St Louis to Knoxville road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the St Louis to Knoxville drive are Giant City State Park, Paducah and Nashville. The distance from St Louis to Knoxville by car is 486 miles, with a 7h16m driving time.
Planning a St Louis to Knoxville road trip itinerary
The St Louis to Knoxville drive takes you from the Mississippi River in Missouri to the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
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.
Highlights of Knoxville include World’s Fair Park, which hosted the 1982 World’s Fair. The often-dazzling Sunsphere is the major landmark, here. You can also visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Knoxville Museum of Art.
Other Knoxville experiences include ghost tours and downtown walking tours that pick out local secret spots, while serving up coffee and ice cream.
Much beloved Knoxville accommodation options include the Tennessean Personal Luxury Hotel and the marvellously quirky Ancient Lore Village.
St Louis to Knoxville distance and driving time
By car, the distance from St Louis to Knoxville is 486 miles. That makes for a driving time of around seven hours and 16 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-64, I-24 and I-40.
The best stops to add to a St Louis to Knoxville road trip itinerary are Giant City State Park, Paducah and Nashville.
For more suggestions, see the guides to the St Louis to Nashville drive and Nashville to Knoxville drive.
St Louis to Knoxville 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.
Best stops between St Louis and Knoxville: 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.
St Louis to Knoxville road trip attractions: Nashville TN
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.
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