Cartersville sits on Interstate 75, about 45 miles north of Atlanta and 70 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The main exits for downtown are 288 and 290. Driving from Atlanta takes 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic; from Chattanooga, about an hour and a quarter.
There is no commuter rail or passenger train service. Greyhound buses stop in Cartersville on the Atlanta–Chattanooga corridor but most visitors arrive by car.
Cartersville Airport (VPC) on the south side of town handles general aviation only; the nearest commercial airport is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International, about an hour south.