Bristol TN to Nashville drive: Best stops, distance & time
The distance from Bristol TN to Nashville by car is 292 miles, with a 4h27m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Bristol TN to Nashville drive are Kingsport, Knoxville and Edgar Evins State Park.
Planning a Bristol TN to Nashville road trip itinerary
The Bristol TN to Nashville drive from the Virginia/ Tennessee border to the country music capital of the world.
Bristol TN is one half of a larger city – it is essentially the same place as Bristol VA just over the border. Highlights include the Bristol Caverns, but this city’s big attraction is the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Affiliated to the Smithsonian Institution, this museum tells the story of 1927 Bristol Sessions, which are regarded as the Big Bang of country music.
Nashville is renowned for its country music, but the National Museum of African American Music is also in the Tennessee capital.
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. Or, for lavish old homes, visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, the Travellers Rest Historic House Museum and Belmont Mansion.
Excellent Nashville accommodation choices include the gloriously evocative Belle Air Mansion and Inn, plus downtown’s grand dame, the Hermitage.
How to see Nashville the smart way
You can save money in Nashville by combining a tour ticket with admission to two top attractions. These combo tickets give you a half day tour of the main sights, plus entrance to the Ryman Auditorium and Country Music Hall of Fame. Find out more here.
Bristol TN to Nashville distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Bristol TN to Nashville is 292 miles. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 27 minutes. The quickest route goes along the I-40 and I-81.
The best stops on the Bristol to Nashville road trip route are Kingsport, Knoxville and Edgar Evins State Park.
Bristol TN to Nashville drive: Kingsport TN
Kingsport TN is the biggest city in the Tri Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia. For many visitors, it’s a base for exploring the Appalachian Montains.
Key attractions in Kingsport TN include Exchange Place, a living history museum on an 1850s farm. There’s also Warrior’s Path State Park and the Planetarium in Bays Mountain Park.
Best stops between Bristol TN and Nashville: Knoxville
Highlights of Knoxville include World’s Fair Park, which hosted the 1982 World’s Fair. The often-dazzling Sunsphere is the major landmark, here. You can also visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Knoxville Museum of Art.
Other Knoxville experiences include ghost tours and downtown walking tours that pick out local secret spots, while serving up coffee and ice cream.
- For more possible stops, check out the guide to the Knoxville to Nashville drive.
Bristol TN to Nashville road trip attractions: Edgar Evins State Park
Edgar Evins State Park is focused around the splintered arms of Center Hill Lake. It covers 6,000 acres on the Eastern Highland Rim. The landscape is steep, hilly and forested, but there are plenty of options for camping and hiking. Or, on the lake, fishing and boating.
If just dropping by, the best place to stop is the Visitor’s Centre, which has its own observation tower. This offers great views over the lake and hillsides, and you can often spot several bird species from there.
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