Deep South

States: Tennessee · Georgia

Start near: Atlanta (starts here) · Chattanooga (starts here) · Huntsville (about 1 h 55 min to Chattanooga)

US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign

the General's road

US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign is a ~120-mile back-roads route from Chattanooga to Atlanta on US 41, driven in 1–2 days, that stays off I-75 through the Deep South.

Open the interactive map →

Drive

Chattanooga → Atlanta

Distance

~120 miles

Time

1–2 days

Highways

US 41

Avoids

I-75

Region

Deep South

Two great pursuits share this corridor: the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase, when Andrews' Raiders stole the General and ran it north with the Texas chasing in reverse, and the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, when Sherman and Johnston fought down every ridge US 41 now crosses. The old Dixie Highway stitches it together: Tunnel Hill's walkable bore, Resaca's fields, the actual General in Kennesaw, and a 56-foot steel chicken in Marietta, because Georgia.

📍 WPA-era Atlanta Campaign pavilion markers line US 41 the whole way; collect them like stamps.

The drive, segment by segment

Rocky Face to Resaca

Chattanooga → Resaca · ~45 mi

Ringgold Gap, the tunnel at Tunnel Hill, Dalton's winter camps and the campaign's first full battle.

• 🏛️Tunnel Hill — Tunnel Hill

  The 1850 Western & Atlantic tunnel, first through the southern Appalachians; the General steamed through it in the 1862 chase and you can walk the bore.

• ⚔️Resaca Battlefield — Resaca

  The Atlanta Campaign's first pitched battle, May 1864; a new state historic site finally protects the trench lines.

The Locomotive Chase

Resaca → Kennesaw · ~45 mi

Adairsville, where the Texas took up the chase in reverse, down to the General's museum home.

• 🏛️Adairsville — Adairsville

  The 1847 depot town where the Texas joined the Great Locomotive Chase, famously running backward at full steam.

• 🎬Southern Museum & the General — Kennesaw

  The actual General locomotive of the 1862 raid, star of Buster Keaton's and Disney's versions both, enshrined blocks from where it was stolen.

The Kennesaw Line

Kennesaw → Atlanta · ~30 mi

The mountain's earthworks, Marietta's square, the Big Chicken, and the city both armies wanted.

• ⚔️Kennesaw Mountain NBP — Kennesaw

  Johnston's mountain line and Sherman's costly June assault; earthworks on top, Atlanta's skyline on the horizon.

• 🛸The Big Chicken — Marietta

  A 56-foot steel chicken with rolling eyes and a moving beak, Marietta's true navigational aid since 1963. Locals give directions by it; so do pilots, the claim goes.

• 🏘️Marietta Square — Marietta

  Glover Park's bandstand ringed by diners and bookshops; the campaign museums sit a block off the green.

Tips and best time to go

• New Echota is 15 minutes from Resaca; chain this with the Trail of Tears route.
• Kennesaw's summit road runs a weekend shuttle; hike up if the lot line dispirits.

Frequently asked questions

How long is US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign and how many days does it take?

US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign is about 120 miles and takes 1–2 days at a back-roads pace.

Where does US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign start and end?

It runs from Chattanooga to Atlanta.

Which highways does US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign follow?

It follows US 41.

Which interstate does US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign replace?

It avoids I-75, using US 41 instead.

How many stops are on US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign, and what are the highlights?

7 stops are mapped, including Tunnel Hill, Resaca Battlefield, Adairsville, Southern Museum & the General and Kennesaw Mountain NBP.

Which ready-made itineraries include US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign?

Nashville to Atlanta on the Dixie Highway (3 days).

Worth a detour

• Barnsley Gardens ruins — An Italianate manor's romantic ruin, now the centerpiece of a resort near Adairsville; the gardens outlived the house.
• Etowah Indian Mounds — A Mississippian mound city on the Etowah at Cartersville; the marble birdman figures came out of Mound C.