The best road trip stops on the Nashville to Houston drive are Memphis TN, Hot Springs AR and Marshall TX. The distance from Nashville to Houston by car is 779 miles, with a 12h3m driving time.
Planning a Nashville to Houston road trip itinerary
The Nashville to Houston drive connects the biggest cities in Tennessee and Texas.
5 great Nashville experiences to book
- 🍸 Discover secret speakeasies on a guided cocktail crawl.
- 🏠On a homes of the stars tour, see where Music City’s celebs live.
- 🍽️ Taste Tennessee’s local delicacies on a Nashville food tour.
- 🚢 Take a lunch or dinner cruise on the General Jackson showboat.
- 🎤 Get to know the Grand Ole Opry on a guided backstage tour.
Nashville is heavily music-focused, with attractions such as the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, Legends of Country Music Museum and Johnny Cash Museum. However, you can also get a good dose of history at Belmont Mansion, the Tennessee State Museum and Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.
The best Nashville experiences include backstage tours of the Grand Ole Opry House, helicopter flights over the city and tasting tours at the Big Machine Distillery. You can also try line dancing classes, the Country Music Hall of Fame and haunted pub crawls.
Why book the Nashville Hop-on Hop-off Trolley Tour?
- 🎸 Music City Landmarks: Experience the best of Nashville with a route that hits over 100 points of interest, including the Ryman Auditorium, Music Row, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- 🏛️ Centennial Park & The Parthenon: Enjoy easy access to Nashville’s “West End,” where you can explore the world’s only full-scale replica of the ancient Greek Parthenon.
- 🎤 Live Narrated Commentary: Learn about the city’s rich history, from its early pioneer days to its rise as the world’s country music capital, through entertaining stories from expert guides.
- đźš‹ 13 Convenient Stops: Explore at your own pace with a ticket that allows you to hop on and off at strategically located stops near the Gulch, Broadway, and Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
- đź•’ Sightseeing Made Simple: Avoid the hassle of downtown parking and traffic while enjoying a comprehensive loop that provides a perfect introduction for first-time visitors.
The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the Space Center Houston, which takes you behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. This includes the Mission Briefing Center, and a vast array of high tech exhibitions.
Other attractions include the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Downtown Aquarium, Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Children’s Museum.
For more Houston experiences, try hip hop party bike tours, foodie walks in the Montrose neighbourhood and quirky tours of Houston’s tunnel system.
Top Houston accommodation options include the superb value Club Quarters Houston Downtown and the upscale but boutique Magnolia.
Nashville to Houston distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Nashville to Houston is 779 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 12 hours and three minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40, I-30 and US-59.
The best stops to add to a Nashville to Houston road trip itinerary are Memphis, Hot Springs AR and Marshall TX.
Five great things to do in Houston
- 🚀 Reserve your tickets – for Houston’s number one attraction, Space Center Houston.
- 🎵 Discover Houston’s hip-hop culture – on a motorised party bike.
- 🚇 Explore the largest downtown tunnel system in the US – on the Astroville Tunnel Tour.
- 🎨 On a downtown mural tour – learn about Houston’s street art scene.
- 🖼️ Immerse yourself in a spectacular interactive art installation – at Meow Wolf’s Radio Tave.
Nashville to Houston road trip attractions: Memphis TN
Five great things to do in Memphis
- 🎸 Enjoy a private luxury tour of Memphis – with Graceland tickets included.
- 🍖 Get a taste of Tennessee – on a Downtown Memphis food tour.
- 🛥️ Take a Memphis discovery tour – with Mississippi cruise and Sun Studio add-on options.
- 🏙️ Discover Memphis beyond Beale Street – on a historic walking tour.
- 🚗 Hop on a day tour to Tupelo – and see Elvis’ childhood home.
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.
Best stops between Houston to Milwaukee: Hot Springs AR
Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains has loads to do. The natural highlight is Hot Springs National Park, which strings thermal springs together on a series of hiking trails. The historic bathhouses are also part of the national park.
There are also several amusement parks, of which Magic Springs is arguably the best as it has a water park.
Other Hot Springs experiences include zip line adventures.
Best stops between Nashville and Houston: Marshall TX
The main city in wealthy Harrison County, Marshall, has plenty of heritage on display. The Starr Family Home has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979, and the Harrison County Historical Museum covers the region’s backstory.
The most interesting section delves into the bizarre period where Marshall became the Confederate capital of… Missouri. The Missouri Confederate leadership decamped here to lead a government in exile during the Civil War.
More Texas road trips
- Getting to Austin: Best stops on the Amarillo to Austin drive, Dallas to Austin drive, Fort Worth to Austin drive, Lubbock to Austin drive, Memphis to Austin drive.
- Best stops on the Dallas to Amarillo drive and the Fort Worth to Amarillo drive.
- Getting to Houston: The best stops on the Abilene to Houston drive, Arlington to Houston drive, Dallas to Houston drive, Little Rock to Houston drive and Waco to Houston drive.
- Texas road trips from Houston: The best stops on the Houston to Amarillo drive, Houston to Austin drive, Houston to Fort Worth drive and Houston to Lubbock drive.
- Interstate road trips from Houston: Where to stop on the Houston to Hot Springs AR drive, Houston to Memphis drive, Houston to Oklahoma City drive and Houston to Wichita drive.
