Indianapolis to Knoxville drive: Best stops, distance & drive time

Planning an Indianapolis to Knoxville road trip itinerary

The Indianapolis to Knoxville drive takes you from Indiana’s biggest city to eastern Tennessee.

The capital of Indiana marries big city energy with country charm.

Top attractions in Indianapolis include the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

Worthwhile Indianapolis experiences include a Fountain Square food tour and a walking tour around the city’s highlights.

Highlights of Knoxville include World’s Fair Park, which hosted the 1982 World’s Fair. The often-dazzling Sunsphere is the major landmark, here. You can also visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Knoxville Museum of Art.

Other Knoxville experiences include ghost tours and downtown walking tours that pick out local secret spots, while serving up coffee and ice cream.

Top Knoxville accommodation options include the handily-located Graduate Knoxville, the affordable Hampton Inn and Suites Knoxville Downtown and the character-packed Oliver Hotel. To compare prices, search here.

Indianapolis to Knoxville distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Indianapolis to Knoxville is 361 miles. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 22 minutes. The quickest route is via the I-74 and I-75.

The best stops to add an Indianapolis to Knoxville road trip itinerary are Cincinnati, Lexington KY and the Museum of Appalachia.

Best attractions between Indianapolis and Knoxville: Cincinnati

Cincinnati is the biggest city in southern Ohio, with a wealth of attractions. Among the more distinctive are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the American Sign Museum.

Top Cincinnati activities include underground tours – some with beer tasting – and food tours by streetcar. You can also try baseball history toursindoor skydiving and guided ghost walks.  

Best stops between Indianapolis and Knoxville: Lexington KY

Lexington, Kentucky, is renowned as a hub for the world of horse-breeding. However, there is much more to the city than studs.

Interesting Lexington experiences include downtown food tours, guided art walks, zipline tours through the Kentucky River Palisades. You can also try bluegrass cocktail tours, visiting a thoroughbred horse farm and visiting Mary Todd Lincoln House.

Indianapolis to Knoxville drive: Museum of Appalachia

The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee, offers an evocative feel for life in a mountain village. More than 250,000 exhibits are stored throughout the site, including musical instruments, quilts and folk arts.

But it’s the whole, rather than the individual, that counts here. The farm and village scene is brought to life with dozens of olde time log buildings.

World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee.
World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo by djgmix/ Pixabay.

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