Murfreesboro to Chattanooga drive: Best stops, time & distance
The distance from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga by car is 101 miles, with a 1h36m driving time. The best Murfreesboro to Chattanooga road trip stops are Earth Experience, Manchester and South Cumberland State Park.
Planning a Murfreesboro to Chattanooga road trip itinerary
The drive from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga takes you from central Tennessee to an outdoorsy city in the south of the state.
Murfreesboro’s top attraction is Earth Experience, which is all about archaeological relics. That means gems and minerals, but mainly dinosaur bones.
The highlight is the big T-Rex skeleton, but you can also visit the working paleontology laboratory, see how replica bones are moulded and cast, then touch petrified wood and dino bones.
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.
Murfreesboro to Chattanooga distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga is 101 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 36 minutes. The quickest route is usually along the I-24.
The best stops on a Murfreesboro to Chattanooga road trip are Earth Experience in Murfreesboro, the waterfalls of Manchester and South Cumberland State Park.
Best stops between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga: Manchester, Tennessee
The town of Manchester isn’t especially riveting, although you can visit Common John Brewing and the Beans Creek Winery.
It is, however, the gateway to several photogenic waterfalls. The closest to the town centre are Blue Hole Falls and Big Falls in Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park. Head a little further west, and there are plenty more – Rutledge Falls has a glorious swimming hole at the bottom.
Murfreesboro to Chattanooga drive: South Cumberland State Park
South Cumberland State Park is pretty big, and it covers a significant chunk of the Cumberland Plateau. There are several hiking trails and camping spots, plus a series of waterfalls. The largest of these is Foster Falls, but the easiest to access from the I-24 is Sycamore Falls near Tracy City.
This is only a 12ft waterfall, but it’s wide and there’s a great swimming hole at the bottom.
Murfreesboro to Chattanooga road trip attractions: Natural Bridge
The Natural Bridge State Natural Area in Franklin County is small – it only covers three acres – but it’s impressive. The centerpiece is a 25ft high natural sandstone arch that stretches for 50ft.
It overlooks Lost Cove, a karst formation where Lost Creek disappears into a cave before reemerging as Crow Creek further downstream.
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