Driving to Myrtle Beach

DH and I want to take the kids on a Road Trip this summer for vacation. WE are thinking Myrtle beach.

If you have driven it before, did you go straight through or make stops.

We know we want to make a stop in DC so I am thinking on the way back we will stop for a night or 2 there.
I am just worried about making the LONG drives with my 6 and 3yo.

Any suggestions on where to make stops?
If you have gone straight, how long did it take and how did your kids hold up.

Any additional insight or advice appreciated.

Re: Driving to Myrtle Beach

I don't have kids, but DH and I usually drive straight through. It takes about 12-13 hours with stops.

We usually leave around midnight to not hit traffic. My dad used to do this as well when I was a kid. Would your kids sleep in the car? That way they would only be up in the morning part of the drive. If you have a DVD player in the car that helps too.

Usually we stop for breakfast somewhere past Richmond then continue on our way.

I think breaking up the drive on the way back is a good idea.

Re: Driving to Myrtle Beach

I haven't driven there with kids (yet) but with just making quick stops to fill up I would say it took 11 hours. We left around 5am and got to MB at around 4pm. When I was a kid and we drove down, my parents stopped overnight in NC (no where special, just off 95). I think if you want to break it up and do a stop in DC that may be fun.

Also I don't know that it would be easier to leave at night so that your DC's sleep a good portion of the ride (if you wanted to go straight through).

Re: Driving to Myrtle Beach

We just drove for spring break with our DS ages 4 and 7. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. We left on Friday at 6:30pm. We had intended on stopping around 12-1:00 but we decided since the kids were sleeping anyway to just drive straight through. With traffic and stops we got there at 8:00am. On the way home we left at noon. We drive straight again with only stops for gas and fast food and got home at 12:45am. The kids were awesome! We has a bunch of movies and tv shows on the iPads and they each have a DS. I would definitely drive it again. Not for spring break though because the weather just wasn't warm enough for all that effort.

Driving to Myrtle Beach

We drive down every summer to visit my mom with 3 kids (this year they will be 11, 7 and 5). We leave between 4 and 5am. We don't really ever make a plan and just drive until the kids need a break. It takes us probably much longer then most because we take a lot of quick stops and usually stop for a nice lunch and breakfast. We always hit traffic in VA that can take up to 2 hrs.
I pack a big tote full of all kinds of snacks and drinks. Each kid gets a bag packed of new crayons, coloring books, stickers and anything else I see that may entertain them. They bring their itouch' s And each one has their own head phones. I always buy a few new DVDs. We have 2 DVD players in the car and bring a portable one so each kid can watch what ever they want.
It's a very long ride and lots of whining by my kids and asking if we are almost there but we get thru it every year. We always say we are going to stay over night somewhere on the way down but we never do.

Message edited 5/1/2014 10:04:20 PM.

Re: Driving to Myrtle Beach

We stopped in Virginia over night. Drove right through on the way home