Driving from Washington to Florida in 5 days in time for Christmas! Our son Drew is moving back to Florida after being in Washington for a year. He is ready to get back and we are looking forward to seeing him. Only issue is we drove his car out there last year, so we have to drive it back. And we need to get home in time for Christmas!
It’s a classic tale about driving across the country to come home for Christmas. After living and working in the Seattle area for a year, our oldest son Drew is ready to come home. And he wants to come home for Christmas! I decide to fly out there, and I will drive back with Drew from Washington to Florida. Christmas is on Friday this year, but we normally have family plans on Christmas Eve. So, our goal is to get home the night of the 23rd at the latest.
Planning our Washington to Florida Road Trip
I am able to get a flight to Seattle on Friday the 18th, a week before Christmas. After packing the car when arriving, we plan to depart on Saturday, and drive 5 days arriving on the 23rd. When planning a trip like this, a map tool is a must. We find Google Maps works great as you can add up to 10 stops. It is also a good tool to estimate travel times each day. With 45 total hours and over 3,000 miles, we will need to average over 9 hours of driving a day. In addition, the weather in December can contain snow, so we look for the best route. Surprisingly a northern route shows as the fastest with no snow in the forecast.
After we decide on the route, we look into where to stop each night. We also decide we will search for interesting places to eat along the way. We will we be passing through many states we have not been to before. And we find that we will be passing near some national park sites as well. We think we can work some in and are looking forward to driving from Washington to Florida in 5 days!
The Day Before in Washington – Friday 12/18
I arrive in Seattle about noon and Drew picks me up from the airport. Even though I flew all day, it is lunch time in Seattle and we are both hungry. I want Ivar’s (ivars.com), a local seafood chain with locations throughout the area. So, we stop for lunch on the way to Drew’s apartment. Paul gets some chowder and seafood. Drew doesn’t like seafood and gets the chicken and fries. But he misses out as their Alaska Smoked Salmon chowder is excellent.
After lunch, we get to Drew’s tiny studio apartment that is not packed up! He was supposed to be ready to go when I got there, but alas. Not only do we have to finish packing Drew’s stuff, but he was supposed to have shipped some stuff home already. Our car is a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta which is not a big car. So, we pack up a couple large boxes and find the closest post office. Of course it is busy right before Christmas but we wait in line. His 2 boxes are over $200 to ship, but we need the space in the car. And this should have already been done!
After we leave the post office, it is already dark. We stop at a grocery store and fill a large bag of assorted snacks, essential for any road trip. Since we don’t know when and where we’ll be able to stop along the way, the snacks will help. We then head back and pack up the rest of his studio apartment for a couple hours. After some takeout for dinner, we pack some things in the trunk of the car, but decide to do the rest in the morning. We need to get some sleep.
Day 1 Saturday 12/19 – Washington to Montana
The weather in Washington is typical cold and overcast, but not freezing. It’s supposed to stay above freezing our whole route, so we hope for good weather. Today we plan to drive most of the day through Washington to somewhere in the middle of Montana. We want to get 9 hours of driving in and about 600 miles. So, we try to get up and pack the car early, but Drew is dragging. We finally leave about 10 minutes before 9:00. However, Drew wants to make a stop for breakfast on the way.
Twede’s Cafe
Drew wants to make a stop at a restaurant in the Snoqualmie Valley area which is less than 30 minutes away. The restaurant is right of I-90 which we will be driving all day, so some coffee sounds good. Sure enough we get there about 9:15 and pull up to the restaurant, Twede’s Cafe. Drew heard about this café from the show Twin Peaks which was filmed here. If you have not watched the show, they are known for their pie and damn fine cups of coffee. You can read more about it on their website, Welcome to Twede’s Cafe (twedescafe.com). So, we decide to order some inside. However, because of Covid, we can only order in the restaurant, but they will bring it out to our car. So, we each order a breakfast burrito, a damn fine cup of coffee and a slice of pie.
The prices are a little high, but after about 10 minutes our food is delivered and the portions are large. The breakfast burritos are very filling and good. However, the damn fine cup of coffee is just diner coffee if that’s what you like. But, their pie is excellent. We got a slice of blackberry pie and slice of their twin peaks cherry pie. After eating as much as we could, we get back on the road. By this time it’s about 10 minutes to 10:00 and we still have a long way to go.
Washington and Oregon
Once we get back on the road, we start traveling through some beautiful country in Central Washington. We’re driving along the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains and stop at a rest area after a few hours. Central Washington is beautiful as we pass mountains and national forests. We get to Spokane in Western Washington which is about our half way point.
After we get back on the road, the skies become overcast and it gets darker. We start to drive through more mountains and we can see snow on the trees. Around a few bends we see snow everywhere and there are a few flurries. Not enough snow to be bad to drive, but enough snow to cover the beautiful landscape. The roads are very clear and we pass some ski resorts.
Once we get pass the mountains and the snow, it becomes pitch black. We decide to stop and refuel not knowing where we are. We go into a large gas station and store and realize we are in Montana. Looking back we realize the 1.5 hours we drove through a snowy area was Idaho. It is around 4:30 and already night. We gas up and check out the store where they have a lot of huckleberry related products. They have a restaurant you can order to go, but we’ve been eating out of our snack sack since breakfast. So, we decide to keep going before we stop somewhere for dinner.
Brewery and Dinner
Originally we were thinking of driving to Helena, but it takes us off I-90. So we decided to continue along the route , but we are ready to stop for a little while. The next decent-sized town is Missoula so we scout some places to eat, and discover Big Sky Brewery. You can read more about it here: Big Sky Brewing – Makers of Moose Drool Brown Ale in Missoula, Montana,
Big Sky has a nice size brewery and tap room but they don’t have food this night. So, we know we can’t stay long. We sample a couple beers including their flagship Moose Drool brown ale and Huck it huckleberry blonde ale. Both are great, and we get a crowler of beer to go, but we need dinner. The bartenders tell us about a great Irish restaurant the next exit off the highway.
So, we head to The Stone of Accord restaurant. This restaurant was great having plenty of Irish favorites and more. They also had plenty of beer options, but we stuck with the food. The food was inexpensive and they had large portions that we couldn’t finish. You can read more about it here: The Stone of Accord | Irish fare with Montana flare. After filling up, we are ready to get back on the road. Originally we were thinking we can make it to Bozeman, but it is 3 hours away. However, we think we can drive 2 hours to the town before, Butte. We find a La Quinta in Butte to settle in for the night. We drove almost 600 miles today but have a long day planned tomorrow. It has been a long today as well and we are ready to turn in by 9:00 Mountain Time.
Day 2 Sunday 12/20 – Montana to South Dakota
After a good night’s sleep and a shower, we check out early the next morning. We grab a bag to go for breakfast and some coffee and hit the road by 7:30AM. We plan to drive to Rapid City, South Dakota today which is 600 miles and about 8.5 hours of driving. Our route takes us right by Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, so we plan to make a stop there. If we have time, we also can extend our route to Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. And once checked in to our hotel in Rapid City, we can visit Mount Rushmore at night.
Once we get back on I-90 we have to drive 4 hours east to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. We have breakfast and coffee as well as plenty of snacks. The weather is cloudy but no rain or snow. It stayed above freezing last night and the crowler of beer we left in the car remained cold not frozen. With no precipitation, not many cars on the interstate, and an 85 MPH speed limit, we make good time. We enjoy the beautiful drive on the open road and get to Little Bighorn before 11:15AM. Driving east on I-90 through Montana, we turn south and enter the Crow Reservation. We take the next exit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument located in Crow Agency, Montana.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes those who fought on both sides of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Famously known as Custer’s Last Stand, this park preserves the battlefield and contains Custer National Cemetery. You can learn more about this park at: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (nps.gov). You can read more details about our stop here in our separate post: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Stop.
Unfortunately, the visitor center store and museum are closed. Without obtaining more information, we decide to walk around the grounds. Behind the visitor center is a paved walkway up to Last Stand Hill. This cemetery marks where Custer and his men were slain and initially buried. The large granite memorial marker at the top of the hill also lists the names of those who died here.
As we leave, we walk across the road to the Indian Memorial. Inside the stone circle memorial, etched marble along the interior walls explain the different Indian tribes that fought here. A sculpture of three horses and their riders is seen from the opening overlooking the fields as well as back at Last Stand Hill. We then get back in our car and decide to drive down on the tour road with wayside signs. But being short on time, we decide to turn around. We head back to the other side of the parking lot to Custer National Cemetery. We walked around the cemetery and the rolling fields surrounding it. It was cold today and after about 30 minutes, we get back on the road. It is still early so we continue South on I-90 into Wyoming toward our next stop Devil’s Tower National Monument.
Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower, the first U.S. national monument, towers over the Black Hills region at 1267 feet. Though it may be famously known from the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You can learn more about it and its history at: Devils Tower National Monument (nps.gov). And you can read more details about our stop here in our separate post: Devils Tower National Monument Stop at Sunset.
It takes us about 4 hours to get to Devils Tower from Little Bighorn. As we get close, we can see it as well as white-tailed deer everywhere. It is only about 3:50 in the afternoon when we get to the entrance but it is getting dark fast. The 3-mile entrance road loops around to the visitor center parking lot. There are no lights and at almost 4:00PM, sunset is in 20 minutes. Though it is dark on the ground, the tower is clearly visible looking up to the sky.
Unfortunately, the visitor center is closed, but their restrooms are still open at least. There looks to be some construction going on in the parking lot, but otherwise we have great views of the tower. We find another area about a mile back down the road we can drive called Joyner Ridge. The turn is a little hard to see, but we make the turn onto the gravel road to the parking lot. As we park, our car lights shine into an open field where 3 more deer graze. At this point it is sunset, so we take a few pictures before it becomes completely dark. After a few minutes here, we jump back in our car to the exit and to continue our trip.
Rapid City and Mount Rushmore
We decided to stay in Rapid City, South Dakota just over a 100 miles away. But the drive from Devils Tower is dark through woods and hills until we get back to I-90. Our hotel is easy to spot from the interstate, and we go ahead and check-in. We put our bags in our room and decide to head back out while it’s still early. From our hotel, we turn on to Mt Rushmore Road which takes us right there. We arrive about 7:00PM and go straight through the entrance to a parking garage.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national treasure and we’re not going to miss a chance to see it. And we don’t have time to see it tomorrow so we’re seeing it tonight. Of course, Mount Rushmore has the carved heads of 4 of the nation’s most important presidents. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are carved into the granite face. You can read more about it at: Mount Rushmore National Memorial (nps.gov). To read more about our stop here check out: Mount Rushmore National Memorial at Night.
There is a lot of construction going on here, and it being dark does not help. But we make it from the garage, past the Avenue of Flags to the Grand View Terrace overlooking the sculpture. The sculpture is lit up though it makes it hard to get a good picture. But we spend about 30 minutes admiring the sculpture before we get too cold.
We get drive-thru on the way back to our hotel. Today we drove almost 700 miles through 3 states while stopping at 3 national monuments. We are ready to sleep, but have another long day tomorrow.
Day 3 Monday 12/21 – South Dakota to Missouri
Today is another long day of driving. We are planning to drive from Rapid City, SD to Kansas City, MO. It is over 700 miles and is almost 10.5 hours of driving time. We will drive from East South Dakota to Sioux Falls on the other side of the state. Once we hit Sioux Falls, we will jump on I-29 South to Kansas City. We do not have any plans to stop anywhere today, but do stop for breakfast first.
We grab breakfast at Black Hills Bagels before leaving Rapid City. It is basically on our way, but we have to park and walk in. We wait in line to order and we can barely hear the lady taking our order. We finally order, but she rung up our order wrong, though we got what we paid for. Wanting to get on the road, we just head out with our breakfast bagel sandwiches. Our sandwiches are okay, and glad to have something substantial for our long drive. Not long after we leave Rapid City on I-90, we start seeing signs for Wall Drug Store.
Wall Drug Store
On the interstate we see 2 things, the black hills of South Dakota and signs for Wall Drug Store. Drew being the ultimate tourist wants to stop after we see what feels like 10 signs. This store is not even an hour from our hotel but is in the small town of Wall. The exit for Wall is also the exit for Badlands National Park. But unfortunately, we don’t have time to stop at Badlands, but we can stop at the drug store. Once we take the exit, we head into the town of Wall to the drug store. You can’t see if from the interstate, but it takes up a whole city block or more. We find parking across the street and head in.
Some may say this is a tourist trap, but others would say it’s a nice stop in the middle of nowhere. Inside the store is a mall filled with souvenir shops and specialty stores. The main store has any souvenir you may want or anything a traveler may need. You can also find all of your cowboy accessories here, including hats, boots and even rope used by local cowboys. We walked through many of the shops just looking. They also have some interesting picture taking props like a cowboy orchestra. Plenty of things to keep the kids entertained. They also have a restaurant, but we just ate. After about a 15 minute stop, we get back on the road. You can read more about the store here: Wall Drug | Homemade Donuts.
The Long Drive
After the quick stop at the Wall Drug store, we still have over 9 hours of driving. The good news is we will be in Central Time soon and will gain an hour. Once we drive past the Black Hills into the Central Time zone, the land gets pretty flat and uninteresting. After Sioux Falls, we get on I-29 to head South. I-29 parallels the Missouri River between states. We drive into Iowa and through Sioux City just on the other side of Nebraska. As we continue south we pass Omaha, Nebraska on the other side of the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa. By the time we get into Missouri, it is dark and we go straight to our hotel. We have booked a hotel near I-70 which is the road we will take tomorrow. However, after eating just snacks since breakfast, we are ready for a good dinner.
Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
Kansas City barbecue is well known and that’s what we want. We look for the best in Kansas City and find Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Kansas City, Kansas. Not only is it highly-rated, but it’s still open. Many bar-b-que restaurants sell out and close early here. Though, Joe’s is in Kansas City, but in Kansas not Missouri. However, it’s only 10 minutes from the hotel, so we decide to add another state to our road trip. We get on US-169 and go through downtown Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas. Once we hit our exit, Joe’s is a couple of blocks on the corner.
Joe’s is in a refurbished gas station. To read more about it, click here: Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que (joeskc.com). Once we walk in, there is a long line to the register. But after about 10 minutes we get to the counter to order. The Ribs and Burnt End Dinner contains two KC barbecue staples. So I order one with a side of BBQ beans. We each get a meal to-go and take it back to our hotel to eat. The portion sizes are good and filling. It was a tasty treat and now we are ready to get some sleep. Today we drove over 720 miles through 3 states with minimal stops. But tomorrow, we have a big stop planned.
Day 4 Tuesday 12/22 – Missouri to Tennessee
After driving over 700 miles yesterday, today seems a little easier. We plan to drive about 560 miles from Kansas City, Missouri to Nashville, Tennessee in 8.5 hours. We will be driving straight through St. Louis and plan to stop at Gateway Arch National Park there. After our stop we will drive down to Nashville and find a hotel for the night.
Unlike yesterday’s hotel, today we get breakfast to go and drive east on I-70 to St. Louis. We left about 7:30AM as we feel like we gained an hour with the time change. So, we get to Gateway Arch by 11:00AM. Driving to Gateway Arch National Park is fairly easy as you can see the tall monument well before you get there. However, we couldn’t find parking, so we decide to park in a nearby parking garage. We then exit the parking garage and walk a couple blocks to the arch.
Gateway Arch National Park
Gateway Arch National Park became a national park in 2018 after a $380 million renovation. The St. Louis Arch is a national symbol of the gateway to West, but today is much more than that. To read more about this park, read about it here: Gateway Arch National Park (nps.gov). Read more details about our stop here in our separate post: Travel to the Top at Gateway Arch National Park.
The visitor center is noticeable as you get closer. The entrance fee is $3 per person, but we used our annual pass to get in free. Once in the building, we are able to get tickets to the top at $15 each, 30 minutes from now. You have to walk through the new museum which is very informative. After 20 minutes, it’s time for us to get in line to go to the top. Becky doesn’t want to miss out on a national park, so we FaceTime her on one of our phones. Both of us (with Becky on the phone) take the tram to the top.
At the top signs show that we are at 630 feet up which makes for great views. Becky is enjoying seeing it through her phone and at least it feels like she’s with us. There are many great views of St. Louis from the front and the Mississippi River from the back. After about 10 minutes, we exit down the south tram. We say goodbye to Becky and continue to the main floor. Before we leave we peruse their store. After spending plenty of time in the store, we head across to their café. After we grab lunch, we walk back through the museum to the exit and walk back to the parking garage.
Drive to Tennessee and Dinner
After about a 3-hour stop at Gateway Arch, it’s 2:00PM and we still have almost 5 hours of driving. We head east on I-64 out of St. Louis into Illinois. Before we get to Mt. Vernon, we catch I-57 South until we exit at I-24 South into Kentucky. Once we enter Kentucky, we are close to Paducah. Though it is a small town, we have heard stories about it as Becky’s mom grew up there. Our snacks are running out and we are ready for dinner. So, we find Paducah Beer Werks and decide to stop.
Once we make the Paducah exit we drive a few miles to Paducah Beer Werks downtown. We park by 4:45PM as it is getting dark. This brewery looks to have seating inside, but unfortunately due to Covid is only serving outside. It is a little chilly but they have a fire to keep us warm. We decide to sit and eat and glad we did. Not only was their PBW Irish Red malty and delicious, but they had some great German specials. We love German food and jaeger schnitzel with spätzle and red cabbage sounds awesome. It was really delicious and easily one of the best meals on this trip. You can read more about them here: Paducah Beer Werks | Beer for the People | Brewery | Restaurant.
After our bellies are content, we still have to drive about 2 hours in the dark to Nashville. It’s good that we have each other to take turns driving. We find a hotel by the Nashville Airport just off our route. We check in before 8:00PM and settle in for the night. Today we drove through 4 states stopping at a national park for a few hours along the way.
Day 5 Wednesday 12/13 – Tennessee to Florida and Home
Our plan today is to drive about 9 hours and 600 miles from Nashville to home in Florida. We grab breakfast to go at the hotel and head out on I-24 toward Chattanooga. The one thing about driving in the East is traffic. We were so used to open roads and 85 MPH out West, we are now spoiled. And when we get close to Chattanooga, we are stuck in traffic. We decide that we want to stop for lunch in Atlanta, and there’s one great choice right off the highway.
The Varsity in Atlanta
The Varsity in downtown Atlanta is their original restaurant which opened in 1928. It is right off I-75, between it and I-85, and easy to access. We exit and find our way to their drive-thru just before 1:00PM. This restaurant has the reputation of being the world’s largest drive-in and we can see why. When we pull up there are 2 long lines, but the lines move fairly quickly. They have car hops that come out and take your order and before you hit the end of the line, you get your food.
We decide to stick to their classic combos. A chili cheese dog & chili cheese burger with a side of onion rings and their special shake. This place is a fast food utopia and is really tasty. We know none of it is good for us, but we are really hungry after being stuck in traffic. After we get our food, we drive to one of hundreds of spots to park and eat. Read more about this restaurant at: The Varsity: What’ll ya Have! After we eat, we jump back on I-75 South toward Florida.
Our Last Leg from Washington to Florida
The rest of the trip is not memorable as we have done it lots of times. Getting out of traffic in Atlanta, we drive down I-75 towards Florida. After our stop at the Varsity, it takes us about 6 hours to finally get home. But everyone is happy to see Drew after not seeing him for a year. And we made it home in time for Christmas! We drove another 600 miles through 3 states and ready to sleep in tomorrow.
Summary of our Washington to Florida Road Trip
This road trip from Washington to Florida was 5 full days across our country. We drove through 12 states not including our dinner pickup across the Missouri border to Kansas. And we logged over 3,100 miles and 46 hours of driving time. We missed any significant freezing weather, and our car had no troubles. And we learned that it is so much better driving out West with open roads and 85 MPH speed limits. Driving through parts of Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota are great and we can’t wait to go back.
We also got to stop at 3 national monuments and 1 national park along the way. Though we didn’t have a lot of time to stop, we enjoyed our time at each one. We also stopped along the way at breweries in Montana and Kentucky. And ate at some wonderful restaurants including Irish food in Missouri, Kansas City BBQ and German food in Kentucky. And not to mention our last stop at the Varsity in Atlanta on the way home. We got to spend quality time together on the road that we will remember for years. We also made it home in time for Christmas with the rest of the family!
There are so many beautiful areas in this country and glad to have seen more of them. We are already planning to return to some of the states we drove through and can’t wait. But we felt we made the most of our trip from Washington to Florida in 5 days.