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Plan a Tennessee visit with facts from official pages: 65 state park pages, 23 attraction pages with admission and dog rules, 7 itineraries, and drive times to 38 destinations from four cities. Tennessee is about 467 miles in a straight line between Memphis and Mountain City, the two farthest town points in the Census Gazetteer.
- State Parks65pages with dog rules
- Itineraries7day by day
- Destinations38with drive times
- Widest Point467 mistraight line
Itineraries
- Smoky Mountains Long Weekend3 days, 4 stops3-Day
- Nashville Weekend3 days, 7 stops3-Day
- Memphis Weekend2 days, 5 stops2-Day
- Chattanooga Weekend2 days, 4 stops2-Day
- Knoxville and Oak Ridge Weekend2 days, 4 stops2-Day
- Cumberland Plateau Waterfalls and Caves3 days, 5 stops3-Day
- East Tennessee State Parks Road Trip2 days, 5 stops2-Day
Getting Around Tennessee
Tennessee is long: the Census Gazetteer’s town points put Memphis in the far west and Mountain City in the far east about 467 miles apart in a straight line, and Mitchellville in the north and Lookout Mountain in the south about 131 miles apart. Straight-line miles are computed, not driving distances; plan on more road time than the map line suggests.
| Destination | Nashville | Memphis | Knoxville | Chattanooga |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Museum of Science and Energy | 183 min | 413 min | 38 min | 123 min |
| Bristol | 322 min | 552 min | 125 min | 250 min |
| Cades Cove | 259 min | 490 min | 81 min | 181 min |
| Clarksville | 60 min | 249 min | 252 min | 206 min |
| Cookeville | 91 min | 322 min | 115 min | 125 min |
| Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | 2 min | 235 min | 198 min | 152 min |
| Cumberland Caverns | 118 min | 340 min | 152 min | 117 min |
| Dollywood | 251 min | 482 min | 55 min | 180 min |
| Franklin | 27 min | 232 min | 217 min | 155 min |
| Gatlinburg | 255 min | 485 min | 58 min | 183 min |
| Graceland | 241 min | 14 min | 437 min | 375 min |
| Grand Ole Opry House | 20 min | 251 min | 200 min | 159 min |
| Jack Daniel's Distillery tours | 93 min | 297 min | 221 min | 114 min |
| Jackson | 144 min | 101 min | 340 min | 285 min |
| Johnson City | 315 min | 545 min | 118 min | 243 min |
| Knoxville Zoo | 204 min | 434 min | 7 min | 132 min |
| Lookout Mountain Incline Railway | 153 min | 375 min | 131 min | 9 min |
| Memphis Zoo | 233 min | 10 min | 429 min | 374 min |
| Murfreesboro | 43 min | 265 min | 202 min | 117 min |
| Museum of Appalachia | 217 min | 448 min | 35 min | 157 min |
| Nashville Zoo | 16 min | 245 min | 205 min | 150 min |
| National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel | 236 min | 3 min | 432 min | 378 min |
| Oak Ridge | 181 min | 412 min | 32 min | 122 min |
| Ober Gatlinburg | 261 min | 492 min | 65 min | 190 min |
| Pigeon Forge | 241 min | 471 min | 45 min | 169 min |
| Point Park | 154 min | 376 min | 136 min | 13 min |
| Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies | 256 min | 486 min | 59 min | 184 min |
| Ruby Falls | 149 min | 371 min | 132 min | 8 min |
| Ryman Auditorium | 1 min | 234 min | 199 min | 152 min |
| Shiloh National Military Park | 176 min | 148 min | 367 min | 262 min |
| Stax Museum of American Soul Music | 234 min | 7 min | 429 min | 374 min |
| Sun Studio | 234 min | 3 min | 430 min | 375 min |
| Tennessee Aquarium | 152 min | 374 min | 129 min | 3 min |
| Tennessee State Museum | 2 min | 233 min | 200 min | 154 min |
| The Hermitage | 24 min | 255 min | 192 min | 162 min |
| The Lost Sea Adventure | 224 min | 455 min | 77 min | 93 min |
| The Parthenon | 7 min | 233 min | 203 min | 156 min |
| Titanic Museum Attraction | 245 min | 475 min | 48 min | 173 min |
OpenStreetMap road routing (OSRM), no live traffic, read October 19, 2026; a dash means that pair is not in our file. Full file with routes and miles: drive times to Tennessee attractions.
Day Trips
Destinations within 90 minutes by the typical times above, from each city. Computed from the same file.
From Nashville
- Ryman Auditorium about 1 min
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum about 2 min
- Tennessee State Museum about 2 min
- The Parthenon about 7 min
- Nashville Zoo about 16 min
- Grand Ole Opry House about 20 min
- The Hermitage about 24 min
- Franklin about 27 min
- Murfreesboro about 43 min
- Clarksville about 60 min
From Memphis
- National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel about 3 min
- Sun Studio about 3 min
- Stax Museum of American Soul Music about 7 min
- Memphis Zoo about 10 min
- Graceland about 14 min
From Knoxville
- Knoxville Zoo about 7 min
- Oak Ridge about 32 min
- Museum of Appalachia about 35 min
- American Museum of Science and Energy about 38 min
- Pigeon Forge about 45 min
- Titanic Museum Attraction about 48 min
- Dollywood about 55 min
- Gatlinburg about 58 min
- Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies about 59 min
- Ober Gatlinburg about 65 min
- The Lost Sea Adventure about 77 min
- Cades Cove about 81 min
From Chattanooga
- Tennessee Aquarium about 3 min
- Ruby Falls about 8 min
- Lookout Mountain Incline Railway about 9 min
- Point Park about 13 min
Seasonal Planning
- Best time for fall color, from the National Park Service
- Events by month: October, November, December, January, February, March, or every month
- This weekend and next week
- Holiday lights and Christmas events and fall events
Plan by Topic or Town
- Things to do: topic guides (state parks, free days out, dog-friendly parks, music, sports, theater, the Smokies)
- Destinations: twelve towns and regions
- Venues and the places directory
The Eight Regions
- Smoky MountainsEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Nashville AreaEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Memphis & West TennesseeEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Knoxville AreaEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Chattanooga & SoutheastEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Tri-Cities & NortheastEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Upper Cumberland & PlateauEvents, places and drive timesRegion
- Southern Middle TennesseeEvents, places and drive timesRegion
Tours, Eating And Itineraries
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is it across Tennessee?
About 467 miles in a straight line between the farthest town points in the Census Gazetteer. Roads add to that; see the full answer.
Where can I stop for visitor information?
Tennessee’s Department of Tourist Development lists welcome centers on the interstates; see the welcome centers directory.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Drive times are OpenStreetMap road routes with no live traffic; traffic, construction and weather change them.
- We hold no official statewide trip planner data; routes between two stops that are not in the file are not estimated.
Sources
Read on October 30, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Visit Tennessee: Trip Planning Guide”, itstennessee.com/visit/ (updated ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.