Murray State and UT Martin in 2 Days: A Murray, KY and Martin, TN College Drive Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing Murray State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin in two days: how each school's visit works and where to sign up, free visitor parking passes at both campuses, four hotels from budget to mid-range including the Hampton Inn across the street from UT Martin, drive times from Nashville and Paducah, sibling stops like Discovery Park of America and Land Between the Lakes, and Paducah-area weather by season, every fact sourced and checked Oct 30, 2026.
Lovett Auditorium at Murray State University at dusk (April 2011). Photo: Murray State · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Murray State University (Murray, KY) · University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin, TN)
Days
2 days: Murray State on day 1 from a Murray base, then UT Martin on day 2, about 1 hour 13 minutes southwest by car.
Fly into
Nashville International (BNA), about 2 hours 31 minutes from the Murray hotels with no traffic, or Barkley Regional (PAH) in Paducah, about 1 hour 6 minutes away. Fly home from Nashville (about 3 hours 18 minutes from UT Martin) or Paducah (about 1 hour 25 minutes).
Best base
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Murray, about 4 minutes by car from Murray State's Curris Center, with free breakfast and free parking.
Car or no car
Bring or rent a car. The campuses are about 56 miles apart, and both schools give out free visitor parking passes.
Registration
Book each visit on the school's own sign-up page. Murray State's on-campus visits are limited and fill up quickly.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents bringing a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see two schools near the Kentucky–Tennessee line: the Murray State Racers and the UT Martin Skyhawks.
Murray State is in Murray, Kentucky, a city of about 18,000 that Rand McNally named the "Friendliest Small Town." UT Martin is in Martin, Tennessee, about 56 miles southwest. The photo in this guide shows Lovett Auditorium on Murray State's campus.
Why this order
Arrive the day before: Barkley Regional in Paducah is about 1 hour 6 minutes from the Murray hotels, and Nashville International is about 2 hours 31 minutes.
Day 1: a student-guided Murray State tour plus admissions, financial aid, housing and student life information, then an evening in Murray.
Day 2: drive about 1 hour 13 minutes to UT Martin for a guided tour with the admissions team and time with faculty, then fly home from Paducah or Nashville.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
Murray State's on-campus visits are limited and fill up quickly, so book early on its visit sign-up page. To change a visit, email msu.campusvisits@murraystate.edu or call 270.809.3002.
There are no Murray State campus visits when the university is closed, including Thanksgiving (Nov. 25–27, 2026).
Murray State's Racer Days open houses are on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 and Wednesday, March 24, 2027, with faculty, a campus tour and an on-site admission opportunity if you bring an official transcript and test scores.
Book UT Martin's in-person campus tour on its admissions portal. UT Martin also offers Preview Days, one-on-one virtual appointments and a virtual tour.
Both campuses require a visitor parking pass, and both give them out free. Request UT Martin's online ahead of time.
Tour availability varies by season.
Winters around Paducah are cool: January averages about 45°F highs and 27°F lows, with about 2.7 inches of snow.
April is the wettest month of the year near Paducah, averaging about 5.2 inches of rain, so pack an umbrella for a spring walking tour.
Summers are hot: July averages about 90°F highs, so plan the walking part of a summer tour for the morning.
Check each school's athletics calendar for home games on your dates, since game days bring extra traffic and parking demand.
2. The suggested 2-day plan
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Times to Murray State are to the Curris Center at 1375 Chestnut Street, and times to UT Martin are to Clement Hall, home of the admissions office.
Arrival: fly into Paducah or Nashville and check in in Murray
Barkley Regional Airport (PAH) → Hampton Inn & Suites Murray
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 8 min, 55.6 mi
Driving
Rental car
Nashville International Airport (BNA) → SpringHill Suites Murray
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 31 min, 125.6 mi
Driving
Rental car
Nashville International Airport (BNA) → Hampton Inn & Suites Murray
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 33 min, 126.7 mi
Driving
Rental car
Murray State notes that Barkley Regional in Paducah offers daily service through Chicago O'Hare, and Nashville International is served by 10 air carriers with almost 390 flights a day.
If Murray's hotels are full, Murray State suggests looking in Draffenville, Mayfield, Paducah or Paris.
Day 1: Murray State University and Murray
SpringHill Suites Murray → Curris Center (1375 Chestnut St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~4 min, 1.7 mi
Driving
Drive
Hampton Inn & Suites Murray → Curris Center (1375 Chestnut St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~3 min, 1.3 mi
Driving
~19 min walk, 0.9 mi
Pick up a free visitor pass at the Murray State Police Department building before you park.
The Curris Center has an information booth on the first floor, two dining options, a coffee shop and the University Bookstore.
Day 2: UT Martin, then fly home
SpringHill Suites Murray → UT Martin (Clement Hall)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 13 min, 56.3 mi
Driving
Drive
Hampton Inn & Suites Murray → UT Martin (Clement Hall)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 15 min, 55.7 mi
Driving
Drive
Hampton Inn Martin → UT Martin (Clement Hall)
Driving (no traffic)
~5 min, 1.2 mi
Driving
~16 min walk, 0.7 mi
The Meadows Hotel (Fulton, KY) → UT Martin (Clement Hall)
Driving (no traffic)
~19 min, 12.5 mi
Driving
Drive
UT Martin (Clement Hall) → Discovery Park of America
Driving (no traffic)
~24 min, 16.1 mi
Driving
Drive
UT Martin (Clement Hall) → Barkley Regional Airport (PAH)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 25 min, 59.5 mi
Driving
Drive
UT Martin (Clement Hall) → Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Driving (no traffic)
~3 hr 18 min, 148.7 mi
Driving
Drive
For GPS directions to UT Martin, UT Martin suggests 11 Wayne Fisher Drive. Request a free visitor parking permit online before you arrive.
UT Martin's in-person tour has you meet the admissions team, walk campus and talk about your student's future with faculty.
3. Campus by campus
Lovett Auditorium at Murray State University at dusk (April 2011). Photo: Murray State · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
First-time freshmen get a student-guided tour of campus plus information on admissions, financial aid, housing and student life. Visits are limited and fill up quickly.
Racer Days are open-house visits with faculty, financial aid, a guided campus tour and an on-site admission opportunity. Racer Day tours leave from outside the University Bookstore on the Curris Center's second floor.
Murray State also offers virtual tours from its visit page.
Visitor parking
Pick up a free visitor pass at the Murray State Police Department building. Parking Services says visitor parking passes are available at no charge.
Parking Services is at the corner of 16th and Chestnut Street at Five Points, open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Getting there
The Curris Center is about 4 minutes by car from the SpringHill Suites and about 1 hour 6 minutes from Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah with no traffic.
What to know
Winslow Dining Hall is open to students and their families, and the Curris Center has coffee, restaurants and the bookstore.
Murray has over 22 locally owned boutiques, and Murray Tourism's itineraries include a list of student favorites for food and hangouts.
Contact
Campus visits: msu.campusvisits@murraystate.edu or 270.809.3002. Admissions: 102 Curris Center, 800-272-4678, msu.admissions@murraystate.edu.
Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Schedule a guided campus tour: you'll meet the admissions team, walk campus and discuss your student's future with faculty.
UT Martin also offers Preview Days on academics, financial aid, scholarships, housing and student life, one-on-one virtual appointments with an admissions counselor, and a virtual tour.
Visitor parking
Visitors need a parking permit, and it's free. Request one online (requests are processed Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or pick one up any time at the Department of Public Safety in Crisp Hall.
Parking questions: Department of Public Safety, 731-881-7778.
Getting there
UT Martin says campus is 62 miles from Paducah (I-69 to Fulton, then 45E), 135 miles from Memphis and 152 miles from Nashville. For GPS, use 11 Wayne Fisher Drive.
What to know
UT Martin lists the Hampton Inn across the street, hotels in Union City about 20 minutes away and the boutique Meadows Hotel in Fulton about 15 minutes away.
Discovery Park of America in Union City is about 24 minutes by car from campus.
4. Where to stay: Murray near Murray State, or Martin and Fulton near UT Martin
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Murray
1512 N. 12th St., Murray, KY 42071
Why here
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It's about 4 minutes by car from the Curris Center and about 1 hour 6 minutes from Barkley Regional Airport.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, free self-parking, an indoor pool, a bar/lounge and free Wi-Fi. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It's about 3 minutes by car or a 19-minute walk from the Curris Center.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, free self-parking, an indoor pool, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
UT Martin lists it as across the street from campus. It's a good second-night base if you'd rather drive to Martin the evening of day 1 and see UT Martin first thing.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, free self-parking, an indoor pool, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 18. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
UT Martin lists it as a boutique hotel about 15 minutes from campus; OpenStreetMap routing puts it about 19 minutes away by car.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free breakfast, free parking, a restaurant and bar, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 18. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Stay in Murray for Murray State, then drive to UT Martin on day 2. For an early start at UT Martin, drive down the evening of day 1 and stay at the Hampton Inn Martin or the Meadows Hotel in Fulton.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At Murray State
Winslow Dining Hall is open to students and family, and the Curris Center has two dining options and a coffee shop.
In Murray
Murray Tourism's itineraries include "Student Must Eats," a list of hangouts and food spots favored by university students.
At the hotels
All four hotels include breakfast, and the Meadows Hotel has a restaurant and bar.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Discovery Park of America
830 Everett Blvd., Union City, TN 38261
A museum and heritage park in Union City, about 24 minutes by car from UT Martin, so it fits after the day 2 tour.
The recreation area's attractions include the Elk and Bison Prairie, the Golden Pond Planetarium and the Homeplace, an 1850s working living-history farm.
At Murray State, pick up a free visitor pass at the Murray State Police Department building and head to the Curris Center at 1375 Chestnut Street.
At UT Martin, request a free visitor parking permit online or pick one up at Public Safety in Crisp Hall, and use 11 Wayne Fisher Drive for GPS.
Flying in and out
Barkley Regional (PAH) is about 1 hour 6 minutes from the Murray hotels and about 1 hour 25 minutes from UT Martin. Nashville International (BNA) is about 2 hours 31 minutes from Murray and about 3 hours 18 minutes from UT Martin.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Paducah Barkley Regional AP station)
Spring: April averages about 70°F highs and 48°F lows, with about 5.2 inches of rain, the most of any month.
Summer: July averages about 90°F/69°F, with about 4.3 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 72°F/48°F, with about 4.0 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 45°F/27°F, with about 3.9 inches of precipitation and 2.7 inches of snow.
Parent checklist
Book a Murray State campus visit early, since visits are limited and fill up quickly.
Book a UT Martin campus tour on its admissions portal.
Request UT Martin's free visitor parking permit online, and plan to pick up Murray State's free visitor pass.
Book flights into Paducah or Nashville and plan a rental car.
Book a hotel in Murray, or in Martin or Fulton for the second night.
Check the forecast, especially in April, the wettest month near Paducah.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
2 Division I
Athletics
Murray State University
NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Murray State University and University of Tennessee at Martin): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Murray (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Mayfield-Hotels-SpringHill-Suites-By-Marriott-Murray.h16353708.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn & Suites Murray (star class from Expedia's listing summary; amenities checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Mayfield-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Suites-Murray.h1797270.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn Martin (star class from Expedia's listing summary; amenities checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Union-City-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Martin.h1668440.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: The Meadows Hotel (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Mayfield-Hotels-The-Meadows-Hotel.h21509656.Hotel-Information)
