How long is the Natchez Trace Parkway: Nashville to Natchez route?

This route takes 9 days taking in 7 stops.

Where does this route start and end?

The route runs from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi in Tennessee to Mississippi, United States.

When is the best time to travel this route?

The best time to travel this route is Spring and autumn for foliage and mild weather.

How active is this route?

Activity level: Easy-going. Easy-going and accessible for most fitness levels.

What transport do I need for this route?

This route works best with a car or a campervan.

What budget do I need for this route?

Mid-range spending — expect comfortable accommodation and a mix of dining options.

What type of accommodation suits this route?

Mixed accommodation works well along this route.

What is the pace of this trip?

Relaxed — plenty of time to linger at each stop.

What type of trip is this?

This route is well-suited to: Scenic, Culture, Nature, Classic road trip, Food & drink.

Natchez Trace Parkway: Nashville to Natchez

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The route · 7 stops

Nashville

1 night

Tennessee's music capital and the northern gateway to the Trace. Spend a night downtown for honky-tonks and hot chicken, then start south on the parkway. The Double Arch Bridge at Birdsong Hollow and the artsy village of Leiper's Fork are the first stops worth pulling over for.Tennessee's music capital and the northern gateway to the Trace. Spend a night downtown for honky-tonks and hot chicken, then start south on the parkway. The Double Arch Bridge at Birdsong Hollow and the artsy village of Leiper's Fork are the first stops worth pulling over for.

Recommendations

1h 42m · 122 km drive to Meriwether Lewis Monument (Hohenwald)

Meriwether Lewis Monument (Hohenwald)

1 night

A quiet woodland stop at milepost 385.9, where explorer Meriwether Lewis is buried beside a reconstructed inn. The surrounding Tennessee section is the parkway at its leafiest, and short trails to Fall Hollow and Jackson Falls reward a stretch of the legs. Overnight in nearby Hohenwald.A quiet woodland stop at milepost 385.9, where explorer Meriwether Lewis is buried beside a reconstructed inn. The surrounding Tennessee section is the parkway at its leafiest, and short trails to Fall Hollow and Jackson Falls reward a stretch of the legs. Overnight in nearby Hohenwald.

Recommendations

3h 16m · 235 km drive to Tupelo

Tupelo

2 nights

The parkway's main hub and home to its only visitor center at milepost 266. Use two nights to see Elvis Presley's two-room birthplace and museum, the Chickasaw Village site, and the vast Pharr Mounds just north. A good base for restocking before the Mississippi miles ahead.The parkway's main hub and home to its only visitor center at milepost 266. Use two nights to see Elvis Presley's two-room birthplace and museum, the Chickasaw Village site, and the vast Pharr Mounds just north. A good base for restocking before the Mississippi miles ahead.

Recommendations

2h 15m · 162 km drive to French Camp

French Camp

1 night

A tiny 1810 settlement built around a Choctaw-era stand and inn, now a living-history village with a cafe and bed and breakfast. Tour the log buildings, then climb to the Jeff Busby overlook nearby, one of Mississippi's highest points and a fine sunset stop.A tiny 1810 settlement built around a Choctaw-era stand and inn, now a living-history village with a cafe and bed and breakfast. Tour the log buildings, then climb to the Jeff Busby overlook nearby, one of Mississippi's highest points and a fine sunset stop.

Recommendations

2h 24m · 173 km drive to Jackson

Jackson

1 night

Mississippi's capital, reached on a quick detour off the parkway at I-20. It breaks the drive with serious culture: the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History share a building, and the Museum of Art is close by. This is the route's best city for dining.Mississippi's capital, reached on a quick detour off the parkway at I-20. It breaks the drive with serious culture: the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History share a building, and the Museum of Art is close by. This is the route's best city for dining.

Recommendations

1h 31m · 109 km drive to Port Gibson & Rocky Springs

Port Gibson & Rocky Springs

1 night

The most atmospheric stretch of the southern Trace. Walk the Rocky Springs ghost town and church at milepost 54.8, then detour to the Windsor Ruins, twenty-three towering columns left from a burned antebellum mansion. Port Gibson, spared in the Civil War, makes a quiet overnight.The most atmospheric stretch of the southern Trace. Walk the Rocky Springs ghost town and church at milepost 54.8, then detour to the Windsor Ruins, twenty-three towering columns left from a burned antebellum mansion. Port Gibson, spared in the Civil War, makes a quiet overnight.

Recommendations

1h 5m · 78 km drive to Natchez

Natchez

2 nights

The southern terminus on the Mississippi River bluffs and the oldest town on the river. Two nights cover the antebellum mansions of Longwood, Stanton Hall and Melrose, the Natchez Under-the-Hill waterfront, and nearby Emerald Mound and Mount Locust, the last surviving Trace inn.The southern terminus on the Mississippi River bluffs and the oldest town on the river. Two nights cover the antebellum mansions of Longwood, Stanton Hall and Melrose, the Natchez Under-the-Hill waterfront, and nearby Emerald Mound and Mount Locust, the last surviving Trace inn.

Recommendations

Natchez Trace Parkway: Nashville to Natchez