Nashville to New Orleans road trip: the drive and a playlist
About 530 miles, 8½ hours of driving and 20 songs. You'll hear Nashville first, then Franklin, Athens, Birmingham and Meridian, and pull into New Orleans with its own artists.
Driving the other way? New Orleans to Nashville
The drive
How long is the drive from Nashville to New Orleans?
About 530 miles. Plan on about 8½ hours of driving without stops.
What's the usual route from Nashville to New Orleans?
Take I-65 south to Birmingham, then I-59 south. It shares the road with I-20 through Tuscaloosa to Meridian, then runs on its own through Hattiesburg to Slidell. From there, I-10 west crosses Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans.
Good places to stop
- Franklin, TNThe Carter House and Carnton, two Battle of Franklin sites you can tour. It's about 20 miles in.
- Birmingham, ALThe Civil Rights Institute downtown, or Vulcan Park for the 56-foot statue and the view of the city.
- Tuscaloosa, ALThe Paul W. Bryant Museum, if anyone in the car cares about Alabama football.
- Meridian, MSThe Jimmie Rodgers Museum, for the man called the Father of Country Music. His songs are on the playlist here.
Where the songs fall
The songs follow the road. Franklin and Athens play on I-65, Birmingham's come up where you switch to I-59, and Meridian's play once you're in Mississippi.
Checked Oct 13, 2026 against Wanderlog, Rome2rio, AARoads and Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Times are for driving straight through: the middle of what the sources say, rounded to the half hour.
For the back seat
Try one bingo card free (1-page PDF)
One card to print. The $4 pack has four different cards and three more games.
Every song is by an artist from that place, in the order you'll pass through. Tap a stop when you see the sign. Driving distances come from OpenStreetMap data.
For the drive
- Bluetooth FM transmitterFind one
No Bluetooth in the car? This plays your phone through the radio. - Dash or vent phone mountFind one
So the driver can see which stop is next. - Two-port USB-C car chargerFind one
Hours of streaming drains a phone fast. - Volume-limited kids' headphonesFind one
For when the back seat wants its own music.
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