Road trips by city

Road trips from Charlotte

22 back-roads routes start within a 4.5-hour drive of Charlotte, including 2 day trips and 17 weekend drives; 0 ready-made itineraries begin nearby.

Drive times are estimates to the nearer end of each route (straight-line miles plus a quarter, at 50 mph); the atlas itself never routes you onto an interstate once the drive begins.

Open the interactive map →

Day trips from Charlotte

• SC 11: The Cherokee Foothills
  About 1 h 10 min to Gaffney
  Gaffney → Walhalla · ~115 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-85
• Old Salem to Mayberry
  About 1 h 45 min to Winston-Salem
  Winston-Salem → Mount Airy · ~70 mi · 1 days · skips I-74

Weekend road trips from Charlotte

• Gold, Clay & Longleaf
  About 2 h 10 min to Columbia
  Raleigh → Columbia · ~250 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-85 / I-77
• Sherman's Carolinas Campaign
  About 2 h 10 min to Columbia
  Columbia → Durham · ~280 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-95 / I-40
• US 64: The Waterfall Byway
  About 2 h 40 min to Brevard
  Brevard → Murphy · ~120 mi · 2 days · skips I-40 (by 50 miles)
• The Old Ninety Six District
  About 2 h 50 min to Abbeville
  Augusta → Abbeville · ~100 mi · 1 days · skips I-20
• US 58: The Last Capital Road
  About 2 h 50 min to Martinsville
  Martinsville → Suffolk · ~230 mi · 2 days · skips I-85
• The Crooked Road
  About 3 h to Floyd
  Bristol → Floyd · ~210 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-81
• The Wilderness Road
  About 3 h to Bristol
  Bristol → Berea · ~220 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-75 / I-81
• US 11: The Valley Road South
  About 3 h to Bristol
  Roanoke → Bristol · ~150 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-81
• US 11E: The Great Valley Road
  About 3 h to Bristol
  Knoxville → Bristol · ~110 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-81 / I-26
• US 301: The Ghost Road
  About 3 h 5 min to Santee
  Emporia → Santee · ~290 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-95 (that's the point)
• US 52: The Mine Wars Road
  About 3 h 35 min to Bluefield
  Bluefield → Williamson · ~100 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-77 (by a county)
• Skyline Drive & the Parkway
  About 3 h 45 min to Roanoke
  Front Royal → Roanoke · ~225 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-81 (running parallel below)
• The Valley Pike
  About 3 h 45 min to Roanoke
  Winchester → Roanoke · ~200 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-81
• The Overhill Country
  About 3 h 50 min to Gatlinburg
  Chattanooga → Gatlinburg · ~175 mi · 2 days · skips I-75
• The Dragon & the Skyway
  About 3 h 50 min to Loop from Gatlinburg
  Loop from Gatlinburg · ~280 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-40 (by 200 miles)
• North Georgia Gold & Apples
  About 4 h 15 min to Brasstown Bald
  Dahlonega → Brasstown Bald · ~130 mi · 1–2 days · skips GA 400 / I-575
• The Quiet Zone
  About 4 h 30 min to Lewisburg
  Lewisburg → Petersburg, WV · ~160 mi · 2 days · skips I-79 (by 60 miles)

Named parkways and scenic byways within reach

• US 64: The Waterfall Byway
  About 2 h 40 min to Brevard
  Brevard → Murphy · ~120 mi · 2 days · skips I-40 (by 50 miles)
• Blue Ridge Parkway & the Smokies
  About 3 h 30 min to Cherokee (+ Smokies spurs)
  Roanoke → Cherokee (+ Smokies spurs) · ~400 mi · 3–5 days · skips I-81 / I-40 / I-26
• Skyline Drive & the Parkway
  About 3 h 45 min to Roanoke
  Front Royal → Roanoke · ~225 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-81 (running parallel below)

Other cities: Atlanta · Nashville · New Orleans · Houston · Dallas · Austin · San Antonio · Memphis · Birmingham · Charleston · Miami · Orlando · Tampa · Jacksonville · Louisville · Raleigh · Richmond · Knoxville · Chattanooga · Savannah · Little Rock · Baton Rouge · Mobile · Pensacola · Greenville, SC · Asheville · Virginia Beach · Columbia, SC · Washington, DC · Lexington, KY · Jackson, MS · Huntsville · Montgomery · Tallahassee · Myrtle Beach · Wilmington, NC · Oklahoma City.