Hi everyone! First of all, I am a long time lurker who has only posted 1 time and that was last year. I do know that when I need Sowal info this is the place to come. We are getting ready for a Sowal week from 8/7-8/15 and can't wait. We have driven down there from Cincinnati many times and have always followed AAA's directions of getting off 65 in Montgomery and taking 331 down through Luverne and Opp and even taken a short little jaunt on some roads that seemed off the beaten path. Anyway, when I went to get directions from AAA this year it said to take 65 to Evergreen and take 84 over to 331. In addition I have a friend coming down the week after us and the owner of the condo she is renting told her to get off of 65 in Georgiana and take 55 to 84 to 331. She was told this way cuts off about 45 minutes. Sooooo......what I am trying to figure out is the best way and the quickest way from those of you that travel 65 South. Mileage wise it looks like our original way that we have been going is the best but I don't know if there is a reason that AAA isn't recommending that way anymore. Also, what are 55 and 84 like? Thank you ahead of time for any and all help.
Laura
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23
Admin
Hope you have a great trip!
They are all about the same timewise. It depends on whether you get behind a slow moving vehicle on the smaller roads. 331 is the easiest route and is 4-laned much of the way which eliminates the backup issue. On the smaller roads you're much likelier to have someone pull out without looking.
They are all about the same timewise. It depends on whether you get behind a slow moving vehicle on the smaller roads. 331 is the easiest route and is 4-laned much of the way which eliminates the backup issue. On the smaller roads you're much likelier to have someone pull out without looking.
Beach Fanatic
Back RunningMom
Beach Fanatic
We have taken various routes in the past year. 331 has been a no-brainer for us, but we did find that the route through the Georgiana exit saved us about 15 minutes.
Meow
:clap_1: ...glad you came back! Hey, are you running from those three kids???
Beach Fanatic
Also, what are 55 and 84 like? Thank you ahead of time for any and all help.
Laura
55 is basically four lanes - no real towns wot go through this way so you aren't always having to slow down.
Georgiana (Exit 114) is the way we usually take.
SoWal Insider
Hi everyone! First of all, I am a long time lurker who has only posted 1 time and that was last year. I do know that when I need Sowal info this is the place to come. We are getting ready for a Sowal week from 8/7-8/15 and can't wait. We have driven down there from Cincinnati many times and have always followed AAA's directions of getting off 65 in Montgomery and taking 331 down through Luverne and Opp and even taken a short little jaunt on some roads that seemed off the beaten path. Anyway, when I went to get directions from AAA this year it said to take 65 to Evergreen and take 84 over to 331. In addition I have a friend coming down the week after us and the owner of the condo she is renting told her to get off of 65 in Georgiana and take 55 to 84 to 331. She was told this way cuts off about 45 minutes. Sooooo......what I am trying to figure out is the best way and the quickest way from those of you that travel 65 South. Mileage wise it looks like our original way that we have been going is the best but I don't know if there is a reason that AAA isn't recommending that way anymore. Also, what are 55 and 84 like? Thank you ahead of time for any and all help.
Laura
Welcome Laura, the people we rent from told us last year to come 65 South down past Montgomery and get off 65 at Georgiana which is Exit 106, checked the atlas, and go over to 55 and take it all the way to 331. She gave me step by step directions. We did not get off of 55 until we got to Florala at the state line and took it all the way to 98. Highway 55 is a good way to go. It cut an hour off of our time. What usually took us 9 1/2 hours only took us 8 1/2 this way. It is a nice highway, Not heavily traveled. That is your best bet where I am concerned!
superJfunn
:clap_1: ...glad you came back! Hey, are you running from those three kids???booya kitty!
SoWal Insider
Having grown up in Andalusia and having made the trip down from Illinois as well, don't go thru Evergreen - - it's definately out of the way. Either take the route you've always gone before, or go thru Georgiana (Hank Williams birthplace), Andalusia, Florala, De Funiak. That is the most direct route.
Have a great, safe trip!!
Have a great, safe trip!!
Beach Fanatic
Just be on the lookout for Georgiana speed cops hungry to write you a speeding ticket for barely going over the speed limit on 55
Seriously, I've known several vacation-goers who've been ticketed in Georgiana (myself included ;-) )
And be careful to keep your wheels on the road - lots of deep ruts on the side of the road caused by big trucks around Georgiana. That was a year or so ago, so could be that they've been repaired by now (hopefully).
Other than that, it's a pretty pleasant drive with little traffic!
Edited
SoWal Insider
Just be on the lookout for Georgiana speed cops hungry to write you a speeding ticket for barely going over the speed limit on 55
Seriously, I've known several vacation-goers who've been ticketed in Georgiana (myself included ;-) )
And be careful to keep your wheels on the road - lots of deep ruts on the side of the road caused by big trucks around Georgiana. That was a year or so ago, so could be that they've been repaired by now (hopefully).
Other than that, it's a pretty pleasant drive with little traffic!
luvthebeach, I guess we are lucky we saw no one last year cop wise. It is a pleasant drive on 55 with little traffic. It is that way here when you go through that little town of Oakland, you better not be going over 40 through there or you will get a ticket. They lie in wait.
Beach Fanatic
Have tried various routes a lot....I now stick with 331 out of Montgomery. You can also now get to 331 by going down another exit or so past where you normally get on 331. It is called Hope Hull exit/Hyundai Blvd (sorry I can't recall the #)....anyway you just follow it to Hyaundai Blvd (watch for signs!!) which takes you past the Hyundai plant and drops you off right onto 331.....(you may recall seeing the plant from 331 before----just to the west of 331) This allows you to avoid all the commercial traffic just before you would normally get on 331.....and saves about 10-12 minutes.....HAVE A SAFE TRIP and a WONDERFUL WEEK AT THE BEACH!!!
Beach Lover
55 is good but a bit hard to follow, as it goes through some twists and turns around Andalusia. As I recall, at one point you have to turn left right in the middle of some cornfields to stay on it and continue on down to 331. 
SoWal Insider
I sure don't remember us turning left by any cornfields on 55. But of course, I wasn't driving. But we did go that way. Unless it was where there was some construction.Beach Comber
Hi everyone! First of all, I am a long time lurker who has only posted 1 time and that was last year. I do know that when I need Sowal info this is the place to come. We are getting ready for a Sowal week from 8/7-8/15 and can't wait. We have driven down there from Cincinnati many times and have always followed AAA's directions of getting off 65 in Montgomery and taking 331 down through Luverne and Opp and even taken a short little jaunt on some roads that seemed off the beaten path. Anyway, when I went to get directions from AAA this year it said to take 65 to Evergreen and take 84 over to 331. In addition I have a friend coming down the week after us and the owner of the condo she is renting told her to get off of 65 in Georgiana and take 55 to 84 to 331. She was told this way cuts off about 45 minutes. Sooooo......what I am trying to figure out is the best way and the quickest way from those of you that travel 65 South. Mileage wise it looks like our original way that we have been going is the best but I don't know if there is a reason that AAA isn't recommending that way anymore. Also, what are 55 and 84 like? Thank you ahead of time for any and all help.
Laura
We're coming down from Cincinnati Aug 3-13 and will definitely take I-65 to Georgiana, Andalusia, Florala, DeFuniak on way to Rosemary Beach and High Pointe. Over the past years we've followed the AAA directions on 331 and a few other options and found the above way to be the best from a travel time and good roads perspective. As some of the others have warned - beware of the speed traps! Have a safe and fun trip!
Beach ComberAuthor
Thank you so much to everyone for your prompt responses. This will definitely help me make a more informed decision.
Miss Kitty, this is one summer where I am feeling like I would like to run from my kids. I have become what a friend of mine and I like to call "the cruise director". I am done being the cruise director this summer. It is a thankless job. The kiddos are driving me crazy (but of course I love them) and I am looking so forward to our week in paradise. That always settles everyone down. Other than that the reason my name is runningmomof3 is because I love to run to help maintain my sanity
Thanks again everyone. I knew I could get the info that I needed here.
Miss Kitty, this is one summer where I am feeling like I would like to run from my kids. I have become what a friend of mine and I like to call "the cruise director". I am done being the cruise director this summer. It is a thankless job. The kiddos are driving me crazy (but of course I love them) and I am looking so forward to our week in paradise. That always settles everyone down. Other than that the reason my name is runningmomof3 is because I love to run to help maintain my sanity
Thanks again everyone. I knew I could get the info that I needed here.
Beach Fanatic
I PM'd you turn-by-turn directions for the shortest route ;-)
picky
I PM'd you turn-by-turn directions for the shortest route ;-)
What's so special about your route that you can't share it with the rest of us? We come from the Midwest too, so if you're on to anything good, don't be chump...spill!!! I wanna know how to get to SoWal f-a-s-t.
BTW, Laura, every mother of children is feeling like a "cruise director" this late in the summer, so don't feel bad. I'm counting the days until I can ship mine off.
Beach Fanatic
I PM'd you turn-by-turn directions for the shortest route ;-)
How about sharing with the rest of us? If it's turn-by-turn directions, I'd love to pass it on to other friends and family who aren't as familiar with the route. And if it's shorter than any of the routes we've taken, I'D like to know. No sense in wasting time on the road when you can be lounging on the beach! ;-)
Beach Fanatic
BTW, Laura, every mother of children is feeling like a "cruise director" this late in the summer, so don't feel bad. I'm counting the days until I can ship mine off.
Now that mine are all out of the house, I long for those "cruise director" days
I get to see them pretty often, and I have to admit the freedom is nice, but I still miss all the activity!
Beach Fanatic
We're always anxious to get to Grayton. We leave on Friday evening after work. We love arriving at the rocket ship during the night, then the rest area with the great evergreen aroma two rest stops after that, I think. There's something special about driving through the night and stopping at all of these places. Because we get there early, we continue on 65 South and go to Pensacola or Mobile first and sight see alittle, have breakfast of course, then take the beach roads back east to Grayton, stopping wherever, seeing the Gulf from different vistas. Oohing and ahhing at the different homes - of course we haven't been back since the hurricanes. We didn't make it this year and don't think we can next year, but this place is always in our soul.
picky
We're always anxious to get to Grayton. We leave on Friday evening after work. We love arriving at the rocket ship during the night, then the rest area with the great evergreen aroma two rest stops after that, I think. There's something special about driving through the night and stopping at all of these places. Because we get there early, we continue on 65 South and go to Pensacola or Mobile first and sight see alittle, have breakfast of course, then take the beach roads back east to Grayton, stopping wherever, seeing the Gulf from different vistas. Oohing and ahhing at the different homes - of course we haven't been back since the hurricanes. We didn't make it this year and don't think we can next year, but this place is always in our soul.
Isn't that funny about stopping at the Huntsville rest stop on 65. We never drive by without pulling in there. To me it's the "gateway" to the south and once I see it, I know we're in the homestretch for getting to the beach.
Darlene is my middle name, not my nickname
Isn't that funny about stopping at the Huntsville rest stop on 65. We never drive by without pulling in there. To me it's the "gateway" to the south and once I see it, I know we're in the homestretch for getting to the beach.
AND most importantly you are in my hometown. :clap_1:
picky
AND most importantly you are in my hometown. :clap_1:
I knew I liked it for a reason, even before I knew what the reason was.
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