Best driving route to Birmingham

[BullDorado]

To everyone driving from Tampa/South Florida to Birmingham, which route are you taking? Does anybody have suggestions for a route that avoids Atlanta? All of the direction websites suggest I-75 through Atlanta. I am trying to avoid the traffic.

Go Bulls!

[slowdown]

Going through Atlanta is all about timing. But you can get to BHam about five different ways within 15 minutes of each other. 

 

Get off 75 in Tifton and take that road through Eufala and into Montgomery and catch the interstate.  

Or get off in Tifton and head towards Auburn and catch the interstate down into Montgomery and then up to BHam.  Or from Auburn take 280 through Sylacauga into Birmingham. 

Or get on I10, get off in Cottondale, up to Dothan then through Troy to Montgomery.

I prefer the last way. 

[CousinRicky]

Google Maps, at last check, has us doing the Tifton to Montgomery route as the fastest.

[dausfbulls11]

Yup we are going up 75 and cutting over before atlanta

[Capital H]

I make the drive from Orlando to north Alabama once or twice a year. I would recommend going through Atlanta unless you know you will be getting to the Dirty A between 7-9am or 4-6pm, or if you check out the route before hand and see that there is a particularly gnarly accident on the south side of the loop. Usually I run a read option where the plan is go through Atlanta, but I have had to cut over at Tifton or even Cordelle before. 

The other routes are all 30-40ish miles shorter, however you are on 2 lane highways with lower limits, and have to either deal with Eufala or Columbus, both of which can eat up any time you may make up with the short cut.

If you are hell bent on avoiding Atlanta, I prefer to take the 280 thru Auburn and up to Birmingham, its actually a fairly pretty drive. Or you could take I10 over to 231 and up thru Troy and Montgomery.

I have made the drive thru Eufala twice and have vowed never to go thru it again. Its actually pretty eye opening as you drive thru beautiful mansions on the river, and then are in abject poverty of the highest proportions.

 

 

 

[Mama_Bull]

We started out at noon today taking 1-75 from Fletcher Avenue. There is a great deal of road work on that highway from Tampa to Ocala. It took two hours to travel only 80 miles!

So, you might be better off taking a different route and pick up I-75 after Ocala. From then on, the traffic flowed freely all the way to Macon Ga, where we are spending the night.

In the morning, we plan on taking US-80W to Birmingham. I don't know if that is the best way. Perhaps, someone with more knowledge can suggest otherwise.

[WeWere#2Once]

From St Augustine I'm taking 95 up to I-10 to 75 up and over to Auburn. Stopping at Auburn's campus for a self-guided tour and then heading straight over to Birmingham. 

[mellobull]

6 hours ago, slowdown said:

Or get on I10, get off in Cottondale, up to Dothan then through Troy to Montgomery.

I prefer the last way. 

I traveled all the ones you mentioned and found this also to be the easiest route to and from Tampa

[Rocky Style]

Hey just FYI, I always see speed traps around Tifton when driving to/from FL.

Also look out for billboards with Jesus in an explosion with helicopters and soldiers. If you see those and Jade Spa billboards, you are on I-75 in Georgia.

If you didn't barbeque out in BHAM, there is Smokin Pig BBQ in Valdosta (exit 22?) on the way back.

[BDYZR]

Working til noon, spending tonight in Albany, Ga. then into B'ham tomorrow.

GO BULLS!