Atlanta to Tulsa drive: Distance, time & best stops

Planning an Atlanta to Tulsa road trip itinerary

The Atlanta to Tulsa drive takes you from Georgia’s capital to the hub of Oklahoma’s oil industry.

Atlanta played a massive part in the Civil Rights movement, and a black history and civil rights tour is pretty much a must-do.

For more Atlanta experiences, try a sightseeing trolley tour for orientation and overview. Or a guided bike ride to get a better feel for the neighbourhoods.

Other Atlanta favourites include the World of Coca Cola, Midtown food and cocktail tours and multi-brewery beer tours.

Tulsa’s big ticket attraction is the Philbrook Museum of Art. You’ll get more of a local cultural education at the Woody Guthrie Center, however.

Alternatively, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum has a decent planetarium and Gathering Place is a great park with play areas on the Arkansas River. The classic photo stop, though, is at the enormous Golden Driller Statue.

Atlanta to Tulsa distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Atlanta to Tulsa is 784 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 11 hours and 33 minutes. The quickest route goes along the I-20, I-22, I-40 and OK-351.

The best stops to add to an Atlanta to Tulsa road trip itinerary are Birmingham AL, Memphis TN and Fort Smith AR.

For more suggestion, check out the guides to the individual sections of the Atlanta to Tulsa road trip.

Best stops between Atlanta and Tulsa: Birmingham AL

Birmingham, Alabama, has a rich civil rights heritage. This is best explored on a civil rights tour which links the key sites and, crucially, puts them into context. Other Birmingham experiences include ghost walks and multi-brewery beer tours.

For museums, you’ve got the McWane Science Center, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and more. 

The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.

Atlanta to Tulsa drive: Memphis TN

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.

Also try the Rock and Soul Museum, plus the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and the 19th century Woodruff-Fontaine House.

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 Studios.

Atlanta to Tulsa road trip attractions: Fort Smith AR

The Fort Smith National Historic site is the key highlight of the Arkansas city that bears its name. The original fort was built in 1817 as a military post. It played a major part in the removal of Native American tribes from east of the Mississippi to new territories in the west. This Trail of Tears is a major part of the visitor centre. There’s also plenty on ‘hanging judge’ Isaac Parker, who sentenced more than 160 people to death from the Fort Smith Courthouse.

Other Fort Smith attractions include Miss Laura’s Visitor Center. This a former bordello that looks at the area’s more colourful Old West history. There’s also the US Marshals Museum, detailing the history of the US Marshals, and the Parrot Island Water Park.

The Golden Driller Statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Golden Driller Statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo by ShelbyTwist/ Pixabay.

More Atlanta road trips

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