Tennessee Tops New Ranking Of Best States For Family Road Trips In 2026

As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary in 2026, families take to the road to explore historic sites, national parks, small towns and classic American attractions. But the best states for a family road trip may not be the ones travelers expect.

A new study from property rental company Top Villas ranked all 50 states based on several factors that matter to families planning a road trip, including family-friendly attractions, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, biodiversity, road quality, weather reliability and average meal costs.

Tennessee claimed the No. 1 spot overall, beating more traditional road-trip destinations such as California, Arizona or the Pacific Coast Highway.

Nashville

Nashville is an easy place to start. Families can build a trip around music landmarks, museums, restaurants and walkable downtown attractions before heading into smaller towns and state parks. 

Visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, touring the Grand Ole Opry, exploring  Centennial Park and the Parthenon, seeing animals at the Nashville Zoo, or adding hands-on exhibits at the Adventure Science Center could all be part of a memorable family road trip.

Planning a summer road trip, families could also build their Nashville stop around two major events. CMA Fest, a four-day-long country music festival, is scheduled for June 4-7, while Let Freedom Sing! Music City will expand into a two-day America250 celebration on July 3 and 4 this year, with five stages, live music and the largest fireworks and drone show in Nashville's history.

Lawrenceburg 

Next stop could be Lawrenceburg, where road trippers can explore its historic downtown, Amish Country, David Crockett State Park and the Natchez Trace Parkway.

David Crockett State Park covers more than 1,300 acres, with 10 miles of trails, paved bike paths, fishing, canoeing, paddleboats, cabins, and more than 100 campsites.

Families visiting in August can also plan around David Crockett Days, scheduled for August 21-23, 2026. This long-running public event celebrates Crockett's birthday with period clothing, tomahawk throwing, fire-starting, cooking demonstrations, kids' games and frontier-era workshops.

Great Smoky Mountains

The state's outdoor network is another major reason Tennessee performed so well, starting with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which ranked as the No. 3 most-visited U.S. natural attraction and No. 1. most-visited national park in 2025, with 11.5 million visitors. 

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The park stretches across Tennessee and North Carolina through gateway towns such as Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Townsend and Sevierville. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also one of the free U.S. national parks with family-friendly attractions. The park offers a junior ranger program, easy hiking trails, guided horseback rides and carriage rides.

Beyond Tennessee

Top Villas' analysis found that the best all-around states for family road trips are those that combine manageable driving, affordable meals, strong infrastructure, reliable weather and a good mix of attractions.

Half of the top 10 are Southern states: Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia, following after Tennessee. 

Florida ranked second, helped by the highest number of family-friendly attractions in the study. Its theme parks, beaches, springs, wildlife reserves and national parks. The state also scored well for weather reliability and biodiversity.

Alabama placed third because it scored high in biodiversity, road infrastructure, and affordability. With outdoor spaces, historic sites, beaches, state parks and lower travel costs, Alabama stood out as one of the best-value states for a family road trip.

Kentucky ranked fourth. The state performed well because of its affordable meal costs and manageable driving distances between attractions. Families can visit Mammoth Cave National Park, horse country, Appalachian landscapes, bourbon country, historic towns, and outdoor recreation areas without having to cover extreme distances in a single trip.

Georgia also ranked among the top 10, due to its high biodiversity and family attractions score. Visiting Atlanta for museums, the Georgia Aquarium and historic sites could be a start, then build a road trip toward Savannah, the Golden Isles, Blue Ridge or the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Delaware and Hawaii tied for fifth place despite offering very different road-trip experiences.

Delaware ranked highly because of its compact size, which allows families to visit beaches, small towns, historic sites and nature areas without long drives. The state also geared up for America250 with revolutionary-era events. 

Hawaii scored well for biodiversity, weather reliability and the concentration of attractions relative to its size. While it is not a traditional mainland road trip destination, the islands offer scenic drives, beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, cultural sites and outdoor activities within relatively short distances.