Nashville TN to Panama City FL drive: Time, distance & best stops

Planning a Nashville to Panama City road trip itinerary

The Nashville to Panama City drive connects the capital of Tennessee to a beach city on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

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.

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.

There are military bases and industrial sites in Panama City, but for visitors it’s all about the beach.

Top things to do in Panama City include jetboat thrill rides, a sunset catamaran sail, and a dolphin and snorkelling cruise.

You can also swim with dolphins, try scuba diving for beginners and stand-up paddleboarding lessons.

Nashville TN to Panama City FL distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Nashville TN to Panama City FL is 457 miles. That makes for a driving time of around seven hours and 25 minutes.

The best stops to add to a Nashville TN to Panama City FL road trip itinerary are Huntsville AL, Birmingham AL and Montgomery AL.

For more attractions, check out the guides to the Nashville to Huntsville drive, Huntsville to Birmingham drive and Birmingham to Panama City drive.

Nashville to Panama City road trip attractions: Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville has played a massive part in the space race, and the US Space and Rocket Center is the top attraction. There are lots of ways to experience what being an astronaut is like here, including flight simulators and a G-Force Accelerator. Most fun (or nauseating, depending on perspective) is the multi-axis trainer, which spins you round in all directions.

Other Hunstville experiences include self-guided audio tours and scavenger hunts.

Nashville to Panama City drive: Birmingham AL

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. 

If planning to visit several of them, a Birmingham Area Multi-Attraction Pass will save you money.

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 Nashville and Panama City FL: Montgomery, Alabama

The main reason to visit Montgomery is the Civil Rights heritage. There are several ways to explore this, with the cheapest being a self-guided audio tour and the most in-depth being a three hour private tour.

Other fun Montgomery experiences include a party pedal boat cruise along the Alabama River,

If planning to blitz several attractions, a city pass might save you money.

Beach time in Panama City, Florida.
Beach time in Panama City, Florida. Photo by justinhatl/ Pixabay.

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 | Nashville to Houston | 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 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 Panama City road trips

Atlanta to Panama City | Birmingham AL to Panama City | Dallas to Panama City | Panama City to Destin | Dothan AL to Panama City FL | Panama City to Fort Walton Beach | Houston to Panama City | Jacksonville to Panama City | Panama City to Miami | Panama City to New Orleans | Panama City to Orlando | Pensacola to Panama City | Tallahassee to Panama City | Tampa to Panama City.