As a certified road tripping enthusiast, I have seen a LOT of the Southern United States over the past few years, and I’ve driven tens of thousands thousands of miles of tarmac. Here’s a list of all 21 Interstates that I’ve driven on:

I-4

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I-10

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I-12

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1-14

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1-17

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I-20

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I-25

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I-26

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I-30

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I-35

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I-40

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I-45

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I-59

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I-65

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I-74

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I-75

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I-77

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I-81

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I-85

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I-95

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I-4 - I-10 - I-12 - 1-14 - 1-17 - I-20 - I-25 - I-26 - I-30 - I-35 - I-40 - I-45 - I-59 - I-65 - I-74 - I-75 - I-77 - I-81 - I-85 - I-95 -

While those are just numbers, it translates to 15 states. Around five have stuck out to me, and while there’s no specific criteria, here’s what I like about an interstate:

· Cool places along the way

· Number of lanes

· Scenery

· Lack of law enforcement

· Road quality

· Presence of a Buc-ee’s

In ascending order, here are my top five interstates in the Southern United States, and what sections I’m ranking them by (excluding auxiliary interstates (three digit interstates):

I-35 San Antonio, TX - Denton, TX

I-35 is the interstate closest to me, as it runs directly through my hometown of Austin. It makes the top five, as opposed to others, because the portion in Waco, Texas, was finally widened to four lanes within the past year. I love I-35 because its almost consistently 3 lanes from San Antonio all the way to Dallas. The road quality is great between Austin and North Texas, but not between Austin and San Antonio. Which leads me to my next point, I-35 is actually three interstates in one, I-35, I-35E, and I-35W. 35 splits into two separate interstates in Hillsboro, TX and reconvene in Denton, TX. I-35E serves the Fort Worth side of the metroplex, and I-35E serves the Dallas side of DFW. Bonus points for having 4 Buc-ee’s in New Braunfels, Temple, Fort Worth, and Denton.

I- 85 Montgomery, AL - Hillsborough, NC

I-85 ranks here because I’ve spent a lot of time on it too. Apart from the stretch between Greenville, South Carolina and Commerce, Georgia, 85 feels like glass. It also is good to do its EXTREME width (like six lanes wide) between Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Raleigh. When its not 6AM to 8PM, I-85 in Downtown Atlanta is a Dream. There are lots of bridges and tunnels in Downtown Atlanta where you can torture everyone else if you have a loud car, by “sending it” and letting the noises reverberate of the bridges and pavement. Whenever I fly out of Hartsfield-Jackson, I look forward to those antics. No Buc-ee’s yet, but there is one coming soon between Atlanta and Greenville.

I-17 Phoenix, AZ - Flagstaff, AZ

While I-85 may be covered in pine trees, I-17 offers quite the opposite. Connecting Phoenix and Flagstaff, Arizona, it is a very short, non-interstate interstate, but it is a pretty one, perhaps the prettiest on this list. It twists and turns through desert canyons that give spectacular views. When you get closer to Flagstaff, you reach the Coconino National Forest, which provides contrasting views of red rocks and lush green trees. While there isn’t much else to it, Interstate 17 is just really damn pretty. No Buc-ee’s.

I-40 ALBUquerque , NM - Raleigh, NC

Maybe it’s just because its super long, but I-40 goes through some really cool places. Along the side of I-40, you’ll pass everything from a steakhouse that serves a 72oz steak to a modern take on an Egyptian pyramid. The best part is that both of those are also hotels. In addition to just being so diverse, it’s also twisty and really pretty to look at. Lots of trees, and even a tunnel make this easily number two on the list. One thing that really holds this road back, is the THP or Tennessee Highway Patrol. Just one Buc-ee’s.

Image: My friend Stefaan getting clocked for 20 over between Memphis and Nashville, but I however, was not ticketed. I sat there and laughed, but was reprimanded by the officer for pulling over with him.

I-10 PHoenix, AZ - Jacksonville, FL

It feels kind of gross ranking two super long interstates as numbers one and two, but they just have so much to them it feels hard to ignore. Interstate 10 starts at the Santa Monica Pier in LA and ends in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Along the way, you’ll:
Go through a tunnel under downtown Phoenix
Drive past a Native American Reservation in New Mexico
Go through an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement checkpoint near Las Cruces and El Paso
Drive on the 24 lane wide Katy Freeway in Houston
Drive on a 26 mile long bridge in America’s biggest swamp near Baton Rouge
Drive on more bridges than solid ground in New Orleans
See a rocket launch facility in Mississippi
Go through another tunnel under downtown Mobile
Then stare at the glistening Gulf of Mexico on your way through Florida

Image: December 2022, a semi truck has flipped in Sulphur, LA and shut down every lane of 10 West. Every vehicle for the next 18 hours had to drive through back roads to get to the open freeway in Orange, TX.

I refuse to be told otherwise that there is a better Interstate than Interstate 10. Its diversity stands above the rest and there are just so many cool things about it. The reality is that all Interstates are inherently great, because they are STANDARDIZED, which means that no stretch is going to be that much worse or different than another. I could start a whole rant on why Dwight Eisenhower is the best president because he spearheaded this project, but that is a discussion for another day.

The BEST INTERSTATES IN THE SOUTHERN USA

I-4

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