Memphis to Miami road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best road trip stops on the Memphis to Miami drive are Birmingham AL, Tallahassee and Orlando. The distance from Memphis to Miami by car is 1,022 miles, with a 15h10m driving time.
Planning a Memphis to Miami road trip itinerary
The Memphis to Miami drive takes you from the Mississippi River in Tennessee to southern Florida.
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.
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 Memphis accommodation options include the Peabody, famous for its marching ducks, and the Guesthouse at Graceland.
Miami is a city with several sides to it. The art deco and showiness of South Beach contrasts heavily with the landscaped garden grandeur of Coral Gables, for example.
Top Miami experiences include food tours of Little Havana, sightseeing by speedboat and South Beach cruises that take in the homes of millionaires. Alternatively, try a sunset cocktail cruise, a half day Everglades tour or a scenic helicopter flight.
Attractions worth getting advance tickets for include the Frost Science Museum, the Museum of Graffiti and the Paradox Museum.
The most memorable Miami accommodation is in one of South Beach’s art deco hotels. The Essex House Hotel is an architectural classic. The National has an amazing pool.
Memphis to Miami distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Memphis to Miami is 1,022 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 15 hours and 10 minutes. Usually, the quickest route goes via the I-22, I-65, US-231, I-10, I-75 and Florida’s Turnpike.
The best stops to add to a Memphis to Miami road trip itinerary are Birmingham AL, Tallahassee and Orlando.
For more suggestions, read the guides to the individual legs of the journey.
Memphis to Miami road trip attractions: Birmingham, Alabama
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.
The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.
Best stops between Memphis and Miami: Tallahassee, Florida
Top Tallahassee experiences include the Museum of Florida History, which tells the tale of the Sunshine State. That covers everything from prehistoric mastodons to the Spanish conquest and Disney.
The Tallahassee Museum, meanwhile, flits all over the place, from sculpture to birds of prey. For natural beauty, head to the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park.
Good Tallahassee accommodation options include the hip Aloft Tallahassee Downtown and the often great value Four Points by Sheraton.
Memphis to Miami drive: Orlando, Florida
Orlando is known worldwide as the home of Disney World, but there’s far more to it than Mickey and Co. You can get crazy selfies at the Museum of Illusions or WonderWorks, learn how chocolate is made at Chocolate Kingdom and ride the Wheel at ICON Park or Orlando StarFlyer. Alternatively, visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, play adventure golf at Pirates’ Cove and say hi to the stingrays at Sea Life.
In the evenings, there’s the Polynesian Fire Luau and Dinner Show, Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn To Life and the Outta Control magic comedy show.
Other Orlando experiences include glow-in-the-dark kayaking, foodie walking tours and kayaking through Cypress forest.
The secret to getting Orlando accommodation deals is flexibility. There are hundreds of hotels, and you’ll likely be driving everywhere anyway. So hunt down the cheapest rates, and don’t get too hung up on exact location.
More Memphis road trips
Memphis to Atlanta | Memphis to Austin | Memphis to Baton Rouge | Memphis to Biloxi | Memphis to Birmingham AL | Memphis to Boston | Charlotte to Memphis | Memphis to Chattanooga | Chicago to Memphis | Cincinnati to Memphis | Memphis TN to Clarksville TN | Dallas to Memphis | Memphis to Destin | Memphis to Detroit | Memphis to Fort Smith | Memphis to Gatlinburg | Memphis to Gulf Shores | Memphis to Hot Springs AR | Houston to Memphis | Indianapolis to Memphis.
Memphis to Jackson MS | Jackson TN to Memphis | Kansas City to Memphis | Memphis to Knoxville | Little Rock to Memphis | Louisville to Memphis | Memphis to Mobile AL | Memphis to Montgomery AL | Nashville to Memphis | Memphis to New Orleans | New York City to Memphis | Memphis to Oklahoma City | Memphis to Orange Beach | Memphis to Orlando | Memphis to Pensacola | Memphis to Pigeon Forge | Memphis to San Antonio | Memphis to Tampa | Memphis to Tulsa.
More Miami road trips
Miami to Boca Raton | Miami to Boynton Beach | Miami to Cocoa Beach | Miami to Deerfield Beach | Miami to Delray Beach | Destin to Miami | Miami to Disney World | Miami to Fort Lauderdale | Miami to Fort Myers | Miami to Fort Pierce FL | Miami to Hollywood FL | Miami to Jupiter FL | Miami to Kissimmee | Miami to Lake Worth Beach | Miami to Melbourne FL | Miami to Naples | Orlando to Miami | Panama City to Miami | Pensacola to Miami | Miami to Pompano Beach | Miami to Port St Lucie | Miami to Stuart FL | Tallashassee to Miami | Miami to Vero Beach | Miami to West Palm Beach.