Best time of afternoon to travel through Atlanta

We are leaving on March 23 from Chicago heading to Florida. We were planning on leaving around 4:00am Chicago time but that will put us in Atlanta around 5:00pm (with rests along the way)------how terrible will traffic be?

Should we leave earlier or later to avoid sitting in traffic for hours? (Atlanta is about an 11 hour drive, with no breaks from our house)

Best time of afternoon to travel through Atlanta

Going into the city at that time isn%26#39;t as bad as going north as people are heading to the suburbs. I know, because I live north of Atlanta and have headed into town at rush hour with few problems. If you could come through a couple of hours earlier it would probably be better. With the Atlanta traffic, though, there are no gurantees at any time that you won%26#39;t be held up by a jam. Sometimes you can sail through with no problem.

When we have a road trip we have found that going ahead and leaving rather than getting up early is better for us. We can%26#39;t sleep anyway since we get excited to be going on vacation so we like to travel at night. We take turns driving and if we both get too tired we pull into a rest area and sleep for a while. Is it possible for you to that?

Best time of afternoon to travel through Atlanta

Rein is right. Heading South into Atlanta during rush hour is better than coming North. Still, you%26#39;re going to hit traffic as you approach the city where I-75 and I-85 briefly merge. This area is known as the Brookwood split, and closer in, the Grady curve. It can really come to a snail%26#39;s pace. Add in an accident or two and it gets worse.

If you%26#39;re coming in on I-75, you might want to consider taking I-285 West and going around the city. Most people usually just drive through, however.

If you can try to leave even an hour earlier, that would make your life easier. There%26#39;s traffic at 4 p.m. but it%26#39;s not as bad as the 5 p.m. frenzy. Or you could delay a few hours to come in around 7 p.m., when conditions are much better.

By the way, I have family in Roselle, Ill. Have a great trip!

The biggest advantage to taking I-75 thru downtown is that most 18 wheelers are banned from going I-75 inside of the perimeter(I-285).

If you do take I-285 go westbound. I-285 Eastbound at that time is bad. Especially around Peachtree Ind. Blvd. and I-85.

I believe I would leave earlier or at least two hours later. Best time in the afternoon would actually be between 1pm and 3:30pm because irregardless of which way you%26#39;re traveling, going through Atlanta at 5:00pm on a weekday isn%26#39;t apt to make you a happy camper. On the bright side, at least you%26#39;re traveling on Thursday, not Friday which always seems to add about 30% more traffic.

I suggest that you leave as you planned to arrive in Atlanta at 5:00 pm. Take I-75 South and drive right through the center of downtown Atlanta. Exit on North Avenue in downtown and turn left one block on the left and stop for dinner at the Varsity. It%26#39;s a great place for a couple of chili dogs and onion rings. Get a frosted orange to drink and you%26#39;ll be in heaven and forget about the traffic. It%26#39;s a great Atlanta cuisine experience you won%26#39;t soon forget. It%26#39;s the largest drive-up restaurant in the world that you can also eat inside. Different t.v. station in each room. Great break for a long drive. Wonderful for people watching too.

Ditto on the Varsity. 30,000 diners a day, can%26#39;t be wrong. My order is always the same a chili-cheese steak with melted pimento cheese, a chili dog, a grilled chicken salad on rye, a deep fried peach pie, onion rings, and two P.C.s (pure chocolate milk) on shaved ice. Makes me hungry to think about it. I may just have to drive to the Varsity in Athens this evening. ';Whattayahave, whattayahave, whattayahave';. Just make sure you schedule a rest room break about an hour south of Atlanta.

You all have been great! Thanks for the great advice on getting through Atlanta%26#39;s rush hour! We will also

be dining at the Varsity for sure!!

cspender - just a bit of trivia. The Varsity is very well known for their hot dogs and onion rings. When the olympics came to town back in 1996, the Varsity got into the pin trading business. They designed a pin of the olympic rings using onion rings. Extremely popular pin. Once the Olympic committee found out, they made the Varsity stop selling them. That made them all the more popular. If you should ever find one, you could make a small fortune. Be sure you grab a few paper hats from the Varsity too. Be sure to drink an ';F.O.'; also known as frosted orange. It%26#39;s a dreamsicle in a cup. Oh my god, it%26#39;s to die for. Just don%26#39;t be alarmed when the counter workers start yelling at you, ';What%26#39;ll ya have, what%26#39;ll you have?

All this Varsity talk is making me HUNGRY! I may have to head on down tomorrow. My first Varsity memory is going there as a kid. I was so short they had to lean down over the counter (this was long before they renovated them) just to see me. Sad to say, I haven%26#39;t grown much since.

My husband and I were starting to become smitten with each other when I took him to the Varsity Jr. up off Jimmy Carter. I paid for his lunch. He still remembers this and I remind him that he was a cheap date.

I do have a funny story about the Varsity Jr. on Cheshire Bridge. A friend of mine works at a nearby apartment house for senior citizens and was driving their mini-bus for the first time. She told me she nearly took a chunk out of the awning trying to park there the other day. Now whenever she hears the words ';Varsity Jr.';, she gets the shakes.

Cspender

You won%26#39;t exactly be ';dining'; at the Varsity but it is an experience. My husband went recently and had a panhandler approach him while he was sitting at a table eating. Just to give you a heads up.

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