Traveling to San Antonio on Thanksgiving (Austin, Fort Worth: deal, places, maps)

[cmmadiso]

Hi,

I just moved to Fort Worth in August. We will be spending Thanksgiving in San Antonio and planned to drive on Thanksgiving morning. I'm just now realizing traffic will be BAD. Would you recommend taking I-35 or 281? Does anyone know anything about 281? What is the drive like?

Also, what time do you recommend we leave? Will we avoid some traffic if we leave at 7 a.m.?

Thanks for your help!

[TriumphOfTheSprint]

281 without a doubt. Much lighter traffic and a more scenic drive, especially now with the leaves changing.

From Ft. Worth, I would either take 1-35 to Alvaredo to get on 67, or 377 to Granbury to 144 to 67 at Glen Rose. Either way, after you go through Glen Rose you will want to take 220 to Hico (this is a weird interchange - it is more of a 'Y' than an actual intersection, you might want to look at it on Google Maps to see what I mean), then get on 281 in Hico. From there, it is smooth sailing.

When you get to Lampasas, be sure and lookout for a right turn at a traffic light to continue on 281 (if you go straight, you will be on 183 headed to Austin). Beyond that, just stick to 281 all the way to San Antonio.

Usually, the traffic on this route is very light. On a holiday, it will be a little heavier, but I don't think the time you leave will make a lot of difference - you won't have the usual rush hour to deal with. The worst traffic on this route is if you take the 35 to Alvaredo route - 35 can get heavy, and the section of 67 through Cleburne and on to Glen Rose can be a problem, since it is single-lane for long stretches.

Taking 281 won't necessarily be faster than 35, but it will be much less stressful. Be sure and fill up before you go - some places on this route will probably be closed for the holiday, more so than on the interstate.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by cmmadiso

Hi,

I just moved to Fort Worth in August. We will be spending Thanksgiving in San Antonio and planned to drive on Thanksgiving morning. I'm just now realizing traffic will be BAD. Would you recommend taking I-35 or 281? Does anyone know anything about 281? What is the drive like?

Also, what time do you recommend we leave? Will we avoid some traffic if we leave at 7 a.m.?

Thanks for your help!

281 is SO MUCH NICER. I can't stress this enough. It's a much prettier drive with less traffic.

[Brywood]

Stay away from I-35 south tommorow, unless you like high levels of stress. I refuse to drive that strech the day before a Holiday, unless we leave at 12am and drive all night.

[Winter2010]

Originally Posted by cmmadiso

Also, what time do you recommend we leave? Will we avoid some traffic if we leave at 7 a.m.?

Thanks for your help!

Nope. Because it's a five hour drive. There will be traffic along the way between 7 am and 12 pm

But, between 2 am and 7 am, you're clear. However, watch out for chupacabras.

[ChristieP]

If you need to get there quickly, I-35 will take less time. But yes, there will be traffic. Honestly, traffic will be worse on Wednesday since most people travel the day before Thanksgiving.

281 is a lovely drive if you have the extra time. It takes about an hour longer than I-35 because you go through all of the little towns, and there are long stretches of 2-lane road.