Arrive ~80%, wake at ~95%
A 120V plug adds ~3–4 mi/hr → ~45–55 mi overnight, so Day 1's last stop tops up only enough to arrive ~80%. ~95% by morning covers Day 2's first leg (224 mi to Jackson) easily.
Arrive low, leave full
~25–30 mi/hr recovers a full charge overnight, so no last-stop constraint on Day 2 — roll in low, leave Day 3 at 100%.
Battery percentages on each stop are planning estimates for a Model Y LR in July heat — confirm exact numbers with an ABRP run before you leave.
Austin → Little Rock
Collin Street Bakery · Waco, TX
Bakery/deli with an A/C dining room, free coffee for Tesla drivers, and dog treats on the shelf — the indoor cool is the July win. Use the far pedestals for full power. Cafe open to 8 PM (Sun to 7).
Reviews22 stalls so rarely a wait, and well-liked for the bakery itself (WiFi, seating, free coffee). Rated 250 kW but real-world sessions often run 80–110 kW, so leave a little slack.
FoodCollin Street Bakery cafe on-site (sandwiches, soups, salads) · Chick-fil-A up the frontage road.
Downtown Square · Sulphur Springs, TX
The only real town center on the route: Celebration Plaza with shaded bistro seating, Buford Park's pond and trees, and walkable carry-out. For Luna: walk her a block off the square on quiet side streets, away from the plaza crowd. 150 kW is fine since you're lingering anyway.
ReviewsFew reviews, but fondly rated for the town-square setting and no reliability complaints at its 8 stalls. It's a genuine detour off I-30 (the square is the payoff), and trucks sometimes take stalls at lunch.
FoodCorner Grub House (burgers), Arturo's wood-fired pizza, Pioneer Cafe — all on the square, carry-out.
Outlets of Little Rock · final top-up
Charge to ~85% so you arrive ~80% for the overnight trickle — quick at this fast V3 site. Bonus: a dog park is right there for a last leg-stretch. Alt if busy: North Little Rock Cracker Barrel (16 / 325 kW).
ReviewsArkansas's original Superchargers — reliable, 24/7, beside the outlet mall with food and clean restrooms. (Distinct from the newer North Little Rock site.)
FoodFood-court quick bites (Auntie Anne's, Leo's Greek) — a top-up, not a meal.
Little Rock → Check, VA
Casey Jones Village · Jackson, TN
The Supercharger sits inside a historic village: Old Country Store buffet, lawns and gardens, shaded walkways, a steam locomotive. Real perimeter grass to walk Luna away from foot traffic, and a long charge that overlaps lunch.
ReviewsReliable 24-stall V3 with consistently fast sessions and no recurring issues; busiest at meal times since it shares the buffet's lot, and on-site restrooms rate below average.
FoodOld Country Store buffet on-site (order takeaway direct — no to-go boxes from the dining room) + village ice-cream & walkable grounds.
Jackson Plaza · Cookeville, TN
Throttles to ~66 kW when stalls share — allow extra time. Lot-edge grass only; a relief stop, not a lounge. (On the lean 3-charge plan, charge to 90%+ here for the ~215 mi mountain leg to Bristol.)
ReviewsOlder 8-stall/150 kW site with slower real speeds (~66 kW logged) and thin, dated reviews. Access tip: it hides behind Grandma's Pancake House ~1.3 mi north of I-40 — enter by Advance Auto Parts.
FoodJimmy John's & Taco Bell right in the plaza — fast grab. Downtown Cookeville ~1.5 mi if you want nicer.
Brookview Centre Way · Knoxville, TN
Newer and less congested than old Turkey Creek. A 10-minute splash removes all risk before the Virginia mountains, and lets you keep Cookeville short. Skip it if range is healthy.
ReviewsClean V3 site with “private”-feeling stalls and no reliability complaints — but genuinely hard to find the first time, so allow a few extra minutes navigating into Brookview Town Centre.
FoodFive Guys, Barberitos, Clean Eatz — all in the Brookview development, all carry-out.
Royal Farms · Bristol or Abingdon, VA
Fast, with on-site food and restrooms. Watch: a new Wytheville–Lithia Rd site (Cracker Barrel, 500 kW) is under construction — a big upgrade if it's live by July.
ReviewsNew (late 2023) 250 kW site at a 24/7 Royal Farms with a full kitchen and restrooms; too new for much review data, but light I-81 traffic means little wait is expected. Abingdon is the same setup, even newer and thinner on reviews.
FoodRoyal Farms MTO + fried chicken on-site (24/7). Abingdon: Peppermill, Abingdon Commons food hall + a Virginia Creeper Trail dog walk.
Check, VA · rural Airbnb (Floyd County)
Arrive ~25% and plug into the Airbnb's Level 2 to leave at 100%. Note: Christiansburg has no Tesla Supercharger — Wytheville (150 kW) is the last option, only if you'd otherwise land below ~15–20%.
The tradeoff · 3 vs 4 charges
Recommended — 4 charges: Jackson → Cookeville → Knoxville splash → Bristol/Abingdon. No leg over ~130 mi after Jackson; the splash de-risks the mountains and barely costs time since Jackson is a long lunch anyway.
Lean — 3 charges: drop Knoxville, but Cookeville→Bristol becomes ~215 mi through the mountains — leave Cookeville at 90%+ (a long session at a slow 150 kW site) and watch consumption.
Check, VA → Needham
Sheetz · Berryville Pike · Winchester, VA
Sheetz Made-To-Order is the best fast-casual carry-out on the first half — touchscreen order, real food, fast. Lot-edge grass for a quick dog leg; a ~20–25 min V3 top-up is exactly the length of a food order and a walk.
ReviewsBest-documented of the new VA sites — reliable 250 kW with real spare capacity (owners find open stalls even on summer weekends), and the attached Sheetz covers food and restrooms.
FoodSheetz Made-To-Order on-site (24/7). Old Town Winchester walking mall ~3 mi for a longer break.
Clinton Station Diner · Clinton, NJ
An actual place, not a lot: a 1927 rail-car diner with a famous dessert case, sit-down or carry-out — and it lands right before the I-287 / Tappan Zee / NYC crunch. For Luna: historic downtown Clinton (the Red Mill and the South Branch Raritan riverside walk) is ~1 mi away — quiet grass and water, away from crowds.
ReviewsA modern 250 kW bank (the diner advertises 15 stalls) right at the landmark diner; it can see road-trip surges on I-78 but has no chronic wait or dead-stall reports. (No TezLab page yet.)
FoodDiner on-site; downtown ~1 mi — Art Alley (river patio), Towne Restaurant, Scoops for ice cream.
Sturbridge Plaza · Sturbridge, MA
After Danbury, Waterbury and Hartford: a pleasant New England town at the I-84 / Mass Pike seam with real greenspace (town common, Old Sturbridge Village grounds) for a proper dog walk. Only ~55 mi from home — charge just enough to finish, keep it short.
Reviews12-stall V3 in a plaza with a supermarket, well-placed at the I-84/Mass Pike junction; review volume is light but nothing flags reliability or wait problems.
FoodCedar Street Café (outdoor patio; breakfast/lunch to 1:30) · Teddy G's Pub & Grille. Sturbridge Common for a dog walk.
Needham, MA · home
Skip Framingham — you're 20 minutes out.
The tradeoff · 3 vs 4 charges
Recommended — 3 charges: Winchester → Clinton → Sturbridge. Spacing 215 / 195 / 190 / 55 mi — every leg under 230 with buffer, all three 250 kW V3.
Conservative — add a 4th: a short splash at Southington, CT (Target, 250 kW) splits the Clinton→Sturbridge leg if the hilly, traffic-heavy CT stretch leaves you wanting cushion.
Before you go
- Check live stall availability on the PlugShare app the week of travel (uptime, ICE-ing, queues).
- Confirm carry-out hours vs. ETA — Collin Street Bakery to 8 PM; Casey Jones buffet; Cedar Street Café to 1:30 PM.
- One ABRP run (Model Y LR + July temp) to lock the exact arrival percentages shown on each stop.
- Pick 3- vs 4-charge for Days 2 & 3 the morning-of, from actual SoC and weather.