St. Louis to Florida (Clearwater)
March 2nd.
St. Louis to Nashville, 327 miles, 6 hours. Stopped at the playground in Metropolis, IL McDonalds for about 30 minutes. Leave St. Louis at 8:30 a.m.
In Nashville had about 90 minutes at the Nashville Science Museum.
Nashville to Murfreesboro, 31 miles, 1 hour (some reduced speed in Nashville due to traffic).
Our friend in Murfreesboro told us to stop by on the way back north, so we only bought gas there..
Murfreesboro to Chattanooga: 91 miles. 90 minutes (some mountain driving and reduced speed in Chattanooga).
Arrived in Chattanooga around 8:30 p.m. Cheap lodging at the Cascades Motel in East Ridge. The rooms were pretty nice. Alternatives might be the Ramada Inn South (East Ridge) Chattanooga with a Tennessee Aquarium Package, the Chattanooga Choo Choo Holiday Inn. A Knight's Inn offers a budget alternative to the Cascades Motel.
March 3rd. The Tennessee Valley Railroad is closed between Christmas and April, so we went to the aquarium at 10:00 a.m.
Leave the aquarium and have lunch around noon.
Leave Chattanooga around 1:00 p.m.
From Chattanooga to Oceola is 485 miles, which should require 7 hours and 30 minutes in the car driving, plus two 1-hour breaks, so we could arrive in Ocala around 10:30 p.m. We could stay at a Days Inn. Or, we could stop in Gainesville shortly after 9:30 p.m. Both Gainesville and Ocala have a broad range of cheap motels. When we actually did this trip, we stayed in Chattanooga much longer, leaving there after 2:00 p.m. We also stopped for the last hour of the Atlanta Natural History Museum (actually we were only there for the last 50 minutes). There was terrible traffic going south out of Atlanta, so we only went as far as Valdosta that night, getting in there around 9:00 p.m.
March 4th. It is about 100 miles from Ocala to Clearwater. However, we will go first to Silver Springs in Ocala, probably getting there around 11:00 a.m. We leave there around 5:00 p.m. and drive into Citrus County. We can spend the night at MacRae's of Homosassa or go down to Chassahowitzka River Campground (352-382-2200) or the B&L Resort in Chassahowitzka (call 532-382-5218).
When we actually took this trip we got out of Valdosta around 8:30, and made it to Silver Springs in Ocala before noon, so we had the entire afternoon in Silver Springs. There was a pleasant drive across rural Citrus County, heading toward a lovely sunset. We stayed at a Comfort Inn in Crystal River.
March 5th. Sunday. Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park (352-628-2311). Try to get there just as it opens. Then, leaving there around 10:30 a.m., get to Weeki Wachee Springs by 11:30 a.m., and spend four hours there until 3:30 p.m. Then continue on to Clearwater and check into the conference hotel by 4:30 p.m. Also begin to attend the poster sessions.
We did make it to Homosassa Springs State Park minutes after it opened, but we decided to stay there much longer than the plan allowed, and so we didn't leave until about 1:00 p.m. With time running short we decided to drive past Weeki Wachee without stopping, hoping we would be back some other year. The drive up to Clearwater was miserable as the highway was crowded with traffic from Bayport through Tarpon Springs all the way to Clearwater. There were frequent red traffic lights, and it took a few hours to make the distance that could have been covered in 30 minutes on an interstate highway.
March 6th. Monday. A day at Clearwater Beach
March 7th. Another day at Clearwater Beach. We visited the Clearwater aquarium and I took the biology boat tour. In the evening we drove to Orlando (Kissimmee to be exact).
Wednesday March 8th. Early morning at Islands of Adventure or Magic Kingdom. Come back to motel for a rest from noon to 2:30, and then return to the park.
We actually started the morning at the Magic Kingdom. We left the park at 11:30 and went back to our motel for a nap. By 2:00 we were at the Animal Kingdom park, and we stayed there until it closed. Then we went to EPCOT to see a few things and take in the fireworks before going back to our motel.
Thursday March 9th. Very early morning at Islands of Adventure. Again we took off 2 hours in the early afternoon for a return to our motel and a rest.
Friday March 10th. We slept in late and took it easy this day. We visited the Orlando Science Museum and some gardens in Orlando before driving north. We made it as far as Lake City where we stayed in a cheap motel for the night. We could have stayed in Gainesville or Ocala.
Saturday March 11th. Pass through Northern Florida and Georgia all the way to Calhoun, Georgia. This will require 400-450 miles (7 hours of driving), plus a few 1-hour or 2-hour stops. We should reach Calhoun by 8:00 p.m., which means we should leave Ocala or Gainesville by 9:00 a.m.
Since we made it all the way to Lake City on the 10th we didn't have to drive quite as far this day. We shot through Georgia without any long stops until we got to Atlanta (although in the past we have visited Macon and enjoyed it). In Atlanta we enjoyed the last 90 minutes of the Science Museum's day. We made better time driving north than we had expected, and so we went all the way up to Chattanooga without stopping in Calhoun as planned.
Sunday March 12th. The Drive from Calhoun to St. Louis is 500 miles, or 7.5 hours of driving time in the car. This should be broken into three segments of about 2.5 hours. The first stop could be Cowan, TN to see a small train museum. We might stop in Murfeesboro to see our friend again. In Nashville we may make a third stop to see something for an hour or so, and then our final stop could be the MacDonalds near Metropolis, IL.
As it turned out, the train museum was closed and we didn't feel the need to stop along the way. So our main stop was in Nashville where we met with my friend from Murfeesboro at the science museum. We had a picnic in one of the main Nashville downtown parks and fed ducks while we were waiting for our friend to make it up to Nashville.
Our cost and time estimates were loose guides on this trip. One of the few we have actually experienced.
|
Event |
Time for event |
total cost |
|
Drive from St. Louis to Metropolis, IL |
3 hours |
0 |
|
Lunch in McDonnalds in Metropolis, IL |
1 hour |
$ 11.00 |
|
Drive from Metropolis, IL to Clarksville, TN |
2.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Stop in Clarksville for a break and gas |
30 mins |
$ 5.00 |
|
Drive from Clarksville to Murfreesboro |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Visit with Terry in Murfreesboro, have dinner |
2 hrs |
$ 24.00 |
|
Drive from Murfreesboro to East Ridge, TN |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Check into Cascades Motel, near Chattanooga |
30 mins |
$ 31.36 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
8.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
2 hrs |
$ 11.00 |
|
Check out of motel. Drive to Aquarium |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Arrive at Aquarium and begin tour |
2 hrs |
$ 27.85 |
|
Lunch in Chatanooga Choo Choo area |
1.5 hrs |
$ 24.00 |
|
Leave Chattanooga and drive south to Atlanta |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Stop in Atlanta for a tank of gas and a rest |
30 mins |
$ 8.00 |
|
Continue south on I-75 to Tifton, GA |
3 hrs |
$ - |
|
Have dinner in Tifton, GA |
1 hr |
$ 14.00 |
|
Drive south from Tifton to Gainesville |
2.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Arrive at Villager Lodge in Gainesville, check in. |
30 mins |
$ 56.00 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
8.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
1.5 hrs |
$ 13.00 |
|
Drive to Ocala and Silver Springs |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Visit Silver Springs |
6 hrs |
$ 80.85 |
|
Drive to Ocala and have dinner there |
1 hr |
$ 23.00 |
|
Drive from Ocala to Crystal River / Homosassa Springs |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Check into Comfort Inn in Crystal River |
30 mins |
$ 63.18 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
2 hrs |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
9.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
2 hrs |
$ 15.00 |
|
Visit Homosassa Springs Wildlife Refuge |
1.5 hrs |
$ 20.00 |
|
Drive to Weeki Wachee Spring |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Visit Weeki Wachee Spring Park |
3.5 hrs |
$ 40.85 |
|
Drive from Weeki Wachee to Clearwater |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Check into Leisure Inn & Suites |
30 mins |
$ 189.82 |
|
Sleep |
9 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
$ 9.00 |
|
|
Play on the beach |
1 hr |
$ 8.00 |
|
Visit Tampa Children's Museum |
7.5 hrs |
$ 8.00 |
|
Dinner in Clearwater |
$ 31.00 |
|
|
Sleep |
9 hrs |
$ - |
|
Jeri and Sebastian and Arthur visit Museums and Aquarium |
$ 39.00 |
|
|
Visit Aquarium |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
We leave Clearwater Resort and drive to Orlando |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Arrive at Days Inn Maingate West |
30 mins |
$ 145.20 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
7 hours |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
1 hr |
$ 15.00 |
|
Drive to Islands of Adventure (parking) |
30 mins |
$ 7.00 |
|
Morning at Islands of Adventure |
4 hrs |
$ 118.00 |
|
Back to motel for break |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Break in motel (lunch) |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Back to Islands of Adventure |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Afternoon in Islands of Adventure |
3 hrs |
$ - |
|
Leave Islands of Adventure and go to Trainland |
1 hr |
$ 29.00 |
|
Enjoy Trainland |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Dinner |
1 hr |
$ 13.00 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
7.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
30 mins |
$ 15.00 |
|
Go to Animal Kingdom (parking) |
30 mins |
$ 6.00 |
|
Morning at Animal Kingdom (4-day park hopper) |
5 hrs |
$ 509.50 |
|
Back to motel for break |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Break in motel (lunch) |
1.5 hrs |
$ 15.00 |
|
Back to Animal Kingdom |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Afternoon in Animal Kingdom |
4 hrs |
$ - |
|
Back to motel for evening |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Dinner in Splendid China |
1.5 hrs |
$ 35.00 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
2 hrs |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
8.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
30 mins |
$ 15.00 |
|
Check out of motel and drive to Disney's Magic Kingdom |
30 mins |
$ - |
|
Day at Magic Kingdom (lunch) |
10 hrs |
$ 32.00 |
|
Dinner in Orlando or Kissimmee |
1.5 hrs |
$ 12.00 |
|
Drive north to Gainesville |
2 hrs |
$ - |
|
Check into Motel in Gainesville |
30 mins |
$ 35.00 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
9 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
2 hrs |
$ 13.00 |
|
Drive from Gainesville to Tifton |
2.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Break in Tifton (lunch) |
1 hr |
$ 12.00 |
|
Drive from Tifton to Atlanta |
3 hrs |
$ - |
|
Break in Atlanta (dinner) |
2 hrs |
$ 15.00 |
|
Drive from Atlanta to Calhoun |
1 hr |
$ - |
|
Check into motel in Calhoun |
30 mins |
$ 35.00 |
|
Get in bed in motel and ready for sleep |
2 hrs |
$ - |
|
Sleep |
9 hrs |
$ - |
|
Wake up and have breakfast |
2 hrs |
$ 12.00 |
|
Drive north to Chattanooga TN |
2 hrs |
$ - |
|
See Ruby Falls Caverns, TN |
1 hr |
$ 22.50 |
|
Drive to Murfreesboro |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Visit in Murfreesboro, have lunch |
1.5 hrs |
$ 21.00 |
|
Drive north to Clarksville |
1.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Break in Clarksville |
1 hr |
$ 9.00 |
|
Drive north to Metropolis, IL |
2.5 hrs |
$ - |
|
Dinner at MacDonalds in Metropolis |
1 hr |
$ 12.00 |
|
Drive home to St. Louis |
3 hrs |
$ - |
|
Arrive home on Hoover Avenue |
$ - |
|
|
Cost of trip |
$ 1,906.11 |
|