There is a moment, somewhere past the last New Orleans exit, when the city finally lets go and I-10 and I-75 opens up ahead of you. That is the start of one of the most driven routes in America: roughly 640 miles and 9.5 hours of wheel time to Orlando. Done right, it is not a slog. It is a string of good towns, better food stops and a couple of sights worth the detour.
Open this route in XCRSNLeaving New Orleans
Aim to clear New Orleans before the morning rush, or after it, never in it. Fill the tank on the edge of town where prices usually drop, set the playlist, and settle in for the first 196 miles to Pensacola.
The headline stop on this route is Mobile Bay causeway. Leave real time for it; it sets the tone for the whole trip.
Pensacola
Pensacola sits about 196 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Nearby, Pensacola Beach white sand is worth the short detour if the day is going well.
Tallahassee, the last stretch
Tallahassee sits about 394 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Rolling into Orlando
The final 247 miles always go faster than you expect. Save a little energy for Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee; it is a fitting finish.
By the end you will have seen Mobile Bay causeway, Pensacola Beach white sand and Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, and you will understand why this corridor is a classic.
When to go and how to pace it
Split the drive near the halfway mark. Most travelers sleep in Pensacola or Tallahassee, FL, which keeps each day under eight hours and leaves time for the stops that make the trip.
Check live gas prices along I-10 and I-75 before you go; they can swing a lot from one state or county to the next. XCRSN prices every leg for your exact car.
