined the city and county governments, saved a
bunch of money for the tax payers but turned around and significantly
improved services for the tax payers. We have always been impressed by
the generally positive attitude of the residents, here. Even the police
we've met (in one of the restaurants) feel very positive about the
community. Note: We try to park near police cars. It may not be as
effective as we hope but it helps lend peace of mind to our concerns of
security for our coach and toad.
(continued in column 2) |
(continued
from column 1)
If you're getting hungry (we always are when we reach Lexington)
and would like to eat in a sit-down restaurant, exit 108 has a wide
variety of foods served in about a dozen restaurants. Head west on Man O
War Blvd to Pleasant Ridge Dr (about 200 yards from the exit) and go
right or left. They all have tall signs.
From exit 111 we share roadbed with I-64 for about 7 miles. Stay in
the right land because there is, frequently, a lot of traffic. (You know
how tough it can be to switch lanes with a rig.)
At exit 120 is the Kentucky Horse Park (site of the Kentucky Derby)
and a Kentucky Horse Park
Campground, with 260 pads and full hookups (but no Internet
connections).
As we near Cincinnati the urban concentration become much more
dense and that's the end of the RV parks for awhile. They can't survive
on high-priced real estate and high property taxes.
I-75 in Ohio
I-75 enters Ohio by crossing the
Ohio River into Cincinnati which lies on the north bank. The Ohio was
critical to the development and growth of early Cincinnati; it has also
been a curse with its habit to flood and do extensive damage. Cincinnati
has survived and is a very active community. If you wish to do any
touring we suggest you contact the Greater Convention and Visitors'
Bureau (during normal business hours) at 800-246-2987. Or, go to their
web site to access the information there:
GCCVB.
Lebanon (exit 29) has the only RV parks within 100 miles of
Cincinnati in Ohio of which we are aware. By contrast, there are a good
number of RV sales and Service companies, there are at least nine just
in Miamisburg. Accessed from exit 44 in Miamisburg is the Miamisburg
Mound State Memorial, site of the largest prehistoric conical mound in
Ohio. There are picnic facilities on the grounds but no camping. More
information: 800-686-1535.
Dayton is a large city and extended metropolitan area. Hence, there
is much to see and do in Dayton. The Visitors' Center has a web site (DaytonCVB).
They have an excellent guide to the city that they will mail out to you
if you ask. Phone: 800-221-8235.
Two places we really have enjoyed in Dayton are the Packard Museum
(still have fond memories of my '53 Packard Clipper) at 420 Ludlow St
(937-226-1917) and the Sunday afternoon carillon concerts at the
Carillon Historical Park, 1000 Carillon Blvd. Phone: 937-293-2841. We
found spending the weekend in Dayton was very relaxing.
If you're an aviation buff, the
U.S.Air Force Museum,
the largest military aviation museum in the country, has something like
300 aircraft some dating back to WW-I. The displays also include some of
the sophisticated ballistic missiles in use today. Directions are on the
web site. Phone 937-255-3286.
Tipp City, a Dayton suburb, has the
Charleston Falls Preserve, site of a 37 foot waterfall plus a nearby
limestone cave. (Eastbound exit 61-A, east on 571, south on 202;
southbound exit 68 onto I-70 east, then exit 16 to OH-202 north: 2535
Ross Rd.) There are also some two miles of pathways. For more
information and directions call 937-335-6273 or e-mail
miamicountyparks.
Finally
some RV parks: Wapakoneta, the birthplace of Neil Armstrong, has a
variety of RV parks (exits 110 and
111) plus the
Neil
Armstrong Air and Space Museum (exit 111).
While Disney has their mock 'space ship flights' the multimedia
presentation in the Museum's Astro Theater is probably about as close to
real as you're going to get. They also have (for you to experience) a
space shuttle simulator and a lunar landing module simulator. Even the
'big kids' enjoy those! Phone: 800-860-0142.
If you're either from out West or have traveled out West, you've
probably seen a 'ghost town' or two. If not, Findlay has its own
Ghost
Town with an array of 28 buildings.
Northbound
take exit 145, head 0.5 mi north to CR-313, turn right and go 2.9 mi
northeast to CR-37. Turn right and head 4.2 mi east to CR-9, turn left,
go 1 block north, then go right onto CR-40 and you'' practically run
into it.
Southbound take
exit 156 and head about 5/5 mi south on US-68 to CR-40. Turn right and
its about 1 mile west. Telephone 419-326-5874 during regular business
hours.
Van Buren (exit 164) has two
campgrounds. One, private, has full hookups plus Wi-Fi access to the
Internet. The other, in
Van Buren
State Park (next door to the private park), has atmosphere but no
hookups (but they do have a dump station). Head 3/4 mile east on OH-613
(through town) to Township Rd 218. Turn right and follow 218 (it makes a
right-angle turn to the east) to the campgrounds. It's about 1/4 mile to
Pleasant View and another 1/4 mile to the State Park. You choose.
As with most urban areas, RV parks can't afford to exist in Toledo.
But, as with most urban areas, there is much to see and do. The
Visitors Bureau will mail
out a visitors' guide if you request it. Phone 800-243-4667 or e-mail
General
Tourism Information. Note: There is no viable bypass around
Toledo for I-75 traffic. Except for rush hours (surprise!) driving
through Toledo isn't bad at all. I-75 skirts the downtown area but there
are a lot of exits very close together until your reach exit 208 (the
I-280 interchange).
We hope you enjoyed your drive through Ohio, the Buckeye State.
I-75 in
Michigan
We don't know
of any RV parks with 40 miles (to the south) and 50 miles (to the
north) of Detroit. Again, this is urban area with expensive real estate
and high taxes. An RV park requires a lot of real estate and it is taxed
the same even if there are no rigs on it. We enter Michigan and, at
exits 11 and 18, have Monroe with at
least three RV parks. And they are very different from each other.
Sterling State Park's 1,300 acres include 1 mile of frontage on Lake
Erie. 256 sites with full hook-ups (50 AM available). The only thing
they don't have is a coin-op laundry. Again, you choose.
I-75 heads right into the mouth of Detroit, passes within
blocks of Cadillac Square (more GM, folks) and then strikes north to
service Warren, Pontiac, and, at last in Holly we have a trio: 1
private park, 1 county park and 1 state park. You choose!
Flint, the Motor City, about 70 miles
from Detroit, seems to be able to only support one RV park, — an it is owned
and operated for you by Genesee County. The campground is by the shore
of Holloway
Reservoir. True, that is some 15 miles (east) of I-75 but we've gone
much farther than that for a good spot.
We seem to skip Saginaw (recognize the name, folks?) but, in
Bay City (another GM city) we have
another tax-payer supported facility (thank goodness for state parks).
This one, in the
Bay City State Recreation Area includes Tobico Marsh, one of the
last and largest remaining freshwater coastal wetlands in the Great
Lakes region. You like to watch birds: you'll see them buy the
thousands, here.
Houghton Lake has two parks.
We had expected them to be on the Lake; they're not. It takes a lot of
money to be on the shore of Houghton Lake. The next waterfront park we
know of is east of Grayling on the east bank of the
East Branch Au Sable River. It's only 5 miles from I-75. It has 43 sites
— all back-in —
15 of which actually front the river.
Gaylord is known as the Alpine
Village. Gaylord has Otsego Lake which has an abundance of
beautiful, white, sandy beaches. And, on the south shore of Lake Otsego
we have the 62 acre
Otsego Lake State Park
with 155 sites. Typical of most state parks, the only hook-ups are 30
Amp electrical but they do have a dump site.
Another river-front RV park is southwest of
Wolverine (exit 301), on the Sturgeon
River. Something which should be mentioned is that many of these RV
parks in northern Michigan have excellent access to snowmobile trails.
Hence, they are year-round campgrounds. There are State and Federal
forest lands all over northern Michigan which means hiking trails in the
summer and cross-country skiing plus snowmobiling in the winter.
We've had campgrounds on lake shores (including one on Lake Erie),
on river banks, and now we have one on the inland waterway (the
Cheboygan River). Just a couple miles south of
Cheboygan (exit 322) we have an RV
park on the Cheboygan river only 3/4 mile above the confluence of the
Black River. So you couldn't tow both a boat and a car?
Waterways Campground
not only has a boat ramp, they'll even rent the boat to you!
Mackinaw City has Lake
Michigan on its west and north sides and Lake Huron on its east side.
This is at the south end of the Mackinac Bridge. About 1 mile southeast
of Mackinaw City is Tee Pee
Campground nicely sited on the shore of Lake Huron's Straits of
Mackinac. At the moment, although they have full hook-ups, they only
have 30 Amp breakers.
At the north end of the Mackinac Bridge is
St Ignace and
Straits State Park. Also on Lake Huron, across the strait from Tee
Pee, This state park has 50 Amp electrical hook-ups but not water and
sewer. Water is available, of course, and they do maintain a dump
station.
The International Bridge carrying motorists from
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, in
the USA to Canada over the Saint Mary's River, marks the north end of
I-75, — 354.7 miles
from its beginning in Miami, Florida. That makes I-75 the longest
north-south Interstate highway. We used to be able to just pay the toll
and take Hwy 17 from
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, around the north end of Lake Superior, through
Thunder Bay, back into the USA at Grand Portage, Minnesota.MN-61 is a
lovely highway with many worthwhile attractions that every American
should be able to enjoy at least once. But 'Homeland Security' has other
thoughts. It's been a great trip; hope you enjoyed it as much as we do.
contributed by
Bob Masters
|
).
Click on a gold diamond to view a list of RV Parks near I-75 exits
in and near that city.
