Phx to NOLA

We are going to jazz fest! Leaving phx on Wends early morning and need to arrive in new orleans on friday of the same week.
We will try to drive about 500 miles a day + we love to look around, love parks, hiking ,seeing beautiful things and trying to stay off the main highways. I was thinking of stoping in a few state parks along the way in the south of texas and anywhere else east or west of the big state. we want to return north thru nashville and then across back west. Is there a good rout or intresting things you could recommend?

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

I am not familiar with this route, but I do think you might be underestimating the time it will take. It's going to be around 9 hours a day of driving over 3 days, which won't leave a lot of time for Hiking etc, but you can make it a comfortable drive. In the tool bars above you will find the Map Centre where you can look for attractions along the way that might appeal to you and then try and divide your days into 3 equal stops. One example would be night 1 around Carlsbad Caverns [or White sands] and night and night 2 around Georgetown TX [Buchanan Dam, Balcones canyonlands wildlife refuge] and then perhaps through Sam Houston National Forest to Beaumont and I10 or Lufkin and the Davy Crockett, Angelina and Sabine National forests ? Have you go longer for the journey home ? You have a few options along the I40 corridor.