Dallas to Memphis road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

Planning a Dallas to Memphis road trip itinerary

A Dallas to Memphis road trip takes you from the big business hub of Texas to the home of Elvis in Tennessee. It’s best to book Memphis hotels in advance. Compare prices here.

Dallas has plenty of high quality cultural attractions. These include the Nasher Scupture Center, Pioneer Square and the Perot Museum of Science and Nature.

But for many visitors, the main reason to visit Dallas is the JFK assassination. Yes, you can go up to the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly took his shot from.

Top Dallas experiences include a JFK Assassination and Museum tour, the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower and a self-guided scavenger hunt.

Top Dallas accommodation choices include the plush Hyatt Regency downtown and the charismatically luxurious Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.

The best way to combine the JFK sites in Dallas is a special themed tour. This takes in the JFK Memorial, Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll before heading to Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house. It finishes in the Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository. On the way, expert guides take you through the assassination facts and theories. Find out more here.

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.

Dallas to Memphis distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Dallas to Memphis is 452 miles. You can expect a driving time of around six hours and 46 minutes. The quickest route is largely along the I-30 and I-40.

The best stops on a Dallas to Memphis road trip are the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum, Hot Springs AR and Little Rock.

For more attractions, look at the guides to the individual sections of the journey.

Dallas to Memphis drive: Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum

In Greenville, Texas, the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum is partly devoted to war hero Audie Murphy. But most visitors will get more out of the exhibitions devoted to the American cotton industry.

Greenville was home to the world’s largest inland cotton compress, and the displays show how cotton came to dominate Hunt County life.

Dallas to Memphis road trip attractions: Hot Springs AR

Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains has loads to do. The natural highlight is Hot Springs National Park, which strings thermal springs together on a series of hiking trails. The historic bathhouses are also part of the national park.

There are also several amusement parks, of which Magic Springs is arguably the best as it has a water park.

Other Hot Springs experiences include zip line adventures and the Star Wars and superhero-obsessed Galaxy Connection.  

For well-rated Hot Springs accommodation with charm, go for the Hilltop Manor B&B or the Gables Inn.

Best stops between Dallas and Memphis: Little Rock

Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas, and the closest thing the state has to a metropolis.

Key experiences in Little Rock include the Museum of Discovery and the William J Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. The latter, as with most presidential libraries, acts as a fascinating insight not just into the president, but the era he was in charge for.

Of Little Rock’s hotels, the Capital Hotel provides most historic glamour and the Residence Inn Little Rock Downtown is great value.

Beale Street, Memphis.
Beale Street, Memphis. Photo by Bruce Emmerling, Pixabay.

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