Plan with Rovo. Drive with your favorite map.
Kansas City to Nashville covers about 555 miles and 8.5 to 9 hours, running east on I-70 to the St. Louis area, then south on I-64 and I-57 before picking up I-24 East through Paducah, Kentucky, and into Nashville.
St. Louis sits almost exactly at the halfway point, which makes it a natural place to break up the drive even if you're not stopping for long. South of there, the route trades interstate traffic for a quieter run through southern Illinois and western Kentucky before Clarksville, TN signals you're getting close.
The middle section of this drive — southern Illinois on I-57 and western Kentucky on I-24 — is the quietest part of the route, with longer gaps between services than you'll find on I-70 or near St. Louis. Fuel up before or in Paducah, since it's the last real town before Clarksville and the run into Nashville.
Plan This Route with Rovo →No. I-70, I-64, I-57, and I-24 are all toll-free on this route through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
It's on the long side at nearly 9 hours, but manageable in a single day if you leave early. St. Louis makes a natural halfway break if you'd rather split it up.
Leaving by mid-morning gets you through the St. Louis metro on I-70/I-64 after the morning rush and before the evening one — that's the only real congestion point on an otherwise open route.