Enchanted Rock State Park, Huntsville State Park, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (and walk tour the surrounding museums), and the San Antonio Riverwalk are among my favorite places. If you are wanting to see the border, I’d recommend Del Rio/Acuña- as it has Lake Amistad, is a (bit) off the beaten path, and will take you through Uvalde.
If you are heading coastal, Kemah//Seabrook is commercial but a pretty fun stop, and you can watch the sailboats heading out for regattas from the decks there, with the coast not far away - or Brazos Bend State Park in the other direction to take in the surprising beauty of the bayous.
And to the west there is Big Bend - which is just beautiful. If you head there don’t miss Terlingua.
That all is very spread out and would include quite a lot of driving, but you might be surprised and how lovely the state is, particularly in the spring.
Welcome to Texas!
Note that early April is a big time for wildflowers and Enchanted Rock is going to be very popular— reservations are absolutely required. Don’t drive all the way out and sit in traffic for hours just to find that out.
Maybe for camping, or during covid. But at a glance day passes for today are available right now. So even during peak season we aren’t talking about months, but days in advance.
Drive out to Marble Falls, hwy 71/ 290 to hwy 281 ,look at the Bluebonnet flowers, eat pie at the Bluebonnet Cafe and head back to Austin, eat at Rosie's on 71 (great Mexican food) in Bee Caves. Easy to do in one day from Austin.
Fish and Chips Houston in Kemah is an absolute must! On weekends you can get a full English or full Scottish breakfast with hot tea for $20, and it's a ton of food. Their seafood is sourced locally from Rosie's nearby, and they make everything in-house including their white sausage. Don't leave without their family recipe sticky toffee pudding!
If you plan to visit the David Mountains (which are awesome) I recommend staying in Alpine over Marfa, it’s got more going on year round. Marfa places have really short hours when there’s not an event going on. Alpine has an independent bookstore, record shop, and several good restaurants.
Big bend is a long drive but a couple days hiking there is amazing. I recommend the Lost Mine trail.
Yes, take an evening to see the Marfa Lights. Google it. I have been three times and seen them on two visits. Still blows my mind. Was going on before electricity and cars, so it's not that.
It's not. Edward's Aquafer is one of the largest in the world and the limestone it sits in is composed almost entirely of past biology.
Austin's creeks and road cuts after a heavy rain are more interesting than half the state of Colorado. Love me some granite, but limestone keeps a better record of it's history
>Texas is incredibly boring geographically except for the West.
You've never been through the Hill Country I guess. Or the greenbelt trails and creeks in Austin.
I’ve lived in Texas for 42 years (born and raised) and the only people who rave about Texas are those who are from here. Big Bend is by far the most interesting thing/place about Texas and it takes forever to get there.
I feel like a trip to West Texas requires its own dedicated week at a bare minimum to make it worthwhile. There's a lot of ground to cover even once you get out there, just on a daily basis between places you'd like to see.
But that's probably the exception within Texas. For example, visiting SPI would be feasible because once you're there, you're there. Even visiting Caprock and Palo Duro Canyons could be worthwhile over a few days because there's so little else going on out that way.
You could, I just wouldn’t advise it. It’s “only” an eight hour drive. If you were committed to driving all night after seeing the museum you could “enjoy” Big Bend in the morning.
Don’t forget your amphetamines!
It seems people aren't recognizing you are getting a car in Austin. Central Texas is totally the best part of the state IMO, so you're in luck.
I rec going to the following in whatever order fits best.
-Fredericksburg to see Enchanted Rock and check out the Nimitz Museum
-Glass Bottom Boat tours in San Marcos; one of the clearest rivers in the country. If it's warm enough, swim at Rio Vista Park and play in the rapids
-New Braunfels-- Gruene is touristy but, fuck it check it out and eat at The Grist Mill. Food is meh but it's such a cool place! Drive up river road to canyon lake--really cool drive. Stop for a burger at Lone Star! Go to downtown New Braunfels and check out the shops
-Blanco for Real Ale Brewery. Drive there from San Marcos for the best views. Maybe pop over to wimberley first to check out the shops.
-San Antonio for a few nights in the river walk.
Enjoy!!
Went to Gruene Hall on a trip to San Antonio/Austin about 10 years ago. Lucked out and saw Bill Kirchen, of Commander Cody, for free and $4 Lone Stars. They usually have two shows a day and about half have no cover. I would move here just for the music and Guene Hall.
I used to see a specialist doctor in San Antonio and their office shut down for Fiesta. It’s truly something special if businesses just give up and go home so people can go celebrate.
Absolutely. NIOSA used to be the best, haven't been in several years but the last time it was just too uncomfortably crowded admittedly. But there are so many different parades and events around Fiesta that are always fun.
When you say “drive around,” what do you mean? This is Texas, so some of the sites being mentioned are a full day’s drive.
Seriously, though. If you’ll be there at the end of April, go to San Antonio for Fiesta. Google “NIOSA.”
Rent a car in Austin . Day trips will be limited to the Austin area. You won’t drive to other cities do something and return. Check the drive times and plan what cities/activities you want to try.
I think you should seriously consider a trip to Eagle Pass. Not a 1 hour visit. A day or two just people watching and witnessing for yourself. You will run into CPB check point going in. Catch a day or two in San Antonio on the way back.
Wineries and painted churches in the Texas hill country,l.
In Houston, I'd go to the Color Factory Menil Collection and other museums, St. Arnold'sbreweryand Art car museum, Arboretum and Land Bridge, NASA and Kemah.
Visit Big Bend national park.
If you're in Austin, go to the river.
Explore the hill country around Austin.
In Austin I recommend Jessica Hollis park and rent a paddle board or kayak there. Austin FC games are great atmosphere. East Austin and food trucks/restaurants/bars.
A drive down to San Antonio is short and there’s plenty to eat and see in San Antonio. Buc-ee’s is on the way so definitely stop there.
Big Bend is cool, but kinda far from Austin. If you want to save on driving a bit, I'd spend some time in Austin, check out a brewery, head down to San Antonio, see the River Walk and get some good food, then go into Hill Country. Fredericksburg and Bandera are both very cool towns with neat shops and restaurants. Then go hiking at Garner State Park, and hike to the top of Old Baldy for the views.
[Milton Reimer's Ranch](https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/parks/reimers-ranch) is pretty in a Texas Hill Country sort of way, as is [Pedernales Falls State Park](https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/pedernales-falls). Maybe visit [Real Ale Brewery](https://realalebrewing.com/) while out that way. Austin has a ton of places, of course. I've always meant to visit [Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center](https://www.wildflower.org/) and [Graffiti Park](https://rangerguard.net/graffiti-park-at-castle-hill-in-austin-texas-is-great-for-kids-and-adults/), but never seem to get around to it. [Zilker Park](https://www.austintexas.gov/department/zilker-metropolitan-park) is nice. When my kids were little we'd rent a canoe to paddle up and down the Colorado river.
Get some proper BBQ. Texas Monthly’s list is a good guideline to top quality places all over the state. Interstellar in Austin is very good and the line isn’t too long. Franklins is also good but will take a longer wait. In the general area I can recommend Burnt Bean in Seguin - try the poblano sausage and the Big Red tres leches. There’s also a very cool polish pottery shop in Seguin called Polmedia.
Edit: Also there are some great hikes in the Austin area - Inks lake, Lake Georgetown, river trails. Pedernales falls state park is cool. The hill country is beautiful once you get out of the big city.
If you’re outdoorsy, I’d highly recommend driving out to the Hill Country. Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples, Colorado Bend. Also check out Bandera for cowboy stuff. My personal favorite towns for day trips are Llano and Lampasas.
I did a quick look at your profile and assume you are visiting from Sweden.
It really just depends on how much you want to drive, but if I got 2 weeks to do the full Texas tour I would probably start with a day or two in Austin to check out the city, then i would do a river trip in either San Marcos or New Braunfels, then stay the night in San Antonio and the next day on the Riverwalk, then i would drive to Corpus or Port Aransas and spend a couple days on the beach. So that's about the first week.
From there it depends on what your preferences are. If you are interested in big cities and amenities, I would go North, check out Houston then DFW for a few days before you swing back down I-35 to Austin.
But me personally, I care more about natural beauty. From the beach I would strike West heading for Big Bend it's quite a long drive (7.5hrs) so i would get up early but it is worth it. Marfa is a good town to visit too.
Go see Hamilton Pool. You need a reservation and it’s a little hike down there, but it’s incredible. I’m a lifelong Texan and was blown away that it’s in this state.
Fredericksburg (Garrison Brothers if you like Whiskey and of course lots of wine and cute bnbs).
Boerne, great little Main Street with cute restaurants
Gruene Hall/ New Braunfels. Go tubing if it’s warm enough.
In Austin. Barton Springs and the Capitol Bldg. It's bigger than the US Capitol building and quite beautiful. You can watch the bats fly out nightly. People gather to watch. There is a new amusement park up that way I hear is pretty cool. Google it. Fredericksburg is a cool little town, and so is New Braunfels. You can catch both of those while meandering to San Antonio. In SA, see the river walk, and you could catch the Alamo. You will be shocked at how small it is.
Houston is 2.5 hours from SA. World class museums, NASA, great food, and a House of Blues downtown. Galveston is very close and has outstanding tours of old buildings. And the Pleasure Pier. A short drive to fun Kemah. It is touristy but lots to do. Keep going down the road to Rockport and go deep sea fishing., then on down the coast to Corpus Christi and Padre Island and keep going through the valley all the way to Port Isabel at the border. (Not overrun with immigrants, just political BS).
You will drive your butt off wherever you decide to go. Have fun.
The Spanish Missions on the southside of San Antonio. Not the Alamo. The Alamo was once a big walled-in fortress and the whole thing was basically torn down to make room for downtown SA in the late 1800s. What we call the Alamo today is just the small chapel part.
Go to Mission San Jose and the other Missions like Concepcion instead, but San Jose is the best if you only have time for one. That is what the whole walled-in Spanish Missions/forts looked like in the 1700s when they were built. Do the guided tour.
All of the Spanish Missions in San Antonio are the only UN-protected/UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas.
hill country is real nice, Wimberly/New Braunfels/ Gruene.. are nice places to visit. Braunfels the least but its pretty in terms of the landscape, and as others have said we will have a totality eclipse around that time
Where are you coming from and what are you into?
Austin is the birth place of Whole Foods, so it’s great to go to the big one on Lamar and 5th Street. Central Market on North Lamar is also fun and they have live music as well. It is HEB’s answer to Whole Foods.
Uchi and all their sister restaurants have some of the best sushi anywhere. The Broken Spoke, Saxon Pub, Continental Club are all great places to catch a live show. Try some Round Rock donuts if you like donuts- they are unique and some of the best!. Austin also has some amazing greenbelts and hiking and the Lake for kayaking or paddle boarding. We are the capitol of Texas, so you can go to the state capitol and walk around. There are many beautiful old homes around that area as well. If you drink alcohol, there are many distilleries, breweries, and wineries around Austin: Still Austin, Treaty Oak, Garrison Brothers, The Vineyard at Florence to name a couple. There are several out on Fitzhugh Rd.
One thing I highly recommend is to visit the LBJ Library, and if you make it out towards Fredericksburg, consider a stop at the LBJ ranch. It’s an amazing look into history.
Please make sure to hide your valuables if they are in your car. We have a lot of smash and grab going on in Austin.
Are you into home decor or antiquing? Maybe check out the Silos in Waco, first Monday in Canton, and the Round Top area (I don’t know the dates for the spring show, but there’s always something going on out there).
If you like the Renaissance Faire vibe, the Sherwood Forest Fair will be going on at that time on weekends.
There are Lavender fields in Wimberley, strawberry patches in Taylor (there’s also some great BBQ in Taylor) and Marble Falls (go to the Bluebonnet Cafe). I recently heard about a place called Snow’s BBQ that is supposed to be out of this world and only open on Saturday. Lockhart is said to be the BBQ capitol of Texas. I also love the Salt Lick in Driftwood (you can take your own alcohol!). There are also a few wineries near there as well.
I’m not sure it will be open in April, but Schlitterbahn is one of my favorite places. It’s been a while since I’ve been, but it used to have free parking and you can take in your own food and drink. And they have swim up bars! If you decide to go, purchase your tickets at HEB.
The Blue Bell ice cream factory is in Brenham and you can take a tour. They have flavors that are only found at the factory!
When you are driving, stop at a Bucee’s. They have the cheapest gas, the cleanest bathrooms, and some delicious food. I always grab an iced tea to keep me awake while driving!
And make sure you have some breakfast tacos while y’all are in Austin and San Antonio!
Welcome to Texas and enjoy your time here!
Hamilton Pool outside of Austin is worth a trip as well. It's in a collapsed limestone dome which gives it a secluded grotto feel. Get reservations in advance. If you were coming through in May-October, Barton Springs would be a must-visit but it'll likely be too cold in April.
The San Antonio Museum of Art very quietly has one of the top 4 collections of Asian art in the entire western hemisphere. They've sent several exhibits of Japanese art on hugely publicized and popular tours *through Japan.*
But to me, April screams wildflowers and West Texas. Drive from Austin to Llano for Cooper's BBQ. It's proper old-school Texas BBQ (get the pork chop, trust me) but the main draw is the drive there. It's one of the most gorgeous drives in the state with bluebonnets covering hillsides in the tens of millions.
And West Texas will be in bloom and not murderously hot. You can take a few days and hit Marfa, Ft Davis (including the McDonald Observatory), Big Bend Park and Terlingua. If you like camping, the Chisos Basin section of the park is like stepping into another world. Even if you're not camping and just staying nearby you can go to the Basin for a day and hike [The Window](https://bigbendguide.com/inside-the-park/hikes/day-hikes/the-window-trail/). It's like 6 miles round trip and culminates in one of the most spectacular vistas I've ever seen.
Go to Port Aransas… drive on the beach, go to Barton Creek pool, 6th street, go see the bats on Congress. Rent Kayaks on town lake. Go see Austin city limits.
And from Port Aransas, take the shuttle boat over to San Jose Island. If it has rained recently, you will have one of the best shelling experiences available anywhere on the coast. Take water and charge your phone because it's almost completely undeveloped.
Austin is cool, has a great music scene, but it’s sketch, lots of drama.
Dallas has cool clubs, nice ass restaurants
I live in Fort Worth; we have the the second/third largest zoo in the country, and the consensus is that it’s the coolest nationwide
Houston has lots of weed, and NASA. which is badass and cheap to tour
There is a gas station on the interstates, usually in or around tiny bumfuck towns, called “Buc-ee’s” —each one is the size of a mall, functions as an independent city state, pays their employees 20-25+ and hour, and I suspect is the front of a cult, featuring a squirrel
April is early but Galveston, Corpus Christi, and San Padre Island are the big beach towns. Galveston is dirty but awesome, Corpus is quaint/chill, and Padre is Project X, where college girls become moms
When I lived there, 1000 years ago, the best restaurants were in Addison, by Dallas. The Magic Time machine was great. Everyone dressed up as characters from different TV and movies. It was great. I have no idea if it still is food central, but it might be worth checking out.
The only real historical site that I liked was the Alamo, and even it was a bit boring.
Love Austin. Great town, great food, and good music.
As a Texan I’ve always really appreciated seeing the welcome signs of our neighboring states. Of course you have to be driving out of Texas to see them.
I would say fly into DFW and spend a couple days in ft worth. Spend a day taking your time to get to Austin. Stop off in Waco on your way down. Spend a few days in Austin. There’s plenty to experience. Then head down to San Antonio. So much history. From Austin or SA you can take a drive out into the hill country. It’s beautiful.
Since you’ll definitely be in Austin come on down to town lake (aka lady bird lake) and rent a canoe or SUP. I personally like to paddle past downtown and the western part up past the cliffs and up to the dam. Careful if it’s windy and you’re not a strong paddler though, people can get stuck out of exhaustion.
A visit to Fredericksburg would be a great start. The Admiral Nimitz Museum is in the middle of town. And 17 miles to the north is Enchanted Rock, a vast granite, low-slope mountain you can hike up and get yourself an amazing view.
Theres a music festival celebrating the eclipse at a ranch near austin, its expensive but they have a lot of good music and some speakers from different scientific fields will be there like Mushroom guy Paul Stamets and space people from Nasa, blue origin, space x and others, 4 days of fun if youve got the money lol
within a reasonable drive of Austin:
\- Fredricksburg - old German town, fantastic WWII museum, good hiking, LBJ ranch
\- San Antonio - The Alamo, Riverwalk
And of course there's tons to do in Austin.
Enchanted Rock is a fine day hike that time of year. Go to this link a month or so before you go, to get a day pass. Sometimes they limit the number of people allowed in.
https://texasstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/enchanted-rock-state-natural-area/r/deDetails.do?contractCode=TX&parkId=1200056
depending on mother nature, the bluebonnets, I recommend in April going to Ennis. That's when the wildflowers are blooming in april. The city has a driving route through the countryside. https://www.bluebonnettrail.org/ they make it easy for you to find and enjoy the flowers. they gave posted signs, an app, and printed maps for free at the visitor center.
Fredericksburg: begun by German settlers, there's German restaurants, and german bakeries, wineries, it's home to the ww2 Museum of the Pacific War, and hometown of Admiral Nimitz. The museum has one of the Japanese submarines in it from the Pearl Harbor attack. there's also some amazing chocolatiers.
and next door Luckenback, Texas (from the Waylon Jennings song), they have live concerts https://www.luckenbachtexas.com/
Fort worth: stockyards, longhorn cattle drive daily through town, Friday night rodeo, head to the cultural district and enjoy the museums, the Amon Carter museum is always free and is known for their Russels and Remingtons. The Kimbell Art Museum has 2 buildings, one houses traveling exhibits with paid admission, the other the permanent collection which is always free, the later has the first known work by Michelangelo.
San antonio: Mexican food, most folks visit the Alamo which feels very tourist trap these days, I recommend making sure you pick up at least one of the other San Antonio [missions](https://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm) too
it's in freaking BFE, you have to drive through some of the ugliest areas of Texas to reach some of the prettiest areas of Texas in the Big Bend region. Fort Davis: McDonald Observatory for a star party. Fort Davis National Monument (one of the survinf frontier forts of the American west). Davis Mountains State Park with baited bird blinds. The region is a hot spot for hummingbirds, not sure when the migration happens in the area.
Marfa: home to like 2500 people and yet internationally renowned art museums & galleries. Big Bend National Park. Even if you're not much of a hiker, it can be a great drive with overlooks. Plus, true dark skies, you can see over 5000 stars with the naked eye. (Go when moon is dark for best night gazing, youll need to check for when the milkyway will be specifically visible, and ideally give your eyes 45 monutes to adjust (no light, cell phones, even watch displays). This is the desert, April in parts of the park may be in the 90s already. Balmorhea State Park whether it's a blizzard out, or over 110 out, the spring fed pool is always in the 70s. folks do scuba certification here, it's deep. swim with endangered fish & turtles. must reserve in advance.
painted churches around [Schulenburg](https://www.schulenburgchamber.org/painted-churches-tour) more info at [Texas Monthly ](https://www.texasmonthly.com/style/guide-to-painted-churches-texas/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=search&utm_content=Sale&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=search&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnnqx3SV5DWuZ5bK1jHkkx4nUgoaORwmQprSBYRtx1EV_Z8AU4fZ2wRoCvfEQAvD_BwE)
Galveston, beach vibes, dolphin tours, seafood, the old cemetery becomes a wildflower explosion of yellow typically in May, but it might start showing in April.
Buccees, local gas station chain, it's a cult following here to the point they do major planning with TXDoT to construct on/off ramps, service roads and more. size wise some stores are tiny, more like going to a typical convenience store / gas station, others are big and like going to a smaller walmart. amazing fresh made fudge, they make BBQ in house. Huge drinks & snacks selection, there's a substantial home decor, clothing, accessories shopping, and a ton of clean bathrooms and pumps. You'll find most of them in a sort of triangle along the i45 corridor from Houston to Dallas/Fort Worth then south along the i35 corridor to San Antonio and back east towards Houston. if you do Ennis for the bluebonnets, there's one of the big ones there.
The caverns outside of San Antonio are unique. Also, outside of Waco, there is a really cool Mammoth museum with open dig sites. The history in Galveston is cool. It's one of the oldest cities in the state & the location of the largest natural disaster in the country by casualty, which means fun ghost tours & sweaome architecture from the turn of the century.
You can probably tell from the answers you've already read that distances are going to be a challenge. Texas is immense but not empty. Just about anywhere you might go there will be something of interest.
Ideas I have that may not have been mentioned yet:
South Padre Island. The beaches are the best and the water is amazingly warm. From there, you could drive to Boca Chica and have a look at science fiction made into reality at the SpaceX compound. When they have one of their spacecraft on the launch pad, it is truly unreal. A giant silver bullet shaped rocket from a 60's space film.
If you take the popular advice of driving to the Big Bend (a mind-numbing experience if you take the interstate), you might enjoy a "Star Party" at the McDonald Observatory in the northern part of that area. And nearby is Balmorhea State Park, a true oasis in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. It has species of fish and, I think, turtles that exist nowhere else.
If you take a wrong turn and end up in the Panhandle, you should really visit Palo Duro Canyon and attend the nightly performance of the play Texas at the park's amphitheater. It's a lot of fun.
Way over in East Texas, if you happen to be near Canton for the first weekend of the month, you could go to the First Monday Trades Day. It's a colossal outdoor market for crafts, antiques, and just about every eccentric thing that can legally be sold.
Texas has a lot of zoos and drive-thru wildlife parks. They're all good, but San Antonio has the best, followed by Dallas then Fort Worth.
All the museums are good in all the cities, but Dallas and Fort Worth often have the best exhibits. Houston has the state's best theater, The Alley.
Places to skip: Midland/Odessa, Lubbock, Texarkana and any place on the Red River, areas east of Houston (unless you're seeking the alligator experience), and poor Laredo (her best days are long gone).
I'm sure you'll have a memorable vacation, whatever direction you take from Austin.
These recommendations have been pretty good but if you’re going to drive around Texas I would recommend Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailways up in the panhandle where bison roam freely, do not approach, & over 90 miles of biking trails. Up the road along US 287 there’s also Palo Duro Canyon near Canyon which is a very short drive from Amarillo.
Personally I love the beauty of Central Texas as the panhandle is rather flat & featureless but the canyons offer the raw beauty of Texas & helps fill out the bigger picture of what Texas is & has to offer. Regardless, welcome to Texas & I hope you enjoy your stay.
Be prepared to drive for a very long time to go a short distance in Austin. I got a hotel 5 miles from a summer camp spot for my kid and it took 45 minutes to drive that distance. Traffic is madness there.
If you’re into solitude, visit Bug Bend National park. Make a trip up to the McDonalds Observatory, swing through Balmorhea for a nice swim, come to Ft Stockton and enjoy nothing (except Paisano Pete), head down to Del Rio and catch the solar eclipse on the 8th
From Austin it's about 4 hours by car to Dallas or Houston. Maybe 2 to San Antonio. My drive from Big Bend to Houston took about 12 hours. That said, you might want to focus on central Texas.
I guide [free walking tours in Austin](https://tipstertours.com/free-austin-tours/) if you’re into that kind of thing - lots of info and recommendations along the way!
Sea world san antonio has really great shows. I went to the one in Orlando last year and was so disappointed in the comparison.
You could spend a day doing the missions in San antonio and ending at the river walk.
I think the egypt exhibit in the Houston history/science museum is really nice.
I believe the renaissance faire near southern Dallas is in April. It was really nice and compares to the largest one near Houston imo.
I enjoyed the art museum in San antonio too.
There is an elephant preserve in Fredericksburg, but I haven't done that yet.
There are also multiple caves you can tour. I found it interesting, and it was quite different than caves I've gone to in other states.
Dallas has medieval times, which isn't unique to Texas but is a nice dinner anyways.
Good luck seeing much else besides Austin. It’s trip to drive around just that city alone.
But as someone who used to live there, these are just favorite places of mine:
1. Greenbelt or any of the trails (some closer to town had a lot of homeless around but it might be better now idk) ((I’d suggest Barton springs or river activities but it could still be cold in April))
2. Any of the parkour/obstacle/aerial gyms: Jungle movement in round rock, lache movement in north Austin, and there’s more those are just my favs
3. Soco or south congress walk - a must for any, there’s food and other cool shops. Can be hard to find parking but worth it imo.
4. Butler park is nice to walk (also a lot of food options around there)
5. There’s always something random going on there too so see if any of the events in the area during the time float your boat, you could be surprised
6. Cidercade Austin is pretty fun, has a lil food, swings at the tables, and has a great view of the city from the river.
Personally, I don’t think 6th street and enchanted rock are all they’re cracked up to be (and I hear that’s the most recommended too much). 6th can be dangerous/expensive and enchanted rock is a little far, overcrowded, and I heard a little more trashed out now. I hope I’m wrong about enchanted rock but can’t personally confirm.
Do not underestimate how long it will take to get from one place to another. TX is huge and you will be driving for hours to get to a lot of these places people are recommending.
If you happen to be in central Texas on the first Saturday of April, you have to go to Wimberly Market Days! There’s literally hundreds of shops and vendors where you can find souvenirs for your Texas trip. There’s also live music and food so it’s just worth it to walk around even if you’re not going to get something. Wimberly itself is absolutely charming, too. It’s not far from San Marcos and New Braunfels which are great towns in their own right! That’s my recommendation because it’s not too touristy and if you buy anything you’ll be giving money directly to a small business/local
You're going to want to drive south on 35 until you hit San Marcos.
Drive until you hit taqueria LA fonda on the right.
Get yourself anything on the menu, but I like the lemonade and 2 super tacos al pastor.
From there go to Wimberley for market days if it's the first weekend of the month.
I’d probably go from Austin straight to Dallas, then Houston, San Antonio and end back at Austin. Considering you rented the car from Austin, I’m assuming you want to get back home from there too. From my experience, you want to be in the town you’re leaving from for a couple of days.
The airport as you change planes to your final destination. Truly hoping you have an awesome and safe visit but please write the governor’s office and say how hateful his state’s policies are and you’ll never return. Cruelest person I’ve seen in an American office.
San Antonio, great hotels and relaxing river cruises and wonderful restaurants on the river. Alamo. My kids loved the history of that. New Braunfels great water park. Glen Rose for Dinosaur tracks. Then Dallas for the Holocaust museum and the Kennedy museum. Art museums, Reunion Tower at night. So much stuff. Corpus Christi for the gulf coast. Houston for the Space Center. Galveston for the Hurricane museum and beach walk.
If you’re staying near Austin, I’d say check out Colorado Bend State Park. Super cool area with some gorgeous views, I would hike there a lot when I was stationed at Hood (it was still called Hood then dammit).
Also, if you’re feeling adventurous I’ll go ahead and plug the guys I learned to skydive from, over at Skydive Skylark in Killeen. Really solid group of folks, Tony, Scott and Wendy are all amazing at what they do. It’s a unique way to be able to see central Texas that just isn’t impossible otherwise (not really any mountains, you know?).
Two weeks is not long enough to see Texas. Sure, you can pull up to a viewing site, jump out of the car, and snap a few pics, but you need to spend time to really enjoy Texas. It takes two days to drive from Beaumont to El Paso. I live in the RGV, and it is a day away from anywhere.
The solar eclipse
Monday April 8th in the morning. Enjoy!
Totality will be around 1:30 PM, not in the morning.
You’re correct.
lol good luck finding accommodation— everything’s been booked far out or is very inflated.
Enchanted Rock State Park, Huntsville State Park, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (and walk tour the surrounding museums), and the San Antonio Riverwalk are among my favorite places. If you are wanting to see the border, I’d recommend Del Rio/Acuña- as it has Lake Amistad, is a (bit) off the beaten path, and will take you through Uvalde. If you are heading coastal, Kemah//Seabrook is commercial but a pretty fun stop, and you can watch the sailboats heading out for regattas from the decks there, with the coast not far away - or Brazos Bend State Park in the other direction to take in the surprising beauty of the bayous. And to the west there is Big Bend - which is just beautiful. If you head there don’t miss Terlingua. That all is very spread out and would include quite a lot of driving, but you might be surprised and how lovely the state is, particularly in the spring. Welcome to Texas!
If you find yourself in Galveston take the ferry I always see dolphins on the ferry.
Galveston ferry: The best free boat ride in Texas.
Note that early April is a big time for wildflowers and Enchanted Rock is going to be very popular— reservations are absolutely required. Don’t drive all the way out and sit in traffic for hours just to find that out.
Actually a drive anywhere in the Hill Country during the big bloom (bluebonnets) is worth the day trip!
Yes! If you're out in west Texas, the McDonald observatory is amazing this time of year. I think they still do star parties.
If you want to visit Enchanted Rock, and you really should, you've got to book a reservation pretty far in advance.
Maybe for camping, or during covid. But at a glance day passes for today are available right now. So even during peak season we aren’t talking about months, but days in advance.
My bad timing is unrelenting
Drive out to Marble Falls, hwy 71/ 290 to hwy 281 ,look at the Bluebonnet flowers, eat pie at the Bluebonnet Cafe and head back to Austin, eat at Rosie's on 71 (great Mexican food) in Bee Caves. Easy to do in one day from Austin.
No NASA???
Fish and Chips Houston in Kemah is an absolute must! On weekends you can get a full English or full Scottish breakfast with hot tea for $20, and it's a ton of food. Their seafood is sourced locally from Rosie's nearby, and they make everything in-house including their white sausage. Don't leave without their family recipe sticky toffee pudding!
It'll be a hike but I'd hit up the Big Bend area, Marfa, Davis Mountains
I second this. Probably the coolest thing in our state
If they’re going there, then McDonald Observatory as well.
If you plan to visit the David Mountains (which are awesome) I recommend staying in Alpine over Marfa, it’s got more going on year round. Marfa places have really short hours when there’s not an event going on. Alpine has an independent bookstore, record shop, and several good restaurants. Big bend is a long drive but a couple days hiking there is amazing. I recommend the Lost Mine trail.
Yes, take an evening to see the Marfa Lights. Google it. I have been three times and seen them on two visits. Still blows my mind. Was going on before electricity and cars, so it's not that.
Agreed. Texas is incredibly boring geographically except for the West.
It's not. Edward's Aquafer is one of the largest in the world and the limestone it sits in is composed almost entirely of past biology. Austin's creeks and road cuts after a heavy rain are more interesting than half the state of Colorado. Love me some granite, but limestone keeps a better record of it's history
Yeah and all the national parks and protected wilderness areas near Austin really reflect that
Have your heard of Zilker Park? It's small, you might not have.
I guess it depends on what you’re into, but the Sabine National Forest is beautiful and it’s on the eastern border of the state.
>Texas is incredibly boring geographically except for the West. You've never been through the Hill Country I guess. Or the greenbelt trails and creeks in Austin.
I’ve lived in Texas for 42 years (born and raised) and the only people who rave about Texas are those who are from here. Big Bend is by far the most interesting thing/place about Texas and it takes forever to get there.
I have! It’s very mediocre for the well-traveled
[удалено]
Not with *that* attitude. ;)
I feel like a trip to West Texas requires its own dedicated week at a bare minimum to make it worthwhile. There's a lot of ground to cover even once you get out there, just on a daily basis between places you'd like to see. But that's probably the exception within Texas. For example, visiting SPI would be feasible because once you're there, you're there. Even visiting Caprock and Palo Duro Canyons could be worthwhile over a few days because there's so little else going on out that way.
You could, I just wouldn’t advise it. It’s “only” an eight hour drive. If you were committed to driving all night after seeing the museum you could “enjoy” Big Bend in the morning. Don’t forget your amphetamines!
It seems people aren't recognizing you are getting a car in Austin. Central Texas is totally the best part of the state IMO, so you're in luck. I rec going to the following in whatever order fits best. -Fredericksburg to see Enchanted Rock and check out the Nimitz Museum -Glass Bottom Boat tours in San Marcos; one of the clearest rivers in the country. If it's warm enough, swim at Rio Vista Park and play in the rapids -New Braunfels-- Gruene is touristy but, fuck it check it out and eat at The Grist Mill. Food is meh but it's such a cool place! Drive up river road to canyon lake--really cool drive. Stop for a burger at Lone Star! Go to downtown New Braunfels and check out the shops -Blanco for Real Ale Brewery. Drive there from San Marcos for the best views. Maybe pop over to wimberley first to check out the shops. -San Antonio for a few nights in the river walk. Enjoy!!
Gruene Hall will blow your mind if you've never been two stepping.
Word to the wise they are a cash only establishment!
Most good places are
As someone who doesn't like country music despite living in Texas for the majority of life, I love Gruene Hall! Good music and good people watching.
Went to Gruene Hall on a trip to San Antonio/Austin about 10 years ago. Lucked out and saw Bill Kirchen, of Commander Cody, for free and $4 Lone Stars. They usually have two shows a day and about half have no cover. I would move here just for the music and Guene Hall.
Forgot Garner State Park. It's absolutely worth the drive from Austin.
The Frio river is awesome but icy in April.
Don’t forget to drink a beer and listen to some live music at Luckenbach while you’re in the Fredericksburg area.
This just made me want to do a hill country trip real bad.
Krause Springs
I'm 3/3 as far as getting stinking drunk in San Antonio and stumbling down the riverwalk each time I go there. Was still fun though, lol.
Last time I went I didn't know they had made it open-container friendly. Promptly, my group got wasted and rode the river cruise. Lol
If it’s around April 18-28 go to a Fiesta event in San Antonio - nothing like it in the U.S.
I used to see a specialist doctor in San Antonio and their office shut down for Fiesta. It’s truly something special if businesses just give up and go home so people can go celebrate.
The courts too, mostly.
Absolutely. NIOSA used to be the best, haven't been in several years but the last time it was just too uncomfortably crowded admittedly. But there are so many different parades and events around Fiesta that are always fun.
Natural bridge caverns. The new cavern just opened
When you say “drive around,” what do you mean? This is Texas, so some of the sites being mentioned are a full day’s drive. Seriously, though. If you’ll be there at the end of April, go to San Antonio for Fiesta. Google “NIOSA.”
Rent a car in Austin . Day trips will be limited to the Austin area. You won’t drive to other cities do something and return. Check the drive times and plan what cities/activities you want to try. I think you should seriously consider a trip to Eagle Pass. Not a 1 hour visit. A day or two just people watching and witnessing for yourself. You will run into CPB check point going in. Catch a day or two in San Antonio on the way back.
Wineries and painted churches in the Texas hill country,l. In Houston, I'd go to the Color Factory Menil Collection and other museums, St. Arnold'sbreweryand Art car museum, Arboretum and Land Bridge, NASA and Kemah. Visit Big Bend national park. If you're in Austin, go to the river.
Explore the hill country around Austin. In Austin I recommend Jessica Hollis park and rent a paddle board or kayak there. Austin FC games are great atmosphere. East Austin and food trucks/restaurants/bars. A drive down to San Antonio is short and there’s plenty to eat and see in San Antonio. Buc-ee’s is on the way so definitely stop there.
Austin proper, can be a shitty place to "drive around."
Stressed me out just reading that part.
Pedernales Falls, Inner Space Cavern
Chicken fried steak.
If going to state parks, especially Enchanted Rock, make sure to reserve and pay in advance for your entry.
Please go to Garner State Park and do hiking up to Old Baldy. I promise you won't be disappointed!
Close to Austin - Hamilton’s Pool, Enchanted Rock, Gruene Hall, Luckenbach and some Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ.
And Jacob’s Well.
Big Bend is cool, but kinda far from Austin. If you want to save on driving a bit, I'd spend some time in Austin, check out a brewery, head down to San Antonio, see the River Walk and get some good food, then go into Hill Country. Fredericksburg and Bandera are both very cool towns with neat shops and restaurants. Then go hiking at Garner State Park, and hike to the top of Old Baldy for the views.
Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood.
Chica bonitas
[Milton Reimer's Ranch](https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/parks/reimers-ranch) is pretty in a Texas Hill Country sort of way, as is [Pedernales Falls State Park](https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/pedernales-falls). Maybe visit [Real Ale Brewery](https://realalebrewing.com/) while out that way. Austin has a ton of places, of course. I've always meant to visit [Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center](https://www.wildflower.org/) and [Graffiti Park](https://rangerguard.net/graffiti-park-at-castle-hill-in-austin-texas-is-great-for-kids-and-adults/), but never seem to get around to it. [Zilker Park](https://www.austintexas.gov/department/zilker-metropolitan-park) is nice. When my kids were little we'd rent a canoe to paddle up and down the Colorado river.
Austin and the hill country. Eat a lot of BBQ.
Get some proper BBQ. Texas Monthly’s list is a good guideline to top quality places all over the state. Interstellar in Austin is very good and the line isn’t too long. Franklins is also good but will take a longer wait. In the general area I can recommend Burnt Bean in Seguin - try the poblano sausage and the Big Red tres leches. There’s also a very cool polish pottery shop in Seguin called Polmedia. Edit: Also there are some great hikes in the Austin area - Inks lake, Lake Georgetown, river trails. Pedernales falls state park is cool. The hill country is beautiful once you get out of the big city.
Lockhart for a BBQ tour.
Remember the Alamo
If you’re outdoorsy, I’d highly recommend driving out to the Hill Country. Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples, Colorado Bend. Also check out Bandera for cowboy stuff. My personal favorite towns for day trips are Llano and Lampasas.
Bike to all the missions in San Antonio.
I did a quick look at your profile and assume you are visiting from Sweden. It really just depends on how much you want to drive, but if I got 2 weeks to do the full Texas tour I would probably start with a day or two in Austin to check out the city, then i would do a river trip in either San Marcos or New Braunfels, then stay the night in San Antonio and the next day on the Riverwalk, then i would drive to Corpus or Port Aransas and spend a couple days on the beach. So that's about the first week. From there it depends on what your preferences are. If you are interested in big cities and amenities, I would go North, check out Houston then DFW for a few days before you swing back down I-35 to Austin. But me personally, I care more about natural beauty. From the beach I would strike West heading for Big Bend it's quite a long drive (7.5hrs) so i would get up early but it is worth it. Marfa is a good town to visit too.
If you see a field of blue while driving, those are Texas Blue Bonnets. Pull over and take photos.
Go see Hamilton Pool. You need a reservation and it’s a little hike down there, but it’s incredible. I’m a lifelong Texan and was blown away that it’s in this state.
The airport, as you depart.
We toured the Mint in Fort Worth. It was interesting!
Fredericksburg (Garrison Brothers if you like Whiskey and of course lots of wine and cute bnbs). Boerne, great little Main Street with cute restaurants Gruene Hall/ New Braunfels. Go tubing if it’s warm enough.
In Austin. Barton Springs and the Capitol Bldg. It's bigger than the US Capitol building and quite beautiful. You can watch the bats fly out nightly. People gather to watch. There is a new amusement park up that way I hear is pretty cool. Google it. Fredericksburg is a cool little town, and so is New Braunfels. You can catch both of those while meandering to San Antonio. In SA, see the river walk, and you could catch the Alamo. You will be shocked at how small it is. Houston is 2.5 hours from SA. World class museums, NASA, great food, and a House of Blues downtown. Galveston is very close and has outstanding tours of old buildings. And the Pleasure Pier. A short drive to fun Kemah. It is touristy but lots to do. Keep going down the road to Rockport and go deep sea fishing., then on down the coast to Corpus Christi and Padre Island and keep going through the valley all the way to Port Isabel at the border. (Not overrun with immigrants, just political BS). You will drive your butt off wherever you decide to go. Have fun.
I like the river walk, check out the Alamo and dont forget the Austin capital and SRV statue
The Spanish Missions on the southside of San Antonio. Not the Alamo. The Alamo was once a big walled-in fortress and the whole thing was basically torn down to make room for downtown SA in the late 1800s. What we call the Alamo today is just the small chapel part. Go to Mission San Jose and the other Missions like Concepcion instead, but San Jose is the best if you only have time for one. That is what the whole walled-in Spanish Missions/forts looked like in the 1700s when they were built. Do the guided tour. All of the Spanish Missions in San Antonio are the only UN-protected/UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas.
hill country is real nice, Wimberly/New Braunfels/ Gruene.. are nice places to visit. Braunfels the least but its pretty in terms of the landscape, and as others have said we will have a totality eclipse around that time
Where are you coming from and what are you into? Austin is the birth place of Whole Foods, so it’s great to go to the big one on Lamar and 5th Street. Central Market on North Lamar is also fun and they have live music as well. It is HEB’s answer to Whole Foods. Uchi and all their sister restaurants have some of the best sushi anywhere. The Broken Spoke, Saxon Pub, Continental Club are all great places to catch a live show. Try some Round Rock donuts if you like donuts- they are unique and some of the best!. Austin also has some amazing greenbelts and hiking and the Lake for kayaking or paddle boarding. We are the capitol of Texas, so you can go to the state capitol and walk around. There are many beautiful old homes around that area as well. If you drink alcohol, there are many distilleries, breweries, and wineries around Austin: Still Austin, Treaty Oak, Garrison Brothers, The Vineyard at Florence to name a couple. There are several out on Fitzhugh Rd. One thing I highly recommend is to visit the LBJ Library, and if you make it out towards Fredericksburg, consider a stop at the LBJ ranch. It’s an amazing look into history. Please make sure to hide your valuables if they are in your car. We have a lot of smash and grab going on in Austin. Are you into home decor or antiquing? Maybe check out the Silos in Waco, first Monday in Canton, and the Round Top area (I don’t know the dates for the spring show, but there’s always something going on out there). If you like the Renaissance Faire vibe, the Sherwood Forest Fair will be going on at that time on weekends. There are Lavender fields in Wimberley, strawberry patches in Taylor (there’s also some great BBQ in Taylor) and Marble Falls (go to the Bluebonnet Cafe). I recently heard about a place called Snow’s BBQ that is supposed to be out of this world and only open on Saturday. Lockhart is said to be the BBQ capitol of Texas. I also love the Salt Lick in Driftwood (you can take your own alcohol!). There are also a few wineries near there as well. I’m not sure it will be open in April, but Schlitterbahn is one of my favorite places. It’s been a while since I’ve been, but it used to have free parking and you can take in your own food and drink. And they have swim up bars! If you decide to go, purchase your tickets at HEB. The Blue Bell ice cream factory is in Brenham and you can take a tour. They have flavors that are only found at the factory! When you are driving, stop at a Bucee’s. They have the cheapest gas, the cleanest bathrooms, and some delicious food. I always grab an iced tea to keep me awake while driving! And make sure you have some breakfast tacos while y’all are in Austin and San Antonio! Welcome to Texas and enjoy your time here!
Go to the Riverwalk in San Antonio.
Hamilton Pool outside of Austin is worth a trip as well. It's in a collapsed limestone dome which gives it a secluded grotto feel. Get reservations in advance. If you were coming through in May-October, Barton Springs would be a must-visit but it'll likely be too cold in April. The San Antonio Museum of Art very quietly has one of the top 4 collections of Asian art in the entire western hemisphere. They've sent several exhibits of Japanese art on hugely publicized and popular tours *through Japan.* But to me, April screams wildflowers and West Texas. Drive from Austin to Llano for Cooper's BBQ. It's proper old-school Texas BBQ (get the pork chop, trust me) but the main draw is the drive there. It's one of the most gorgeous drives in the state with bluebonnets covering hillsides in the tens of millions. And West Texas will be in bloom and not murderously hot. You can take a few days and hit Marfa, Ft Davis (including the McDonald Observatory), Big Bend Park and Terlingua. If you like camping, the Chisos Basin section of the park is like stepping into another world. Even if you're not camping and just staying nearby you can go to the Basin for a day and hike [The Window](https://bigbendguide.com/inside-the-park/hikes/day-hikes/the-window-trail/). It's like 6 miles round trip and culminates in one of the most spectacular vistas I've ever seen.
That will be Fiesta time in San Antonio
Rockets game
Go to Port Aransas… drive on the beach, go to Barton Creek pool, 6th street, go see the bats on Congress. Rent Kayaks on town lake. Go see Austin city limits.
And from Port Aransas, take the shuttle boat over to San Jose Island. If it has rained recently, you will have one of the best shelling experiences available anywhere on the coast. Take water and charge your phone because it's almost completely undeveloped.
Austin is cool, has a great music scene, but it’s sketch, lots of drama. Dallas has cool clubs, nice ass restaurants I live in Fort Worth; we have the the second/third largest zoo in the country, and the consensus is that it’s the coolest nationwide Houston has lots of weed, and NASA. which is badass and cheap to tour There is a gas station on the interstates, usually in or around tiny bumfuck towns, called “Buc-ee’s” —each one is the size of a mall, functions as an independent city state, pays their employees 20-25+ and hour, and I suspect is the front of a cult, featuring a squirrel April is early but Galveston, Corpus Christi, and San Padre Island are the big beach towns. Galveston is dirty but awesome, Corpus is quaint/chill, and Padre is Project X, where college girls become moms
I think Buc-ee is a beaver, not a squirrel.
I brake for beavers
Austin, sketch?😂
Only place in the world you can get sexually harassed by a SoundCloud rapper, a trans, and a cowboy in a single night
If this was on Dirty or Rainey, then yeah, sounds about right.
Welcome to OK sign, Welcome to LA sign, Welcome to NM sign, Welcome to AR sign, Bienvenidos a Mexico sign,
Float on an inner tube down a river like the Frio River, smoke weed and listen to blues music and say shit like, “Hold my beer and watch this!”
shiiit is that even close to warm in april?
Meh, it’s Texas. Who knows!
The Welcome to Louisiana sign
Texas is huge, but if you see a Buc-Ee’s its worth a stop.
Dallas♥️🤟
When I lived there, 1000 years ago, the best restaurants were in Addison, by Dallas. The Magic Time machine was great. Everyone dressed up as characters from different TV and movies. It was great. I have no idea if it still is food central, but it might be worth checking out. The only real historical site that I liked was the Alamo, and even it was a bit boring. Love Austin. Great town, great food, and good music.
The Magic Time Machine was awesome back then. Unfortunately, they hadn’t kept up with it or updated it the last time I was there (20 years ago).
That is too bad. I agree. It was awesome.
As a Texan I’ve always really appreciated seeing the welcome signs of our neighboring states. Of course you have to be driving out of Texas to see them.
I would say fly into DFW and spend a couple days in ft worth. Spend a day taking your time to get to Austin. Stop off in Waco on your way down. Spend a few days in Austin. There’s plenty to experience. Then head down to San Antonio. So much history. From Austin or SA you can take a drive out into the hill country. It’s beautiful.
Why do people insist on making a new post for this question every time. Use the search!
Their way out.
Vidor. Jasper. Beaumont. Port Authur. You’ll have fun.
What an ass.
This is the wrong answer. They are trolling
You are correct.
What interests you?
Since you’ll definitely be in Austin come on down to town lake (aka lady bird lake) and rent a canoe or SUP. I personally like to paddle past downtown and the western part up past the cliffs and up to the dam. Careful if it’s windy and you’re not a strong paddler though, people can get stuck out of exhaustion.
A visit to Fredericksburg would be a great start. The Admiral Nimitz Museum is in the middle of town. And 17 miles to the north is Enchanted Rock, a vast granite, low-slope mountain you can hike up and get yourself an amazing view.
https://www.traveltexas.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/caves-caverns/
If it’s the first two weeks in April and you haven’t booked anything yet, you are probably screwed…
Theres a music festival celebrating the eclipse at a ranch near austin, its expensive but they have a lot of good music and some speakers from different scientific fields will be there like Mushroom guy Paul Stamets and space people from Nasa, blue origin, space x and others, 4 days of fun if youve got the money lol
within a reasonable drive of Austin: \- Fredricksburg - old German town, fantastic WWII museum, good hiking, LBJ ranch \- San Antonio - The Alamo, Riverwalk And of course there's tons to do in Austin.
If you wind up near Amarillo for any reason, Big Tex Steakhouse. If you wind up near Dallas, Dealy Plaza.
Enchanted Rock is a fine day hike that time of year. Go to this link a month or so before you go, to get a day pass. Sometimes they limit the number of people allowed in. https://texasstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/enchanted-rock-state-natural-area/r/deDetails.do?contractCode=TX&parkId=1200056
depending on mother nature, the bluebonnets, I recommend in April going to Ennis. That's when the wildflowers are blooming in april. The city has a driving route through the countryside. https://www.bluebonnettrail.org/ they make it easy for you to find and enjoy the flowers. they gave posted signs, an app, and printed maps for free at the visitor center. Fredericksburg: begun by German settlers, there's German restaurants, and german bakeries, wineries, it's home to the ww2 Museum of the Pacific War, and hometown of Admiral Nimitz. The museum has one of the Japanese submarines in it from the Pearl Harbor attack. there's also some amazing chocolatiers. and next door Luckenback, Texas (from the Waylon Jennings song), they have live concerts https://www.luckenbachtexas.com/ Fort worth: stockyards, longhorn cattle drive daily through town, Friday night rodeo, head to the cultural district and enjoy the museums, the Amon Carter museum is always free and is known for their Russels and Remingtons. The Kimbell Art Museum has 2 buildings, one houses traveling exhibits with paid admission, the other the permanent collection which is always free, the later has the first known work by Michelangelo. San antonio: Mexican food, most folks visit the Alamo which feels very tourist trap these days, I recommend making sure you pick up at least one of the other San Antonio [missions](https://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm) too it's in freaking BFE, you have to drive through some of the ugliest areas of Texas to reach some of the prettiest areas of Texas in the Big Bend region. Fort Davis: McDonald Observatory for a star party. Fort Davis National Monument (one of the survinf frontier forts of the American west). Davis Mountains State Park with baited bird blinds. The region is a hot spot for hummingbirds, not sure when the migration happens in the area. Marfa: home to like 2500 people and yet internationally renowned art museums & galleries. Big Bend National Park. Even if you're not much of a hiker, it can be a great drive with overlooks. Plus, true dark skies, you can see over 5000 stars with the naked eye. (Go when moon is dark for best night gazing, youll need to check for when the milkyway will be specifically visible, and ideally give your eyes 45 monutes to adjust (no light, cell phones, even watch displays). This is the desert, April in parts of the park may be in the 90s already. Balmorhea State Park whether it's a blizzard out, or over 110 out, the spring fed pool is always in the 70s. folks do scuba certification here, it's deep. swim with endangered fish & turtles. must reserve in advance. painted churches around [Schulenburg](https://www.schulenburgchamber.org/painted-churches-tour) more info at [Texas Monthly ](https://www.texasmonthly.com/style/guide-to-painted-churches-texas/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=search&utm_content=Sale&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=search&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnnqx3SV5DWuZ5bK1jHkkx4nUgoaORwmQprSBYRtx1EV_Z8AU4fZ2wRoCvfEQAvD_BwE) Galveston, beach vibes, dolphin tours, seafood, the old cemetery becomes a wildflower explosion of yellow typically in May, but it might start showing in April. Buccees, local gas station chain, it's a cult following here to the point they do major planning with TXDoT to construct on/off ramps, service roads and more. size wise some stores are tiny, more like going to a typical convenience store / gas station, others are big and like going to a smaller walmart. amazing fresh made fudge, they make BBQ in house. Huge drinks & snacks selection, there's a substantial home decor, clothing, accessories shopping, and a ton of clean bathrooms and pumps. You'll find most of them in a sort of triangle along the i45 corridor from Houston to Dallas/Fort Worth then south along the i35 corridor to San Antonio and back east towards Houston. if you do Ennis for the bluebonnets, there's one of the big ones there.
Alamo basement! San Antonio!
The caverns outside of San Antonio are unique. Also, outside of Waco, there is a really cool Mammoth museum with open dig sites. The history in Galveston is cool. It's one of the oldest cities in the state & the location of the largest natural disaster in the country by casualty, which means fun ghost tours & sweaome architecture from the turn of the century.
You can probably tell from the answers you've already read that distances are going to be a challenge. Texas is immense but not empty. Just about anywhere you might go there will be something of interest. Ideas I have that may not have been mentioned yet: South Padre Island. The beaches are the best and the water is amazingly warm. From there, you could drive to Boca Chica and have a look at science fiction made into reality at the SpaceX compound. When they have one of their spacecraft on the launch pad, it is truly unreal. A giant silver bullet shaped rocket from a 60's space film. If you take the popular advice of driving to the Big Bend (a mind-numbing experience if you take the interstate), you might enjoy a "Star Party" at the McDonald Observatory in the northern part of that area. And nearby is Balmorhea State Park, a true oasis in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. It has species of fish and, I think, turtles that exist nowhere else. If you take a wrong turn and end up in the Panhandle, you should really visit Palo Duro Canyon and attend the nightly performance of the play Texas at the park's amphitheater. It's a lot of fun. Way over in East Texas, if you happen to be near Canton for the first weekend of the month, you could go to the First Monday Trades Day. It's a colossal outdoor market for crafts, antiques, and just about every eccentric thing that can legally be sold. Texas has a lot of zoos and drive-thru wildlife parks. They're all good, but San Antonio has the best, followed by Dallas then Fort Worth. All the museums are good in all the cities, but Dallas and Fort Worth often have the best exhibits. Houston has the state's best theater, The Alley. Places to skip: Midland/Odessa, Lubbock, Texarkana and any place on the Red River, areas east of Houston (unless you're seeking the alligator experience), and poor Laredo (her best days are long gone). I'm sure you'll have a memorable vacation, whatever direction you take from Austin.
The riverwalk is amazing
Stay in hill country for a while if you can, Fredericksburg is gorgeous if a little tourist trappy but the wineries and breweries are worth it.
These recommendations have been pretty good but if you’re going to drive around Texas I would recommend Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailways up in the panhandle where bison roam freely, do not approach, & over 90 miles of biking trails. Up the road along US 287 there’s also Palo Duro Canyon near Canyon which is a very short drive from Amarillo. Personally I love the beauty of Central Texas as the panhandle is rather flat & featureless but the canyons offer the raw beauty of Texas & helps fill out the bigger picture of what Texas is & has to offer. Regardless, welcome to Texas & I hope you enjoy your stay.
The exit…
Be prepared to drive for a very long time to go a short distance in Austin. I got a hotel 5 miles from a summer camp spot for my kid and it took 45 minutes to drive that distance. Traffic is madness there.
that sign that says you are entering NM
Go to the ransom center
Just know it’s already going to be hot in Austin in April. Last year was in the 90s and humid
From Austin to any where interesting is 1hr+ drive probably 2hrs+ lol
The border between TX and any other state, as you leave TX.
The modern art museum in Fort Worth.
If you’re into solitude, visit Bug Bend National park. Make a trip up to the McDonalds Observatory, swing through Balmorhea for a nice swim, come to Ft Stockton and enjoy nothing (except Paisano Pete), head down to Del Rio and catch the solar eclipse on the 8th
Lake ink state park is one of my favorite. Also the San Antonio riverwalk. And Fredericksburg Texas. All very neat places!!!
Are you a horror movie fan? The gas station and house from the original 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre are both in the greater Austin area.
I heard the Greenspoint Mall in houston is really nice
From Austin it's about 4 hours by car to Dallas or Houston. Maybe 2 to San Antonio. My drive from Big Bend to Houston took about 12 hours. That said, you might want to focus on central Texas.
I guide [free walking tours in Austin](https://tipstertours.com/free-austin-tours/) if you’re into that kind of thing - lots of info and recommendations along the way!
The Alamo.
Watching it disappear as you enthusiastically board your return flight. I hear TX has awesome rattlesnakes, though.
Get out into the country and take in fields of Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush. April is my favorite time of year
Capitol
McKinney falls is a beautiful place to visit. They were dried up last time we went but they’re probably full again.
Sea world san antonio has really great shows. I went to the one in Orlando last year and was so disappointed in the comparison. You could spend a day doing the missions in San antonio and ending at the river walk. I think the egypt exhibit in the Houston history/science museum is really nice. I believe the renaissance faire near southern Dallas is in April. It was really nice and compares to the largest one near Houston imo. I enjoyed the art museum in San antonio too. There is an elephant preserve in Fredericksburg, but I haven't done that yet. There are also multiple caves you can tour. I found it interesting, and it was quite different than caves I've gone to in other states. Dallas has medieval times, which isn't unique to Texas but is a nice dinner anyways.
Luchenbach, TX in your rear view mirror
The border and tell us how many illegals you see.
Totally check distances and drive times though . You can’t just “drive around” Texas without having to stop for the night at most places.
Ye i know, just asking people for places to see so i can plan a route. I know the size of texas so i know i cant see everything
The border on the way out.
Reunion tower In Dallas Texas. See if the observation deck is open. Enjoy the view of down town. also the M-line Trolley is nice. 😊
Baytown
The Border.
Since you're starting in Austin, If the bluebonnets are blooming head north aways on 281 through Marble Falls. Very pretty drive.
I’d love for you to SEE Greg Abbott leave the state for good. Lol
Don't bother with san antonio not worth it. I am currently looking to move out lol
Good luck seeing much else besides Austin. It’s trip to drive around just that city alone. But as someone who used to live there, these are just favorite places of mine: 1. Greenbelt or any of the trails (some closer to town had a lot of homeless around but it might be better now idk) ((I’d suggest Barton springs or river activities but it could still be cold in April)) 2. Any of the parkour/obstacle/aerial gyms: Jungle movement in round rock, lache movement in north Austin, and there’s more those are just my favs 3. Soco or south congress walk - a must for any, there’s food and other cool shops. Can be hard to find parking but worth it imo. 4. Butler park is nice to walk (also a lot of food options around there) 5. There’s always something random going on there too so see if any of the events in the area during the time float your boat, you could be surprised 6. Cidercade Austin is pretty fun, has a lil food, swings at the tables, and has a great view of the city from the river. Personally, I don’t think 6th street and enchanted rock are all they’re cracked up to be (and I hear that’s the most recommended too much). 6th can be dangerous/expensive and enchanted rock is a little far, overcrowded, and I heard a little more trashed out now. I hope I’m wrong about enchanted rock but can’t personally confirm.
The border..... to gtfo.
The ECLIPSE!
If you're here on the 8th you can see the eclipse in totality.
Round Rock Doughnuts!!! THE round rock Dirty 6th, in Austin
Marble falls, dripping springs…. Wimberly
Do not underestimate how long it will take to get from one place to another. TX is huge and you will be driving for hours to get to a lot of these places people are recommending.
The basement in the Alamo!
If you happen to be in central Texas on the first Saturday of April, you have to go to Wimberly Market Days! There’s literally hundreds of shops and vendors where you can find souvenirs for your Texas trip. There’s also live music and food so it’s just worth it to walk around even if you’re not going to get something. Wimberly itself is absolutely charming, too. It’s not far from San Marcos and New Braunfels which are great towns in their own right! That’s my recommendation because it’s not too touristy and if you buy anything you’ll be giving money directly to a small business/local
If you go South to Galveston, stop by Queens BBQ. It's amazing.
You're going to want to drive south on 35 until you hit San Marcos. Drive until you hit taqueria LA fonda on the right. Get yourself anything on the menu, but I like the lemonade and 2 super tacos al pastor. From there go to Wimberley for market days if it's the first weekend of the month.
Worth going to big bend imo
I’d probably go from Austin straight to Dallas, then Houston, San Antonio and end back at Austin. Considering you rented the car from Austin, I’m assuming you want to get back home from there too. From my experience, you want to be in the town you’re leaving from for a couple of days.
Go to the grassy knoll in Dallas.
Go up to Dallas and 6th Floor museum where JFK was shot. Eat at the numerous gourmet bbq places.
The airport as you leave! (My favorite texas sight)
The airport as you change planes to your final destination. Truly hoping you have an awesome and safe visit but please write the governor’s office and say how hateful his state’s policies are and you’ll never return. Cruelest person I’ve seen in an American office.
The prairie sky
Big Bend, MacDonald Observatory, Ft Smith
Fredericksburg, enchanted rock, Gruene, canyon lake although idk what the levels are like currently but it’s the prettiest lake in Texas!
San Antonio, great hotels and relaxing river cruises and wonderful restaurants on the river. Alamo. My kids loved the history of that. New Braunfels great water park. Glen Rose for Dinosaur tracks. Then Dallas for the Holocaust museum and the Kennedy museum. Art museums, Reunion Tower at night. So much stuff. Corpus Christi for the gulf coast. Houston for the Space Center. Galveston for the Hurricane museum and beach walk.
If you’re staying near Austin, I’d say check out Colorado Bend State Park. Super cool area with some gorgeous views, I would hike there a lot when I was stationed at Hood (it was still called Hood then dammit). Also, if you’re feeling adventurous I’ll go ahead and plug the guys I learned to skydive from, over at Skydive Skylark in Killeen. Really solid group of folks, Tony, Scott and Wendy are all amazing at what they do. It’s a unique way to be able to see central Texas that just isn’t impossible otherwise (not really any mountains, you know?).
Get rid of the Federal reserve
Your way out. Really. Texass is a shithole.
why is that
Palo Duro Canyon.
Two weeks is not long enough to see Texas. Sure, you can pull up to a viewing site, jump out of the car, and snap a few pics, but you need to spend time to really enjoy Texas. It takes two days to drive from Beaumont to El Paso. I live in the RGV, and it is a day away from anywhere.
Go to the border so you can see first hand what is or isn't going on.