What's the best travel route from NC to Cincinnati, OH?
I've traveled from NC (Raleigh-Durham area) to Cincinnati before, but every driving direction website has me going on these random small roads in Ohio. Does anyone know if it's quicker to go another way, possibly through Knoxville or Lexington?
Cincinnati - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
We were going to drive from Cincinnati to Raleigh on President's Day weekend but ended up flying. Due to the flight delay, we probably would have gotten to Raleigh faster if we drove. When we looked at things on the map, it looked as though if you go on I-77 across to Winston-Salem and then drive north to Virginia and cut through West Virginia and into Kentucky and then up to Ohio, it would be better. The other option is to go through Knoxville. I think the first method of driving through Lexington was how my friend used to drive when she went to visit her brother at Duke. You can always go to mapquest and see what directions they give or go to a AAA place and get some maps. Also the path you take can depend on how adventurous you want to be. If you have not been to Tennessee, you can take that path. If you are in a hurry, then the first method should be better.
2 :
I-75 north.
3 :
www.mapquest.com Will give you maps, alternate routes, estimated times, step by step directions from door to door. Sometimes has small errors which are impossible to find until you are in the situation. But it's free and immediate. Try it.
4 :
The by-ways through that part of Ohio is faster than taking the interstate through Tennessee. My family made that trip many times when I was a kid (Durham to Cincinnati), and we tried going both ways. In Huntington, WV, you should get off of the freweay and hop onto US 52. You can take that all the way into Cincinnati, or you can get onto OH St Rt 125 in Friendship (just west of Portsmouth). 52 and 125 will both take you into Cincinnati (almost to the same area too), but 125 is more direct and it has more 4 lane road. If you want to save a minute or two here and there, follow all of the directions that mapquest gives. But taking US 52 in Huntington, then getting onto OH St Rt 125 is quite a bit easier and a lot less random. You will save about an hour taking those by-ways versus going through Tennessee and Kentucky. It is also a much more pleasant drive.
5 :
I personally have done it both ways, and it ends up taking a decent bit less time doing it on the back roads. Remember- these are back roads, and except when you hit the center of the fedw small towns you'll pass through, you're generally moving along at 55 MPH (if you're not speeding). Its hard to justify going 100 miles out of your way, each way, to go an additional 10 miles an hour (it would take you 10 continuous hours of driving to make up the difference, and you'd use an additional 3-4 gallons of gas- which, if it makes you have to fill up sooner, could end up making it take even longer using the fast route). You can take I75 straight up to Cincy fom knoxville though, if thats how you really want to do it.
