St Louis to Tampa road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best road trip stops on the St Louis to Tampa drive are Nashville, Atlanta and Valdosta. The distance from St Louis to Tampa by car is 1,009 miles, with a 15h10m driving time.
Planning a St Louis to Tampa road trip itinerary
The St Louis to Tampa drive takes you from the Mississippi River in Missouri to the west coast of Florida.
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.
Tampa is justifiably one of the most popular holiday destinations in Florida. It’s home to top attractions such as the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa, the Adventure Island water park and Busch Gardens theme park.
Other great Tampa experiences include historic Ybor City food walking tours, seeing the highlights in a street legal golf cart and a Haunted Tampa tour that combines ghosts and pubs.
Also on offer are Segway tours, history cruises, dolphin-watching and celebrity homes tours.
Tampa accommodation is best booked in advance – look for deals here.
St Louis to Tampa distance and driving time
By car, the distance from St Louis to Tampa is 1,009 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 15 hours and 10 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-64, I-24 and I-75.
The best stops to add to a St Louis to Tampa road trip itinerary are Nashville, Atlanta and Valdosta.
For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual sections of the journey.
- St Louis to Nashville drive.
- Nashville to Atlanta drive.
- Atlanta to Valdosta GA drive.
- Valdosta GA to Tampa drive.
St Louis to Tampa road trip attractions: Nashville, Tennessee
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.
Best stops between St Louis and Tampa: 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.
St Louis to Tampa drive: Valdosta, Georgia
In Valdosta GA, the Lowndes County Historical Museum does the local history thing. And the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts hosts strong porcelain and East African art collections.
Most visitors, however, will beeline it to Wild Adventures. This is a zoo, water park and theme park rolled into one, and there’s a decent clutch of thrill rides.
To secure the best Valdosta accommodation deals, compare prices here.
More St Louis road trips
St Louis to Atlanta | Boston to St Louis | St Louis to Branson MO | St Louis to Chicago | St Louis to Cleveland | St Louis to Columbus | Dallas to St Louis | Denver to St Louis | Detroit to St Louis | Houston to St Louis | Indianapolis to St Louis | St Louis to Joplin MO | Kansas City to St Louis | St Louis to Knoxville | St Louis to Milwaukee | Nashville to St Louis | St Louis to New York City | St Louis to Oklahoma City | Omaha to St Louis | St Louis to Philadelphia | St Louis to Pittsburgh | St Louis to Springfield MO | St Louis to Tulsa | St Louis to Washington DC | Wichita to St Louis.
More Tampa road trips
Asheville to Tampa | Atlanta to Tampa | Austin to Tampa | Baltimore to Tampa | Buffalo to Tampa | Dallas to Tampa | Tampa to Daytona Beach | Tampa to Destin | Gainesville to Tampa | Houston to Tampa | Jacksonville to Tampa | Lakeland to Tampa | Memphis to Tampa | Nashville to Tampa | Ocala to Tampa | Orlando to Tampa | Philadelphia to Tampa | Pittsburgh to Tampa | Tampa to St Augustine | Tallahassee to Tampa | Valdosta to Tampa | Washington DC to Tampa.