Birmingham AL to Orlando drive: Best stops, time & distance

Planning a Birmingham AL to Orlando road trip itinerary

The Birmingham to Orlando drive takes you from the heart of Alabama to Florida’s theme park capital.

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.

Orlando is known worldwide as the home of Disney World, but there’s far more to it than Mickey and Co. You can get crazy selfies at the Museum of Illusions or WonderWorks, learn how chocolate is made at Chocolate Kingdom and ride the Wheel at ICON Park or Orlando StarFlyer. Alternatively, visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, play adventure golf at Pirates’ Cove and say hi to the stingrays at Sea Life.

In the evenings, there’s the Polynesian Fire Luau and Dinner Show, Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn To Life and the Outta Control magic comedy show.

Other Orlando experiences include glow-in-the-dark kayaking, foodie walking tours and kayaking through Cypress forest.

The secret to getting Orlando accommodation deals is flexibility. There are hundreds of hotels, and you’ll likely be driving everywhere anyway. So hunt down the cheapest rates, and don’t get too hung up on exact location.

Birmingham AL to Orlando distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Birmingham AL to Orlando is 555 miles, with a driving time of around eight hours and 31 minutes.

The best stops to add to a Birmingham AL to Orlando road trip itinerary are Montgomery AL, Tallahassee and Gainesville FL.

For more suggestions, see the guides to the Tallahassee to Gainesville drive and Gainesville to Orlando drive.

Birmingham AL to Orlando road trip attractions: Montgomery, Alabama

The main reason to visit Montgomery is the Civil Rights heritage. There are several ways to explore this, with the cheapest being a self-guided audio tour and the most in-depth being a three hour private tour.

Other fun Montgomery experiences include a party pedal boat cruise along the Alabama River,

If planning to blitz several attractions, a city pass might save you money.

Best stops between Birmingham AL and Orlando: Tallahassee, Florida

Top Tallahassee experiences include the Museum of Florida History, which tells the tale of the Sunshine State. That covers everything from prehistoric mastodons to the Spanish conquest and Disney.

The Tallahassee Museum, meanwhile, flits all over the place, from sculpture to birds of prey. For natural beauty, head to the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park.

Good Tallahassee accommodation options include the hip Aloft Tallahassee Downtown and the often great value Four Points by Sheraton.

Things to do on the Birmingham AL to Orlando drive: Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and will be best known to college football fans as the home of the Florida Gators.

For everyone else, there’s the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Or the Harn Museum of Art and the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park. The latter is based around a limestone sinkhole.

Gainesville hotel prices can rise sharply based on university and football events. Hunt for bargains in advance.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Photo by HenningE/ Pixabay.

More Birmingham AL road trips

Birmingham to Atlanta | Birmingham AL to Charlotte NC | Birmingham to Chattanooga | Chicago to Birmingham AL | Birmingham AL to Dallas | Birmingham AL to Destin FL | Birmingham AL to Gulf Shores AL | Houston to Birmingham AL | Huntsville to Birmingham | Birmingham AL to Jackson MS | Birmingham to Knoxville | Memphis to Birmingham AL | Meridian MS to Birmingham AL | Birmingham AL to Mobile AL | Birmingham AL to Montgomery | Birmingham AL to Nashville | Birmingham AL to New Orleans | Birmingham AL to Panama City | Birmingham AL to Pensacola | Birmingham AL to Tampa | Tuscaloosa to Birmingham.

More Orlando road trips

Albany GA to Orlando | Asheville to Orlando | Atlanta to Orlando | Augusta to Orlando | Austin to Orlando | Baton Rouge to Orlando | Orlando to Cape Canaveral | Charlotte to Orlando | Orlando to Cocoa Beach | Columbia SC to Orlando | Orlando to Daytona Beach | Orlando to Destin | Gainesville to Orlando | Houston to Orlando | Huntsville AL to Orlando | Jacksonville to Orlando | Lakeland to Orlando | Macon GA to Orlando | Memphis to Orlando | Orlando to Myrtle Beach | Nashville to Orlando | New Orleans to Orlando | Orlando to Palm Coast | Panama City to Orlando | Pensacola to Orlando | Orlando to Port Canaveral | Ocala to Orlando | Orlando to St Augustine | Tallahassee to Orlando | Orlando to Tampa | Valdosta to Orlando.