Memphis to Austin road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Memphis to Austin drive are Little Rock, Hot Springs AR and Dallas. The distance from Memphis to Austin by car is 647 miles, with a 9h30m driving time.
Planning a Memphis to Austin road trip itinerary
The drive from Memphis to Austin, Texas, connects two of America’s great music cities.
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 19th 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.
Top Austin experiences include ebike tours taking in the city highlights, haunted pub crawl walks and segway tours.
Memphis to Austin distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Memphis to Austin is 647 miles. You can expect a driving time of around nine hours and 30 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40, I-30 and I-35.
The best stops on a Memphis to Austin road trip itinerary are Little Rock, Hot Springs AR and Dallas.
Best stops between Memphis and Austin: 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.
Memphis to Austin 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.
Memphis to Austin drive: Things to do in Dallas
Dallas has plenty of high quality cultural attractions. These include the Nasher Scupture Center, Pioneer Square and the Perot Museum of Science and Nature.
But for many visitors, the main reason to visit Dallas is the JFK assassination. Yes, you can go up to the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly took his shot from.
Top Dallas experiences include a JFK Assassination and Museum tour, the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower and a self-guided scavenger hunt.
How to do the JFK sites in Dallas
The best way to combine the JFK sites in Dallas is a special themed tour. This takes in the JFK Memorial, Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll before heading to Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house. It finishes in the Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository. On the way, expert guides take you through the assassination facts and theories. Find out more here.
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