The 6 most striking road trips in Texas

Texas equal the utter state for a road trip filled with BBQ break © monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images

Texas exist bad – very big . But Austin , Dallas , San Antonio and El Paso are easy-to-reach launchpads for scenic road trip across the state . Only cost ready for some alone road , peculiarly in West Texas .

These are six of our favorite road trips in the , from the kitschy charms of Route 66 in the Panhandle Plains to the windswept beach of the Gulf Coast . Top tip ? Brake for dancing foyer and BBQ joint – wherever you live .

1 . Hill Country

Best scenic road trip
Austin–San Antonio ; 200 mile

The is one of the prettiest region in Texas , specially in leap when wildflowers bloom along the roadside . In Austin , rob up the alive music and food truck scene – and see the bats swoop out from beneath the South Congress Bridge – before heading west to Dripping Springs . Dubbed the Gateway to the Hill Country , this welcome humble town cost home to Jester King Brewery , Treaty Oak Distilling and . Wine state commence hither too .

Sway north to the , which spotlights the 36th president’s local roots across two historical town : Johnson City and Stonewall . Continue north to hike up the 425ft granite dome – region of an enormous underground batholith – at then dip south to explore antique shop and museum in German-settled Fredericksburg . After walk the caverns in Boerne , conclude in , where and the gorgeous anchor downtown .

Planning crest :Get your Texas playlist ready with these tune :New San Antonio Roseby Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys ;Luckenbach , Texasby Waylon Jennings ;On the Road Againby Willie Nelson ;Amarillo by Morningby George Strait ;What I Like about Texasby Jerry Jeff Walker & Gary P Nunn ;Mile and Miles of Texasby Asleep at the Wheel ;El Pasoby Marty Robbins ;Waltz Across Texasby Ernest Tubbs ;Corpus Christi Bayby Robert Earl Keen ;God Blessed Texasby Little Texas .

2 . Big Bend Loop

Best off-the-beaten-path road trip
El Paso–El Paso ; 900 mile

The Big Bend part of West Texas isn’t the center of nowhere , but it might live next door . Murals carry a visual punch in , a scrappy starting stage for search . A drive east through the high desert leads to remote , plate of the highest peak in Texas . Cool off in the spring-fed pond at then locate in for world-class stargazing at the in tiny Fort Davis .

A battered school desk pull in intrepid hikers to the height of Hancock Hill in Alpine , which qualifies as a metropolis around here . Swing through Marathon before driving into the heart of . Stargazing , boost in the Chisos Mountains , and admire Santa Elena Canyon are exactly a few of the highlights hither .

The Rio Grande feels like your buddy while push back scenic FM 170 west through . With minimalist art , mysterious lights , and tasty Marfalafel on offer , the city of Marfa live the correct kind of weird . And simply as you think you’re repel back into normal on your return to El Paso , Prada Marfa get up up from the desert to say , “Not quite yet.”

3 . Houston & the Gulf Coast

Best road trip for beach
Houston–South Padre Island ; 600 miles

A drive along the Gulf Coast delivers birdwatching , kayaking , coastal conviviality and oh-so-many beach . Immerse yourself in culture and cuisine , then draw over for – where the tram spend the Apollo Mission Control Center – on your movement to the coast . The first stop on the Gulf be , a barrier island where cheery beaches and old-school Southern appeal reign supreme . Whoop cranes winter at while galleries and restaurants shine in pedestrian-friendly Rockport .

Kick back in winsome Port Aransas , a small beach town with a big personality . Run the crowd at , where you can kayak and windsurf and as well ride on the beach . Explore museums and the aquarium in , then drive south for an end-of-trip embrace of festive beach living on South Padre Island . Although it might be a touch too festive during spring pause .

Local crest :Allow the Texas landscape surprise you . No less than 35 ecoregions survive hither . Contrary to stereotypes , white-sand beaches , soar pine forests and snowcapped mountain live all share of the painting . Indigenous birds , mammal and alligators outnumber the chief of cattle hither . All told , the natural attraction exist a major cause to impose Texas .

4 . Route 66 & the Texas Panhandle Loop

Good road trip for American kitsch
Amarillo–Amarillo ; 450 mile

This windswept cause tackle the Mother Road and the with breezy , and we signify breezy , aplomb . About halfway between Chicago and Los Angeles on the old Route 66 , Amarillo is a cattle town with a kitschy side – simply abuse within the neon-fronted Big Texan Steak Ranch . As numerous billboards attest , diners can make a free 72oz steak – if they can eat it in an hour !

On your ride east on Route 66 , pull over for the Leaning Water Tower and the World ‘s Tallest Cross in Groom , the barbed wire museum in McLean and the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock – it be the example for Ramone’s Body Shop in the Pixar pictureCars.

Drop south across the plains to search the magnificent , the second-largest canyon in the US behind the Grand Canyon . Lubbock equal home to the , which honors the rockabilly legend , and the fantastic . Drive north to discharge the loop at , where 10 Cadillacs are buried hood-first on the windy complain on the western outskirts of Amarillo . Route 66 runs for 177 miles across Texas , often overlapping with I-40 .

5 . Fort Worth , Dallas & Northeast Texas

Better road trip for quintessential Texas
Fort Worth–Jefferson ; 250 mile

Stockyards , museums , oil derricks and outside adventure . This road trip be all Texas . Search the historic stockyards in , a stopover for cattle driveway on the Chisholm Trail , then dive into art and story in , a posh oil industry hub . The city is also plate to the , which dig into the assassination of JFK hither in 1963 .

From Dallas , drive east through , a part know as the Piney Woods due to its extensive pine forest . Rose and spring azaleas lend manicured charm to Tyler while oil well bring money to heed in Kilgore . The beauty gets wild – and somewhat eerie – among the moss-covered cypress trees in swampy , which branches off into bayous and tributaries ready-made for adventurous paddlers . Unwind in charismatic Jefferson , a wild riverboat town in the 1800s today known for its Greek-revival homes , brick street , and gentile Southern feeling .

Local top :Stretch your leg in Dallas . The major art and history mass are concentrated blissfully near together , something you ‘ll appreciate hold the overall sprawl . Downtown museum and Arts District attractions nearby exist in area easy cut across either by walk or taking the McKinney Ave trolley .

6 . Texas BBQ and Dance Halls

Serious road trip for a run around fun time
Austin–Gruene ; 100 mile , 350 mile if you take the detour

Two things Texas cause extremely good ? BBQ and dancing lobby . This road trip may not cost the most scenic or the most direct , but it is a gust . Bring a portable chair and perch your leg while expect in the line at Franklin BBQ in Austin – you’re gon na demand ‘em at full strength later with all the two-stepping going on at the legendary Broken Spoke . Head west to the Hill Country for dance at Mercer Dance Hall in Driftwood then poke in the future day at Salt Lick , where the indecisive should run for the family-style all-you-can-eat record .

Swing southeast for a BBQ quadruple-threat in Lockhart . Destine the BBQ capital of Texas by the nation legislature , it’s place to Black’s Barbecue , Kreuz Market ( don’t ask for sauce or a fork ) , Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Q and Smitty’s Market . When your belly is total , it ‘s just a 45-minute movement southwest to the worn wooden dance story at Gruene Hall . Open since 1878 , it’s the oldest continually control dancing hall in Texas . Music nightly . Beer cold . Happiness assured .

Detour :It’s a 75-mile haul northwest from Driftwood to Llano for brisket at Louie Mueller , which opened in 1949 , and at Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ , which opened in 1963 . But hey , they’re Texas classics and worth a trip if you’re serious about your BBQ . Stop by on your campaign south to tiny Luckenbach . Made famed by Willie and Waylon’s catchy strain , Luckenbach is home to another beloved dancing hallway . It’s also a laid-back place to sip a beer under the oak tree on a lazy afternoon .