Huntsville AL to New Orleans drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Huntsville to New Orleans drive are Birmingham AL, Meridian MS and Hattiesburg MS. The distance from Huntsville AL to New Orleans is 443 miles, with a 6h44m driving time.
Planning a Huntsville to New Orleans road trip itinerary
The Huntsville AL to New Orleans takes you from a major NASA hub in Alabama to the most hedonistic city in Louisiana.
Huntsville has played a massive part in the space race, and the US Space and Rocket Center is the top attraction. There are lots of ways to experience what being an astronaut is like here, including flight simulators and a G-Force Accelerator. Most fun (or nauseating, depending on perspective) is the multi-axis trainer, which spins you round in all directions.
Other Hunstville experiences include self-guided audio tours and scavenger hunts.
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.
Huntsville AL to New Orleans distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Huntsville AL to New Orleans is 443 miles. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and 44 minutes. The quickest route largely follows the I-65, I-20 and I-59.
The best stops to add to a Huntsville to New Orleans road trip itinerary are Birmingham AL, Meridian MS and Hattiesburg MS.
Huntsville AL to New Orleans road trip attractions: 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.
- Find more attractions with the guide to the Huntsville to Birmingham drive.
Best stops between Huntsville AL and New Orleans: Meridian MS
The Meridian Museum of Art is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Meridian Children’s Museum keeps younger visitors entertained.
Elsewhere, the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience celebrates Mississippi’s contribution to the arts world and the Greek Revival-style Merrehope does the historic home thing.
- Find more attractions with the guide to the Birmingham to Meridian drive.
Huntsville AL to New Orleans drive: Hattiesburg MS
Hattiesburg MS is the fifth largest city in Mississippi, and it has something of a craft brewing scene. Try the Colludium brewpub or the Southern Prohibition Brewing taproom if you’d like to taste a few interesting beers. Otherwise, the main attractions are Hattiesburg Zoo and the African-American Military History Museum are the top attractions.
More Huntsville road trips
Huntsville to Birmingham | Huntsville to Chattanooga | Huntsville to Nashville | Huntsville to Orlando | Tuscaloosa to Huntsville.
More New Orleans road trips
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