Dallas to Tampa road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Dallas to Tampa drive are Monroe LA, Pensacola and Tallahassee. The distance from Dallas to Tampa by car is 1,102 miles, with a 15h44m driving time.
Planning a Dallas to Tampa road trip itinerary
The Dallas to Tampa drive takes you from north Texas to the Florida coast.
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.
Good places to stay in Dallas with a pool include the sassy Kimpton Pittman downtown and the historic Warwick Melrose near Turtle Creek.
How to do the JFK sites in Dallas
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.
Tampa is justifiably one of the most popular holiday destinations in Florida. It’s home to top attractions such as the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa, the Adventure Island water park and Busch Gardens theme park.
Other great Tampa experiences include historic Ybor City food walking tours, seeing the highlights in a street legal golf cart and a Haunted Tampa tour that combines ghosts and pubs.
Also on offer are Segway tours, history cruises, dolphin-watching and celebrity homes tours.
Tampa accommodation is best booked in advance – look for deals here.
Dallas to Tampa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Dallas to Tampa is 1,102 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 15 hours and 44 minutes. The quickest route goes along the I-20, US-49, US-98, I-10 and I-75.
The best stop to add to a Dallas to Tampa road trip itinerary are Monroe LA, Pensacola FL and Tallahassee FL.
For more suggestions, read the guides to individual sections of the journey.
- Dallas to Jackson MS drive.
- Jackson MS to Biloxi drive.
- Pensacola to Tallahassee drive.
- Tallahassee to Tampa drive.
Dallas to Tampa road trip attractions: Monroe LA
The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens is arguably the top attraction in Monroe LA. The gardens are in an English, formal style, while the historic home contains both a Coca-Cola Museum and a Bible Museum. Elsewhere in the city, you can tackle the Masur Museum of Art and the Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo.
Just to the north-east of Monroe, you’ll find the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge – a good spot for kayaking, birdwatching and gator spotting.
Best stops between Dallas and Tampa: Pensacola
The westernmost city on the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola is home to a major US Naval Station. But for most visitors, interest will lie in the white sand beaches and barrier islands.
Top Pensacola activities include nighttime kayaking with colourful LEDs lighting up the kayaks, and dolphin-watching cruises around the bay.
Other ways of exploring include downtown food tours, ghost and graveyard tours, guided pub crawls, Segway tours and sunset cruises.
For beachside Pensacola accommodation with great guest reviews, take a look at the Pensacola Beach Resort and the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach.
Dallas to Tampa drive: Tallahassee
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.
More Dallas road trips
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More Tampa road trips
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