926 miles, about 13 hr 30 min of driving. Here are the real towns worth stopping in between New Orleans, LA and Chicago, IL, and why each one earned it.
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| Day | Miles | Driving | Night in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 595 | 8 hr 34 min | West Frankfort, IL |
| 2 | 330 | 4 hr 56 min | — |
Every stop is a real town on your actual route — not a chain billboard. We score towns on what a driver needs at that point in the drive: fuel and food for a stretch break, parks and grass when a pet is along, hotels and restaurants when it's an overnight. Detour distance counts against a town, so nothing here costs you a long side trip.
This page is planned for a 9-hour driving day leaving at 8:00 AM. Change any of that — your hours, your MPG, pets, small children, an EV's charging range — and the stops change with it. Plan New Orleans to Chicago your way →
How far is New Orleans, LA to Chicago, IL?
About 926 miles, roughly 13 hr 30 min of driving before stops.
Can you drive New Orleans to Chicago in one day?
Not comfortably. At a 9-hour driving day it splits into 2 days, with a night in West Frankfort, IL.
Where is a good place to stop between New Orleans and Chicago?
Crystal Springs, MS is the first one on this route.