This will be my first year driving (I usually fly but I want to bring more of my game library with me this time).  I see a few different routes (coming from Dallas/Ft Worth Metro area).  

Was wondering if anyone has done this drive before and what your thoughts/recommendations were.  Thanks in advance.

My boyfriend and I have driven from DFW for the past few years. We always leave on a Tuesday, spend the night in Joplin or Springfield, Missouri, and continue our journey the next morning straight to Indy. We usually do not attend the last day of the convention and drive straight back. I pack food and drinks in a cooler to prevent from frequent stops. We trip starts on I-35 N, I-44 E, and I-70 E. Main cities are Tulsa, Springfield, St. Louis then Indianapolis.  

I'm also driving from DFW. I am planning to take the route that runs through Memphis instead of the Springfield/St Louis way. I'll probably stop and stay in Memphis on Tuesday night and get to Indianapolis early Wednesday morning. 

Thank you for the feedback guys.  I'm tentatively going Daring's route since a significant part of that is toll roads which I find very pleasant driving.  I have two other passengers so we hope to trade off and make it in a day.  If I have to stay overnight anywhere, I have enough pts to stay for free at a Courtyard coming AND going  in Springfield so that 's NO problem.

Also regular google map updates show Daring's route as significantly less construction.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated!!!

It is a bit more scenic driving through Missouri than Tennessee. I don't have any recommendations on places to stop at. It is very doable drive in one day. It will be very tiring. Get out every few hours, stretch, and take a walk. We usually alternate between rest stops and gas stations. May you have a pleasant journey and we'll see you there.

Well if EVERYONE is going to Springfield, maybe that's the place to be! :D I'd be willing to meet up and say hi to new people over dinner! I'll likely stay at the DoubleTree on Glenstone, since I have plenty of points for that one myself! :) 

I'm not coming from Texas but years of driving to gencon from Utah I can give some advise.  Looking at the map Dallas is around 900 miles away from inanapolias.  The same distance from northern Utah to Lincoln ne.  For years (15) I would drive that distance the first day (people I went with didn't have vacation for 3 days each way).  Yes it's do able but if you can take the extra day to drive.  I makes a Hugh difference on enjoying the con.  You aren't as worn out and run down.  13 hours driving is harder than you would think.  Also if you can afford it, come in on Tuesday.  That gives you all day wedsday to get extra sleep, look around (we went to the zoo one year) eat in restraunts that aren't crowded.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts.

In my perfect trip, we'll leave at midnight on Tuesday, I'll drive most of the way thru OK, then pop two Xanax, put on a sleep mask, crawl into the back seat with a pillow and wake up at the convention with time to spare for my first event, Wednesday evening.  Got a room at the JW so should be no problem being able to "dive right in".

However if my companions drop out which (as anyone whoever plans a trip involving other human beings knows) is always a possibility, then I'll go the two day route and stopover in Springfield.  Courtyard looks best to stay for me because it's right off 44 and I can stay there cheaply.  If that should happen, I'm perfectly willing to meetup with any fellow Gen Con attendees.  I'll know they're going when I see they've spent money come pre reg time.  In which case I'll revisit this thread.

Otherwise I'll happily see you all in August.

Cheers!!

So I wanted to circle back around on this, since we're less than a week away. Do we still have a small contingent of Dallas folks who are looking at stopping in Springfield on Tuesday night? If so, would anyone be interesting in meeting up for some board gaming? 

We have decided to fly this year due to work schedule and frequent flier miles. :)

I hope you have a pleasant journey. 

If you stay in Springfield try to stay as close to I-44 as you can -- or do whatever you can to avoid the sometimes awful traffic on Glenstone! 

Also, they have a few decent hotels just west of Springfield in Mount Vernon Mo.  Maybe not quite as beautiful as what Springfield has but Mount Vernon is not nearly as big a pain to deal with as Springfield can be :D.  You basically swing in on the first exit... swing out on the last exit - no backtracking :D..

Just fyi :D

We'll be leaving for the convention on Tuesday night as planned with the two other drivers.  OTW back however we will almost certainly stay over night in Springfield....so can't make it coming, but could probably make it going home.

I lived in DFW but now live outside Indy. Made that trip too many times to count as I traveled back to visit family. Ditto what everyone says. Take the OK/mo route.  Much easier drive. Be prepared for toll roads (worth it). Don't forget to allow for time change as you cross il-in boarder. 

Sure youll be in a hurry but try to make time to stop at a place called POPS In Arcadia,ok. Right outside OK city. Fun diner/place to stop and stretch your legs. It's a roadside attraction that displays/sells over 500 kinds of soda-pop (hence the name) good place for a snack/meal and nice way to break up trip. 

I lived in DFW but now live outside Indy. Made that trip too many times to count as I traveled back to visit family. Ditto what everyone says. Take the OK/mo route.  Much easier drive. Be prepared for toll roads (worth it). Don't forget to allow for time change as you cross il-in boarder. 

Sure youll be in a hurry but try to make time to stop at a place called POPS In Arcadia,ok. Right outside OK city. Fun diner/place to stop and stretch your legs. It's a roadside attraction that displays/sells over 500 kinds of soda-pop (hence the name) good place for a snack/meal and nice way to break up trip. 

If you have time for a sit-down lunch/dinner in Springfield, consider Lambert's (www.throwedrolls.com) - great food and atmostphere, and HUGE portions.  It's on the south side of Springfield so it will be a little off the route from I-44 One word of advice - they actually do not take credit cards so plan ahead and use cash to pay (there are ATM's on site but there's a bank surcharge so I bring cash with me).  It's a regular stop for our family when we head down to Branson for a weekend.

As mentioned above, Springfield's traffic can be unpredictable but if you stick to the highways you should be ok.

FYI if you're coming up from Memphis:

Google gives 3 routes, one of which takes you from Memphis through "I-40 E, I-55 N, I-69 N". I-69 from Evansville, In. to Indianapolis is going to be a great route someday, BUT within Indiana itself, just south of Bloomington, I-69 is still being built. A state highway - US 37 - is being turned into Interstate 69, so because of that, there's a fair amount of construction from that point to Indianapolis. 

Granted, I don't see many people taking that route. Google has it as the longest in both distance and drive time. Plus, to be honest, traffic flows pretty well most times (yes, I've driven the US37 route between Indianapolis and Bloomington multiple times, most recently just yesterday), so it's likely that it won't be too bad. But, I figured I'd better point out the construction anyway, just so that people are fully informed.

I regularly drive from Louisville, Kentucky to Orlando, Florida which is about a 12.5 hour drive and has similar mileage. It's doable in one day with me only stopping for gas and drive throughs, but it would be very tiring to turn it into a "road trip" with a lot of stops. That 12.5 hour drive would soon turn into a 15 hour drive and turn into multiple days of driving. You'd probably be looking at a two day drive if you make a lot of stops. You don't want to be totally worn out/tired before the convention even begins, either.