The classic first trip to Texas: Dallas and Fort Worth with art, cowboys and history, then via Waco to Austin and through the Hill Country with Enchanted Rock and Fredericksburg. San Antonio brings the Alamo and the River Walk, then the route heads to the Gulf of Mexico – Corpus Christi, the beaches of Padre Island and Galveston – and ends in Houston with Space Center Houston.
About 1,600 kilometres, usually two or three stops a day. You need a rental car; spring and autumn are the best seasons.
A sample route to look at. If you copy it, your own copy lands in your plans – there you can change days, stops and order.
Numbered stops in order · golden-hour tip shown separately.
1 Day 1
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08:05Sunrise
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09:00
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09:45Car · 2 km · 3 min
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09:48Dallas Museum of Art
Foto: KeithJonsn at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
A major art museum with an extensive collection housed in a clean-lined modern building in downtown Dallas.
DaylightTime at stop 2 h -
11:48Car · 2 km · 4 min
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11:52Reunion Tower
Foto: Loadmaster (David R. Tribble) This image was made by Loadmaster (David R. Tribble). Email the author: David R. Tribble Also see my personal gallery at Google Photos, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Since 1978, this 171-meter sphere-topped tower has offered panoramic views over the Dallas skyline.
DaylightTime at stop 45 min -
20:54Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Murrell Park 36 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 22 sites Recreation.gov
- East Fork (Tx) 40 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 74 sites · RVs up to 60 ft (18,3 m) Recreation.gov
- Westlake Day Use 41 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 4 sites Recreation.gov
2 Day 2
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08:06Sunrise
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08:16Car · 60 km · 44 min
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09:00Fort Worth StockyardsDaylightTime at stop 2 h
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11:00Car · 6 km · 9 min
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11:09Kimbell Art Museum
Foto: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
A Louis Kahn-designed building with distinctive vaulted concrete galleries, opened in 1972.
DaylightTime at stop 2 h -
20:57Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Longhorn 13 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 1 sites Recreation.gov
- North Holiday Park 15 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 1 sites Recreation.gov
- Rocky Creek Park (Benbrook Lake) 18 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 11 sites · RVs up to 50 ft (15,2 m) Recreation.gov
3 Day 3
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07:19Car · 145 km · 1 h 41 min
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08:06Sunrise
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09:00Waco Mammoth National MonumentDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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09:45Car · 172 km · 2 h 1 min
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11:46Texas State CapitolDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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20:56Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Cedar Breaks Park 44 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 64 sites · RVs up to 55 ft (16,8 m) Recreation.gov
- Russell Park 45 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 32 sites Recreation.gov
- Jim Hogg Park 46 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 148 sites · RVs up to 55 ft (16,8 m) Recreation.gov
4 Day 4
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07:07Sunrise
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08:51Car · 5 km · 9 min
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09:00Barton Springs PoolDaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min
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10:30Car · 8 km · 14 min
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10:44Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum
Foto: Enmanuel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Opened in 1971, this library and museum houses documents, personal artifacts and a replica Oval Office from Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency.
DaylightTime at stop 2 h -
19:57Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Cedar Breaks Park 43 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 64 sites · RVs up to 55 ft (16,8 m) Recreation.gov
- Russell Park 44 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 32 sites Recreation.gov
- Jim Hogg Park 45 km · US Army Corps of Engineers · 148 sites · RVs up to 55 ft (16,8 m) Recreation.gov
5 Day 5
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06:24Car · 163 km · 2 h 36 min
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07:10Sunrise
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09:00Enchanted RockDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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09:45Car · 32 km · 56 min
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10:41National Museum of the Pacific WarDaylightTime at stop 2 h
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20:02Sunset
6 Day 6
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07:09Sunrise
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07:40Car · 112 km · 1 h 20 min
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09:00AlamoDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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09:45Car · 1 km · 2 min
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09:47San Antonio River WalkDaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min
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11:17Car · 4 km · 6 min
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11:23San Antonio Missions
Foto: Liveon001 ©Travis Witt, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Founded in 1731, this San Antonio mission features a well-preserved stone facade and simple colonial architecture.
DaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min -
20:01Sunset
7 Day 7
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06:26Car · 232 km · 2 h 34 min
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08:05Sunrise
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09:00USS LexingtonDaylightTime at stop 2 h
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11:00Car · 1 km · 1 min
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11:01Texas State Aquarium
A Gulf Coast aquarium showcasing marine life of the Gulf of Mexico since 1990.
DaylightTime at stop 4 h -
20:55Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Bird Island Basin Campground 39 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
- Malaquite Campground 44 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
8 Day 8
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07:51Car · 66 km · 1 h 9 min
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08:04Sunrise
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09:00Padre Island National Seashore (Malaquite Beach)DaylightTime at stop 3 h
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20:55Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Malaquite Campground 0 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
- Bird Island Basin Campground 5 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
9 Day 9
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02:42Car · 460 km · 6 h 18 min
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07:51Sunrise
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09:00Moody Gardens
Glass pyramids house an aquarium, rainforest exhibit and botanical gardens at this educational attraction in Galveston.
DaylightTime at stop 4 h -
13:00Car · 50 km · 46 min
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13:46Space Center Houston
Foto: Shujianyang, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Opened in 1992 as the official visitor center of the Johnson Space Center, it displays spacecraft, NASA training facilities and mission artifacts.
DaylightTime at stop 4 h -
20:48Sunset
10 Day 10
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07:52Sunrise
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08:24Car · 42 km · 36 min
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09:00Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Foto: Judson Dunn from Houston, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
One of the largest art collections in the United States brings together works spanning antiquity to the present day.
DaylightTime at stop 2 h -
11:00Car · 1 km · 2 min
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11:02Houston Museum of Natural ScienceDaylightTime at stop 2 h
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20:51Sunset
Campgrounds: recreation.gov (RIDB) · Parks Canada, contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada