Raleigh NC to Dallas road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

Planning a Raleigh to Dallas road trip itinerary

The Raleigh to Dallas drive takes you from the capital of North Carolina to the biggest city in north Texas.

Raleigh NC offers a series of high quality museums. The North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina Museum of Art are the three big-hitters. Meanwhile, the Mordecai Historic Park is where you’ll find Raleigh’s oldest house and the William B Umstead State Park is the top spot for outdoorsy pursuits.

Top Raleigh activities include trolley pub tours and ghost tours.

For Raleigh accommodation, the Marriott is the prime address downtown and the Store is a gorgeous guesthouse.

Dallas has plenty of high quality cultural attractions. These include the Nasher Scupture Center, Pioneer Square and the Perot Museum of Science and Nature.

But for many visitors, the main reason to visit Dallas is the JFK assassination. Yes, you can go up to the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly took his shot from.

Top Dallas experiences include a JFK Assassination and Museum tour, the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower and a self-guided scavenger hunt.

Good places to stay in Dallas with a pool include the sassy Kimpton Pittman downtown and the historic Warwick Melrose near Turtle Creek.

The best way to combine the JFK sites in Dallas is a special themed tour. This takes in the JFK Memorial, Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll before heading to Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house. It finishes in the Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository. On the way, expert guides take you through the assassination facts and theories. Find out more here.

Raleigh to Dallas distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Raleigh NC to Dallas is 1,192 miles. You can expect a driving time of around 17 hours and 36 minutes.

Given roughly even journey legs, the best stops to add to a Raleigh to Dallas road trip itinerary are Atlanta, Tuscaloosa and Shreveport.

For more suggestions, check out the guides to individual sections of the journey:

Best stops between Raleigh and Dallas: Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta played a massive part in the Civil Rights movement, and a black history and civil rights tour is pretty much a must-do.

For more Atlanta experiences, try a sightseeing trolley tour for orientation and overview. Or a guided bike ride to get a better feel for the neighbourhoods.

Other Atlanta favourites include the World of Coca Cola, Midtown food and cocktail tours and multi-brewery beer tours.

Raleigh to Dallas road trip attractions: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

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.

Raleigh NC to Dallas TX drive: Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is best known for its riverboat casinos, but there are a few other strings to its bow. Surprisingly interesting attractions include the Shreveport Water Works Museum, which looks at the ways we use and treat water, and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum. The latter is inside a masterpiece of modern architecture, and features a series of extraordinarily detailed dioramas depicting Louisiana life.

The best Shreveport experiences include scavenger hunts and the Shreveport Aquarium.

Dallas, Texas.
Dallas, Texas. Photo by 12019/ Pixabay.

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