Any Good Driving Roads in FL?

Living in Florida has MANY benefits for someone that grew up in Pittsburgh, but one big downside about living here is the driving experience. Aside from awful FL drivers (don't get me started), the flat and straight roads are starting to wear on me. As it is, I can only really have fun in my car for a few seconds at a time accelerating up to a bit beyond the speed limit -> then I just leave it in 6th, set the cruise control, and drive straight for endless miles.

I was in Pittsburgh this past weekend, and anytime I'm there I tell myself I want to bring my car up one time to get it on some fun roads. Problem is, I can't stand making the 13hr drive. I need a solution that's much closer.

Are there ANY even halfway decent driving roads anywhere here in Florida??

As someone who may need to move from FL to Pittsburgh, curious what you liked better about FL or didn't like about Pittsburgh.

We have some elevation changes and curvy roads in Howie-in-the Hills and Clermont, but I don't think it'd be worth the drive from Jacksonville.

On-ramps and off-ramps are the best we have. Lol.

There is a tread somewhere on here about this topic.

Some great mountain twisties just an hour away is one of the benefits of living in my area.

JRR said:

As someone who may need to move from FL to Pittsburgh, curious what you liked better about FL or didn't like about Pittsburgh.

We have some elevation changes and curvy roads in Howie-in-the Hills and Clermont, but I don't think it'd be worth the drive from Jacksonville.

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Don't get me wrong, Pittsburgh is a great city. I'll always consider it home. Most of my family plus a lot of my friends still live there and I love to visit, but I would never choose to move back from FL for a few reasons.

1) WINTER/Weather in General - don't care how hot it gets here, I'll never deal with winter again. Anytime I go up for Christmas, I'm so thankful I get to come back to FL haha. As far as summer goes, it can get as hot and humid in Pittsburgh as it does here, it's just not as consistently hot. Also, you can have many summer days in a row in Pittsburgh that are nothing but overcast and rain. Spring time up there is usually nothing but rain as well, but it can also still snow into late April/early May.

2) Living 5 minutes away from the beach - enough said

3) Taxes - PA not only has state income tax, but a welfare tax as well. Also, many communities can have high taxes apart from the county and they can even charge income tax for working there even if you're not a resident.

Stuntman said:

On-ramps and off-ramps are the best we have. Lol.

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Yep... haha.

My wife is originally from Pittsburgh (been in Florida like 20+ years now), and we're right in here in St. Aug too (I'm from the area).

Yeah, wow, yikes, driving around St. Augustine can be a real _drag_, I especially love driving through the Old City behind confused tourists, pedicabs, horse drawn carriages, and sightseer trolleys ... and dodging horse poop :lol:

I've never had one of my sportier cars up in PA - but always wanted to. When we used to drive up, we'd always take the SUV, though there was a period where that was an X5 with the 4.4i V8 , Sport Package, that was pretty fun

Stuntman said:

On-ramps and off-ramps are the best we have. Lol.

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Hahaaaaa. I thought I was the only one who thought that.
Seriously,if you go into teethe middle of state north of Orlando at least you get some hills.

Off Ramps

Stuntman said:

On-ramps and off-ramps are the best we have.

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Except for the off ramp to Coral Way. Took that baby too fast in my 1985 Trans am ended up turned completely around facing on coming traffic. Luckily I have quick reflexes and put that baby in reverse into the ditch. A truck was about to slam into me. :tsk:

Yeah take that off ramp easy too sharp a turn. ;)

Yeah SFLA roads & drivers suck. :lol:

I want to move to FL for the warm weather, beaches, tennis, new things to do.

Oh, and there are plenty of tracks to try. Spend your tax savings on track time.

I had a thread on this a while back for "spirited driving routes" or something like that. I posted a few links.

You can check out the FIRM, its not too far from Jacksonville/St Aug and they usually have open track days for all levels of experience. Its about the best we have in Florida is going to a track for a trackday activity. The only downside is you have to pay to play...bummer

http://gorally.com/ <----FIRM website

chris37mil said:

You can check out the FIRM, its not too far from Jacksonville/St Aug and they usually have open track days for all levels of experience. Its about the best we have in Florida is going to a track for a trackday activity. The only downside is you have to pay to play...bummer

http://gorally.com/ <----FIRM website

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+10 September and October we will be having track days EVERY Saturday and Sunday. First timers to the track only pay $100. Everyone else is only $200 for more track time than you can handle. ;)

Outside of that, Pasco county, Marion county, basically anywhere in the horse/hill (using hill loosely) country of Fl has some good back roads with farm road connectors that are basically deserted.

Here's an example route we did last year. You'll see other car clubs out this way pretty frequently.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=19Wg3FVPTVPcngHInx0olvmuePnQ&usp=sharing

chris37mil said:

You can check out the FIRM, its not too far from Jacksonville/St Aug and they usually have open track days for all levels of experience. Its about the best we have in Florida is going to a track for a trackday activity. The only downside is you have to pay to play...bummer

http://gorally.com/ <----FIRM website

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I've been there before, did one of those Gotham Dream Cars driving event back when I was in school at UF. And I drove past it plenty of times traveling between Gainesville and Jax/St. A back when I had a job with a territory that covered NE Florida. Thanks for reminding me about it, I'll have make it over there one day.

lol @ awful Florida drivers... no one is actually from here....so wonder where all the awful drivers came from...