Bristol, VA Road Trips
Plan drives from Bristol, VA with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trip Routes
3
Longest Drive
420.5 mi
Portsmouth, VA
Quickest Drive
4h 33m
Harrisonburg, VA
Plan Around Bristol, VA
Popular Incoming Routes
Useful if Bristol, VA is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Continue From Bristol, VA
Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.
Trips from Bristol, VA
Bristol, VA by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
17,024
Median Income
$44,706
Median Home Value
$168,700
Median Age
42.6
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Bristol, VA at a Glance
Founded
1856
Elevation
1,680 ft
Area
13 mi²
Notable People from Bristol, VA
A sampling of people born in Bristol, VA.
Charles Spurgeon Johnson
1893–1956
(1893-1956) American sociologist and university administrator
William Francis Rhea
1858–1931
American politician (1858-1931)
Beattie Feathers
1909–1979
American college football coach, college baseball coach (1909-1979)
Landmarks & Historic Sites
Attractions and heritage-registered places located in Bristol, VA.
Virginia Intermont College
small private Baptist liberal arts college in Bristol, Virginia
Bristol
historic train station in Bristol, Virginia
City data from Wikidata (Q503366), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Bristol, VA
Bristol is a city in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee, United States of America.
Bristol is a city bisected by the Virginia-Tennessee border; the north half is in Virginia and the south half in Tennessee. State Street runs along the borderline and the two cities share a downtown. Bristol, Virginia is an independent city in Virginia, bounded by Washington County, Virginia and Sullivan County, Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 17,835. Bristol, Tennessee is in Sullivan County. As of the 2010 census, the city has a total population of 26,702. Originally named Goodson, the city was renamed to Bristol in 1890.
Downtown district including shopping, historic landmarks in the history of Country Music. Cumberland Square Park and War Memorial 1 Birthplace of Country Music Museum. (updated Jul 2018)
1 Bristol Motor Speedway, 151 Speedway Blvd. A NASCAR short track auto racing venue. An enlarged cartoon version of this track appeared as the "Motor Speedway of the South" in Pixar's "Cars" in 2006.
1 Eatz on Moore Street, 17 Moore St, ☏ +1 276 591-4755, [email protected]. (updated Sep 2021) 2 Shanghai Chinese Restaurant, 711 State St, ☏ +1 276 669-9000. (updated Sep 2021) 3 Stateline Bar and Grille, 644 State St, ☏ +1 423 652-0792. (updated Sep 2021)
1 Quality Inn & Suites, 131 Bristol East Road, ☏ +1 276 669-8164, fax: +1 276 669-2805. Courtyard Bristol, 3169 Linden Drive, ☏ +1 276 591-4400, fax: +1 276 591-4402. Delta Hotels by Marriott Bristol, 3135 Linden Dr, ☏ +1 276 466-4100. Motel 6, 21561 Clear Creek Road, ☏ +1 276 466-6060, fax: +1 276 466-0755.
1 Tri-Cities Airport (TRI IATA) (the closest major airport is approximately 20 miles driving distance). Interstate 81 connects Bristol with other cities (Roanoke, VA to the north and Knoxville, TN to the south) along a scenic and well maintained corridor that is a major route for private and commercial traffic. Bristol can be accessed via exits 1, 3, 5, and 7 in Virginia and exit 74 in Tennessee. Exit 3 on I-81 leads to I-381, a short spur freeway that takes traffic into downtown Bristol.
Public transportation is available to a limited portion of the city via a municipal bus system.
Travel tips adapted from Bristol (Tennessee-Virginia) on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
Trips to Bristol, VA
Nearby Hubs
Other cities within driving distance of Bristol, VA that also have route pages.
Escape Planner
Where to go from Bristol, VA?
Curated day trips, weekend getaways, and overnight routes — grouped by how much time you have and the kind of trip you want.
Drives from Bristol, VA in your inbox
Monthly note with new routes, weekend drive ideas, and seasonal picks for VA. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Browse more VA road trips or choose a route from Bristol, VA above.