Knoxville to Chattanooga drive: Distance, time & best stops
The distance from Knoxville to Chattanooga by car is 112 miles, with a 1h40m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Knoxville to Chattanooga drive are the Lost Sea Adventure, Dead Man’s Farm Haunted House and the Hiwassee River Heritage Center.
Planning a Knoxville to Chattanooga road trip itinerary
The Knoxville to Chattanooga drive connects two of the most interesting cities in Tennessee.
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.
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.
Knoxville to Chattanooga distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Knoxville to Chattanooga is 112 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 40 minutes. The quickest route heads south-west along the I-75.
The best stops to add to a Knoxville to Chattanooga road trip itinerary are the Lost Sea Adventure, Dead Man’s Farm Haunted House and the Hiwassee River Heritage Center.
Knoxville to Chattanooga road trip attractions: The Lost Sea Adventure
The Lost Sea Adventure in Sweetwater, Tennessee, is a somewhat different take on a cave tour. There’s a walk for three quarters of a mile, where guides explain the history of the caverns and the geology of the cave decorations.
However, once you get to the bottom of the cave, there’s a twist – you get on a boat and take a ride across the Lost Sea. This is supposedly America’s largest underground lake.
Knoxville to Chattanooga drive: Dead Man’s Farm Haunted House
If you’re wanting classy, intellectual nourishment, then look elsewhere. Dead Man’s Farm Haunted House in Philadelphia, Tennessee, is pure hokum.
The main attraction is the Bludgeon Haunted House. A whole backstory about a twisted, sinister family and a trail of deaths has been created. Treat it as a piece of cheesy theatre rather than anything serious, however.
You’ll also get to see fire-breathing performances.
Best stops between Knoxville and Chattanooga: Hiwassee River Heritage Center
The Hiwassee River Heritage Center in Charleston, Tennessee, was a key troop movement point in the Civil War. But the most interesting tales it has to tell are about the Trail of Tears – the forced removal of numerous Native American tribes from their homelands to what is now Oklahoma.
Charleston was the US military headquarters for the removal of the Cherokee people, and the Center’s displays offer a chance to learn about a shameful chapter in US history.
More Knoxville road trips
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More Chattanooga road trips
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