Memphis to Tulsa road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The distance from Memphis to Tulsa by car is 402 miles, with a 5h46m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Memphis to Tulsa drive are Little Rock AR, Mount Magazine State Park and Fort Smith.
Planning a Memphis to Tulsa road trip itinerary
The Memphis to Tulsa drive takes you from Tennessee’s western edge to Oklahoma’s oil city.
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.
Tulsa’s big ticket attraction is the Philbrook Museum of Art, but you’ll get more of a local cultural education at the Woody Guthrie Center.
Alternatively, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum has a decent planetarium and Gathering Place is a great park with play areas on the Arkansas River. The classic photo stop, though, is at the enormous Golden Driller Statue.
Memphis to Tulsa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Memphis to Tulsa is 402 miles. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 46 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40 and OK-351.
The best stops to add to a Memphis to Tulsa road trip itinerary are Little Rock AR, Mount Magazine State Park and Fort Smith AR.
Best stops between Memphis and Tulsa: Little Rock AR
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 Tulsa drive: Mount Magazine State Park
Mount Magazine State Park is much beloved by technical rock climbers. But even for non-climbers, the views around 2,753-ft Mount Magazine are pretty impressive.
Surrounded by the Ozark-St Francis National Forests, the park has become a big outdoor pursuits hotbed. Mountain biking, horseback riding and hang-gliding are among the options, as well as several hiking trails. The Lodge at Mount Magazine is a good option if you want to stay and play.
Memphis to Tulsa road trip attractions: Fort Smith AR
The Fort Smith National Historic site is the key highlight of the Arkansas city that bears its name. The original fort was built in 1817 as a military post. It played a major part in the removal of Native American tribes from east of the Mississippi to new territories in the west. This Trail of Tears is a major part of the visitor centre, but there’s also plenty on ‘hanging judge’ Isaac Parker, who sentenced more than 160 people to death from the Fort Smith Courthouse.
Other Fort Smith attractions include Miss Laura’s Visitor Center – a former bordello that looks at the area’s more colourful Old West history. There’s also the US Marshals Museum, detailing the history of the US Marshals, and the Parrot Island Water Park.
More Memphis road trips
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