Discussion
Following on from my Louisiana thread, I'm looking for advice on places to go & things to do/see in Texas please for myself, wife and 16yr old son.
We plan to fly from UK into New Orleans for a few nights at beginning of August 2023 and then move to Louisiana where my son is taking part in a sporting competition, then on to Texas?
Driving the BBQ trail was suggested, hiring a car in San Antonio and having a couple of nights there, then Austin and then Dallas, or maybe catch the train to each destination? We fancy seeing a rodeo, and perhaps go to a game of football/baseball etc? Will then need to fly home to the UK.
Any tips appreciated
We plan to fly from UK into New Orleans for a few nights at beginning of August 2023 and then move to Louisiana where my son is taking part in a sporting competition, then on to Texas?
Driving the BBQ trail was suggested, hiring a car in San Antonio and having a couple of nights there, then Austin and then Dallas, or maybe catch the train to each destination? We fancy seeing a rodeo, and perhaps go to a game of football/baseball etc? Will then need to fly home to the UK.
Any tips appreciated
Don't consider trains in the US. They're ridiculously expensive and are notorious for delays. They're also grotty places to be. Rent a truck but bear in mind the way people drive over there takes some getting used to.
Austin is a better shout than san Antonio in my opinion. Austin doesn't feel at all like Texas in many respects (in a good way). Try Congress Street, it's lots of cafes, art places, food, etc.
Austin is a better shout than san Antonio in my opinion. Austin doesn't feel at all like Texas in many respects (in a good way). Try Congress Street, it's lots of cafes, art places, food, etc.
Rent the car from San Antonio after you’ve spent your time there. You don’t need a car in the city, much of it is walkable and the rest is easy and cheap to access via Uber. There’s an Avis/Budget in the shopping centre behind the Alamo near the Crockett hotel, very handy location and you’re right next to I37 which gets you onto the I35 which is the main north south road for the cities you’re looking at visiting.
In San Antonio you’ve got the river walk the main part of which is quite touristy but it does extend a significant distance both north and south. The quieter sections can be cycled, they have their own version of Boris bikes which have stations all along the river, some are electric if you’re feeling lazy or it’s fecking hot. There’s a cracking ice cream shop south on the river called South Alamode, there’s a good breakfast spot there as well, the area is called the Blue Star brewery. Further down the river you’ve got the Missions. Up river there’s the Pearl Brewery district, cafes, bars and restaurants, very nice.
Obviously you’ve got to do the Alamo but it won’t take very long.
Until last year I would have said Austin over San Antonio all day but having visited both last year Austin has got a bit too busy and a bit too Californian because of the influx and of tech folks and their cash. It used to be that Rainey Street was the place to go to chill out and have a beer and some grub from a food truck but that’s all been overdeveloped and lost a lot of its character. There’s still lots of cool stuff to do there though so don’t be put off by my moaning. Colorado river kayaking or paddle boarding, see the bats at Congress bridge, cycling along the river path (Boris bikes again). BBQ! Shooting if you’re interested in that, we shot at The Range Austin, they’ll give you a lesson if you want, reasonably priced.
Rather than drive up the god awful I-35 from San Antonio to Austin personally I would, and did head out to Fredericksburg for breakfast, Luckenbach because it’s just cool and then hit Salt Lick for BBQ on your way into Austin. There’s better BBQ in Texas but it’s bloody good. All easy driving and Texas hill country is surprisingly beautiful.
Dallas I’ve only done briefly. We also went over to Fort Worth. Maybe a rodeo? Gas Monkey garage is in Dallas as is their bar and grill which was surprisingly good.
In San Antonio you’ve got the river walk the main part of which is quite touristy but it does extend a significant distance both north and south. The quieter sections can be cycled, they have their own version of Boris bikes which have stations all along the river, some are electric if you’re feeling lazy or it’s fecking hot. There’s a cracking ice cream shop south on the river called South Alamode, there’s a good breakfast spot there as well, the area is called the Blue Star brewery. Further down the river you’ve got the Missions. Up river there’s the Pearl Brewery district, cafes, bars and restaurants, very nice.
Obviously you’ve got to do the Alamo but it won’t take very long.
Until last year I would have said Austin over San Antonio all day but having visited both last year Austin has got a bit too busy and a bit too Californian because of the influx and of tech folks and their cash. It used to be that Rainey Street was the place to go to chill out and have a beer and some grub from a food truck but that’s all been overdeveloped and lost a lot of its character. There’s still lots of cool stuff to do there though so don’t be put off by my moaning. Colorado river kayaking or paddle boarding, see the bats at Congress bridge, cycling along the river path (Boris bikes again). BBQ! Shooting if you’re interested in that, we shot at The Range Austin, they’ll give you a lesson if you want, reasonably priced.
Rather than drive up the god awful I-35 from San Antonio to Austin personally I would, and did head out to Fredericksburg for breakfast, Luckenbach because it’s just cool and then hit Salt Lick for BBQ on your way into Austin. There’s better BBQ in Texas but it’s bloody good. All easy driving and Texas hill country is surprisingly beautiful.
Dallas I’ve only done briefly. We also went over to Fort Worth. Maybe a rodeo? Gas Monkey garage is in Dallas as is their bar and grill which was surprisingly good.
^^ That's useful info thank you.
Hadn't actually heard of the Alamo, but a quick google suggests a historic battle where Mexcans retook the church, killing all Texan defenders?
Sound like flying into San Antonio for a couple of days might be a good start, then hire a car and drive to Austin for a couple more days, maybe via a detour as suggested. A restriction on our evenings will be our son being only 16 who won't be allowed into bars.
If we drove on to Dallas is it usually possible to drop the hire car off there, then fly home? Would we need a hire car company that has branches in both San Antonio and Dallas?
Hadn't actually heard of the Alamo, but a quick google suggests a historic battle where Mexcans retook the church, killing all Texan defenders?
Sound like flying into San Antonio for a couple of days might be a good start, then hire a car and drive to Austin for a couple more days, maybe via a detour as suggested. A restriction on our evenings will be our son being only 16 who won't be allowed into bars.
If we drove on to Dallas is it usually possible to drop the hire car off there, then fly home? Would we need a hire car company that has branches in both San Antonio and Dallas?
Edited by The Gauge on Monday 29th May 21:53
The Gauge said:
^^ That's useful info thank you.
Hadn't actually heard of the Alamo, but a quick google suggests a historic battle where Mexcans retook the church, killing all Texan defenders?
Sound like flying into San Antonio for a couple of days might be a good start, then hire a car and drive to Austin for a couple more days, maybe via a detour as suggested.
If we went on to Dallas is it usually possible to drop the car off there, then fly home? Would we need a hire car company that has branches in both San Antonio and Dallas?
Yeah. The museum is actually really interesting and they do a good job of telling the story.Hadn't actually heard of the Alamo, but a quick google suggests a historic battle where Mexcans retook the church, killing all Texan defenders?
Sound like flying into San Antonio for a couple of days might be a good start, then hire a car and drive to Austin for a couple more days, maybe via a detour as suggested.
If we went on to Dallas is it usually possible to drop the car off there, then fly home? Would we need a hire car company that has branches in both San Antonio and Dallas?
Yeah that’s a good plan. Southwest airlines fly direct from New Orleans (MSY) to San Antonio (SAT), they’re very good value, you get two free hold bags each with them and a free non alcoholic drink on board.
Yeah that won’t be a problem, there’ll probably be a one way fee but because it’s all Texas it will likely be very minimal. All the hire car companies in San Antonio will have a branch at Dallas Fort Worth so no need to worry about that.
djc206 said:
Yeah. The museum is actually really interesting and they do a good job of telling the story.
Yeah that’s a good plan. Southwest airlines fly direct from New Orleans (MSY) to San Antonio (SAT), they’re very good value, you get two free hold bags each with them and a free non alcoholic drink on board.
Yeah that won’t be a problem, there’ll probably be a one way fee but because it’s all Texas it will likely be very minimal. All the hire car companies in San Antonio will have a branch at Dallas Fort Worth so no need to worry about that.
Brill, thanks.Yeah that’s a good plan. Southwest airlines fly direct from New Orleans (MSY) to San Antonio (SAT), they’re very good value, you get two free hold bags each with them and a free non alcoholic drink on board.
Yeah that won’t be a problem, there’ll probably be a one way fee but because it’s all Texas it will likely be very minimal. All the hire car companies in San Antonio will have a branch at Dallas Fort Worth so no need to worry about that.
Would you advise organising a hire car before we travel, or pick on up on arrival?
Not sure whether to book all the flights and hotels myself, or go through a travel agent. This has all been dropped on us without much notice, my son recently qualified to represent GB in an amateur powerlifting comp, with world finals in Louisiana which we can't say no to, so I'm trying to build a holiday around this.
The Gauge said:
Brill, thanks.
Would you advise organising a hire car before we travel, or pick on up on arrival?
Not sure whether to book all the flights and hotels myself, or go through a travel agent. This has all been dropped on us without much notice, my son recently qualified to represent GB in an amateur powerlifting comp, with world finals in Louisiana which we can't say no to, so I'm trying to build a holiday around this.
I would definitely book a car before you go. Hire car reservations can normally be cancelled or amended up to 24 hours before pickup for free so if your plans change it’s very easy to change the reservation. Turning up on the day you could end up paying quite a lot or them simply saying they don’t have a car for you or making you wait for one to be returned.Would you advise organising a hire car before we travel, or pick on up on arrival?
Not sure whether to book all the flights and hotels myself, or go through a travel agent. This has all been dropped on us without much notice, my son recently qualified to represent GB in an amateur powerlifting comp, with world finals in Louisiana which we can't say no to, so I'm trying to build a holiday around this.
I would do it myself personally but it’s up to you. Are you local to London or are you having to fly down to Heathrow to start your journey?
BA fly direct to both New Orleans and Dallas Fort Worth. You could easily book an open jaw flight with them out to MSY and back from DFW. Then separately book your internal flight with southwest. Hotels are easy enough, pick a decent one using TripAdvisor and then book through whoever is cheapest of the big names. Make sure to use Quidco as you can normally get a reasonable % of cashback on hotel bookings.
When are you travelling?
Dallas is a heat city to enjoy for a few days but NOT in July or August. From a rodeo in Ft Worth to the whole JFK experience. Grab a baseball game or visit the nations latest arts district. View the city from the Reunion Tower, visit the AT and T stadium. Cavanaugh flight museum is fun, Six Flags for rollercoasters, visit Deep Ellum or enjoy Motorsport at the Texas Motor Speedway. Good for steaks and wine when dining out in Dallas.
djc206 said:
When are you travelling?
First 2 weeks in August 2023belleair302 said:
Dallas is a heat city to enjoy for a few days but NOT in July or August.
We don't have any choice with the dates, August it is. Alternative option is not to visit Texas at all and instead fly from Louisiana to somewhere like New York.The Gauge said:
^^ That's useful info thank you
If we drove on to Dallas is it usually possible to drop the hire car off there, then fly home? Would we need a hire car company that has branches in both San Antonio and Dallas?
Shouldn't be a problem with the bigger hire car companies that have branches in biggish airports.If we drove on to Dallas is it usually possible to drop the hire car off there, then fly home? Would we need a hire car company that has branches in both San Antonio and Dallas?
Edited by The Gauge on Monday 29th May 21:53
I hired with Avis in January into SFO and back from LAX and the pickup/drop off locations had cars with plates from Florida, Washington, Nevada, Utah and Colorado!
djc206 said:
The Gauge said:
^^ That's useful info thank you.
Hadn't actually heard of the Alamo, but a quick google suggests a historic battle where Mexcans retook the church, killing all Texan defenders?
Yeah. The museum is actually really interesting and they do a good job of telling the story.Hadn't actually heard of the Alamo, but a quick google suggests a historic battle where Mexcans retook the church, killing all Texan defenders?
Check out Rudy's BBQ, especially the brisket and coleslaw.
We did the "level 9" tour in Houston. You need to book well in advance due to security vetting.
https://www.visithoustontexas.com/listings/space-c...
Awesome experience.
We did the "level 9" tour in Houston. You need to book well in advance due to security vetting.
https://www.visithoustontexas.com/listings/space-c...
Awesome experience.
Personally, yes I'd say 3 days is sufficient in Dallas.
I really enjoyed the Sixth Floor museum (in the depository building) if you enjoy the history of that event, but you can just walk around Dealey Plaza (grassy knoll) if you wish to.
I'd also recommend a visit to Fort Worth Stockyards (you can go to a Rodeo here)
If you like Baseball try and get to a Texas Rangers game (Arlington).
Down near San Antonio just off I35 there is a great waterpark - Schlitterbahn, if you like that kind of thing as a family (in August you'll need something on your feet to stop them burning)
Definitely visit the river walk in San Antonio (evening is best).
I really enjoyed the Sixth Floor museum (in the depository building) if you enjoy the history of that event, but you can just walk around Dealey Plaza (grassy knoll) if you wish to.
I'd also recommend a visit to Fort Worth Stockyards (you can go to a Rodeo here)
If you like Baseball try and get to a Texas Rangers game (Arlington).
Down near San Antonio just off I35 there is a great waterpark - Schlitterbahn, if you like that kind of thing as a family (in August you'll need something on your feet to stop them burning)
Definitely visit the river walk in San Antonio (evening is best).
Edited by MON on Thursday 1st June 11:43
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