You can make Atlanta to New Orleans in about 7 hours, but the people who love this drive never do it in one straight shot. At around 470 miles on I-85, I-65 and I-10, it is short enough to start after breakfast and long enough to earn a night somewhere memorable.
Open this route in XCRSNLeaving Atlanta
Aim to clear Atlanta before the morning rush, or after it, never in it. Fill the tank on the edge of town where prices usually drop, set the playlist, and settle in for the first 159 miles to Montgomery.
The headline stop on this route is Civil rights sites in Montgomery. Leave real time for it; it sets the tone for the whole trip.
Montgomery
Montgomery sits about 159 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Nearby, USS Alabama in Mobile is worth the short detour if the day is going well.
Mobile, the last stretch
Mobile sits about 327 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Rolling into New Orleans
The final 143 miles always go faster than you expect. Save a little energy for Gulf Coast beaches at Biloxi; it is a fitting finish.
By the end you will have seen Civil rights sites in Montgomery, USS Alabama in Mobile and Gulf Coast beaches at Biloxi, and you will understand why this corridor is a classic.
When to go and how to pace it
One night is the sweet spot. Montgomery or Mobile, AL is where most people stay, so book ahead on summer weekends.
Check live gas prices along I-85, I-65 and I-10 before you go; they can swing a lot from one state or county to the next. XCRSN prices every leg for your exact car.
