Houston to Gatlinburg road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance
The best road trip stops on the Houston to Gatlinburg drive are New Orleans, Birmingham AL and Chattanooga. The distance from Houston to Gatlinburg is 964 miles, with a 14h38m driving time.
Planning a Houston to Gatlinburg road trip itinerary
The Houston to Gatlinburg drive takes you from the biggest city in Texas to a mountain resort town in Tennessee.
The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the NASA Space Center, which takes you behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. This includes the Mission Briefing Center, and a vast array of high tech exhibitions.
Other attractions include the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Children’s Museum,
For more Houston experiences, try hip hop party bike tours, foodie walks in the Montrose neighbourhood and quirky tours of Houston’s tunnel system.
Top Houston accommodation options include the superb value Club Quarters Houston Downtown and the upscale but boutique Magnolia.
The mountain resort city of Gatlinburg has the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the doorstep.
To explore the national park, either take an audio self-driving tour or go guided with a hiking tour or a small group bus trip.
Other Gatlinburg experiences include ziplining, ghost tours, the Impossibilities magic show, a wine and moonshine tour and the Moonshine Mountain Coaster.
Houston to Gatlinburg distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Houston to Gatlinburg is 964 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 14 hours and 38 minutes.
The best stops to add to a Houston to Gatlinburg road trip are New Orleans, Birmingham AL and Chattanooga.
Houston to Gatlinburg road trip attractions: New Orleans
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.
- For more attractions, check out the guide to the Houston to New Orleans drive.
Houston to Gatlinburg 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.
Best stops between Houston and Gatlinburg: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga in the foothills of the Appalachians is home to the National Medal of Honor Heritage Museum and the Tennessee Aquarium. But it’s mostly an outdoorsy place. Great Chattanooga experiences include rafting on the Middle Ocoee River, backcountry tours in Swincars and kayak adventures to the Nickajack Bat Cave. You can also try Segway tours, guided ghost walks and trolley tours.
- For more attractions, check out the guide to the Birmingham AL to Chattanooga drive.
More Houston road trips
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More Gatlinburg road trips
Chicago to Gatlinburg | Knoxville to Gatlinburg | Louisville to Gatlinburg | Memphis to Gatlinburg | Nashville to Gatlinburg.