• Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
New posts

suebee

Beach Comber
Jun 19, 2005
21
0
Anybody travel this route this year? Best to go south through Vicksburg, Jackson, Mobile, then I10? Or east through Memphis, Birmingham, Montgomery, then zigzag to 331? Been both ways many times in the past, but construction delays make a BIG difference! Thanks for any suggestions anyone has.
 

Minnie

Beach Fanatic
Dec 30, 2006
4,344
829
Memphis
If you decide on the Memphis route, I prefer Hwy. 78 from Memphis to Tupelo, Miss, then, Hwy 45 to Mobile, I-10 to the beach.

You avoid, Birmingham, Montgomery and 331. The only major city traffic you would have is Memphis and Mobile.
 

SurfFamily

Beach Comber
Apr 16, 2007
26
0
Ozarks, Arkansas
We have always gone Memphis hwy 78 to Tupelo & Birmingham.Then head down to Montgomery on I65. Then take the Evergreen, Al exit Hwy 84 over to Andalusia down hwy 55 over to 331. Then straight to the beach. I dont know about going down to Mobile & then over on I10, it seems that would take you out of you way. plus each way will take you to 331 & that doesnt get bad till you hit Freeport anyway. My family & I have taken that route for almost 3 yrs & we make it in good timing. We have been here in sowal for 10 yrs now, 2 of those yrs was up there in the Ozarks Mnts. Loved it there, but felt lost without my white sandy beaches. We decide to come back home!
 

Minnie

Beach Fanatic
Dec 30, 2006
4,344
829
Memphis
We have always gone Memphis hwy 78 to Tupelo & Birmingham.Then head down to Montgomery on I65. Then take the Evergreen, Al exit Hwy 84 over to Andalusia down hwy 55 over to 331. Then straight to the beach. I dont know about going down to Mobile & then over on I10, it seems that would take you out of you way. plus each way will take you to 331 & that doesnt get bad till you hit Freeport anyway. My family & I have taken that route for almost 3 yrs & we make it in good timing. We have been here in sowal for 10 yrs now, 2 of those yrs was up there in the Ozarks Mnts. Loved it there, but felt lost without my white sandy beaches. We decide to come back home!

It will only take you to 331 if that is the route you choose, I prefer the mid-bay bridge.

Going to Mobile saves us at least an hour, as you avoid Birmingham, Montgomery and 331.

The mileage might be somewhat further through Mobile but very little 2 lane.
 

Lady D

SoWal Insider
Jun 21, 2005
6,165
193
64
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
We have always gone Memphis hwy 78 to Tupelo & Birmingham.Then head down to Montgomery on I65. Then take the Evergreen, Al exit Hwy 84 over to Andalusia down hwy 55 over to 331. Then straight to the beach. I dont know about going down to Mobile & then over on I10, it seems that would take you out of you way. plus each way will take you to 331 & that doesnt get bad till you hit Freeport anyway. My family & I have taken that route for almost 3 yrs & we make it in good timing. We have been here in sowal for 10 yrs now, 2 of those yrs was up there in the Ozarks Mnts. Loved it there, but felt lost without my white sandy beaches. We decide to come back home!

It will only take you to 331 if that is the route you choose, I prefer the mid-bay bridge.

Going to Mobile saves us at least an hour, as you avoid Birmingham, Montgomery and 331.

The mileage might be somewhat further through Mobile but very little 2 lane.

We go the way PuraVidaSurf goes but we do not go exit 84, we go to the Georgiana exit, which I think is exit 113 or 114 I believe Hwy 55, then to 331. You do get slowed down in Freeport, that is for sure. But still our trip was cut short an hour going 78 to Birmingham down through Montgomery then on to Hwy 55. Going the mid bay bridge around Mobile would put us way farther west than we need to be. Coming out on 331 puts us about 30 minutes west of where we are staying. Minnie, how many hours does it take you to get there, it takes us around 8 1/2 hours to 9 hours going the route we go. As for going through Birmingham, if you hit it right, the traffic is not bad. We did go the route you go two years back when we spent the night in Mobile that Friday night before going on to the beach Saturday.
 

Minnie

Beach Fanatic
Dec 30, 2006
4,344
829
Memphis
We go the way PuraVidaSurf goes but we do not go exit 84, we go to the Georgiana exit, which I think is exit 113 or 114 I believe Hwy 55, then to 331. You do get slowed down in Freeport, that is for sure. But still our trip was cut short an hour going 78 to Birmingham down through Montgomery then on to Hwy 55. Going the mid bay bridge around Mobile would put us way farther west than we need to be. Coming out on 331 puts us about 30 minutes west of where we are staying. Minnie, how many hours does it take you to get there, it takes us around 8 1/2 hours to 9 hours going the route we go. As for going through Birmingham, if you hit it right, the traffic is not bad. We did go the route you go two years back when we spent the night in Mobile that Friday night before going on to the beach Saturday.


We don't take the bridge at Mobile we take the tunnel. We come in on the toll bridge to 98 at Destin Commons, avoiding 331.

From Memphis to 98 going that way we make it in 7 1/2 hours to 8 if we stop. There is no construction and no big towns to slow you down except Mobile and by the time we get there, we beat their rush hour.

I have tried all of the possible routes and for us this is the quickest. Only about 25 minutes is 2 lane.
 

SurfFamily

Beach Comber
Apr 16, 2007
26
0
Ozarks, Arkansas
We don't take the bridge at Mobile we take the tunnel. We come in on the toll bridge to 98 at Destin Commons, avoiding 331.



Mid-bay bridge onto Hwy 98 east, you're still getting yourself into Destin traffic. I don't know what's worst Destin or Freeport Traffic?


Lady D- it's not exit 84 ( I don't remember the exit #), it's the exit at Evergreen that takes you onto Hwy 84 over to Hwy 55. Just 1 or 2 exit south of Georgiana.
 

suebee

Beach Comber
Jun 19, 2005
21
0
We've gone both routes many times, and it's a toss up, depending on construction. The last times we went through Memphis, it was the pits around there, and the first few miles on 78 towards Tupelo......it's never been a major slowdown going through Vicksburg, Jackson and Mobile, though. Thanks for everyone's input.
 
New posts


Sign Up for SoWal Newsletter