Memphis to Mobile road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Memphis to Mobile drive are Oxford MS, Tupelo MS and Meridian MS and Mobile AL. The distance from Memphis to Mobile AL by car is 382 miles, with a 6h5m driving time.

Planning a Memphis to Mobile road trip itinerary

The Memphis to Mobile drive takes you from western Tennessee to the Alabama coast.

Five great things to do in Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee, is a pilgrimage site for Elvis fans. The King’s Graceland mansion is one of the top tourist sites in the US. But the cultural heritage extends beyond music, as you’ll discover on an African-American history tour.

Music fans should also try the Try the Rock and Soul Museum, plus the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

Ways of seeing the city include ghost walks, Downtown food tours and musical bus tours. There are also guided walks down music central, Beale Street, and city tours that take you inside the legendary Sun Studio.

Outdoors, Shelby Farms Park is one of America’s great urban parks and the Memphis Botanic Garden is expansive.

Top Memphis accommodation options include the Peabody, famous for its marching ducks, and the Guesthouse at Graceland.

The Alabama Gulf Coast port city of Mobile has a perhaps unexpected party spirit. This is best explored in the bars, or at the Mobile Carnival Museum.

You can also head on board the USS Alabama battleship or visit the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. The latter includes a ship simulator, where you can have a go at steering a ship through the Gulf.

Elsewhere, Colonial Fort Conde is the top historic attraction and the Exploreum Science Center has plenty of button-pushing for kids.

Mobile experience options include a downtown food tour and a cruise around the port.

Top Mobile accommodation picks include the personality-packed Fort Conde Inn and the riverside Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza.

Memphis to Mobile distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Memphis to Mobile is 382 miles. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and five minutes. Most of the journey is down the I-22 and US-45.

The best road trip stops to add to a Memphis to Mobile road trip itinerary are Oxford MS, Tupelo MS and Meridian MS.

Best stops between Memphis and Mobile AL: Oxford MS

A short detour from the interstate, Oxford MS has a more refined air to it than many cities in Mississippi. It is a place of book shops, galleries, theatres and – of course – Ole Miss. The University of Mississippi plays a major part in creating Oxford’s vibe.

Individual highlights of the city include Rowan Oak, home of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner, and the eclectic University Museum. The exhibitions inside flit from Ancient Greek antiques to scientific instruments.

Memphis to Mobile road trip attractions: Tupelo MS

Elvis lived in Tupelo, Mississippi, until he was 13 years old. The house where he was born, and lived his first few years, is now the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum.

The simple two room house was built by Presley’s father, Vernon. Attractions at the site include a statue of Elvis as a 13-year-old and the church the family attended.

Memphis to Mobile drive: Meridian MS

The Meridian Museum of Art is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Mississippi Children’s Museum keeps younger visitors entertained.

Elsewhere, the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience celebrates Mississippi’s contribution to the arts world and the Greek Revival-style Merrehope does the historic home thing.

The USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.
The USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

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