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Cars, The Lorraine Motel, National Civil Rights Museum, Mulberry Street, Memphis, TN (53700186466)📷 Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0

Road trips in Tennessee

11 road trips and 20 hand-picked places in Tennessee, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
11
Places
20

Campsites in Tennessee 455

Trip guides

Road trips through Tennessee

Cumberland Plateau waterfalls – Cummins Falls by Brenton Rogers 02© Brenton Rogers from Cumberland Gap, TN · CC BY 2.0
111
Things to do in…

Cumberland Plateau waterfalls

166 mi8 stops4 days
The quiet side of the Smokies: Foothills Parkway and Cades Cove – 2017-05-17 19 41 30 Panoramic view east and south from the Look Rock Observation Tower at Look Rock along Foothills Parkway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, within Blount County, Tennessee© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
321
National park loops

The quiet side of the Smokies: Foothills Parkway and Cades Cove

74 mi6 stops3 days
Music highway: Nashville to New Orleans – a large room with rows of wooden chairsPhoto by Chris Kofoed on Unsplash
55
Themed road trips

Music highway: Nashville to New Orleans

683 mi8 stops4 days
Natchez Trace Parkway – Andy Warhol Bridge DSC 0204© Chris connelly · CC BY 2.0
NTP
Scenic byways

Natchez Trace Parkway

503 mi5 stops4 days
Cumberland Gap and the moonbow at Cumberland Falls – Cumberland Gap Visitor Center 2025a© Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0
25E
Themed road trips

Cumberland Gap and the moonbow at Cumberland Falls

143 mi7 stops3 days
The Blues Highway – people walking in middle of road in between establishments at night timePhoto by Pretty Pink on Unsplash
61
Themed road trips

The Blues Highway

290 mi4 stops3 days
Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country – Bailey Woods 2018 1© Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
78
Themed road trips

Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country

246 mi8 stops3 days
Great Smoky Mountains and the Tail of the Dragon – people standing on tower over looking trees under cloudy skyPhoto by Kirk Thornton on Unsplash
129
Scenic byways

Great Smoky Mountains and the Tail of the Dragon

77 mi5 stops2 days
Blues, levees and cypresses: by camper along the lower Great River Road from St. Louis to New Orleans – white and green dome cathedral in between high-rise buildings during daytimePhoto by Brittney Butler on Unsplash
61
In-depth road trip guides

Blues, levees and cypresses: by camper along the lower Great River Road from St. Louis to New Orleans

842 mi14 stops7 days
North Alabama: Helen Keller, rockets and caves – Felix Grundy Norman House© Nyttend · Public domain
565
Themed road trips

North Alabama: Helen Keller, rockets and caves

347 mi8 stops3 days
Blue mountains, golden autumn – along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Great Smoky Mountains – Gold Skyline Drive - HDR (15643840808)© Nicolas Raymond from Bethesda, Maryland, USA · CC BY 2.0
BRP
In-depth road trip guides

Blue mountains, golden autumn – along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Great Smoky Mountains

544 mi14 stops6 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Cumberland Plateau waterfalls4166 mi2 h 58 min8
The quiet side of the Smokies: Foothills Parkway and Cades Cove374 mi1 h 19 min6
Music highway: Nashville to New Orleans4683 mi12 h 12 min8
Natchez Trace Parkway4503 mi8 h 59 min5
Cumberland Gap and the moonbow at Cumberland Falls3143 mi2 h 33 min7
The Blues Highway3290 mi5 h 11 min4
Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country3246 mi4 h 24 min8
Great Smoky Mountains and the Tail of the Dragon277 mi1 h 22 min5
Blues, levees and cypresses: by camper along the lower Great River Road from St. Louis to New Orleans7842 mi15 h 02 min14
North Alabama: Helen Keller, rockets and caves3347 mi6 h 12 min8
Blue mountains, golden autumn – along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Great Smoky Mountains6544 mi9 h 43 min14
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Tennessee

Cars, The Lorraine Motel, National Civil Rights Museum, Mulberry Street, Memphis, TN (53700186466)© Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
History

National Civil Rights Museum

Memphis, TN
Cummins Falls State Park – Cummins Falls by Brenton Rogers 02© Brenton Rogers from Cumberland Gap, TN · CC BY 2.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Cummins Falls State Park

Cookeville, TN
Fall Creek Falls State Park (Unsplash)© Mika Matin mikamatin · CC0
Editor's pick
Nature

Fall Creek Falls State Park

Spencer, TN
Cades Cove - October 2023 - Sarah Stierch 01© Missvain · CC BY 4.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Cades Cove

Townsend, TN
Editor's pick
Nature

Reelfoot Lake State Park

Tiptonville, TN
Graceland – Memphis recording service LED signPhoto by Uwe Conrad on Unsplash
History

Graceland

Memphis, TN
Ryman Auditorium – Nashville's Ryman© Colemanbd · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Ryman Auditorium

Nashville, TN
Elkmont Campground – Great Smoky Mountain Fireflies - panoramio (1)© Rick Shu · CC BY-SA 3.0
Camping

Elkmont Campground

Gatlinburg, TN
Natchez Trace double arch bridge – brown concrete bridge over river during daytimePhoto by Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash
Views

Natchez Trace double arch bridge

Franklin, TN
Burgess Falls State Park – BurgessFallsBurgessStatePark© Whippdog · CC0
Nature

Burgess Falls State Park

Sparta, TN
Rock Island State Park – Twin Falls (49730016737)© Nicolas Raymond from Bethesda, Maryland, USA · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Rock Island State Park

Rock Island, TN
Foster Falls – a large waterfall with lots of water coming out of itPhoto by Jonnelle Yankovich on Unsplash
Nature

Foster Falls

Sequatchie, TN
Shiloh National Military Park – Shiloh Natl Cemetery 2009 pano1© Kbh3rd · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Shiloh National Military Park

Shiloh, TN
Look Rock, Foothills Parkway – 2017-05-17 19 41 30 Panoramic view east and south from the Look Rock Observation Tower at Look Rock along Foothills Parkway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, within Blount County, Tennessee© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Views

Look Rock, Foothills Parkway

Walland, TN
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Noah Ogle Place - October 2023 - Sarah Stierch 02© Missvain · CC BY 4.0
Views

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Gatlinburg, TN
History

Historic Rugby

Rugby, TN
History

Jonesborough Historic District

Jonesborough, TN
Point Park, Lookout Mountain – Point Park Entrance Gate, Lookout Mountain TN© John Phelan · CC BY 4.0
Views

Point Park, Lookout Mountain

Chattanooga, TN
A visit to Sun Studios (Unsplash)© Joshua Ness theexplorerdad · CC0
History

Sun Studio

Memphis, TN
Nature

Stone Door, Savage Gulf

Beersheba Springs, TN

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Tennessee?

Popular routes include Cumberland Plateau waterfalls, The quiet side of the Smokies: Foothills Parkway and Cades Cove, Music highway: Nashville to New Orleans and Natchez Trace Parkway. CampingSpirit has 11 trip guides that pass through Tennessee, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Tennessee are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend National Civil Rights Museum, Cummins Falls State Park, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Cades Cove and Reelfoot Lake State Park.

Nearby

Kentucky 6Alabama 3Georgia 5Indiana 3North Carolina 10Mississippi 8Illinois 10Missouri 9