Southern USA Road Trip: The Complete Day-by-Day Timeline

Day 1: Land in Orlando and Hit the Theme Parks
Start where the flights are cheapest and the theme parks are biggest. Base yourself near International Drive and spend the day at Universal Orlando or a smaller, faster-moving park like Fun Spot America if you’d rather skip the all-day queues.

Day 2: Central Florida’s Wildlife Side
Orlando isn’t only theme parks. Spend today on the wilder side of Central Florida: an airboat ride at Wild Florida, gator encounters at Gatorland, or a slower day at Central Florida Zoo.

Day 3: Drive to Tampa and the Florida Aquarium
It’s a short 90-minute drive across to Tampa. Spend the afternoon at the Florida Aquarium or ZooTampa, then save the evening for the Channelside waterfront.

Day 4: Busch Gardens, Then the Long Drive North
Give the morning to Busch Gardens’ rollercoasters and animal exhibits, then start the road trip properly: it’s roughly seven hours from Tampa to Atlanta, so an early start pays off.

Day 5: Atlanta’s Aquarium and Downtown
Arrive in Atlanta and spend the day downtown: the Georgia Aquarium is the city’s headline stop, and World of Coca-Cola next door fills the rest of the afternoon.

Day 6: Atlanta’s Museums, Then on to Nashville
Fit in the College Football Hall of Fame or the Illuminarium in the morning, then drive the four hours north to Nashville in time for dinner on Broadway.

Day 7: Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame
Book a timed-entry slot at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for the morning, then spend the evening working down Broadway’s strip of honky-tonks.

Day 8: Nashville to New Orleans
The longest driving day of the trip — budget a full eight hours from Nashville to New Orleans, or break it up with an overnight stop in Memphis or Birmingham if you’d rather not do it in one push.

Day 9: The French Quarter and the National WWII Museum
Spend the morning at the National WWII Museum, one of the most highly rated attractions in the entire Deep South, then walk the French Quarter and St. Louis Cathedral in the afternoon.

Day 10: A Plantation Tour or Audubon Zoo Before You Fly Home
Close out the trip with a plantation tour along the River Road or a slower morning at Audubon Zoo, then fly home from New Orleans — or start the ten hours back down to Orlando if you’re driving a loop.

Tourism Tickets Itineraries Southern Usa Roadtrip

Southern USA Road Trip: 10 Days from Orlando to New Orleans

Your 10-Day Southern USA Itinerary, City by City

Days 1–3 · Orlando

Three days split between the big-name theme parks and Central Florida's quieter wildlife attractions — enough to cover both sides of Orlando without needing a car outside the I-Drive corridor.

Day 1: Universal Orlando or Fun Spot America
Day 2: Wild Florida, Gatorland or Central Florida Zoo
Day 3: Drive to Tampa in the afternoon

Visit Orlando

Day 4 · Tampa

A short hop from Orlando, Tampa earns a full day for the Florida Aquarium and Busch Gardens before the road trip's first long driving leg north to Atlanta.

The Florida Aquarium or ZooTampa in the morning
Busch Gardens for rollercoasters and animal exhibits
Depart in the early afternoon for the 7-hour drive to Atlanta

Visit Tampa

Days 5–6 · Atlanta

Two nights in Atlanta covers the downtown headliners — the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, College Football Hall of Fame and the Illuminarium — before the drive up to Nashville.

Day 5: Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola
Day 6: College Football Hall of Fame or the Illuminarium, then drive to Nashville

Visit Atlanta

Days 7–8 · Nashville

Music City gets two nights: a timed-entry morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame, an evening on Broadway, then the trip's longest driving day down to New Orleans.

Day 7: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, then Broadway's honky-tonks
Day 8: The 8-hour drive to New Orleans (or split it with a Memphis stopover)

Visit Nashville

Days 9–10 · New Orleans

The trip's finale: the National WWII Museum and the French Quarter on day one, then a plantation tour or Audubon Zoo before flying home on day ten.

Day 9: National WWII Museum and the French Quarter
Day 10: A River Road plantation tour or Audubon Zoo

Visit New Orleans

Two Ways to Build a Southern USA Road Trip

Music Cities Express
Florida & Gulf Coast

Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans — Southern USA road trip alternative

Music Cities Express: Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans

Cut Florida out entirely and fly straight into Atlanta. Three cities instead of five means three or more nights in each one, built for travellers chasing music and food over theme parks and beaches — the College Football Hall of Fame, Broadway's honky-tonks and the French Quarter, with no 1,300-mile drive to get through.

3 nights Atlanta · 2 nights Nashville · 3 nights New Orleans
Fly into Atlanta, out of New Orleans — about 660 miles of driving instead of 1,325
Best for travellers short on time who'd rather go deep on fewer cities

Visit Nashville

Your Southern USA Road Trip Route at a Glance

Roughly 1,325 miles one-way across five states — a few tips to plan the drive well:

Rent the car in Orlando and drop it in New Orleans — most major rental companies allow a one-way drop-off across these five cities for a manageable fee, so you don't have to double back.
Book the Country Music Hall of Fame and any other timed-entry museum slots before you leave — several sell out same-day slots well in advance, especially on weekends.
Split the two longest legs — Tampa to Atlanta and Nashville to New Orleans — across two driving days each if anyone in the car gets restless after four or five hours.
Pack for two very different climates — Florida and the Gulf Coast run hot and humid year-round, while Atlanta and Nashville can turn cool from late autumn through early spring.
Fly into Orlando and out of New Orleans (or the reverse) instead of a round trip — an open-jaw flight saves you the 10-hour drive back to your starting point.

Highlights of a Southern USA Road Trip

Downtown Atlanta skyline — Southern USA road trip

Downtown Nashville at dusk — Southern USA road trip

French Quarter, New Orleans — Southern USA road trip

Frequently Asked Questions About a Southern USA Road Trip

Is 10 days enough for a Southern USA road trip?

Ten days is enough to cover Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans at a comfortable pace — two to three nights in each city with two longer driving days built in. Adding a sixth city or slowing down further usually pushes the trip to two weeks.

What is the best route for a Southern road trip through Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans?

Running south to north to west — Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, then down to New Orleans — keeps every leg of the drive moving in one direction instead of backtracking. It's roughly 1,325 miles one-way, split into four driving days of two to eight hours each.

Do you need a car for this itinerary?

Yes. Unlike a single-city trip, this route only works by car (or a one-way rental drop-off) — the five cities aren't connected by a direct train or a single practical flight path, and the driving itself is part of the trip.

How long is the drive from Nashville to New Orleans?

About eight hours and 530 miles, the longest single leg of the route. Splitting it with an overnight stop in Memphis or Birmingham is a common way to break up the drive without adding a full extra day.

Should I fly into Orlando and out of New Orleans, or do a round trip?

An open-jaw flight — into Orlando, out of New Orleans — saves you the roughly 10-hour drive back down to Florida and is usually only a small premium over a round-trip fare into a single city.

What's the best time of year for a Southern USA road trip?

Spring (March to May) and autumn (October to November) avoid both the Gulf Coast's peak summer humidity and the risk of winter weather slowing the Atlanta-to-Nashville leg. Summer is still workable but expect heat and afternoon storms in Florida and Louisiana.