Road Trip to Florida from Los Angeles: The Best Cross Country Road Trip Itinerary

Kevin and I are finally getting back into the swing of things. This past month we did what many thought sounded crazy (including us!) — a full month road trip to Florida from Los Angeles. In this post, we’ll share what we consider the best cross country road trip itinerary — taking you from LA to Florida. But were we nuts attempting this with newborn babies? Maybe? Or as we like to say, there were only a few meltdowns and tears shed…mostly from the kids.

We rented a Toyota Highlander SUV — packed up the kids, the dog and all our stuff for the next month. Everyone breathe in. No souvenirs kids…there isn’t enough space!

So follow us along on this wild adventure to see our family over holiday break. Truth be told, it was actually a great trip. Even better than we ever imagined it would turn out (even if we had a pretty low bar!).

Best Cross Country Road Trip Itinerary: Day 1, Los Angeles to Albuquerque, New Mexico

We planned this trip to have the most driving up front and to gain the most ground. It kicked off with a pretty ambitious wake up time. But this allowed us to actually enjoy our time along the trip adventure, including stops along Route 66.

Total driving time today from Los Angeles to Albuquerque: 12 hours

• 6:30 AM, Breakfast
• 7 AM, Depart LA to Albuquerque (12 hours), Be aware of the timezone change, +1 hour ahead
• 1-2 PM, Stop for lunch in Seligman along historic Route 66. We highly recommend Westside Lilo’s in downtown Seligman.
  • The restaurant specializes in German food including bratwurst, wiener schnitzel along with baked goods (you got my attention!) like cinnamon rolls and carrot cake.

• 2 PM, Depart Seligman for Flagstaff, Arizona (1 hour drive)
• 3-4 PM,  It’s time to stretch the legs in Flagstaff, Arizona. This is one of our favorite places to wander. We recommend checking out downtown, picking up some coffee or tea from Steep Cafe and shopping.

• 4 PM, Depart Flagstaff for Albuquerque.
  • You’ll have a 5 hour drive at this point, but you’ll change time zones (getting 1 hour back). This will be the most tedious part of your cross country adventure. I pretty much zoned out, as our baby girl Ava serenaded me with her screams most of the way!
• 8 PM, Arrive in Albuquerque and enjoy a late dinner at your Airbnb.

Day 2 of the Road Trip to Florida from Los Angeles: Driving to Oklahoma City

Today’s drive will take you through America’s heartland — with a very unique stop halfway in Amarillo, Texas, at Cadillac Ranch. It’s the perfect spot to get out and stretch the legs. We try to include fun places to mix up the journey so it isn’t just a straight through drive.

Total driving time today from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City: 8 hours

• 7 AM, Pick up some coffee and pastries at Golden Crown Panaderia in downtown Albuquerque. We highly recommend the freshly baked apple empanadas. Then head across the street to grab some coffee at Slow Burn Cafe.

• 8 AM, Depart Albuquerque
• 1 PM, Arrive at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX (4 hour drive).
  • This might be one of our favorite stops along the journey. Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo. Graffiti on the cars is encouraged. It’s just a short walk along a dirt road. We were able to roll the kids out in their stroller (though it was definitely a bumpy ride).
    
    
• 1 -2 PM, Wander Cadillac Ranch, and live out your Instagram fantasies.

• 2 PM, Lunch time. By this point we were starving. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at It’s A Punjabi Affair. If you can’t tell by the name, it’s an Indian restaurant. We love our butter chicken. Though, the chicken salad was the show stopper here.
• 3 PM, Drive to Oklahoma City (4 hour drive). This is a pretty drive, but there isn’t a lot to see beyond farmland.
• 7 PM, Arrive in Oklahoma City and check into your Airbnb.
  • We stayed at the Blue Door B&B, $98 a night. It was walkable to the interesting Plaza neighborhood in uptown Oklahoma City.
• Explore the Plaza neighborhood, just a 15 minute walk from the Airbnb.
  • We loved this neighborhood, especially all the cute shops that lined 16th street.
  • For dinner, we suggest grabbing a table at The Mule, where the specialty is grilled cheese. There is an entire section on the menu dedicated to this dish. Kevin was in heaven!

Day 3: Oklahoma City to Little Rock, Arkansas

We were in no real rush to get into Little Rock. Truth be told, there wasn’t much open during our travels (partly due to the holidays but mostly due to the pandemic). Today we spent the bulk of our time in Oklahoma City to see the incredible Oklahoma City Bombing memorial site. This stop was pretty much the main reason we traveled to Oklahoma City along this route.

Total driving time today from Oklahoma City to Little Rock, Arkansas: 5 hours

• 7-8 AM, Morning workout of virtual Solidcore Pilates. Clearly, we are workout fiends.
• 9 AM – 12 PM, Visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
  • I had a vague memory of this tragedy, as it happened while I was still pretty young. This museum takes you inside that day, sharing accounts of the survivors, rescuers and those who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. Be sure to check out the memorial fence where people still leave messages to their lost loved ones.
  • To ensure you get a spot, make advanced reservations by appointment on their website.

• 12-1:30 PM, Explore Oklahoma City. We fell in love with this place and enjoyed driving around to the different neighborhoods to get a sense including Bricktown (and it’s water taxi), Paseo (for it’s strip of cute restaurants) and Film Row (the warehouse/arts district).
• 1:30-2:30 PM, Grab some lunch at The Jones Assembly.
  • This is one of the best spots in Oklahoma City, and where many celebrities eat when they’re in town. Movies are starting to film in Oklahoma City given the low costs and tax breaks. Apparently, Matt Damon was just in here a few weeks before us.

•  2:30 PM, Depart Oklahoma City for Little Rock (5 hours) – no time zone change
• 7:30 PM, Arrive in Little Rock and check into your Airbnb.
  • We highly recommend the 1920s Bungalow Little Rock, $191 a night. This was one of our favorite places we stayed along the trip.

Day 4: Little Rock to Birmingham, Alabama

As mentioned, we wouldn’t recommend spending a lot of time in Little Rock. So hit the road early — with a fun side trip to Memphis, Tennessee. We LOVE Memphis. In fact, we did an entire birthday adventure here pre-pandemic, and hit up many of the best spots in Memphis. Today you’ll get a lot of variety and the drive time will feel pretty quick with all the side trips.

Total driving time today from Little Rock, Arkansas to Birmingham, Alabama: 6 hours

• 7 AM, Early morning hike along the Big Dam Bridge. I knew immediately we needed to do the “Big Dam Bridge” hike. Because clearly, it’s the best dam name ever! It’s an easy hike, taking just about 1 hour to complete at a pretty slow pace.
• 8 AM, Pick up some coffee and breakfast nearby at Little Rock’s Hillcrest Little Bakery, where the specialty is biscuits smothered in all sorts of unhealthy stuff!

• 9 AM, Depart for Memphis, TN (about 2 hours drive)
• 11 AM, Arrive in Memphis
• 11:30 AM – 1 PM, Tour Sun Studios Memphis.
  • This is the birthplace of rock n’ roll, recording such hits from rockabillies Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. If you’ve seen the Broadway musical, Million Dollar Quartet, this is the real-life setting of it.

• 1-3 PM, Wander along the legendary Beale Street in Memphis; and grab the best ribs ever from Blues City Cafe.

• 3 PM, Depart Memphis for Birmingham, AL (4 hour drive).

• 7 PM, Arrive in Birmingham; Check into your Airbnb (we aren’t including ours since we don’t recommend it).
• 8 PM, Grab dinner in downtown Birmingham at the restaurant Helen.
  • We were amazed at the selection of restaurants in Birmingham. Without a doubt, Helen Restaurant was the perfect spot for us. Head upstairs to the bar and order the biscuits. You won’t be disappointed.

Day 5: Birmingham, Alabama to Savannah, Georgia

We’re almost at our final destination! At this point, you could just swing south down to Florida. However, we made the journey to Savannah, Georgia, where we worked virtually and self-isolated before seeing the family in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, we spent most of our time at the famed Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. And celebrated making it across the country — proving we could actually do it with kids and dog in tow.

Total driving time today from Birmingham, Alabama to Savannah, Georgia: 6 hours

• 8 AM, Hit the road early, and drive directly to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
• 10 AM, Arrive in Atlanta
• 10 AM –  2 PM, Explore the Georgia Aquarium
  • The kids loved this spot, and were so intrigued by all the noise and movements. Well, at least the first 20 minutes before falling fast asleep!
  • Advanced reservations necessary during pandemic times. You can book online.

• 3-4 PM, Visit Ponce City Market in Atlanta.
  • This is one of the most unique spots to grab a bite and shop. Ponce City Market was converted from an old Sears distribution center — that sold monkeys in the 1940’s. Today it’s a modern food hall that even has an amusement park on its roof.

• Before leaving, you should also walk along the nearby BeltLine, a spot that runs along the market that is popular with joggers and bikers. It’s gorgeous.

• 4 PM, Drive to Savannah, Georgia (4 hours drive)
  • It will be a dark and tiring drive, especially after all the action of today. Our girl Ava screamed the entire drive, keeping this driver WIDE AWAKE.
• 8 PM, Settle into your Airbnb in Savannah.
  • We highly recommend this 1860’s Savannah Victorian Home, $250 a night. It was truly one of the best spots we stayed, and a perfect location to seeing historic Savannah. We hung out here for 4 nights.

Wrapping it Up: Traveling to Florida (Final Stop!)

We spent a week in Savannah, Georgia, before seeing our family. Before this trip, I had no idea that Savannah was just a 2 hour drive from Jacksonville, Florida. Mind blown! What an adventure we had. And hopefully our trip inspired you to make the big cross country adventure yourself. If we can do it, so can you.

Looking for other itineraries to plan out your next vacation? Check out our full section dedicated to our road trip adventures. Looking to ease your way into a big trip? We get it. We suggest reading our features on local travels around California and our fun getaways in Las Vegas and the south west.