Nashville to St Louis drive: Time, distance & best stops
The distance from Nashville to St Louis by car is 309 miles, with a 4h27m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Nashville to St Louis drive are Clarksville TN, Paducah KY and Giant City State Park in Illinois.
Planning a Nashville to St Louis road trip itinerary
The Nashville to St Louis drive connects Tennessee’s capital to the eastern edge of Missouri.
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.
St Louis is one of America’s great crossroads cities. The major landmark is the 630ft-tall Gateway Arch, which visitors can go to the top of. Other top attractions include the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden and Busch Stadium.
Good St Louis experiences include highlight-packed trolley tours, true crime walking tours and small group tours that include going to the top of the St Louis Arch and a Mississippi River cruise.
For St Louis accommodation with personality, try the Last Hotel or the Pennywell.
Nashville to St Louis distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Nashville to St Louis is 309 miles. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 27 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-24, I-57 and I-64.
The best stops on a Nashville to St Louis road trip are Clarksville TN, Paducah KY and Giant City State Park in Illinois.
Nashville to St Louis road trip attractions: Clarksville TN
Clarksville TN is the seat of Montgomery County and brushes up against the Kentucky border. The cultural highlight is the Customs House Museum, which brings art and history together. But the star attraction in Clarksville is Dunbar Cave State Park.
Dunbar Cave is home to Mississippian cave art from the 14th century. But you can also enjoy five miles of hiking trails, spotting wildlife along the way.
Best stops between Nashville and St Louis: Paducah KY
On the Ohio River, Paducah KY is a designated UNESCO Creative City. This creativity is best seen in the Lower Town Arts District, where a host of workshops, studios and galleries cluster.
Lower Town is also where you’ll find the National Quilt Museum, which looks at the history of quilting around the world and showcases some remarkable, intricate examples.
Paducah is also covered in outdoor murals, which cover buildings throughout the city.
Nashville to St Louis drive: Giant City State Park, Illinois
Giant City State Park is in the Shawnee National Forest. But it’s the massive 12,000-year-old sandstone bluffs you come to see. This southern Illinois state park has plenty of hiking trails, while rock-climbing and rappelling are allowed in two locations.
Visitors can also tackle the Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour, which involves a series of ziplines flying through the forest, plus three suspension bridges.
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