A trip to Washington, D.C and back! (11/12/21 and 11/15/21)

Started by InterstateFan621, January 18, 2022, 12:15:26 PM

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InterstateFan621

Hi, guys! So, I have taken a road trip from Georgia to Washington, D.C that was a 10 hour trip through the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

For TL:DR, I have basically used US routes and state routes to skip the city of Atlanta, and went onto Interstate 20 eastbound. Then, in Florence, South Carolina, I took the Interstate 95 northbound interchange. I stopped at the famous roadside attraction South of the Border, and then took different state welcome centers all the way over there. Then, I reached my destination. It was mostly the same thing all the way back.

Here is the full thing.

I hit the road at around 6 a.m, and I took the ramp to Interstate 75 to take the interchange to Interstate 16 in Macon. It was quite dark at the time. I reached Macon 30 minutes after, got off of Interstate 75, went of Interstate 16, and onto US 129 at Exit 2, toward Milledgeville. At Milledgeville, i have gotten off of US 129, and headed to GA-22, GA-540, and GA-16. (same route.) I reached the town of Sparta, and then followed GA-16, which is a scenic route. I was in the middle of nowhere. The time was around 9 a.m. Then, finally, I reached Interstate 20 in Thompston, GA. I took Interstate 20 eastbound toward Augusta. the road, still, looked like the middle of nowhere, and I consider that stretch of I-20 one of my least favorite interstate routes. I enjoy more urban areas. I went through Augusta, and then crossed the border of South Carolina. I stopped at the welcome center to have a break and a little bit of breakfast. I also played Pokemon GO. I went back on the road again. I passed the capital city of Columbia, and then followed I-20 even more, until the interstate ended in Florence, South Carolina. I took the interchange to Interstate 95 North. As I was on Interstate 95, I kept on seeing billboard advertisements for the famous roadside attraction, South of the Border, located south of the North Carolina border, of course!  I kept on riding, starving, wondering where I should stop for lunch. I passed through some towns along the way there. Then, just before the North Carolina border, I saw South of the Border. I knew I gotta stop. They have tons of shops, and even some nice Mexican restaurants. I was not looking for a sit down restaurant experience, so I went inside the fast food restaurant instead. I ordered a cheeseburger and some chili cheese fries, and it was delicious. I Went to the shops, as well. I took some pictures of the place, got some gas, and finally went toward the North Carolina border. I did not stop at the welcome center because I already went to a place to rest. The road in North Carolina was boring, and I only went through small towns and cities. It was nice and peaceful though, I went to a rest area over there, and rested again. Then, after 3 hours, I reached the Virginia border. I stopped at the welcome center to rest and hang out. After a while on the road again, I reached the Richmond area, and took the Interstate 295 interchange. I was on there for a pretty long time, and I passed the nearby cities of Richmond. Then, I went back on Interstate 95. I had to go through traffic near my destination, however. Finally, I reached the DC area. I took Interstate 395 and went into my hotel in Arlington.

I stayed around Washington DC for 3 days, I walked around the memorials and looked at the museums. I was back on the road on the 15th. It was mostly the same trip back. I took the same routes and stopped at the welcome centers. I also stopped at South of the Border again. Then, after a 10 hour trip back I was back at my area in central Georgia.

Anyway, I am planning to go back to DC sometime this year. I am probably gonna take a different route, probably gonna go through Atlanta. Anyway, see you.

Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.
(From the song "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane)
Get your kicks on Route 66!

My Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/194860463@N06/albums/


jlam

Sounds fun! I'm actually planning on flying to DC next month, as long as nothing gets cancelled.

1995hoo

How did South of the Border seem? I haven't stopped there since the 1990s, but whenever I pass it I think it looks like it's getting rundown and deteriorated compared to how it used to be, which makes me wonder about how clean the restaurants are, etc.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

InterstateFan621

Quote from: 1995hoo on January 18, 2022, 12:39:49 PM
How did South of the Border seem? I haven't stopped there since the 1990s, but whenever I pass it I think it looks like it's getting rundown and deteriorated compared to how it used to be, which makes me wonder about how clean the restaurants are, etc.

Yeah, stuff looked kinda old and outdated. There were these animals there made out of some type of metal over there, and the paint on them is coming off of them. The restaurant, however, was clean and well kept, but it did not look updated, still. I loved those shops, and they did not look to outdated. The second time I went over there all the way back I somehow found these old Interstate 95 signs. It was a green sign with the highway shield on the bottom, with the words "South of the border" written above it. Some employee put the out from the storage that was probably buried somewhere in there. Of course, I bought it, because I liked how it looked. The price tag was faded, though, and the person checking it out had a hard time getting it checked out. Anyway, the whole place is going through renovations right now, and I think it is still open. They knocked down some of the old buildings, too.
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.
(From the song "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane)
Get your kicks on Route 66!

My Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/194860463@N06/albums/

abefroman329

That's great!  When I lived in DC and my parents and brother lived in Atlanta, I always wanted to take US-29 the whole way to visit them, but never got around to it.



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