Traveling to Myrtle Beach from the Tri-State area? Here’s how to avoid I-95 traffic

Holidays draw visitors to the Grand Strand from all over, but it wouldn’t be summer in Myrtle Beach without tourists from New York and New Jersey.

Thousands make the East Coast pilgrimage by car every Fourth of July, but traffic can be a brutal crawl south from the Tri-State area along I-95 South.

According to Google Maps routes, driving along I-95 from the New York Metropolitan area to Myrtle Beach is a 659-mile drive that takes more than 11 hours without significant traffic.

The alternative routes tend to be longer in distance, but could offer quicker or more peaceful drives as rush hour and holiday traffic run up the clock.

Those looking to avoid I-95 entirely can take an inland drive sometimes called route I-81. From Summit, New Jersey, drivers can travel Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina before hitting the Palmetto State.

Another alternative to bypass I-95 starts on US-22 West from Newark, New Jersey. Drivers travel along the Delaware and Maryland in the drive south.

A route departing from Jersey City offers a drive through the eastern seaboard on US-13 South through the Jersey Shore, Virginia Beach and Ocean City.