St Louis to Atlanta road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops

Planning a St Louis to Atlanta road trip itinerary

A St Louis to Atlanta road trip takes you from the gateway to the West in Missouri to the hub of the South in Georgia.

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 tourstrue 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.

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.

St Louis to Atlanta distance and driving time

By car, the distance from St Louis to Atlanta is 554 miles. Get lucky with traffic, and it’s a driving time of around eight hours and 30 minutes. The quickest route goes via the I-64, I-57, I-24 and I-75.

The best stops to add to the St Louis to Atlanta road trip itinerary are Clarksville TN, Nashville and Chattanooga.

Things to do on the St Louis to Atlanta drive: 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 St Louis and Atlanta: Nashville

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.

St Louis to Atlanta road trip attractions: Chattanooga

Chattanooga in the foothills of the Appalachians is home to the National Medal of Honor Heritage Museum and the Tennessee Aquarium. But it’s mostly an outdoorsy place. Great Chattanooga experiences include rafting on the Middle Ocoee River, backcountry tours in Swincars and kayak adventures to the Nickajack Bat Cave. You can also try Segway tours, guided ghost walks and trolley tours.

The Atlanta skyline.
The Atlanta skyline. Photo by 12019/ Pixabay.

More St Louis road trips

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More Atlanta road trips

Albany GA to Atlanta | Anderson SC to Atlanta | Auburn AL to Atlanta | Augusta to Atlanta | Atlanta to Baton Rouge | Atlanta to Biloxi MS | Birmingham AL to Atlanta | Braselton GA to Atlanta | Buford GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Brunswick GA | Buffalo to Atlanta | Atlanta to Charleston SC | Charlotte to Atlanta | Atlanta to Chattanooga | Chicago to Atlanta | Cincinnati to Atlanta | Clemson SC to Atlanta | Cleveland to Atlanta | Columbia SC to Atlanta | Columbus GA to Atlanta | Columbus OH to Atlanta | Commerce GA to Atlanta.

Dallas to Atlanta | Atlanta to Daytona Beach | Atlanta to Denver | Atlanta to Destin | Detroit to Atlanta | Dothan AL to Atlanta | Dublin GA to Atlanta | Durham NC to Atlanta | Atlanta to Gainesville FL | Greensboro NC to Atlanta | Greenville SC to Atlanta | Griffin GA to Atlanta.

Hampton GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Hilton Head | Houston to Atlanta | Atlanta to Indianapolis | Atlanta to Jackson MS | Atlanta to Jacksonville | Jonesboro GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Kansas City | Knoxville to Atlanta | LaGrange GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Lexington KY |  Atlanta to Little Rock | Atlanta to Louisville | Atlanta to Macon GA | McDonough GA to Atlanta | Memphis to Atlanta | Atlanta to Milwaukee | Minneapolis to Atlanta | Atlanta to Mobile AL | Atlanta to Montgomery AL | Morrow GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Myrtle Beach.

Nashville to Atlanta | Newnan GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to New Orleans | Atlanta to Oklahoma City | Atlanta to Omaha NE | Atlanta to Orlando | Atlanta to Panama City | Atlanta to Pensacola | Atlanta to Pigeon Forge | Raleigh NC to Atlanta | Richmond VA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Roanoke VA | Atlanta to Savannah | Atlanta to Sevierville | Shreveport to Atlanta | Atlanta to St Augustine | Stockbridge GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Tallahassee | Atlanta to Tampa | Tifton GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Tulsa | Atlanta to Tuscaloosa | Valdosta GA to Atlanta | Warner Robins GA to Atlanta | Atlanta to Washington DC | Atlanta to Wilmington NC | Winston-Salem to Atlanta.