DRIVING DIRECTIONS AND MAPS
ALONG I-75 DETROIT TO FLORIDA
Review by Barb & Ron Kroll
Along Interstate 75
(Mile Oak Publishing) ISBN 9781896819389
Are you planning a drive to Florida along Interstate 75? Do you want a Detroit-to-Florida route plan with driving maps? Are you looking for I-75 GPS locators? Hotel toll-free numbers? Money-saving tips on discount lodging?
The 18th edition of Along Interstate 75 provides driving directions to Florida, trip-planning maps and money-saving tips that will make your trip to Florida interesting and hassle-free. Author, Dave Hunter, and his wife Kathy, have driven along I-75 twice annually for five decades. Together, they have compiled insider tips and the best road trip directions and I-75 maps for driving to Florida.
What to see near I-75
If you drive from Canada to Florida, you will need Along Interstate 75. If you have not driven to Florida, you will want to after reading about all the things to see and do along I-75.
Well-organized and comprehensive, Dave Hunter's book is a 208-page travel guide and route planner for driving to Florida from the Detroit-Windsor border.
Road maps
Written in a helpful, conversational tone, the driving guide is designed logically. Southbound maps are at the front and northbound maps at the back, so you don't have to flip the book to try to read maps upside-down for the Florida-to-Detroit trip back home.
Dave Hunter provides money-saving tips (e.g., gas is cheaper in Georgia than Florida and Tennessee has the cheapest gas on I-75). He also includes information about shopping along the I-75 freeway, such as the location of the duty free store by Ambassador Bridge at the Detroit-Windsor border.
The I-75 guidebook has a spiral ring binding, which makes it easy to keep the travel guide open at specific driving maps. The 18th edition has 112 maps, which include important I-75 interchange information.
For example, Ohio Exit 29 is now a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI). In 2015, Exit 273 in Georgia will be a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI), which requires you to drive on the left. Diagrams show you how to get on and off these new exits.
How long does it take to drive to Florida?
Just count the number of page maps and divide by two, then add 20 minutes for rest breaks and gas stations for every five maps. Each detailed color map represents 40 kilometers (25 miles) or 30 minutes of I-75 driving time.
Symbols, photos, illustrations and notes, some hand-written by Dave and Kathy Hunter, provide detailed driving directions to Florida. You will find locations of construction zones, HOV lanes, radar speed traps and air patrols, as well as phone numbers for local road and weather information.
Sam's Club and Costco gas stations
When you want to fill up at I-75 gas stations, the strip maps specify which stations sell regular gas, diesel and E85 for flexi-fuel vehicles. The book also shows club members where to buy discount gas at Sam's Club and Costco locations near the I-75.
Dave notes that gas pumps are starting to accept credit and debit cards with microchips and PIN numbers. (October 2017 is the deadline for gas pumps to convert.) This will avert the current requirement for Canadian drivers to enter the zip code for their VISA or MasterCard billing addresses.
If you are wondering how far you have to drive to the next washroom (called rest rooms in the US), strip maps now have green arrows on the right-hand side. Each one specifies the distance to the next I-75 washroom in miles and kilometers.
I-75 WiFi locations
To find a place with free WiFi, just look for the symbol on Dave Hunter's maps. If you have traveled along I-75 before, don't expect to find WiFi locations in Ohio Welcome Centers and the Kentucky Welcome Center at mile 177. The newest edition of the Hunters' driving guide notes that these centers are now only rest areas.
The I-75 book can also save you from getting a traffic ticket. It explains, for example, that Georgia has a new law that requires drivers to stay off the fast lane, unless passing other cars. Notes also inform you about where it is illegal in the States to hand-hold cell phones (e.g., Detroit and Wayne County).
Bypass route
Along Interstate 75 tells you where to find the cleanest public washrooms on I-75 (Kentucky Travelers' Artisan Center, with driving directions to get there in the Mile-by-Mile section). Driving maps also include information on where to expect fog along I-75 and how to bypass Atlanta, Georgia.
A fold-out map on the inside front cover depicts the route plan along I-75 from Michigan to Florida. Page numbers direct you to road trip maps detailing southbound and northbound driving directions. The handy extended cover flap marks your current place in the driving instructions.
Motel discount coupons
You will learn about the availability of restaurants and lodging at I-75 exits, with advice on when to change lanes. Dave Hunter's money-saving tips will pay for the cost of his book many times over. For example, you can save money with discount lodging by using motel coupon books from State Welcome Centers and eating free dinners at Drury Hotels along I-75.
Insider Tip sidebars provide helpful information, such as where to find Tim Hortons and Starbucks at I-75 exits and free hot breakfast buffets (e.g., for guests of Cumberland Inn at Exit 11E in Kentucky).
Radio station guide
An Interstate 75 Radio Guide gives drivers the call letters and AM or FM radio station frequencies for the best programs in Detroit, Daytona, Cincinnati, Lexington, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Atlanta and Valdosta areas. The guide makes it easy to find traffic, news, sports, music and all-talk programming.
Charts provide more travel information for the drive to Florida: state gas and sales taxes, location, rates and driving directions to I-75 RV parks and campgrounds, as well as size, fees and addresses of public golf courses near the I-75.
Driving distance to Florida cities
Mile-by-mile directions to Florida supplement strip maps in Along Interstate 75. If you are driving to Florida, you will find opening hours, admission prices and phone numbers for tourist attractions along I-75, such as Rock City barns and the Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky, which opens in 2016 by the 154W Exit. You will also learn where to find the best ice cream in the world at Mayfield Dairies in Tennessee (Exit 52E).
A chart provides the number of miles and kilometers from the Florida border to popular Florida destinations for Canadians. For example, the driving distance on the I-75 from the Florida-Georgia border to St. Petersburg is 397 kilometers (247 miles).
Contents
- Key to the map symbols
- Visual guide
- Getting you started
- Southbound route
- Off the beaten path
- Mile-by-mile on I-75
- Information please
- Northbound route
- Staying safe on I-75
- Resources, abbreviations & travel log
Author
Dave Hunter is also the author of Along Florida's Expressways. Kathy Hunter is lead researcher and editor.