Tennessee road trips and scenic drives

17 back-roads routes touch Tennessee, with 176 curated stops along them and 17 ready-made itineraries crossing the state.

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Routes through Tennessee

Natchez Trace Parkway
444 miles, zero billboards, ten thousand years
Natchez → Nashville · ~444 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-55 / I-65 corridor
Blue Ridge Parkway & the Smokies
America's longest slow road, southern half
Roanoke → Cherokee (+ Smokies spurs) · ~400 mi · 3–5 days · skips I-81 / I-40 / I-26
The Trail of Tears: Georgia to Kentucky
the northern road of the removal
New Echota → Hopkinsville · ~350 mi · 3 days · skips I-75 / I-24
Highway 64: Shiloh to Lookout Mountain
Southern Tennessee the long way
Memphis → Chattanooga · ~340 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-40 / I-24
US 11: The Valley South
Appalachia's exit ramp
Chattanooga → Meridian · ~330 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-59
The Blues Highway
US 61 through the Mississippi Delta
Memphis → Natchez · ~320 mi · 2–4 days · skips I-55
The Dragon & the Skyway
Newfound Gap, the Cherohala and US 129: a Smokies loop
Loop from Gatlinburg · ~280 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-40 (by 200 miles)
The Wilderness Road
Boone's gap and the first West
Bristol → Berea · ~220 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-75 / I-81
US 41: Dixie Highway, Nashville to Chattanooga
the old Dixie Highway over Monteagle, with the whiskey dogleg
Nashville → Chattanooga · ~220 mi · 2 days · skips I-24
US 70: Broadway of America
Memphis to Nashville, pre-interstate
Memphis → Nashville · ~210 mi · 2 days · skips I-40
The Bootheel: US 61 North
earthquake country and throwed rolls
Memphis → Cape Girardeau · ~175 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-55
The Overhill Country
Ocoee whitewater to the peaceful side of the Smokies
Chattanooga → Gatlinburg · ~175 mi · 2 days · skips I-75
US 127: The Plateau & the Sale
Sequatchie to York country
Chattanooga → Albany, KY · ~160 mi · 2 days · skips I-40
The Middle Tennessee Pike
Franklin to the Shoals on the old roads
Nashville → Muscle Shoals · ~140 mi · 2 days · skips I-65
The Hill Country Ramble
Old 78 and MS 7 through Faulkner country
Memphis → Tupelo · ~130 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-22
US 41: Dixie Highway & the Atlanta Campaign
the General's road
Chattanooga → Atlanta · ~120 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-75
US 11E: The Great Valley Road
Knoxville to Bristol, statesman country
Knoxville → Bristol · ~110 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-81 / I-26

Scenic drives and parkways

2 of the Tennessee routes follow a named parkway, trace, trail or scenic byway.

Ready-made itineraries that cross Tennessee

Stories from Tennessee

Other states: Alabama · Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Kentucky · Louisiana · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina · Texas · Virginia · West Virginia.

Frequently asked questions

How many Tennessee road trips are there, and how long do they take?

17 routes cross Tennessee, from 1 day to 5 days each; driven back to back they add up to about 4,124 miles.

What is the longest drive in Tennessee?

Natchez Trace Parkway at about 444 miles (Natchez → Nashville), a 3–4-day drive.

What is the best weekend drive in Tennessee?

US 11E: The Great Valley Road: about 110 miles, 1–2 days, Knoxville → Bristol.

Which neighboring states do Tennessee routes continue into?

These routes carry on into Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas and Missouri.