The Best Driving Route Through Robertson County From Springfield
Two-lane road winding through Robertson County farmland
A 78-mile loop with 9 stops, 3 hours of actual driving, and one general store that still sells nickel candy.
Why this loop and not the interstate
I-24 will get you around Robertson County in 40 minutes and show you nothing. This loop takes about 5 hours door to door with stops, covers 78 miles of two-lane roads, and hits every worthwhile small town in the county except Portland, which needs its own trip. Do it in a convertible if you have one, but any car with working AC and a full tank will do. Start with the tank full — there is a Marathon in Cedar Hill and a BP in Adams, but nothing between them for a 22-mile stretch.
Best months are April, May, October, and early November. Summer is fine but you lose the light after 8 pm and the humidity turns the photos hazy by 11 am. Winter works if the roads are dry — no salt trucks come out here on the county roads and a light ice makes TN-49 dangerous fast. Leave Springfield at 9 am and you will be back for a late dinner. Leave at 7 am and you can add breakfast in Cross Plains at the front of the loop.
Stop 1 and 2: Springfield to Cedar Hill
Head west out of Springfield on TN-49. The first 6 miles are mostly houses and small pastures, then the land opens up. You are driving through some of the flattest, most productive farmland in Middle Tennessee — corn, soybeans, and tobacco in rotation, with a few dairy operations still hanging on. Pull over at the historical marker for the Battle of Springfield about 4 miles out. It is a five-minute stop with no facilities but the interpretive sign is worth reading before you get to Cedar Hill.
Cedar Hill itself is 11 miles from the courthouse square. The town has maybe 300 people, one blinking light, and Cedar Hill Grocery, which is the reason to stop. The store has been running since the 1920s in one form or another and still stocks a jar of penny candy behind the register. Grab a bottled Coke, a moon pie, and use the bathroom. This is your last clean restroom for the next 90 minutes, so take it whether you need it or not. Budget 20 minutes for the stop.
Stop 3 and 4: Adams and the Bell Witch Country
From Cedar Hill continue west on TN-49 for 10 miles to Adams. The road narrows and dips through a couple of creek crossings — take the second one slow because it floods in heavy rain. Adams is famous for the Bell Witch legend and there is a small museum in the old Bell School that gives you the story in about 30 minutes. Admission runs $8. If you have kids over 10 they will love it; under 10, skip and stay in the car. The town itself has a post office, a diner, and a hardware store, all of which close by 4 pm.
Just outside Adams on Keysburg Road is the Bell Cemetery, where John Bell is buried. It is a small country cemetery with a big iron gate, and it is respectful and quiet. Ten minutes maximum. From there, take Highway 41 south for a 6-mile stretch that runs alongside Red River — one of the prettiest driving miles in the county, especially with the fall color. Pull over at the bridge for a photo. There is no shoulder to speak of, so make it quick.
Stop 5: Lunch in Orlinda
Orlinda sits about 15 minutes northeast of Adams via TN-52 and county backroads. The town is smaller than Cedar Hill but has a genuinely good lunch counter at the Orlinda Cafe — meat-and-three, $11 with tea, closes at 2 pm sharp. Fried chicken on Thursdays, catfish on Fridays, pot roast on Wednesdays. Cash preferred though they will run a card if you ask. Get there by 12:30 to beat the church-and-work rush that arrives around 1.
After lunch, walk the two blocks of downtown Orlinda. There is not much to see but there is an old Masonic lodge, a hardware store with hand-painted signs, and a feed mill still in operation. This is what Middle Tennessee towns looked like in 1955 and it is not a re-creation. If you shoot film photography, load a fresh roll before you get out of the car. Give the town 30 minutes total including lunch cleanup and you are back on the road by 1:15.
Stop 6 and 7: Cross Plains and Thomas Drugs
From Orlinda take TN-52 east 12 miles to Cross Plains. This stretch runs along a ridge with long views south toward Springfield and north into Kentucky — pull over at the second scenic pullout for the widest sight line. Cross Plains has a population under 1,900 but punches above its weight with Thomas Drugs, a working pharmacy with a soda fountain that has been running since 1913. Order a chocolate malt, a grilled cheese, and a limeade to go. The pharmacist will make change while flipping burgers, which is not a metaphor.
Two blocks off the main road is the Cross Plains Historic District, a cluster of Federal and Victorian houses that make a nice 20-minute walking loop. Free, self-guided, and the interpretive signs are current. If you want a longer stop, the Kilgore Store museum is open Saturday afternoons from April through October and worth the extra half hour. From Cross Plains it is 18 minutes back to Springfield on TN-25, which finishes the loop. Aim to be back at the car by 3:30.
Stop 8 and 9: Ridgetop and the way home
Instead of going straight back to Springfield, take the small detour south to Ridgetop on Highway 41. Ridgetop is a former resort town from the 1890s — people came up from Nashville to escape yellow fever — and a few of the old summer cottages are still visible from the road. Stop at the Ridgetop Diner for a slice of pie and coffee. The coconut cream is the pick and it runs $4 a slice. Fifteen minutes here, then reverse north back toward Springfield on 431.
The final stretch is 12 miles of gently rolling road that puts you back at the courthouse square by 5 pm if you have kept to schedule. If you started at 9, you are pulling in with plenty of daylight and dinner options still open. This is the point where you either check into a Springfield hotel and stay another night, or point the car back toward Nashville having earned the drive. Either way, you have seen more of Robertson County in one day than 90% of people who have lived here for a decade.
Where to sleep if you make it an overnight
For a one-night version of this trip, book the Hampton Inn on Memorial Boulevard in Springfield — $140 on weekends, pool open, breakfast starts at 6 am. It puts you five minutes from a proper dinner at Springfield Brewing Company and 45 minutes from the front of the loop the next morning. This is the practical choice and the one I would make nine times out of ten.
The tenth time, book the Cedar Hill B&B if it is open — they run seasonal hours and only take reservations by phone. Rooms are $165 with breakfast, and the porch swing on a spring evening is the closest thing Robertson County has to a religious experience. You will be back on the loop in 10 minutes flat instead of 45, which frees up the extra time for a proper Cross Plains lunch. Book at least three weeks ahead in April and October.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Cedar Hill, answered with this month’s numbers.
Yes. Every road on the loop is paved and passable in a standard sedan. Avoid the loop after heavy rain — a couple of the creek crossings on TN-49 flood — and skip it if there is any ice on the forecast. Cell coverage drops between Adams and Orlinda, so download offline maps before you leave Springfield.
About $80 in mixed bills covers lunch, gas top-off, museum admission, and two or three roadside stand purchases. Most places take cards but the roadside stands, the Bell Cemetery donation box, and the older shops in Cedar Hill and Orlinda are cash-only. Bring fives and tens rather than twenties — change is not always available.
Yes, if the roads are dry. Robertson County does not salt the smaller county roads, so anything below freezing after a wet day makes them unsafe. The Adams and Orlinda museums keep reduced winter hours, and Thomas Drugs stays open year-round. December light is pretty but you lose it by 4:45 pm — start earlier.
