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Drive Dallas To New Orleans - Best Food Stops!!

Drive Dallas To New Orleans - Best Food Stops!!

Old Oct 27th, 2014, 02:52 AM
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Drive Dallas To New Orleans - Best Food Stops!!

Guys and girls, my wife and I are travelling from Down Under ( Australia) into Dallas around mid December and want to do a road trip for the best party / food stops between Dallas to New Orleans!
We are in our mid twenties so we are after good bars, clubs, pubs, restaurants and diners! We want the full 'man vs food' style hidden gem places for the best ribs, burgers, brisket, deep fried everything...
We are going to travel for about 7-10 days .. Driving... We are happy to stay few places in some towns and bypass others.. Really just want to see the True South!
Help us out America!!

Where are MUST GO places???
NateRock17 is offline  
Old Oct 27th, 2014, 04:46 AM
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You are going to take 7 to ten days to drive from Dallas to New Orleans?

While I haven't done this trip in years, I remember it being about a seven hour trip. The only cities you will hit are Shreveport and Lafayette.
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Old Oct 27th, 2014, 05:47 AM
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Agree, there's really not that much to justify taking 7 to 10 days to drive between Dallas & New Orleans. Half the trip will be across East texas with only one small town (Tyler, Texas) and a few National/State Parks of note.

Hint, plot out your route using google maps and you'll see what I and JoJoSiestaKey mean.
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Old Oct 27th, 2014, 06:15 AM
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I made this drive this summer and we stopped in Shreveport at Strawn’s Eat Shop, 125 Kings Hwy, ph 318-868-0634. This is a blueplate special place and was recommended by people on Chowhound. Be sure to save room for their pies.

Here are the directions: From I-20, merge onto I-49 S via EXIT 17B toward ALEXANDRIA (1.1 mi); take the KINGS HWY exit- EXIT 205, L onto KINGS Hwy (1.3 mi).

Sandy (in Denton)
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Old Oct 27th, 2014, 01:07 PM
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I'm guessing that maybe the OP wants to plan a trip starting in Dallas and ending in New Orleans, and wants to know what to see/eat/do along the way?

I wouldn't have commented except that Mr. Pickle and I are thinking of doing a road trip next spring, driving from NM to Dallas, then to New Orleans and a few other southern spots before visiting our daughter and son-in-law in MO and heading home. We're interested in knowing what we can see/eat/do along the way as well.

Lee Ann
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Old Oct 28th, 2014, 04:21 AM
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Lol.. Sorry my bad, damn Aussie accent must not have been too clear here!

So, ElendilPickle was on the money here with with what I was after.

We are looking at starting in Dallas, wanting to arrive in New Orleans about 7-10 days later... Therefore we have 7-10 days to drive around food/drinking spots thought Texas etc.

We are after suggestions for places to stay (including how long in each place). ie, staying in Austin for 3 days to see everything... then recommend where you think are great eating / drinking local spots!
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Old Oct 28th, 2014, 05:42 AM
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OK, that makes more sense.

First, there's a lot of interesting things to do/see in the Dallas/Fort WorthMetroplex (aka DFW) - you could spend you entire 7 to day period there and not experience everything. Realistically give yourself around 3 days.

In Dallas visit the Sixth Floor Museum/School Book Depository, the Nasher sculpture Garden, Dallas World Aquarium, Frontiers Museum of Flight to name a few places. Hint: Go to Trip Advisor and click your way through to the the Dallas, Texas Forum then click on the "Things to Do" link - you'll find a its of over 150 different attractions with hundreds of reviews. Pick ones that most interest you.

Plan on spending at least a day in Fort Worth (30 minute drive from Dallas) and see things like the Fort Worth Zoo, the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, tour the Stockyards, visit the Kimble Art Museum, The Nature & Science Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, the Texas Civil War Museum (again use TripAdvisor to check out "Things to do" in Fort Worth).

Then drive down to Austin for a couple of days but set aside 1/2 day for stop along the way at Salado (a craft village). I'm not all that familiar with Things to do in Austin there but you'll find lots of info on TripAdvisor.

If you still haven't gotten enough of Texas drive on down to San Antonio for a few days and stay at one of the hotels along the Riverwalk, visit the Alamo, Mission San Jose, the Natural Bridge Caverns.

From San Antonio drive over to Houston/Galveston (if you still have time) but I suspect by now you'll have used up all of your 10 days and you'll haven't even scratched the surface. From either San Antonio (8 hours) or Houston(5 hours) it's a straight shot to New Orleans.

As far as where to dine, there are literally 1,000's of places in those cities offering all types of cuisine in all price range. When you are researching on Trip Advisor use the "restaurants" link on each of the sub-forums for plenty of hits or simply ask for recommendations from the front desk clerk at your hotel - et them now what type of food you want that day and they'll steer you in the right direction.

Have fun planning your trip.
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Old Oct 29th, 2014, 07:30 AM
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Don't waste time on zoos. For chrissakes, you're Aussie so there are plenty of fine zoos and wildlife parks throughout the country. And the FW Zoo is way overrated - it's no longer superior to the Dallas Zoo (which has worked hard to improve, to great effect). There are far better ones throughout the US (Columbus, Omaha, Bronx).

Houston has a TON of museums in a fairly central location in close proximity to each other. It's also physically huge (> 2x area of New York), so you'll end up coming back here for suggestions on where to stay. Galveston is a pit.

Austin is what it is - an oversized college town renowned for its music scene. That's where you could get a lot of your party on. It will be quieter in mid-December because fewer top acts tour and the students have finals.

If you want to see anything other than the bottom of an adult beverage cup, visit the River Road north of New Orleans - battlefields, plantations and the very good Louisiana State Penitentiary Museum (once the "worst prison in America" - no holds barred in the museum; no you cannot visit the actual prison even though you're Aussie).
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Old Oct 29th, 2014, 02:05 PM
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If you want deep-fried everything, you need to go to Sodalak's Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas (9711 FM 60 is the address; FM stands for Farm to Market Road).

They are famous (infamous?) for chicken-fried bacon. That's raw back bacon that is battered first and THEN deep-fried.

I have eaten there, but just had a regular grilled steak, which was good (they also serve chicken-fried steak). Snook is a tiny town located near College Station (home to Texas A&M University). It's about 2 hours east of Austin and 2 hours NW of Houston.

Snook is also near Caldwell, which was founded by Czech immigrants and boasts of being "the Kolache Capital of Texas". Kolaches are Czech pastries that can be either sweet (many varieties of fruit fillings) or savory (filled with cheese or sausage). There are several bakeries there than make them.

Incidentally, West, Texas—which is not in West Texas at all; it is a small town just off Interstate 35 between Dallas and Austin—also lays claim to the title of Kolache Capital of Texas. There is a gas station/bakery called The Czech Stop right by the highway, but there are also bakeries "in town".

Definitely worth stopping in Caldwell or West if you want to try something different.
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Old Oct 30th, 2014, 07:15 PM
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Thanks heaps for your input guys and girls! Much appreciated
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Old Oct 31st, 2014, 08:36 PM
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For barbeque in Dallas, try Pecan Lodge and/or Smoke. Pecan Lodge is in an area of Dallas called Deep Ellum, which also has pretty busy bar scene. Smoke is next door to the cool, retro Hotel Belmont and very popular for weekend brunch.
For burgers, try Off-Site Kitchen or Hopdoddy.

For something different in a bar and maybe a good live show, check out the Double Wide, also basically in Deep Ellum.

Czech Stop is at Exit 353 on Interstate 35 between Dallas and Austin.

www.pecanlodge.com
smokerestaurant.com
www.double-wide.com
www.hopdoddy.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/off-site-kitchen-dallas-2
www.double-wide.com
www.czechstop.net
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