The best road trip stops on the New Orleans to Destin drive are Biloxi MS, Mobile AL and Pensacola FL. The distance from New Orleans to Destin by car is 250 miles, with a 4h driving time.
Planning a New Orleans to Destin FL road trip itinerary
The New Orleans to Destin drive takes you from Louisiana’s most exciting city to a top Florida Panhandle beach town.
5 great experiences in New Orleans to book today
- 🎷 Steamboat Natchez jazz cruise – Go for a jazz cruise aboard the Steamboat Natchez.
- 🍤 French Quarter food tour – Take a French Quarter food tour and discover Louisiana’s distinctive Cajun and Creole cuisine.
- 🐊 Swamp and bayou boat tour – Enjoy a swamp and bayou boat tour with a quieter boat for better wildlife sightings.
- 👻 New Orleans’ dark side – On a tour of New Orleans’ dark side, uncover ghosts, vampires, crime and voodoo.
- 🏛️ Whitney Plantation tour – Hear the true stories of slavery on a Whitney Plantation tour with transport from New Orleans.
New Orleans resolutely refuses to feel like any other American city. From the raucous hedonism of Bourbon Street to the European-influenced charm of the French Quarter, New Orleans is mesmerizingly unusual to hang out in.
Those wanting to explore the city’s heritage can visit historic home museums, such as the BK House, Gallier House and Hermann-Grima House. The Cabildo, St Louis Cathedral and Old Ursuline Convent also ooze historic grandeur.
Big hitter attractions include the World War II Museum and Audubon Zoo, but there’s a more distinctively NOLA flavour at Mardi Gras World and the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Top New Orleans experiences include French Quarter food tours, haunted pub crawls, jazz cruises aboard the steamboat Natchez and cemetery walking tours.
Destin is a beach town on the Florida Panhandle, with white sand beaches at Henderson Beach State Park, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and Grayton Beach State Park and several golf courses. The Destin Harbor Boardwalk tends to be the centre of activity, while Gator Beach is one of the top wildlife attractions on the Emerald Coast.
Top Destin experiences include a sunset tiki cruise, a Crab Island sandbar adventure, a dolphin-watching speedboat cruise and parasailing.
You can also try jetski rentals, the Maximum Magic show, Hydrojet sunset tours and banana boat rides.
If looking for Destin accommodation, the Comfort Inn and Suites offers good value and the plush Henderson Beach Resort has private beach access.
Five great things to do in Destin
- 🍹 Take the tiki boat – out to the Crab Island sandbar for snorkelling, drinks and good times.
- 🐬 Meet the local dolphins – on one of Destin’s legendary dolphin cruises.
- 🤿 Combine a dolphin-watching cruise – with a snorkelling adventure.
- 🪂 See Destin from 400ft above the water – on a parasailing experience.
- 🌅 Watch the sun go down – and spot dolphins – on a sunset cruise.
New Orleans to Destin FL distance and driving time
By car, the distance from New Orleans to Destin FL is 250 miles. You can expect a driving time of around four hours. The quickest route is along the I-10 and US-98.
The best road trip stops on the New Orleans to Destin FL drive are Biloxi MS, Mobile AL and Pensacola FL.
Best stops between New Orleans and Destin FL: Biloxi MS
Biloxi on the Mississippi coast is best known as a casino destination, but there’s plenty to keep non-gamblers interested. The Biloxi Lighthouse opened in 1848, and is now open for public tours. The Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum covers the region’s history, and looks at just how big a business fishing is. You can also take a cruise on one of the schooners moored outside the museum.
Also in Biloxi is Beauvoir, the lavish home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. The mansion is open for tours.
For Biloxi accommodation, try the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort for entertainment and the South Beach Hotel and Suites for beachside location.
New Orleans to Destin FL drive: Mobile AL
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.
New Orleans to Destin road trip attractions: Pensacola FL
5 top experiences to book in Pensacola
- 🐬 Meet the local dolphins on a cruise aboard the Frisky Mermaid.
- 🌅 Take an afternoon tiki boat cruise – and see the spectacular sunset.
- 👻 Learn about perdition, pirates and purgatory on a Pensacola ghost tour.
- 🍴 Feast on a food tour down Pensacola’s legendary Palafox Street.
- 🚌 Explore Pensacola’s highlights on a hop-on, hop-off bus tour.
The westernmost city on the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola is home to a major US Naval Station. You can visit the National Naval Aviation Museum and the Pensacola Lighthouse. Elsewhere, Historic Pensacola Village brings together heritage buildings, Gulf Breeze Zoo keeps the kids happy and Fort Pickens looks out towards Big Lagoon State Park.
But for most visitors, interest will lie in the white sand beaches and barrier islands.
Top Pensacola activities include nighttime kayaking with colourful LEDs lighting up the kayaks, and dolphin-watching cruises around the bay.
Other ways of exploring include downtown food tours, ghost and graveyard tours, guided pub crawls, Segway tours and sunset cruises.
For beachside Pensacola accommodation with great guest reviews, take a look at the Pensacola Beach Resort and the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach.
More New Orleans and Destin road trips
- Getting to New Orleans: The best stops on the Atlanta to New Orleans drive, Baton Rouge to New Orleans drive, Houston to New Orleans drive and Tallahassee to New Orleans drive.
- Road trips from New Orleans: Where to stop on the New Orleans to Biloxi drive, New Orleans to Mobile drive, New Orleans to Orange Beach drive and New Orleans to Gulf Shores drive.
- The best stops on the Austin to Destin drive, Birmingham to Destin drive, Tallahassee to Destin drive, Jacksonville to Destin drive, Pensacola to Destin drive, Mobile to Destin drive and Atlanta to Destin drive.
- Where to stop on the Destin to Gulf Shores drive and Destin to Orange Beach drive.
