How to shoot the milkyway?

I have been seeing some Milkyway shots that people have taken. I have a 40D with the 135mm kit zoom lens. My family and I are going on a trip to florida and I know I'm going to be getting into some pretty dark areas for shooting. I was just curious how to go about shooting it. And if I even can shoot it. Thanks in advance...

Use the 28-135 at 28mm. ISO 800, 20 seconds exposure wide open. Put on a tripod and point at the sky. if the skies are nice and dark that should get you some decent images and be something to build on. Experiment with 30seconds and ISO 1600. Avoid any form of incident light whilst the shutter is open.

I'd take the 50mm with you as well and try some shots with that. At f/1.4 you'll be able to open that wide open, (perhaps stopped down a couple), and shoot for only a few seconds to get a lot of light on the sensor. You won't get much of the Milky Way in though...definitely use the 28mm for that.

If the skies are really dark then you ought to be able to see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Shoot around the constellation Cygnus for the best results.

It's been a really long time since I've used a star map... So I'll be sure to pick one up before going on my trip. I don't even know where Cygnus is. I only know Orion, and the big dipper and small dipper. LoL

Thanks for the great info guys...

At a dark site, give your eyes a few minutes to accustomise and you will be able to clearly see the Milky Way. Point your camera at the densest area and give it a go.

I now have two weeks in The Grenadines and am hoping to get some decent dark skies there