Baltimore to Charlotte drive: Distance, time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Baltimore to Charlotte drive are Washington DC, Richmond VA, and Durham NC. The distance from Baltimore to Charlotte is 445 miles, with a 7h6m driving time.

Planning a Baltimore to Charlotte road trip itinerary

The Baltimore to Charlotte drive connects the biggest cities in Maryland and North Carolina.

Baltimore is a character-packed port city that has spruced itself up in recent years and has a wealth of attractions to explore. The National Aquarium and the Fort McHenry National Monument are arguably the biggest two sights, but there’s an excellent range of Baltimore experiences to tackle.

Top choices include historical sightseeing tours, sailing on Inner Harbor and ghost tours in the Fell’s Point neighbourhood.

For other options, try brewery-hopping tours, helicopter rides and Fell’s Point food tours.

Waterfront Baltimore accommodation options include the Canopy at Harbor Point and the Sagamore Pendry in Fell’s Point.

Charlotte is the biggest city in North Carolina. Major attractions include the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the thrill-packed Carowinds amusement park and the Billy Graham Library. Another popular option is the Sea Life aquarium.

For top Charlotte activities, try historical city tours by golf cart, Segway tours through the Uptown neighbourhood and after dark ghost tours.

Well-reviewed and central Charlotte accommodation options include the AC by Marriott and the Hyatt House.

Baltimore to Charlotte distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Baltimore to Charlotte is 445 miles. You can expect a driving time of around seven hours and six minutes. The quickest route is along the I-95 and I-85.

The best stops to add to a Baltimore to Charlotte road trip itinerary are Washington DC, Richmond VA and Durham NC.

For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual legs of the journey.

• Baltimore to Washington DC drive.
• Washington DC to Richmond VA drive.
• Richmond VA to Durham NC drive.
• Durham NC to Charlotte drive.

Baltimore to Charlotte drive: Washington DC

Washington DC has an enormous range of tours, experiences and attractions available. You could happily spend weeks in the Smithsonian Museums alone. Top choices, however, include the nighttime monuments and memorials tour, small group guided visits to the Capitol and National Library of Congress and Lincoln assassination tours that visit Fords Theatre.

Memorable Washington DC accommodation options include the Willard, where Martin Luther King Jr wrote his I Have A Dream speech. There’s also the Watergate Hotel, a luxurious conversion of the offices from the Watergate scandal.

Baltimore to Charlotte road trip attractions: Richmond VA

Once the capital of the Confederacy, Richmond VA is not entirely weighed down by its history. The surprisingly wild James River runs through it, and the west end feels energetic and more of the North than the South.

The top attraction, though, is the huge American Civil War Museum at the historic Tredegar Ironworks. After that, walk the suspension bridge to Belle Isle in the middle of the James River, see the dubious Confederate monuments on Monument Avenue, or see the grandiose tombs of the Hollywood Cemetery.

Other good Richmond experiences include food tours of the Arts District or Church Hill, Segway tours of the city landmarks, nighttime ghost walks and guided hikes along the James River.

For Richmond accommodation, the Moxy Richmond Downtown brims with fun, youthful energy. The Residence Inn by Marriott, meanwhile, is a short walk from the lively Shockoe Bottom neighbourhood.

Best stops between Baltimore and Charlotte: Durham NC

Durham NC is a big tech research center, and home to Duke University. The latter is home to the Nasher Museum of Art and the soaring Gothic Duke Chapel.

Nature-lovers can go walking through the Sarah P Duke Gardens and take a tour of the Duke Lemur Center. The biggest crowd-pleaser, however, is the Museum of Life and Science. There are several sections to this, both indoor and outdoor. It’s mainly button-pushing, kid-friendly science indoors and black bears, butterflies and red wolves outside.

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