This project was in part sponsored by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

*Updated Summer 2022

We recently embarked on a cross-country road trip on I-40, passing through eight states and clocking more than 2,555 miles over 28 days. Sure, Route 66 has a certain throw-back elegance, but – today – this is the best route to see America.

Our route took us through : (click any state for our tips and guides) : California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee & North Carolina. Literally, desert to prairie to mountains and of course sea-to-shining-sea.

Some towns we simply passed through and grabbed lunch, while others we settled into for three or four days to really get a feel for the place. It was one heck of an adventure, with memories I’m sure we’ll talk about for years to come.

What we discovered is that to truly experience America, you must drive through it.

Looking at your own trip : from national parks to urban cities, this road trip provides a full view of this vast country. Every town and landmark is different and with every mile marker passed comes new landscape, regional specialty cuisines and unique adventures.

Will You love It?

This road trip is for any adventure lover, whether you’re traveling with your family or hitting the road with some close friends.

Some I-40 highlights we visited include: Lake Havasu, Petrified Forest National Park, parts of Historic Route 66, The National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City, the Civil Rights history museums in both Little Rock and Memphis and The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville. We fell in love with each stop for different reasons and have been telling everyone to add the I-40 cross-country road trip to their bucket lists.

Planning Your Trip

Before You Go

Plot out your route and research destinations, hotels and activities before you arrive. While you can leave some time for spontaneous adventures, some activities, restaurants and experiences, think ahead about lodging and dining. These are two points of travel that are really getting slammed.

We made sure to book all our lodging before we left and waited to book other smaller activities until a few days or night before.

Mode of Transportation

Traveling as a Family : We booked a minivan from Enterprise Rent-A-Car so we had more space for all the extras we packed. (Tip – Minivans often have more space than SUVs). With added roadside assistance and insurance, we knew we were in safe hands should anything pop up as we traversed the country. It gave us peace of mind to know we could stop in at any Enterprise in the country should we have a problem.

Considering an RV : RV’s are great options for road tripping if you’re planning on staying out of urban areas in general. During our cross-country drive, we planned the majority of our stops in metro areas – which are not ideal for RVs. If you’re wanting to split your time between urban and organic – consider a van with a pop-top.

What to Pack

As with all road trips, you have more space than you do on an airplane, so use the space wisely. In addition to our normal layers of clothing and road trip snacks, we brought :

• A huge picnic blanket for outdoor dining options
• Hand sanitizer + one roll of toilet paper in case rest stops were out
• Refillable water bottles
• Extra cash and coins

*Family Travel Tip: If you have the space, consider bringing along the family wheels. We loved having our daughter’s scooter and our bikes. This allowed us to explore cities on foot or wheels, allowing us to enjoy the fresh outdoor air.

Our Trip

On our I-40 journey we headed Pacific to Atlantic (West to East) starting out from home in Los Angeles and ending up Beech Mountain, NC (before heading away from I-40 and going down to Florida).

Here’s a breakdown of our over all travel :

• Day 1 : LA to Lake Havasu, AZ (est. Drive Time : 5.5 Hours)
  • This was our first overnight stop and with the very hot days, it’s easy to want to spend the whole visit on the water. Rent a kayak, boat or jet ski and enjoy the lake with the beautiful red rocks in the distance. We stayed at Nautical Beachfront Resort so we could enjoy the water late into the afternoon and first thing in the morning before we got back into the car.
  • I-40 skirts right along beside the Mojave National Preserve and would be a great mid-day stop.
• Day 2 : Lake Havasu, AZ to Albuquerque, NM (est. Drive Time : 8.5-9 Hours)
  • Petrified Forest National Park, AZ: Where else can you walk among million-year-old trees and trunks? The national park is a great half-day adventure, especially if you have little kids who want to run around. Don’t miss Painted Desert Rim Trail, an easy trail with lots of pull offs for great photos, or Giant Logs Trail, a short trail directly behind the visitor center.
  • Wigwam Motel, AZ: Located on Historic Route 66, this adorable motel was the inspiration behind the Disney Cars movie and a big hit with our toddler. We didn’t spend the night but it’s worth the detour to stop and take photos before continuing your drive.
  • Albuquerque, NM: We stayed at Sarabande B & B, a gorgeous B&B owned by a mother/daughter team. With a beautiful room complete with a fireplace, we had our own private patio to enjoy the homemade breakfast and a pool to cool off when we first arrived. You could easily spend two nights here.
  • Update : Since making our drive, we’ve gone back to New Mexico and spend a week in and around Santa Fe (about an hour East of Albuquerque). This is a great additional stop to add to your cross-country trip – giving you a glimpse of a completely different culture, landscape, and lifestyle. You can check out our long-weekend guide for tips on dining and experiences.
    • Also, strongly consider adding a stop at Bandelier National Monument (where you can rock climb all the ladders to historic cliff dwellings and pueblos). It’s one of our favorite National Monuments/Parks and it’s just about an hour outside of Santa Fe.

• Day 3 : Albuquerque, AZ to Oklahoma City, OK (est. Drive Time : 8.5 Hours)
  • This was our long drive day. We’d considered stops in between, but the more we researched Oklahoma City, the more we wanted to add more time there. Also, 8.5 hours is a lot of driving, but breaking it down into 3-4 hour drives felt too short for the overall distance we wanted to travel start-to-finish.
  • Also, this was the last day of long driving for the entire trip. So we framed it like an adventurous day in the car – which sorta helped.
• Day 4 – 7 : Off-the-Road in Oklahoma City
  • We spent four quality nights in OKC, where we explored Scissortail Park’s splash pad, pedal boats and farmers market; visited Myriad Botanical Garden, hiked around Lake Hefner, and snapped photos in front of all the pretty murals around town. Don’t miss Plaza Walls for their rotating murals.
  • This was definately not our first trip to Oklahoma City (we actually considered moving here after our first trip). To put it mildly, we love this city – there’s just so much to do and so many artists turning this city into something fresh and completely separate from anywhere else we’ve ever visited.
  • Add a few days to your trip and spend them here : Here’s how to do it.
• Day 8 : OKC to Little Rock, AK (est. Drive Time : 5.5 Hours)
  • These two cites are really close to one another. So you can easily choose to start late and spend a lazy morning in OKC -or- head our early and be in Little Rock with time to sample Happy Hour Beer Cheese.
  • This route crosses right by 3 different Native American Nations, which make interesting stops along your route. Our I-40 was made during quarantine, so these were closed to us.
• Day 9 – 12 : Off-the-Road in Little Rock
  • We planned four nights in Little Rock, with hiking Pinnacle Mountain State Park and touring the Civil Rights Historical sight of the Little Rock Nine at the top of our lists. Little did we know that we’d embark on an incredible culinary journey there, tasting local dumplings, cheese dips, tacos, and craft beers. Don’t leave town without stopping by Lost Forty’s Sunday brunch, with a smoked jalapeno pimento cheese dip, freshly baked donut holes, and a pint of their IPA.

• Day 13 : Little Rock, AK to Nashville, TN (est. Drive Time about 6 Hours)
  • Afternoon in Memphis : Museum and grabbing a bite at Central BBQ before heading back on the road.
    • The National Civil Rights Museum was a needed experience after touring the Little Rock Nine sight. It brought so much history into focus, and really left us wanting to learn and share more about this part of America’s history so we can be a part of a better tomorrow for our child.
    • A secondary focus of our overall I-40 drive was to explore America’s Civil Right History. This museum was a great way to tie several things we’d already explored in OKC and Little Rock together. If you’re interested in adding some specific culture to your trip, we have a guide for making your own cross-country Civil Right Road Trip.
• Day 14 – 18 : Off-the-Road inNashville and Franklin, TN
  • To be honest, I’m from Nashville, so this stop was split between family time and some of our favorite spots that we always find time to visit.
  • Franklin, TN: Located about 25 minutes south of Nashville, Franklin has amazing food, great outdoor adventures and an outdoor winery with live music and hillside sunset views. Arrington Vineyards is a must visit whenever we’re in the Nashville area, and we made it a point to stay the night to experience this magic again.
• Day 19 : Nashville, TN to Knoxville, TN (est. Drive Time 2-3 Hours)
  • This is such a short drive that the drive itself is almost no consideration at all.
  • We left mid-morning and were already settled in by the afternoon.
• Day 20-22 : Off-the-Road in Knoxville, TN
  • We stayed at The Graduate, a boutique style hotel on University of Tennessee’s campus. The location is perfect for walking or biking around the city. Our can’t miss dining spots include Pete’s Knoxville, OliBea in Old City, Kefi Knox and Sunspot. Knoxville has incredible natural quarries that are perfect for cooling off during a hot day. We kayaked and swam in Mead’s Quarry and watched the sunset over Fort Dickerson Quarry. Don’t miss the new mural outside of Printshop Beer. It was painted for #WallsforWomen, to celebrate the 100 year of the 19^th Amendment and Voting Rights for Women.
• Day 23 : Knoxville, TN to Beech Mountain, NC (est. Drive Time 3 Hours)
  • Like the Nashville to Knoxville day, this is a pretty short drive. However, the road winds up and into the mountains getting off I-40 and relying mostly on surface streets – which slows down the drive but is great for taking in scenery and adding in short hikes.
• Day 24 – 26 : Off-the-Road in Beech Mountain, NC
  • Beech Mountain is known around the area as the ultimate relaxation spot, and it sure was that for our family. We were able to enjoy the fresh mountain air, hike and kayak during the day and light a fire and roast marshmallows at night. Book a private cabin or condo with kitchen at Pinnacle Inn to cook your own meals and enjoy the quiet nights. Don’t miss lunch at Beech Mountain Brewery – their veggie burger with sweet potatoes and beets is the best we’ve ever had and a reason to book an entire trip up there!

Beyond I-40

From Beech Mountain, we hopped off I-40 and headed South to ultimately end up in St. Augustine Florida. Our trip was a little over a week long after this with stops at Biltmore Estate, Columbia, SC and Savannah, GA.

• Biltmore Estate, near Asheville, North Carolina: The Biltmore Estate is more than just a fancy old house. It has over 8,000 acres to bike, hike, walk and picnic. The view from the Cottage at Biltmore Estate, a private house you can rent, is incredible and worth the splurge. We drank wine from the Biltmore Winery while Augustine played near the sunflower fields. It was an idyllic way to start winding down our long trip.
• Columbia, SC: (a short detour and final stop) The final stop on our road trip was Columbia, where we also stayed at a The Graduate because we knew their safety precautions were amazing and the décor and ambience made us feel at home and as if we were at a fancy hotel all in one. South Carolina is known for its pimento cheese, so we had to embark on a taste test of their Pimento Cheese Trail. We also visited the Hampton-Preston Mansion, a historical home that shared more about Columbia’s rich history and continued our Civil Rights learning. Book a night at Transmission Arcade, where you can rent out the entire pin ball arcade for just your family!

This road trip could take you as little as five days, but we suggest almost a month to fully experience each stop. With many jobs going remote and schools distance learning, now is the perfect time to hit the road and see what makes America so beautiful.