Start from Eagan as early as you can manage — ideally before sunrise — and head south on I-35W to connect to I-35 for the long push toward Fairburn. This is a true all-day driving marathon: expect about 14.5–16 hours behind the wheel, plus fuel, food, and stretch breaks. If you want the day to feel even remotely sane, leave while the roads are still quiet, keep your first leg clean and simple, and treat the drive like a series of intentional resets rather than one endless slog. A quick coffee-and-breakfast stop at The Nook in the St. Paul area is worth it if you’re setting off early — it’s classic Minnesota comfort-food territory, with hearty plates and coffee for about $12–20 per person, and about 30–45 minutes is enough to fuel up without losing momentum.
By late morning, plan your first real stretch at Iowa 80 Kitchen & Museum in Walcott, IA. It’s one of those only-in-America road-trip stops that actually makes the miles feel fun: easy parking, plenty of room to walk, and a truck-stop museum that gives you a goofy, welcome break from highway monotony. Budget about 45–60 minutes here, enough time for a snack, a bathroom reset, and a lap through the museum before getting back on I-80 and pushing west-southwest. For lunch, Archway Restaurant at the Archway in Kearney, NE is a very practical on-route stop — easy off and on, road-trip-friendly food, and usually efficient service, so you can get in and out in 45–60 minutes without feeling like the day has evaporated.
If traffic and timing cooperate, Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, MO is the best big visual break of the day. The riverfront area gives you a genuine change of scenery after hours of interstate, and even a short stop pays off with skyline views and a little room to breathe. If you’re trying to stay on schedule, keep it to about 1.5–2 hours max; if you’re running behind, it’s the one stop I’d trim first. From there, continue south on the I-55/I-24 corridor toward Nashville, and if you still have the bandwidth, a late dinner at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is the kind of satisfying stop that feels earned after a brutal drive day. Expect a crowd, but the system moves decently, and $15–25 per person covers a solid meal in about 45–75 minutes. After dinner, finish the last push on I-24 and I-75/I-85 as needed toward Fairburn, GA; if you’re arriving late, keep the check-in simple and gas up near your lodging so you’re not hunting for fuel when you’re exhausted.