Sarasota FL to Madison WI

[drsckennedy]

Looking for route from anyone who has traveled from FL (Sarasota) to Wisconsin (Madison). Leaving the last week of June. Thank you.

[penguin]

Take. I75 to I10. Head west to I65 and take that to West 24. Then take 57 north thru Chicago and your home free. Stay Away from Atlanta and Indianapolis.

[drsckennedy]

Thank you!

[JRS950]

We drive several times a year to just south of Rockford and the real trouble spots are both Chattanooga and Nashville. Late evenings​ are the best time to go through both of them. Atlanta is an issue, again, later is better.
Take I-57 to I-74 to I-39. PM for more information.

[Hudsoner]

I drive the route Port Charlotte to Hudson, WI (about 250 -300 miles north of Madison) every year.
The best is as was said, and I never have problems with Atlanta, as long as you avoid morning and evening rush hours. But I do avoid Chicago and go via Bloomington, Il to Beloit in Wisconsin. From there you have a straight shot into Madison.

[Joe-FL]

Originally Posted by drsckennedy

Looking for route from anyone who has traveled from FL (Sarasota) to Wisconsin (Madison). Leaving the last week of June. Thank you.

We have driven between SW Florida and central Illinois for over 30 years. There are only two logical ways to go and each of them will take you through Bloomington and up I-39 and not around Chicago.

Skip Atlanta: This route will be around 40 miles further for you but you will not have to go through Atlanta. I-75 north to I-10. Take I-10 west to U.S. 231 (exit 130). Take U.S. 231 north to Montgomery AL, take I-65 north to Nashville, take I-24 west to southern Illinois, take I-57 to Champaign IL, take I-74 to Bloomington IL, take I-39 north to Rockford, then to Madison.

Through Atlanta: I-75 to Chattanooga TN, I-24 west......then the rest is the same as above.

The "skip Atlanta" route will add about an hour to your total trip. U.S. 231 is about 95% 4-lane divided with new pavement running through Alabama. You will go through a few smaller towns with some stop lights but we find it a pleasant break from doing all interstates and the folks in that part of the country are super friendly. We always go this way if we are driving our RV or are not in a hurry.

Going through Atlanta should be faster for you but we have gotten into some traffic jam situations in that area and sat for hours also, which made the entire trip hours longer. We have also hit some fog up in the Monteagle area where you could not see more than 50 feet in front of your vehicle, which is pretty scary driving an RV.

If you do go up through Alabama there are good restaurants, camp grounds, and a Walmart in the Troy area.


We are heading north in about 3 weeks but we have to go up through Atlanta due to having an appointment at the Safe T Plus factory just west of the city. That is the only reason we are going that way this time out.

Safe travels.

[scrubjaysnest]

I would suggest following the Great River Road if you have time. Plenty of sights to see and ACOE CG's along the way.

US 27 is a good way to avoid Atlanta and much of the bumper to bumper traffic of I-75 through FL and GA.