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I'm thinking about doing another roadtrip! It is an annual thing I do and this year I've decided on Texas.
I like visiting cities while I am at it so I figure I'd fly in to Dallas, then drive to San Antonio, then Houston, then back to Dallas and fly out. I will be staying a few days in each city. On the map, it looks like I'll be driving in a triangle.
Questions:
1) There are some obvious sites of interest like the Alamo, Johnson Space Center, San Antonio Riverwalk, etc. Any specific things that you'd recommend?
2) I like scenic drives. Any recommended routes? Is a drive along the Gulf Coast scenic/worthwhile?
3) Not to open a can of worms, but should I stay in each named city above an equal number of days (4 days each) or should I spend more time in a particular one? Also, when I'm in each city, do I need a car or can I get around but just parking the rental at the hotel and walking everywhere (or taking transit)?
4) I haven't picked a specific time. I was thinking July. Bueno? No bueno? I'm not worried about heat but if there is a better month to visit, when would that be?
Thanks, all.
Last edited by MIKEETC; 05-17-2008 at 05:43 PM..
Reason: added a question
Do not miss seeing the Alamo. It is an awesome place.
Outside of early spring, the Fall is my favorite time to travel in Texas. The Hill Country is lovely in the Fall. July will be fine if you don't mind the heat and humidity.
RR32, the Devil's Backbone, is one of our favorites, as is Highway 16 to Llano.
As to your question about a car, I suppose you could use public transit and footpower in the cities, but Texas is so big and the cities are so sprawling that I'd recommend a car.
In Houston, I would skip JSC, and hang out on the Kemah Boardwalk. I would also drive down to Galveston, and take the free ferry ride to the Bolivar peninsula and back.
I'm thinking about doing another roadtrip! It is an annual thing I do and this year I've decided on Texas.
I'll be pulling for you, guy! Road trips anywhere in Texas are where it's at. Keep us posted on what you do and where you're going. We can't wait to find out.
In Dallas, go see the Arboretum and the Dallas World Aquarium. I'd drive down I-30 to Fort Worth, passing Rangers Ballpark, the new Cowboys Stadium, and Six Flags along the way, and go see the Stockyards.
In Houston, I would skip JSC, and hang out on the Kemah Boardwalk. I would also drive down to Galveston, and take the free ferry ride to the Bolivar peninsula and back.
That depends. NASA is pretty cool and we enjoyed it much better than Kemah. One can go see a "boardwalk" with some amusement rides in many areas of the country. But to see a real live space center that is part of history is different.
Are there kids involved? That will change some of the things that could be recommended.
Dallas, don't stay out by the airport. Come closer into Dallas by all means. What kind of budget are you looking at spending per night? You could stay in the Uptown area around American Airlines Center & Victory Plaza and along McKinney Ave and not need a car ALL THE TIME for EVERYTHING as you could walk to some places to eat and shop. Other than that you will NEED a car to get around to see most of the more recommended places. Depending on your personal interests:
The Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas (the new opera house is still under construction).
The Dallas Museum of Art (right by the Meyerson)
The Dallas Arboretum. Get a picnic lunch to go here for a little bit. Nice slice of quiet heaven IN Dallas w/ awesome views of downtown on the shores of White Rock Lake. DO NOT FORGET THE CAMERA HERE! Great setting for some great family shots and kiddo's.
The Dallas World Aquarium is nice as well.
Fair Park. Some GREAT architecture and museums. Come in September and visit the State Fair of Texas at Fair Park. Weather will still be good this time of year.
Of course there is always SouthFork Ranch (home of the Ewings ). I'm a few miles down the road from there and they still get a ton of tourists .
In Ft Worth you have the Water Gardens, the Botanical Gardens and the Ft Worth Zoo (Dallas has a zoo as well), Sundance Square.
For shopping you have NorthPark Mall - one of the oldest malls in the country.
On the way to San Antonio you will go thru Austin. MUST visit the State Capitol. Do not miss out on this opportunity especially if you have kids. You can easily stop and see the capitol on your way down and not take off too much of your drive time. Oh, back up in Waco there is the Texas Rangers Museum (not the baseball team but the REAL Texas Rangers) as well as the Dr Pepper Musuem.
Between Austin and San Antonio is New Branfuals. If you have kids then Schlitterbahn might be a VERY NICE stop along they way for a night or two. It is one of the nations best waterparks. They do have lodging onsite and I do recommend that if you can get it. They book up a year in advance but maybe a night or two would be available. You get a discount for staying on property and it is SOOOOO much easier to enjoy the waterpark when staying there.
San Antonio - stay down on or VERY close to the River Walk. This will cut down on needing a car for EVERYTHING. It does cost to park at most hotels down in that area and sometimes it is on an in/out basis so if you can avoid having to leave for EVERYTHING you can save some $$$. You can be w/in walking distance of the Alamo which is a MUST SEE! There are other forts/missions w/in this area that are just as nice to visit. The Botanical gardens in San Antonio are very nice as well. Of course there is Fiesta Texas (Six Flags) and Sea World. You can stay out by those or some of the "Hill Country" resorts but they are PRICEY!!! They are VERY NICE but not convienent to see the downtown San Antonio area. If your wanting a "vacation" to play some golf, relax in a resort setting, be close to an amusement park then these are great. Otherwise don't spend the money and stay on the River.
Houston. I'd stay on Galveston. There is more history to see and explore in Galveston than there is in Houston. There is also a new Schlitterbahn in Galveston. Moody Gardens on Galveston is a neat attraction as well. Not your everyday place to see either. Then there are all of the mansions that have survived for over a 100 years and the storm of 1900 (Isaac's Storm - it was a TERRIBLE hurricane that destroyed most of the island). The Moody Mansion, Bishops Palace, etc are all VERY GOOD to visit and marvel at the architecture, woodwork, detail, early electricity, etc. The Strand is another area to visit on Galveston. Then of course there is the beach on Galveston. Not THE best beach in the world but it ain't bad either. We like to stay at condo there that is ON the beach called SeaScape (close to things and rather reasonable in price). Most hotels/condos are NOT on the beach in Galveston because of the seawall. That is also the name of the street, Seawall. Rather they are across the street from it.
Driving back to Dallas from Galveston is an easy days drive. I'd stay a night in Dallas though before flying back out. I'd NOT risk getting stuck on the highway trying to get back to Dallas and something major has caused headaches and miss a flight. You could always check about just flying out of Houston to back home. Give yourself 2 more days and another night to explore vs traveling. Between Dallas and Houston about the only things you would miss are seeing the HUGE statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville and stopping for BBQ in Centerville. Oh, and the traffic trying to get OUT of Houston.
One of the things I loved to do in Texas was to shoot the river in New Braunfels. You rent an intertube and float the river. The water is COLD and keeps you cooled down even in the intense heat of a Texas summer.
I hear the police make sure no one is drunk but back in the day, you could drink and have a good old time. You could rent an intertube with a cooler in the middle and drink your way down the river.
Another fun thing is the Gruen Hall just down the road. I have always heard its the oldest dance hall in Texas.
In Fort Worth, The Stockyards are fun. The police there ride horses, wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. I have taken a few Northern visitors there and they just sort of stood and stared open mouthed at it all. Its like being back in the real west. AND I don't know the current status of Billy Bobs, if its still open but if it is, its the biggest honky tonk in Texas. You can not only ride a mechanical bull there but there is a rodeo ring inside where if you have the metal, you can ride a real live bull.
Do not miss seeing the Alamo. It is an awesome place.
Outside of early spring, the Fall is my favorite time to travel in Texas. The Hill Country is lovely in the Fall. July will be fine if you don't mind the heat and humidity.
RR32, the Devil's Backbone, is one of our favorites, as is Highway 16 to Llano.
As to your question about a car, I suppose you could use public transit and footpower in the cities, but Texas is so big and the cities are so sprawling that I'd recommend a car.
Hope you have fun!
I'll have to check out that website you cited. As for the Alamo, it is something I've always wanted to see. The historical significance of it all makes it mandatory. I see you're from Massachusetts. I was in Boston last October and that place has a lot of historical sites, too - it was cool! The variety of architecture was a treat. And it is a compact city with a pretty good mass transit system and easily walked. The Freedom Trail was great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southeasttexas
In Houston, I would skip JSC, and hang out on the Kemah Boardwalk. I would also drive down to Galveston, and take the free ferry ride to the Bolivar peninsula and back.
Looks like I'm going to have to make a detour to Galveston. I'm a space enthusiast, though, so I gotta check out JSC...
Quote:
Originally Posted by case44
I'll be pulling for you, guy! Road trips anywhere in Texas are where it's at. Keep us posted on what you do and where you're going. We can't wait to find out.
Cool!! I have been to numerous places in the US and I am always impressed. I know Texas will be fun. I am looking forward to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by awecelot
In Dallas, go see the Arboretum and the Dallas World Aquarium. I'd drive down I-30 to Fort Worth, passing Rangers Ballpark, the new Cowboys Stadium, and Six Flags along the way, and go see the Stockyards.
Great ideas. Sports facilities are always neat to visit and pick up a souvenir...
Quote:
Originally Posted by momof2dfw
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Thanks x 10!! A lot of great points of interest and good advice you have provided. Although I try to research places before I go, you've definitely saved me as significant amount of time...!! I'm big on history, photography and architecture so I'm looking forward to doing a lot of exploring. The Texas Rangers museum is a great idea. And I'll definitely try to fit Galveston in. Thanks for the heads up on the traffic and the need for a car. I'll consider flying out of Houston; that option never occurred to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren
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In Fort Worth, The Stockyards are fun. The police there ride horses, wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. I have taken a few Northern visitors there and they just sort of stood and stared open mouthed at it all. Its like being back in the real west. AND I don't know the current status of Billy Bobs, if its still open but if it is, its the biggest honky tonk in Texas. You can not only ride a mechanical bull there but there is a rodeo ring inside where if you have the metal, you can ride a real live bull.
HA!!HA!! I don't know if I have the metal to ride a live bull...I'd fall off before I got on!! The Stockyards sounds interesting. At a minimum I should try to get a cowboy hat.
HA!!HA!! I don't know if I have the metal to ride a live bull...I'd fall off before I got on!! The Stockyards sounds interesting. At a minimum I should try to get a cowboy hat.
If your going to buy a straw or summer cowboy hat, you want a Resistal, if your going to buy a felt cowboy hat, you need a Stetson. You could also pick up some Wrangler Jeans and Justin boots. There is also a Justin outlet in Fort Worth.
I almost forgot. When your in Texas you MUST try the cuisine. You just have to have a good Chicken Fried steak with Country gravy and Texas toast and Texas barbeque. My personal favorite is Angelos in Fort Worth on White Settlement Road. If you go during the week, you should try to avoid the lunch rush, if you want to meet every lawyer and probably the DA of Tarrant county then hit it around noon. There are threads on here about the Best Barbeque in Texas. Angelos was reviewed by Bobby Flay on The Foodnetwork so you know its good.
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). I'm a few miles down the road from there and they still get a ton of tourists 
.
Thanks everyone!!
