Memphis to Pensacola road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

The best road trip stops on the Memphis to Pensacola drive are Tupelo MS, Meridian MS and Mobile AL. The distance from Memphis to Pensacola FL by car is 448 miles, with a 6h58m driving time.

Planning a Memphis to Pensacola road trip itinerary

The Memphis to Pensacola drive takes you from western Tennessee to the Florida Panhandle.

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 19^th 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.

The westernmost city on the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola is home to a major US Naval Station. But for most visitors, interest will lie in the white sand beaches and barrier islands.

Top Pensacola activities include nighttime kayaking with colourful LEDs lighting up the kayaks, and dolphin-watching cruises around the bay.

Other ways of exploring include downtown food tours, ghost and graveyard tours, guided pub crawls, Segway tours and sunset cruises.

For beachside Pensacola accommodation with great guest reviews, take a look at the Pensacola Beach Resort and the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach.

Memphis to Pensacola distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Memphis to Pensacola is 448 miles. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and 58 minutes. Most of the journey is down the I-22, US-45 and I-10.

The best stops to add to a Memphis to Pensacola road trip itinerary are Tupelo MS, Meridian MS and Mobile AL.

For more suggestions, see the guide to the Memphis to Mobile drive.

Memphis to Pensacola road trip attractions: Tupelo MS

Elvis lived in Tupelo, Mississippi, until he was 13 years old. The house where he was born, and lived his first few years, is now a museum.

The simple two room house was built by Presley’s father, Vernon. Attractions at the site include a statue of Elvis as a 13-year-old and the church the family attended.

Memphis to Pensacola drive: 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.

Best stops between Memphis and Pensacola FL: Mobile AL

The Alabama Gulf Coast port city of Mobile has a perhaps unexpected party spirit. This is best explored in the bars, or at the Mobile Carnival Museum.

You can also head on board the USS Alabama battleship or visit the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico. The latter includes a ship simulator, where you can have a go at steering a ship through the Gulf.

Mobile experience options include a downtown food tour and a wildlife kayaking tour.

Top Mobile accommodation picks include the personality-packed Fort Conde Inn and the riverside Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza.