Origin
New South Memphis, TN
Evening in New South Memphis on Sunday
Local time
7:35 PM
CDT
Current temp
65°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from New South Memphis, TN to Central, TN
Drive Time
9h 17m
Distance
499.4 mi
804 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$76
one way
EV Charging
Loading...
station data
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
9h 9m
★
6 AM
9h 17m
8 AM
9h 34m
10 AM
9h 23m
12 PM
9h 21m
3 PM
9h 24m
5 PM
9h 33m
8 PM
9h 12m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
New South Memphis, TN
Dee Hunna
Central, TN
Diego Girón
Trip Overview
The drive from New South Memphis, TN to Central, TN covers 499.4 miles and takes about 9h 17m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on South Parkway East, East Parkway South, Sam Cooper Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $75.85 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
249.7 miles from New South Memphis, TN
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 38m into the drive .
Drive Character
Expect a 9h 17m drive with frequent turns across 499.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
South Parkway East is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.
Route Complexity
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
The route itself is not hard, but at 9h 17m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from New South Memphis, TN to Central, TN is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Parkway East | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| East Parkway South | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Sam Cooper Boulevard | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 40 East | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Downtown Loop | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 81 North | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 26 East | Unavailable | Refreshing |
Per-road distance and duration are being refreshed from OSRM for this route.
Longest stretch:
South Parkway East
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between New South Memphis, TN and Central, TN.
1
Start on South Third Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Third Street
2
Turn right onto South Parkway East
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Parkway East
3
Continue on South Parkway East
2.7 mi
·
4 min
·
South Parkway East
4
Continue on South Parkway East
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
South Parkway East
5
Continue on East Parkway South
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
East Parkway South
6
Turn right onto Sam Cooper Boulevard
6.1 mi
·
9 min
·
Sam Cooper Boulevard
7
Continue on Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway
197 mi
·
3 hr 32 min
·
Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway
8
Keep slight right to continue on I 40 East, I 65 South: Knoxville, Huntsville
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
I 40 East, I 65 South: Knoxville, Huntsville
9
Merge slight left onto Downtown Loop
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Downtown Loop
10
Continue on Downtown Loop
0.5 mi
·
43 sec
·
Downtown Loop
11
Keep slight right to continue on I 40 East, I 24 East: Knoxville, Chattanooga
174 mi
·
3 hr 9 min
·
I 40 East, I 24 East: Knoxville, Chattanooga
12
Keep slight left
37 mi
·
40 min
13
Keep slight left to continue on I 81 North: Bristol
57 mi
·
1 hr
·
I 81 North: Bristol
14
Take the exit slight right toward I 26 East, US 23 South: Johnson City, Asheville
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
I 26 East, US 23 South: Johnson City, Asheville
15
Merge slight left onto James H. Quillen Parkway
14 mi
·
16 min
·
James H. Quillen Parkway
16
Take the exit slight right toward TN 91
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
TN 91
17
Turn slight left onto East Main Street
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
East Main Street
18
Turn straight onto Legion Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Legion Street
19
Turn left onto King Springs Road
1.7 mi
·
4 min
·
King Springs Road
20
Turn slight right onto Elizabethton Highway
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Elizabethton Highway
21
Arrive at your destination
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This drive is better paced as a 2-day trip.
Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 249.7 miles from New South Memphis, TN, or about 4h 38m into the drive.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 110 miles or 2h 2m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 249.7 miles or 4h 38m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 249.7 miles or 4h 38m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 8h 10m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Central, TN than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving New South Memphis, TN so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
+
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from New South Memphis, TN
Aim for roughly 250 miles and 4.6 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Central, TN
Aim for roughly 250 miles and 4.6 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 110 miles from New South Memphis, TN.
This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 249.7 mi from New South Memphis, TN · 4h 38m into the drive
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
250 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Hendersonville, TNOvernight Options
Night 1
250 mi · about 4.6h in
A practical overnight split lands near Hendersonville, TN after about 250 miles or 4.6 hours of driving.
Find hotelsPacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 110 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 249.7 miles from New South Memphis, TN, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 250 miles or 4.6 hours on the road.
Arriving in Central, TN
The final approach into Central, TN usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Central, TN.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Central, TN with some flexibility left in the schedule.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$75.85 one way
$151.71 round trip
$3.86/gal
25.4 MPG avg
175 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.25 | $83.62 | $167.24 |
| premium | $4.80 | $94.28 | $188.55 |
| diesel | $5.64 | $110.95 | $221.90 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$76
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$206–$316
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 174.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-06.
Driving Electric?
About $52 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 149.8 | 1 | $52.44 | $23.97 |
| Efficient EV | 124.9 | 1 | $43.70 | $19.98 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 199.8 | 2 | $69.92 | $31.96 |
Gas CO2
175 kg
EV CO2
58 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Central, TN
Evening in Central on Sunday
Local time
8:35 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
1 hour later
The destination clock does not match departure time, so double-check hotel check-in windows and late arrival plans.
Temperature spread
9 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
9h 17m on the road
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from New South Memphis, TN to Central, TN covers 499.4 miles and takes about 9h 17m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are South Parkway East, East Parkway South, Sam Cooper Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Yes. This route is usually more comfortable as a 2-day drive. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 250 miles on day one.
The midpoint is about 249.7 miles from New South Memphis, TN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $75.85 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Plan about 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
The route itself is not hard, but at 9h 17m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from New South Memphis, TN to Central, TN is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from New South Memphis, TN to Central, TN does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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