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ROUTE61

The Deep South Music Trail

Country in Nashville, rock ’n’ roll in Memphis, blues in the Delta, jazz in New Orleans.

Stores and clubs on Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee© Jeremy Atherton · CC BY-SA 2.5
Distance
About 650 mi
≈ 1,050 km, rounded
Time
8–10 days
at a comfortable pace
Best season
Apr–May · Oct
Start → finish
Nashville → New Orleans

Almost every kind of American music was born within a few hundred miles of the Mississippi River. This trip follows it: from Nashville’s honky-tonks to Elvis’s Graceland, along Highway 61 — the Blues Highway — through the cotton fields of the Delta, past antebellum Natchez, to the brass bands of New Orleans.

Map of the The Deep South Music Trail road tripALGAOKARKYMSTNSCLAMemphisClarksdaleNatchezNashvilleNASHVILLENew OrleansNEW ORLEANSSmokiesSMOKIESN0200 mi
The route, stop by stop — tap a stop to open its guide.

Day by day

  1. Days 1–2

    Days 1–2 · Nashville

    Honky-tonks on Broadway, the Ryman, the Grand Ole Opry, hot chicken. See Nashville.

    Sleep: Nashville

  2. Days 3–4

    Days 3–4 · Memphis

    Graceland, Sun Studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash and B.B. King recorded, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, and Beale Street at night.

    210 mi · 3 h 15Sleep: Memphis

  3. 5

    Day 5 · Clarksdale & the Delta

    Down Highway 61 to the crossroads of blues legend, the Delta Blues Museum and live music at Red’s Lounge or Ground Zero.

    75 mi · 1 h 30Sleep: Clarksdale

  4. 6

    Day 6 · The Blues Highway to Natchez

    Mississippi Blues Trail markers in Cleveland and Indianola (B.B. King Museum), then Natchez’s antebellum mansions on the bluff.

    240 mi · 4 h 30Sleep: Natchez

  5. Days 7–9

    Days 7–9 · New Orleans

    Down the river road to the French Quarter, Frenchmen Street and second-line parades. See New Orleans.

    175 mi · 3 hSleep: New Orleans

Memphis essentials

  • Book Graceland timed tickets ahead; the mansion tour plus Elvis’s cars and planes takes half a day.
  • Sun Studio tours run hourly; you can stand where Elvis recorded “That’s All Right” in 1954.
  • The National Civil Rights Museum is built around the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968: allow three hours.
  • Eat Memphis-style dry-rub ribs at Rendezvous or Central BBQ.

Where to sleep along the way

Book the nights that matter first — inside or next to the parks, and in towns hosting a festival — then fill in the rest. Free cancellation keeps the plan flexible.

Partner links · Trip.com

Our hand-picked hotels on this route

Road trip questions

How long is the drive from Nashville to New Orleans?

About 530 miles and 8 hours direct; via Memphis and the Delta, around 650 miles. Spread it over a week or more.

Is Graceland worth it?

For music fans, yes: it is preserved as Elvis left it in 1977, and the exhibits on his career are extensive.

What is the Blues Highway?

US Highway 61 through the Mississippi Delta, lined with markers of the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Exit 10Stops on this routeNashvilleHonky-tonks, hot chicken and a song on every street corner.
Exit 17New OrleansBrass bands, balconies and beignets on the bend of the Mississippi.Exit 24Great Smoky Mountains National ParkBlue ridges in the mist, black bears and the most visited park in America.
Exit 10And now?Route 662,400 miles · 14–21 days
Exit 17Pacific Coast Highway640 miles · 5–7 daysExit 24The Grand Circle1,300 miles · 10–14 days

Written by Kylian Dev. Distances and drive times are without stops or traffic; add 25% for a realistic day.