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Four of America’s biggest music genres started within a few hundred miles of this exact route. Country took off in Nashville. Blues grew out of the Mississippi Delta. Rock and roll got its real push in Memphis. Jazz came together in New Orleans.
Drive the whole stretch and you pass through the birthplace of all four, and you might not even notice until you’re halfway through. The best option? Take a road from Nashville to New Orleans, or from New Orleans to Nashville.
But which way do you go? That’s a tough one, and after coming back time and time again, I’m here to help.
You have two ways to do it: cut through Mississippi for the blues and the Delta, or go through Alabama for rockets, civil rights history, and a surprising number of waterfalls. In this guide, I’ll cover how to get from one city to the other and all the best stops you can take on the way.
Nashville to New Orleans – Overview
Nashville gives you country music. New Orleans gives you jazz. Drive between both cities and you pass through blues, gospel, and rock and roll along the way, almost like you’re moving through the whole story of American music. That’s easily one of the most original, unique road trips you can take in the USA.
Pick the Alabama route or the Mississippi route, fly, or hop on a bus. In this guide, we cover all of it, and you’ll love all the stops.
How to Get From Nashville to New Orleans?
Driving is the easiest way to get from one city to another, and it’s the only option that lets you see every stop in this guide. You can go through Alabama or cut through Mississippi, both work fine.
Flying gets you there in under two hours on Southwest or Delta, so that is a good option if you don’t feel like driving.
A bus runs the route too, usually with a stop in Memphis. You can also take the train, but you’ll need to bus to Memphis first, then catch the City of New Orleans line from there.
Distance Between Nashville and New Orleans
The direct distance between Nashville and New Orleans comes out to about 530 miles by road, give or take depending on which route you pick. Stick to the highway and you’re looking at roughly 8 hours behind the wheel without stopping.
Add in the towns from this guide, and that easily stretches into a multi-day trip. In case you’re flying, the two cities are about 470 miles apart in a straight line, and a direct flight takes just over an hour.
How Much to Budget for a Road Trip?
The budget depends on the number of stops you make and how long you take that road trip for. Plan around $100 in petrol each way, depending on your vehicle. Hotels cost anywhere from $90 to $200 a night, cheaper in small towns and pricier in Nashville or New Orleans.
Also, add $40 to $60 a day per person for food, as well as $15 to $30 per ticket for museums and tours. A five-day trip with a few stops ends up somewhere between $800 and $1,500 for two people.
How Much is the Train from Nashville to New Orleans?
There’s no direct train station in Nashville, so that option isn’t as simple as it sounds. You’ll first take an Amtrak Thruway bus to Memphis, then switch to the City of New Orleans train for the rest of the way.
All together, tickets usually cost somewhere between $80 and $150 each way, depending on when you book and which seat type you pick. The full trip, bus included, takes around 12 to 14 hours.
All the Stops on a Road Trip From Nashville to New Orleans
This Deep South route connects Nashville and New Orleans, and you’ve got two solid paths to choose between. Go through Mississippi for the blues and the Delta, or cut through Alabama for space history and civil rights sites.
Instead of going through the basic information for getting from one to another, I listed every stop along both routes, so you can pick what fits your time and interests.
Tennessee
More people pass through the Great Smoky Mountains every year than any other national park in the country. Tennessee is full of surprises like that. Big music history and a packed mountain park go hand in hand, all the way down to Memphis.
Nashville
Nashville kicks things off with live music and history. Walk down Broadway for honky-tonks on every corner, then catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry. Whisky tasting rounds out the evening.
During the day, you can check the Country Music Hall of Fame, the National Museum of African American Music, the Johnny Cash Museum, and Jefferson Street Sound, then tie it together with a trolley tour.
There are quite a few boutique hotels in Nashville, and I highly recommend to stay a night here before starting the drive around the Deep South.
Check out the hotel options in Nashville on Booking.com and Expedia
Memphis
Memphis runs on music and memory. I recommend visiting the following museums: Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum, and Sun Studio, where rock and roll got its start.
Needless to say, Graceland deserves extra time on its own. Cap the day at the Peabody Hotel for the daily duck march through the lobby, a small touch worth catching.
Check out the hotel options in Memphis on Booking.com and Expedia
Chattanooga
Chattanooga has a lot to offer, so it makes sense to stop for a few hours or for the night. Ruby Falls takes you underground to a waterfall lit up inside a cave. Rock City, up on Lookout Mountain, gives you views across several states on a clear day.
In the downtown area, you can visit the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex, which turns an old train station into shops, restaurants, and a hotel built around real train cars.
Check out the hotel options in Chattanooga on Booking.com and Expedia
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a good addition if you like outdoor activities. There are plenty of hiking trails and viewpoints, and even a short walk gets you good views of the ridgelines. In Sevierville, swing by the Dolly Parton statue outside the courthouse.
Gatlinburg is right at the park entrance, and Anakeesta there adds zip lines, treetop walks, and a mountain coaster.
Check out the hotel options in the Great Smoky Mountains on Booking.com and Expedia
Bristol
Bristol is a bit off the main route, but it’s worth the detour, especially if you enjoy country music (or want to learn about it). Start with the murals downtown, then head to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, which traces the genre back to the 1927 Bristol Sessions.
Bristol Caverns takes you underground for something different. If you stop on a race weekend, you can catch one, which is super fun at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Check out the hotel options in Bristol on Booking.com and Expedia
Alabama
Mobile had the first Mardi Gras party in the whole country, years before New Orleans even existed. Most people never hear that part. Alabama is full of surprises like that. Rockets, civil rights history, and waterfalls hiding in spots you’d never guess.
Huntsville
Huntsville is all about rockets and space, and that is thanks to its space history. The US Space and Rocket Center has real rockets and astronaut training simulators, potentially enough to fill a day on its own.
Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment fills an old cotton mill with studios, galleries, and a coffee shop or two. The Huntsville Botanical Gardens round things out with a slower pace and a butterfly house worth the stop.
Check out the hotel options in Huntsville on Booking.com and Expedia
Birmingham
Birmingham is one of the best places to learn about civil rights history. The Vulcan statue, a giant iron man overlooking the city from Red Mountain, makes a good first stop and you get a great view.
The A.G. Gaston Motel and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute next door give you a closer look at the civil rights movement. Sloss Furnaces is also worth a stop. It’s an old iron-making site turned museum, so it shows a different side of the history of Birmingham.
Check out the hotel options in Birmingham on Booking.com and Expedia
Mobile
Mobile is on the Alabama coast, right where the state meets the Gulf. Don’t miss the USS Alabama memorial park, as they let you walk a real battleship and discover decades of military history.
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta covers close to 50,000 acres of wetlands, and an airboat ride or kayak tour gets you out into it, with a decent shot at spotting wildlife. Back in town, Dauphin Street brings colourful old buildings, bars, and restaurants for an easy evening out.
Check out the hotel options in Mobile on Booking.com and Expedia
Montgomery
Just like Birmingham, Montgomery is a major stop for civil rights history. You can see the Rosa Parks statue and visit the museum about her bus protest, which helped start a major movement. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Legacy Museum, and the Freedom Monument are also close by, so you can visit them together.
Lastly, the State Capitol building, with its white dome and wide front steps, rounds out a classic stop on Alabama’s civil rights trail.
Check out the hotel options in Montgomery on Booking.com and Expedia
Bonus: Alabama State Parks
If you like the idea of a natural side trip, Alabama’s state parks are a fantastic option. Little River Canyon cuts through the Southern Appalachians and includes Little River Falls, a 45-foot drop right off the highway near Gaylesville.
DeSoto Falls, inside Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, drops 107 feet and rewards a short walk down to the overlook. Another one worth checking out is Noccalula Falls Park. It’s a 90-foot waterfall with a mini train ride and a petting zoo, and that is perfect for families.
Mississippi
Tupelo gave Elvis to the world. Clarksdale gave the blues that turned into rock and roll. You can drive between the two in about an hour. That’s how much music came out of one small stretch of road. I personally love this part of the United States, and I highly recommend stopping along the way, on this road trip in Mississippi.
Tupelo
Tupelo is Elvis territory through and through. Visit his birthplace, a small two-room house that puts his early life into perspective, then grab a bite at the café connected to the site.
The guitar trail spreads guitar statues around downtown for an easy walking route. Add the local murals into the mix, and you’ve got an excellent half-day stop.
Check out the hotel options in Tupelo on Booking.com and Expedia
Clarksdale
Clarksdale is the real deal for blues music. Catch a live show at Ground Zero Blues Club, then snap a photo at the famous Crossroads marker where Highway 61 meets Highway 49.
Murals and street art cover a lot of downtown, and that is worth a slow walk-through. For something different, book a canoe trip or a jeep tour out into the Mississippi Delta itself.
Check out the hotel options in Clarksdale on Booking.com and Expedia
Jackson
Jackson works well as a mid-route stop with quite a few things to visit into a small area. You can start with the murals around downtown, then head to the Two Mississippi Museums complex, where the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum are right next to each other.
Round out the day in the Fondren district, a walkable neighbourhood full of shops, galleries, and delicious restaurants.
Check out the hotel options in Jackson on Booking.com and Expedia
Natchez & the Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace makes a great add-on when driving through Mississippi. It’s a long scenic parkway that ends right in Natchez.
Once you’re there, tour the antebellum mansions: Stanton Hall, Monmouth, and Longwood are the three biggest names, each with its own style. Down by the river, Under-the-Hill Saloon and the spot next to it make a good end to the day, drink in hand.
Check out the hotel options in Natchez on Booking.com and Expedia
Vicksburg
Vicksburg comes down to Civil War history, and the Vicksburg National Military Park is where you can learn about it, with miles of monuments and battlefields to drive or walk through.
In town, several small museums work on a passport system, so one ticket gets you into multiple stops, a nice way to save a bit of cash. Local galleries fill out the rest of the afternoon.
Check out the hotel options in Vicksburg on Booking.com and Expedia
Louisiana
Louisiana is the kind of place that you can explore slowly. You can walk around New Orleans, discover the bayous, old towns, and try roadside spots serving food you’ll remember. It’s a bit messy, but it’s warm, musical, and full of stops worth pulling over for. Check out this ultimate Louisiana road trip for all the details and stops.
Oh, and of course, plenty consider joining a plantation tour. You’ll learn about the history of the plantations as well as the United States as a whole.
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge revolves around LSU, and a campus tour, or better yet a game day, gives you a real feel for the energy here, baseball included if your timing lines up.
The Old State Capitol, a castle-like building downtown, packs in Louisiana political history and makes for a quick, interesting stop. Oxbow Rum Distillery rounds things out with tastings and a look at how rum gets made.
Check out the hotel options in Baton Rouge on Booking.com and Expedia
Houma
Houma puts you right in Bayou country. The Mandalay Wildlife Walk gives you an easy boardwalk trail through wetlands, good for spotting birds. Bayou Terrebonne Distillers adds a tasting stop for something stronger.
Laura Plantation, just outside town, gives a detailed and honest account of plantation life through guided tours, and a handful of murals nearby add some colour too.
Check out the hotel options in Houma on Booking.com and Expedia
Northshore
The Northshore is a good slower-paced stop north of the lake. Paddle a kayak or canoe along Cane Bayou for a quiet, shaded route through cypress trees.
Covington’s small downtown is worth walking around, and the local tea shop (The English Tea Room) there makes a good break between stops. Honey Island Swamp closes out the area with a guided boat tour and a solid chance of spotting alligators.
Check out the hotel options in Covington on Booking.com and Expedia
Avery Island
Avery Island is located on top of a huge salt dome, and the whole place is built around Tabasco sauce. The factory tour is self-guided, with ten stops walking you through how the sauce gets made, starting with peppers and ending in the bottle.
Jungle Gardens next door covers over 170 acres of bamboo groves, gators, and a large Buddha statue set back in the greenery.
Lake Charles
Lake Charles is a nice mix of nature and nightlife. The Pintail Wildlife Drive is a self-guided car route through marsh and prairie, with a good shot at spotting alligators and a wide range of birds.
The casino scene downtown brings a bit of Vegas-style energy to the lake. Downtown Lake Charles itself is small but walkable, with murals, local shops, and a lakefront view to finish the stop.
If you have more time available on the road trip, Natchitoches, Lafayette, and Shreveport are all worth a look too. Each one makes a solid detour before you push on toward New Orleans.
Check out the hotel options in Lake Charles on Booking.com and Expedia
New Orleans
New Orleans is everything this whole trip builds towards, with plenty of interesting activities. Start in the French Quarter, where brass bands and balconies line nearly every block. After that, walk Bourbon Street for the energy, then head onto Frenchmen Street for better live jazz with way fewer crowds.
Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral are the historic core, and a streetcar ride down St. Charles Avenue takes you past the old mansions in the Garden District. For something different, a St. Louis Cemetery tour walks you through the city’s famous above-ground tombs.
I personally recommend spending 3 days in New Orleans, but if you have limited time, make it at least two!
Final Thoughts
Nobody does every single stop on this list, and that’s fine. Pick a handful that match your trip and skip the rest. Take the Mississippi route for blues and the Delta, or the Alabama route for rockets and civil rights history.
Either way, you get to New Orleans having driven through the birthplace of four entire genres of American music, a drive most people rush through without slowing down for any of it.