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

The best road trip stops on the Houston to Memphis drive are Lufkin TX, Hot Springs AR and Little Rock. The distance from Houston to Memphis is 657 miles, with an 8h44m driving time.

Planning a Houston to Memphis road trip itinerary

A Houston to Memphis road trip takes you from the biggest city in Texas to the home of Elvis in Tennessee. It’s best to book Memphis hotels in advance. Compare prices here.

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.

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 19^th 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.

Houston to Memphis distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Houston to Memphis is 567 miles. You can expect a driving time of around eight hours and 44 minutes. The quickest route is largely along the US-59, US-43, I-30 and I-40.

The best stops on a Houston to Memphis road trip are Lukfin TX, Hot Springs AR and Little Rock.

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

Houston to Memphis drive: Lufkin, Texas

There’s a surprising amount to do in Lufkin, Texas. For museums, there’s the art-focused Museum of East Texas and the Naranjo Museum of Natural History majors on animals and dinosaurs.

If you want to see real animals, rather than the skeletons of them, head to the Ellen Trout Zoo. Creatures on display include hippos, rhinos, tigers and giraffes.

Houston 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 Houston 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.