Nashville to Houston road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance
The best road trip stops on the Nashville to Houston drive are Memphis TN, Hot Springs AR and Marshall TX. The distance from Nashville to Houston by car is 779 miles, with a 12h3m driving time.
Planning a Nashville to Houston road trip itinerary
The Nashville to Houston drive connects the biggest cities in Tennessee and Texas.
Nashville is renowned for its country music, but the National Museum of African American Music is also in the Tennessee capital.
The best Nashville experiences include backstage tours of the Grand Ole Opry House, helicopter flights over the city and tasting tours at the Big Machine Distillery. You can also try line dancing classes, the Country Music Hall of Fame and haunted pub crawls. Or, for lavish old homes, visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, the Travellers Rest Historic House Museum and Belmont Mansion.
Excellent Nashville accommodation choices include the gloriously evocative Belle Air Mansion and Inn, plus downtown’s grand dame, the Hermitage.
How to see Nashville the smart way
You can save money in Nashville by combining a tour ticket with admission to two top attractions. These combo tickets give you a half day tour of the main sights, plus entrance to the Ryman Auditorium and Country Music Hall of Fame. Find out more here.
The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the NASA Space Center, which takes you behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. This includes the Mission Briefing Center, and a vast array of high tech exhibitions.
Other attractions include the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Downtown Aquarium and the Children’s Museum,
For more Houston experiences, try hip hop party bike tours, foodie walks in the Montrose neighbourhood and quirky tours of Houston’s tunnel system.
Top Houston accommodation options include the superb value Club Quarters Houston Downtown and the upscale but boutique Magnolia.
Nashville to Houston distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Nashville to Houston is 779 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 12 hours and three minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40, I-30 and US-59.
The best stops to add to a Nashville to Houston road trip itinerary are Memphis, Hot Springs AR and Marshall TX.
For more suggestions, see the guides to individual legs of the journey.
Nashville to Houston road trip attractions: Memphis TN
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.
Visitors can 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.
Best stops between Houston to Milwaukee: 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.
Best stops between Nashville and Houston: Marshall TX
The main city in wealthy Harrison County, Marshall, has plenty of heritage on display. The Starr Family Home has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979, and the Harrison County Historical Museum covers the region’s backstory.
The most interesting section delves into the bizarre period where Marshall became the Confederate capital of… Missouri. The Missouri Confederate leadership decamped here to lead a government in exile during the Civil War.
Accommodation in Marshall is almost entirely motel-style. Hunt here for deals.
More Nashville road trips
Nashville to Atlanta | Nashville to Austin | Birmingham AL to Nashville | Nashville to Boston | Nashville to Bowling Green | Bristol TN to Nashville | Nashville to Buffalo | Charlotte to Nashville | Nashville to Chattanooga | Chicago to Nashville | Nashville to Cincinnati | Cleveland to Nashville | Columbia SC to Nashville | Nashville to Columbus | Cookeville TN to Nashville | Crossville TN to Nashville | Dallas to Nashville | Nashville to Denver | Nashville to Destin FL | Detroit to Nashville.
Nashville to Fort Lauderdale | Nashville to Gatlinburg | Nashville to Graceland | Grand Rapids to Nashville | Greensboro NC to Nashville | Nashville to Greenville SC | Nashville to Gulf Shores | Huntsville to Nashville | Indianapolis to Nashville | Jackson TN to Nashville | Johnson City TN to Nashville | Nashville to Kingsport TN | Nashville to Knoxville | Lexington to Nashville | Nashville to Little Rock | Louisville to Nashville | Lynchburg to Nashville.
Manchester TN to Nashville | Nashville to Memphis | Nashville to Milwaukee | Minneapolis to Nashville | Nashville to Mobile AL | Montgomery AL to Nashville | Nashville to Myrtle Beach | Nashville to New Orleans | New York City to Nashville | Omaha to Nashville | Nashville to Orlando | Nashville to Panama City | Nashville to Pensacola | Nashville to Pigeon Forge | Pittsburgh to Nashville | Raleigh to Nashville | Nashville to San Antonio | Nashville to Savannah | Sevierville to Nashville | Nashville to St Louis | Nashville to Tallahassee | Nashville to Tampa | Tulsa to Nashville | Nashville to Tuscaloosa | Nashville to Wilmington NC.
More Houston road trips
Abilene to Houston | Houston to Albuquerque | Houston to Amarillo | Arlington TX to Houston | Houston to Atlanta | Houston to Austin | Houston to Baltimore | Houston to Baton Rouge | Houston to Beaumont TX | Houston to Biloxi | Houston to Birmingham AL | Houston to Buffalo | Bryan TX to Houston | Carrollton TX to Houston | Houston to Charlotte | Houston to Chattanooga | Cincinnati to Houston | College Station to Houston | Houston to Colorado Springs.
Dallas to Houston | Denton TX to Houston | Houston to Denver | Houston to Destin FL | Houston to Detroit | Houston to El Paso | Frisco TX to Houston | Houston to Fort Lauderdale | Houston to Fort Worth | Houston to Fredericksburg | Garland TX to Houston | Houston to Gatlinburg | Houston to Hot Springs | Indianapolis to Houston | Irving TX to Houston | Houston to Jackson MS | Houston to Jacksonville | Houston to Knoxville.
Houston to Lafayette | Houston to Lake Charles | Lewisville TX to Houston | Little Rock to Houston | Longview TX to Houston | Houston to Lubbock | Magnolia TX to Houston | Marshall TX to Houston | Houston to Memphis | Houston to Milwaukee | Houston to Mobile AL | Nacogdoches to Houston | Houston to New Braunfels | Houston to New Orleans | Houston to New York City | Houston to Oklahoma City | Houston to Omaha NE | Houston to Orlando.
Houston to Panama City | Houston to Pensacola | Houston to Philadelphia | Houston to Phoenix | Houston to Pittsburgh | Plano TX to Houston | Houston to Salt Lake City | San Angelo TX to Houston | Houston to San Antonio | Houston to San Marcos | Houston to Santa Fe | Shreveport to Houston | Houston to St Louis | Houston to Tampa | Temple TX to Houston | Texarkana to Houston | Houston to Tucson | Houston to Tulsa | Waco TX to Houston | Houston to Washington DC | Houston to Wichita | Wichita Falls to Houston.