Tampa to New Orleans road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best road trip stops on the Tampa to New Orleans drive are Gainesville, Tallahassee and Tampa. The distance from Tampa to New Orleans by car is 658 miles, with a 9h18m driving time.
Planning a Tampa to New Orleans road trip itinerary
The Tampa to New Orleans drive takes you around the Gulf of Mexico from Florida’s west coast to Louisiana’s most exciting city.
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.
New Orleans resolutely refuses to feel like any other American city. From the raucous hedonism of Bourbon Street to the European-influenced charm of the French Quarter, New Orleans is mesmerizingly unusual to hang out in.
Top New Orleans experiences include French Quarter food tours, haunted pub crawls, jazz cruises aboard the steamboat Natchez and cemetery walking tours.
For other attractions, try the National WWII Museum, the Vue Orleans observation deck and the urban enslavement tours at Hermann Grima House.
If looking for New Orleans accommodation, the pool and jazz bar-equipped Royal Sonesta in the French Quarter is a great option. The Virgin Hotel downtown has a huge sense of fun, too.
Tampa to New Orleans distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Tampa to New Orleans is 658 miles. That makes for a driving time of around nine hours and 18 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-75 and I-10.
The logical best stops on the Tampa to New Orleans road trip route are Gainesville, Tallahassee and Pensacola. This is given roughly even spacing. For more suggestions, see the guides to the individual sections of the journey:
- Tampa to Gainesville drive.
- Gainesville to Tallahassee drive.
- Tallahassee to Pensacola drive.
- Pensacola to New Orleans drive.
Tampa to New Orleans road trip attractions: Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and will be best known to college football fans as the home of the Florida Gators.
For everyone else, there’s the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Harn Museum of Art and the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park. The latter is based around a limestone sinkhole.
Gainesville hotel prices can rise sharply based on university and football events. Hunt for bargains in
Best stops between Tampa and New Orleans: Tallahassee, Florida
Top Tallahassee experiences include the Museum of Florida History, which tells the tale of the Sunshine State. That covers everything from prehistoric mastodons to the Spanish conquest and Disney.
The Tallahassee Museum, meanwhile, flits all over the place, from sculpture to birds of prey. For natural beauty, head to the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park.
Good Tallahassee accommodation options include the hip Aloft Tallahassee Downtown and the often great value Four Points by Sheraton.
Tampa to New Orleans drive: Pensacola, Florida
The westernmost city on the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola is home to a major US Naval Station. But for most visitors, interest will lie in the white sand beaches and barrier islands.
Top Pensacola activities include nighttime kayaking with colourful LEDs lighting up the kayaks, and dolphin-watching cruises around the bay.
Other ways of exploring include downtown food tours, ghost and graveyard tours, guided pub crawls, Segway tours and sunset cruises.
For beachside Pensacola accommodation with great guest reviews, take a look at the Pensacola Beach Resort and the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach.
More Tampa road trips
Asheville to Tampa | Atlanta to Tampa | Austin to Tampa | Baltimore to Tampa | Buffalo to Tampa | Charlotte 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 | Tampa to Panama City | Tampa to Pensacola | Philadelphia to Tampa | Pittsburgh to Tampa | Raleigh to Tampa | Tampa to St Augustine | St Louis to Tampa | Tallahassee to Tampa | Valdosta to Tampa | Washington DC to Tampa.
More New Orleans road trips
Atlanta to New Orleans | Baton Rouge to New Orleans | New Orleans to Biloxi | Charlotte to New Orleans | Chicago to New Orleans | Cincinnati to New Orleans | Cleveland to New Orleans | Dallas to New Orleans | New Orleans to Destin FL | New Orleans to Galveston | New Orleans to Gulf Shores | Houston to New Orleans | Huntsville to New Orleans | Jackson MS to New Orleans | Kansas City to New Orleans | Lafayette LA to New Orleans | Memphis to New Orleans | New Orleans to Mobile AL | Nashville to New Orleans | New Orleans to Orlando | Panama City to New Orleans | Pensacola to New Orleans | New Orleans to San Antonio | Raleigh to New Orleans | Savannah to New Orleans | Tallahassee to New Orleans | Tulsa to New Orleans.