Can't blame you, really. Packing the car and paying at the pump are painful enough, not to mention long hours behind the wheel and putting up with road construction projects that try your patience and drag out the drive.

So this year, get onto I-95 - Daytona Beach is an easy entry point from Orlando and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area - and make the 15-hour, 954-mile drive to Philadelphia an adventure with some welcoming, unwinding pit stops at bed-and-breakfast inns along the way. Motel 6-type rest stops may save you a few bucks, but these gems will go far beyond leaving the light on for you; they'll toss in a great breakfast - fuel for the driver - to boot.

Jacksonville Riverdale Inn

Distance from Daytona Beach: 94 miles; 1 hour, 33 minutes

From I-95: Less than a mile.

Room rates: $100-$185

First stop: Book a room at the Riverdale Inn with its own Row Restaurant on site. Have a nightcap at the inn's Gum Bunch Pub.

Built in 1901, the mansion has solid heart-of-pine floors, wainscoting, crown moldings, and spacious, beautifully decorated rooms, each with its own bath. Outdoors, the Riverdale has a shingled, painted facade and the original curved columns that frame a wide veranda. A brick path leads guests through landscaping that duplicates the original garden.

Breakfast specials include sausage frittata, omelets and quiche.

Information: 1-866-808-3400, www.riverdaleinn.com.

If you have time to spare: Tour the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, known for collections of European and American paintings and early Meissen porcelain. Within walking distance of the inn on the banks of the St. Johns River, the museum has two acres of formal gardens.

Darien, Ga.

Blue Heron Inn

Distance from Daytona Beach: 176 miles; 2 hours, 49 minutes

From I-95: 8 miles

Room rates: $95-$160.

Second stop: Like marshland and bird-watching? You're sure to like this inn. The three-story Spanish-style house, built in 1970, has four guest rooms with fabulous tidal creek and marsh views. Ask for the Blue Heron room with the king bed, double shower and Jacuzzi.

There's a deck outside that's perfect for watching the sunset. The innkeepers can arrange a kayaking trip or an offshore fishing excursion. For dinner, treat yourself to crisp flounder or crab cakes at Skippers' Fish Camp or fresh shrimp at Sapelo Station Crossing.

Breakfast specialties include fresh shrimp omelets or praline French toast using Paula Deen's recipe.

Distance and travel time from Stop No. 1 in Jacksonville: 84 miles; 1 hour, 14 minutes

Information: 912-437-4304, www.blueheroninngacoast.com.

If you have time to spare: Take a ferry ($2-$10) to Sapelo Island, where you can walk or bike ride and see oodles of shorebirds and an occasional gator, but not a lot of people.

Charleston, S.C.

Rutledge Victorian Guest House

Distance from Daytona Beach: 334 miles; 5 hours, 27 minutes.

From I-95: 60 miles

Room rates: $149-$239

Third stop: Charleston is a bit of a drive from I-95, but it's worth it to stay at the Rutledge Victorian Guest House in the historic district. Unwind on the B&B's 120-foot wraparound veranda. Start the day with Charleston-blend coffee and a buffet-style breakfast of English scones, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, cereal, fresh juice, and fruit served in the dining room.

For dinner, walk to Hominy Grill, a Charleston institution known for serving classic Southern specialties such as pan-fried chicken and shrimp, and grits.

Distance and travel time from Stop No. 2 in Darien, Ga.: 161 miles; 2 hours, 35 minutes

Information: 1-888-722-7553, www.charlestonvictorian.com

If you have time to spare: Shop on King Street. You can find anything from the latest Hermes scarf to Chinese porcelain painted in the Green Fitzhugh pattern, circa 1800-30. Or, take a walking or carriage tour of this city with a rich history dating to 1670, when settlers established Charles Towne Landing.

Latta, S.C.

Abingdon Manor

Distance from Daytona Beach: 426 miles; 6 hours, 30 minutes

From I-95: 5 miles

Room rates: $170-$185

Fourth stop: This opulent Greek Revival home is almost halfway to Philadelphia from Daytona Beach. It's one of the few Florence-area lodgings to offer on-site evening dining and liquor service.

All seven guest rooms have fresh flowers, featherbeds (under the bottom sheet, on top of a firm mattress), Italian Frette linens, iron, full-length mirror, and expanded cable television.

Guests are treated to evening turndown with champagne and chocolates, early-morning coffee and tea service, and a gourmet breakfast.

The inn's dining room has received AAA's Four Diamond Award for the last six years. Dinner is served with imported crystal, Villeroy & Boch china, and sterling silver, as you listen to the melodies of Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Entrees change daily, depending on what is fresh and available.

Richly textured with herbs and vegetables from the B&B's gardens, meals include soup, salad, bread, sorbet, entree with accompaniments, and dessert. Dinner is $49.50 per person plus tax and 18 percent gratuity - and worth every penny.

Distance from Stop No. 2 in Darien, Ga.: 254 miles; 3 hours, 40 minutes

Information: 1-888-752-5090; www.abingdonmanor.com

If you have time to spare: You can find antiques shops and golf within 30 miles. South of the Border, a tacky but fun rest stop and roadside attraction near Dillon, S.C., is nearby and has restaurants, gas stations, a motel, small amusement park, shopping, and fireworks. Along I-95, you can't miss the billboards with its mascot, Pedro, wearing a sombrero and poncho, counting down the miles to the spot on the border of North and South Carolina.

Tarboro, N.C.

The Main Street Inn

Distance from Daytona Beach: 598 miles, 9 hours, 9 minutes

From I-95: 13 miles

Room rates: $109

Fifth stop: Tarboro is one of the oldest towns in the country, incorporated in 1760. It has its original Town Common, a 15-acre park that leads to a 45-block historic district and the renovated downtown, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Main Street Inn, built in 1895, is a three-story Italianate house with a grand neoclassical porch lined with inviting rockers. Guest rooms have king beds, leather seating, original heart pine floors, cable TV, and wireless Internet service.

The breakfast specialty - complete with candlelight, linens, fine china and silver and served in the Red Cedar Wine Room - is strawberry-stuffed French toast. But that's only one of the yummy entrees you can expect.

For dinner, order grilled striped bass (or any fish dish) at On the Square, a popular eatery just off Main Street.

Distance from Stop No. 4 in Latta, S.C.: 176 miles; 2 hours, 52 minutes.

Information: 252-823-3221, www.mainstreetinn.biz.

If you have time to spare: Stroll through the historic Town Common, originally established for the common grazing of livestock, community outings, and military drills. See the 1860 Cotton Press, the pretty herb gardens area, and the nature walk along McBryde Trail. Surrounding the commons are beautiful, stately homes built between 1890 and 1910.

Richmond, Va.

Grace Manor Inn

Distance from Daytona Beach: 696 miles; 10 hours, 43 minutes.

From I-95: Less than 2 miles.

Room rates: $175-$215

Sixth stop: Spend the night in the heart of the Fan District. All four guest suites come with a complimentary bottle of wine and cheese. Each suite has a large bedroom that connects to an impressive private sitting room.

Breakfast is a three-course affair under the Tiffany chandelier in the dining room. Bellinis (the nectar of white peaches and Italian sparkling wine) and mimosas (champagne and orange juice) are complimentary. A typical breakfast begins with a seasonal fruit dish and is followed by one of the signature entrees, such as Rustic Italian Breakfast (grilled Italian bread topped with a smear of goat cheese, basil pesto, prosciutto, broiled tomatoes, poached eggs, and basil). Breakfast always ends with something sweet, such as a small serving of panna cotta with fresh berries.

Crave puppy love? The inn's official mascots, Cocoa, Bear and Teddy Schick, will be happy to dish it out. If you're worried about allergies, know that Yorkshire terriers are considered an allergy-free breed because of their lack of shedding and dander.

For dinner, try the nearby Carytown Sushi or Edo's Squid, a neighborhood Italian restaurant with great seafood.

Distance from Stop No. 5 in Tarboro, N.C.: 132 miles; 2 hours, 9 minutes.

Information: 804-353-4334, www.thegracemanorinn.com.

If you have time to spare: Visit Richmond's Historic Monument Avenue, a block from the B&B. Walk to restaurants and museums and Virginia Commonwealth University. The state capitol, The Diamond (home to the Richmond Braves' AAA minor-league baseball team), the University of Richmond, and the Greater Richmond Convention Center are all within five miles of the inn.

Annapolis, Md. Meadow Gardens

Distance from Daytona Beach: 833 miles; 13 hours, 7 minutes

From I-95: 22 miles

Room rates: $100-$125

Seventh stop: The grounds of the B&B, two miles from the historic district, are alive with country flowers, fruit trees, grape vines, herbs and vegetables, and you can relax in a hammock in the Zen garden.

Owner Wendy Mays' works of art are displayed throughout the rooms. Betsy and Tybee, her dogs, love to greet guests and play fetch with a ball.

There are three B&Bs on the property, so when Meadow Gardens is booked, you can check into Wendy's parents' B&B, The Barn, or her sister's inn, Farmhouse B&B. There are eight guest rooms among the three houses.

Guests may borrow a kayak or canoe and can swim in the pool or creek.

Breakfast could be anything from pancakes to scrambled eggs. For dinner, order a trio of crab cakes and the butternut squash crab soup at the Wild Orchid Cafe, or go to Northwoods, where the menu includes crabmeat Portofino, escargots Bugatti, Zuppa de Pesce Angelico and Beef Wellington.

Distance from Stop No. 6 in Richmond, Va.: 140 miles; 2 hours, 11 minutes.

Information: www.meadowgardenbandb.com, 410-224-2729.

If you have time to spare: Spend a few hours in downtown Annapolis, with its historic homes, art galleries, museums, theaters, antique and craft shops, St. John's College, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Baltimore

Gramercy Mansion B&B

Distance from Daytona Beach: 852 miles, 13 hours, 22 minutes

From I-95: 12 miles

Room rates: $150-$375

Eighth stop: Stay at a stately Tudor manor on 45 acres in Baltimore County. It's 20 minutes from downtown Baltimore, but a zillion miles from city stress. The grand house is filled with beautiful antiques.

The mansion was built in 1902 by Alexander J. Cassatt, owner of the Pennsylvania Railroad and brother of Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, as a wedding gift to his daughter Eliza.

In the 1950s, it was taken over by the Koinonia Foundation,which taught members organic gardening methods so they could teach them to the needy in other countries.

By 1985, the property had been sold to Anne and Ronald Pomykala, who turned it into a first-class bed and breakfast. The organic farm and ornate gardens are still here, and guests can roam or sit on the porches overlooking Greenspring Valley.

Breakfasts are made using ingredients grown on the property and taste as spectacular as they look. Even the flower on the plate is edible.

The owners also run the 1840s Carrollton Inn, a block from Little Italy and four blocks from the Inner Harbor. It's about 2 miles from I-95.

Distance from Stop No. 7 in Annapolis: 31 miles, 37 minutes

Information: 1-800-553-3404, www.gramercymansion.com.

If you have time to spare: Check out the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry, and an Orioles game at Camden Yards before heading home.