Cleveland to New Orleans drive: Time, distance and best stops
The best road trip stops on the Cleveland to New Orleans drive are Cincinnati, Nashville and Birmingham AL. The distance from Cleveland to New Orleans by car is 1,054 miles, with a 15h driving time.
Planning a Cleveland to New Orleans road trip itinerary
The Cleveland to New Orleans drive takes you from northern Ohio to southern Louisiana.
Top attractions in Cleveland include the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland History Center. Alternatively, Cleveland tour options focus on neighbourhood food scenes, the city’s best craft breweries and Downtown’s public art.
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.
Top New Orleans experiences include French Quarter food tours, haunted pub crawls, jazz cruises aboard the steamboat Natchez and cemetery walking tours.
For other attractions, try the National WWII Museum, the Vue Orleans observation deck and the urban enslavement tours at Hermann Grima House.
Cleveland to New Orleans distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Cleveland to New Orleans is 1,054 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 15 hours. The quickest route goes along the I-71, I-65, I-20 and I-59.
The best stops on the Cleveland to New Orleans drive are Cincinnati, Nashville and Birmingham AL.
For more things to do, check out the guides to the individual sections of the Cleveland to New Orleans road trip.
Best attractions between Cleveland and New Orleans: Cincinnati
Cincinnati is the biggest city in southern Ohio, with a wealth of attractions. Among the more distinctive are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the American Sign Museum.
Top Cincinnati activities include underground tours – some with beer tasting – and food tours by streetcar. You can also try baseball history tours, indoor skydiving and guided ghost walks.
Cleveland to New Orleans road trip attractions: Nashville
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.
Cleveland to New Orleans drive: 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.
If planning to visit several of them, a Birmingham Area Multi-Attraction Pass will save you money.
The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.
More Cleveland road trips
Cleveland to Atlanta | Cleveland to Baltimore | Cleveland to Buffalo | Cleveland to Chicago | Cincinnati to Cleveland | Columbus to Cleveland | Dallas to Cleveland | Dayton to Cleveland | Cleveland to Detroit | Indianapolis to Cleveland | Louisville to Cleveland | Cleveland to Nashville | Cleveland to Niagara Falls | Cleveland to Philadelphia | Pittsburgh to Cleveland | St Louis to Cleveland | Toledo to Cleveland.
More New Orleans road trips
Atlanta to New Orleans | Baton Rouge to New Orleans | New Orleans to Biloxi | Chicago to New Orleans | Cincinnati to New Orleans | Dallas to New Orleans | New Orleans to Destin FL | New Orleans to Galveston | New Orleans to Gulf Shores | Houston to New Orleans | Huntsville to New Orleans | Jackson MS to New Orleans | Kansas City to New Orleans | Memphis to New Orleans | Nashville to New Orleans | New Orleans to Orlando | Panama City to New Orleans | Pensacola to New Orleans | New Orleans to San Antonio | Savannah to New Orleans | Tallahassee to New Orleans | Tulsa to New Orleans.