guarro

Morning all,

I'm visiting the US for a wedding at the end of September. The stag night (do you call it a bachelor party?) is in Dallas on the weekend of 24th September, and the wedding is the following Saturday in Oklahama City.

So, I've got a week to kill, and am thinking of a road trip from Dallas to New Orleans before flying back to OKC for the wedding. Any idea how long it would take me to drive from Dallas to NO? And if it's more than one day's drive, any recommendations for an overnight stop?

Many thanks.

Cheers,
Dave
London, UK

Fairhope

Mapquest.com says its 8 hrs/521miles. Sounds right. Easy interstate drive. I would not stop overnight UNLESS you want a swamp tour etc in Lafayette/Breaux Bridge/Henderson Louisiana. There's one ride in Henderson about 15 minutes off interstate 10. I'll help with ideas if your interested.
Say hello to my cousin in London!!

BeachBoi

guarro....IMHO, a week exploring Texas would be more productive/enjoyable than driving to NO.I found the drive from Shreveport to be dull,boring and will not do it again.The drive from Dallas to Shreveport gives you a little taste of East Texas which in late September could be very pleasant weatherwise and scenery wise.You could head south from Dallas to spend a day or two in San Antonio, and the Hill Country west of Austin especially in the fall will be nice eye candy.Just my opinion.Have a nice trip!....Stephen

MzPossum

What part of Dallas will you be driving from? 8-9 hours, depending on stopping, delays, etc.

rkkwan

Speed limit is 70 for most of the route, and I-49 has little traffic. The 521 miles can be done in 7 hour (or even less if you drive fast), depending on where in Dallas you start and traffic into New Orleans.

guarro

Thanks guys - that's all really helpful, and an incredibly quick reponse!

I'll be collecting a car from the airport (Love Field?), so will count on it being a good 8-9 hour drive (I'm bound to get lost trying to get out of Dallas!).

That means either getting up early and doing the trip in a day, or taking it leisurely with an overnight stop en route (which might be the better option the day after the stag night!).

Fairhope - while a swamp tour sounds a lot of fun, it's probbaly too far to break the journey - by the time I will have reached swamp country I might as well carry on to NO, right? (PS: your cousin says hi!)

Beachboi - beautiful though East Texas surely is, this is probably the only time in my life that I'll find myself in that part of the world, and I really don't want to miss the chance of seeing New Orleans - thanks for the tip though!

So, any other ideas for a half-way overnight sop? On the map I've just bought there look to be a couple of cool sounding places such as Powhatan and Natchitoches about half way, South of Shreveport. Anyone know anything about them? Any other ideas? Anywhere with a few bars and a choice of restaurants will do!

Cheers all,
Dave

ChristieP

Personally, I'd hop on a SWA plane and FLY from Dallas to NO. It is usually about $85 each way, which will likely be less than you'll spend in gas and car rental, and it will save you the long, boring drive through the swamps. Also, if you stay in the French Quarter or downtown areas of New Orleans, you won't want a car as parking is notoriously difficult to find and expensive. Everything there is very easily walkable, too.

If you insist on driving, Nachitoches (say it "Natch-i-tish") is nice for an overnight stop. That's where the movie "Steel Magnolias" was filmed. It's a really cute town!

Wayne

You certainly don't need to make an overnight stop if you drive. I'll vote for the 9 hour figure to get you into downtown New Orleans. I assume the trip is for the purpose of seeing New Orleans, so suggestions for other destinations aren't appropriate.

But ChristieP mentioned a neat smaller town for a possible stop --Natchitoches in Louisiana. It's, by the way, the oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase territory, now over 200 years old. But Christie, I have to correct you on how to pronounce the city name. Having grown up in Louisiana and having been to Natchitoches many times, I can tell you without a doubt that the proper local pronunciation is "NAK-uh-tush." The last syllable is hard to describe phonetically because the "u" is really more of a hushed "uh" sound. Try pronouncing "tsh" and you'll be closer to the correct sound.

BeachGirl247

Hi guarro,
You'll have fun in Dallas. I second the idea of using Southwest Airlines for Dallas to New Orleans. In fact, if you wanted to you can fly to OKC instead of Dallas on your return flight for the wedding. Unless you are driving to OKC with a bunch of your friends, which, in that case, could be much more fun.

Austin would be another city to visit. Great music and clubs. School would be in session so a lot going on. (Austin is another stop for Southwest, too.)

Dallas to Austin is 195 miles/3-3.5 hr drive. Flight is so cheap ($34 each way) its better and the drive there isn't very scenic.

Just checked SWA and the fare for Dallas-NO is $83 each way and fare from NO-OKC is only $110. I think Austin and New Orleans would be a great choice for the week. Just my 2cents.

Have a great trip.

k2rider

I'll 3rd the flight idea from DFW to NO. You won't need a car in NO anyway. Any decent hotel will charge you $10-15+ to park it per day.

guarro

Thanks Christie. I had thought about flying, and you're right, it probably works out marginally cheaper, even for the two of us.

But .... I love driving in the States! When I drove LA to SF on PCH1 in April I really appreciated your open roads and lack of congestion (remember - I live in London, the biggest car park in the world!). Driving is also a far better way of getting a feel for a country, and places like Lafayette and Baton Rouge, even though they may be horrible (I have no idea) are incredibly evocative (particulary to someone who loves Kris Kristofferson's 'Me & Bobby McGee'!) and I think I would regret not at least passing through.

However, you have now got me worried about the driving/parking situation in New Orleans - I had thought of just parking up in the hotel car park for a few days, but would I be right to infer that most hotels in the French Quarter don't have parking? If that's the case, we could always just drop the car off at the nearest Budget outlet and get a cab to the hotel - would be much cheaper that way as well! Should have thought of that before - doh!

I've checked out Natchitoches and it looks just the job - thanks for the tip. Now to practise the pronunciation!

Cheers guys,
Dave

MzPossum

I'm assuming that you'll be leaving OKC soon after the wedding and there will be lots of activities already planned, but if you want any suggestions for what to do there (OKC's my home town and a British friend of mine loves to visit there), just sing out! Where is the wedding? (i.e., what church or locale?)

Fairhope

Natchitoches is a good stop. Recommend the Judge Porter House-have stayed there in the past year-ask for the carriage house -very private-
http://www.judgeporterhouse.com/
Walk downtown-2 blocks to several restaurants- walk along the river--good choice

Fairhope

My old post:
Author: Fairhope
Date: 02/09/2005, 02:54 pm
Judge Porter House, in the guest cottage, was superb--breakfast was OK.
Papas served me a precooked hamburger after telling me the muffeleta was premade so I was not impressed.
The crabcakes at the Landing were acceptable. Others at JPH said Delmonicos was good.
My wife was sad that she could't find her old dorm at NSU
It was a refreshing stop and we will do it again on the way to TX.

Papas is downtown as is the Landing

ChristieP

Driving LA to SF is VERY different than driving Dallas to NO. It's not nearly as scenic (not even close!), and the road gets fairly bumpy once you turn soth from Shreveport.

Yes, many New Orleans French Quarter hotels do not have parking facilities. The ones that do like to charge a lot for the use of them, as k2rider says. Remeber that the NOFQ is very old and was built before there were cars, just like London, so the streets are not wide enough for parking and traffic.

Many rental car companies charge outrageous prices to do a "one way" car rental, so if you do attempt to drop the car off at a Budget location, be prepared to pay a drop-off fee. I'd definitely check this in advance, because these fees are usually in the $150-200 range!

All that being said, I adore New Orleans and the French Quarter. I know you will have a wonderful time!

Fairhope

I think some of you are missing the point.
He wants to DRIVE! My young English cousins like the "open road" in the US. Hell they would go to Montana just to drive and then they stop when the mood strikes! It's about the tires on the road, not getting to NO in the most convenient fashion

k2rider

Yes, on his most recent post, he did EMPHASIZE the "drive". I to like to "see what's out there" on my drives. Driving someplace new...and especially DIFFERENT is always nice. Driving in California to me is boring (because I live here) but seeing the "country" between Austin and my relatives' place in the sticks is always mind-numbing to me. It's peaceful, laid back, simple and beutiful all rolled into one.

I imagine the drive down to NO from Shreveport would be the same to somebody from London.

rkkwan

Traffic isn't bad on I-20 once you get east of the I-635 belt around Dallas. I-49 has very light traffic. It's a newly built interstate through rural areas. Traffic is much denser once you get on I-10.

Austin

Another possible stop could be Houston - a tad bit out tof the way, but if you have the time and a desire to see Houston...

benj

I just made the drive from Natchitoches to NO Northshore this weekend. It was 4 hours going the back way (I-49 to Opelousas & then 190 to Baton Rouge& I-12 to Mandeville). It is a tiny bit less sterile going the back way but you have to watch your speed between Alexandria & Opelousas. Next trip I want to stop at Lea's in LeCompte for a meal. It's been years since we did that.

Natchitoches is quaint. If you don't stay at a B&B then I suggest the Holiday Inn Express there. It's right by the interstate & clean. The Ramada is too far off & the Best Western is a bit run down.

I like stopping in St Francisville near Baton Rouge. There are many plantations there & quaint small town feel.