There are lots of ways to get to Southside from the Washington metropolitan area and vice versa. Each is about 220 miles and ranges from 4 to 4 1/2 hours. We travel them at least 10 times a year.
1. The simplest route is to follow Interstate 95 through Richmond, turn on to I-85 near Petersburg and turn on to U.S. 58 west to South Boston. Best times are before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
2. Or take I-95 south to Richmond and get on U.S. 360 southwest to South Boston. This involves a few stop signs in Richmond, but usually very little traffic on U.S. 360. (There are several ways to get to 360, either north, south or through Richmond on the Powhite Parkway.)
3. Lots of people prefer taking I-66 west to U.S. 29 (at Gainesville) and following it to Lynchburg. At Lynchburg, get on U.S. 501 south to South Boston. There are a lot of stoplights, though, in Charlottesville.
4. Mike’s favorite: When traffic is likely to be busy on I-95 (Fridays and Sundays especially), we take I-66 west to Gainesville, follow U.S. 29 to Culpeper and then down U.S. 15 to 360 and then southwest to South Boston. U.S. 15 is a two-lane highway, but traffic is rarely heavy, and the scenery is beautiful. Coming back from South Boston, I have never encountered much trouble even on the Sunday after Thanksgiving or Fourth of July. But avoid the route on Columbus Day weekend, when people go to the Blue Ridge to see the leaves.