Nashville to Tuscaloosa drive: Time, distance & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Nashville to Tuscaloosa drive are Franklin TN, Huntsville AL and Birmingham AL. The distance from Nashville to Tuscaloosa by car is 246 miles, with a 3h46m driving time.
Planning a Nashville to Tuscaloosa road trip itinerary
The Nashville to Tuscaloosa drive connects the capital of Tennessee to one of the biggest cities in Alabama.
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.
Tuscaloosa is home to the University of Alabama, with many of the top attractions linked to the university. The Paul W. Bryant Museum is a celebration of football and the Alabama Museum of Natural History covers fossils and dinosaur skeletons. The period-furnished Gorgas House Museum, meanwhile, dates back to 1829.
A Tuscaloosa multi attraction pass is arguably worth the investment if you’re planning to cram in several attractions in a short stay.
Nashville to Tuscaloosa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Nashville to Tuscaloosa is 246 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 46 minutes. The quickest route is down the I-65 and I-20. The best stops on a Nashville to Tuscaloosa road trip are Franklin TN, Huntsville AL and Birmingham AL.
For more suggestions, see the guides to the Nashville to Huntsville drive and Huntsville to Tuscaloosa drive.
Best stops between Nashville and Tuscaloosa: Franklin, TN
There’s no shortage of historic homes in Tennessee, but Franklin seems to hog a greedy number of them. The Lotz House Museum plays on its key role in the Civil War, and runs ghost tours at night.
Carnton is arguably the best bet, however. It offers a series of tours concentrating on different aspects, whether the historic home, the lives of the slaves who worked on the farm or the Civil War battlefield.
Nashville to Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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.
The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.
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