Texas in October/November??
Mar 3rd, 2009, 01:30 AM
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Texas in October/November??
Hi,
I'm based in the UK and new to the Forum and am thinking about a trip to Texas with my husband - probably the last 2 weeks in October and the 1st week in November (3 weeks in all), this year. Any thoughts about whether this is a good time to go would be wlecome. We are hoping that the weather will be good for getting about.
My very rough thoughts are:- 4 nights in Galveston (from which we could visit Houston as well), Corpus Christi (3 nights), San Antonio/Austin (4 nights), El Paso (2 nights with possibly an overnighter on the way to El Paso due to distance), Albuquerque (3 nights), Amarillo (3 nights) and Dallas (3 nights).
We have been to the US many times before, and always enjoyed our trips, but never to Texas. Any thoughts on the rough ides that I outlined would be welcome, and any places that are worth visiting but that the guidebooks might leave out!
One thing we have never done is a drive in movie - any near where we are going?
Thanks for any input!
I'm based in the UK and new to the Forum and am thinking about a trip to Texas with my husband - probably the last 2 weeks in October and the 1st week in November (3 weeks in all), this year. Any thoughts about whether this is a good time to go would be wlecome. We are hoping that the weather will be good for getting about.
My very rough thoughts are:- 4 nights in Galveston (from which we could visit Houston as well), Corpus Christi (3 nights), San Antonio/Austin (4 nights), El Paso (2 nights with possibly an overnighter on the way to El Paso due to distance), Albuquerque (3 nights), Amarillo (3 nights) and Dallas (3 nights).
We have been to the US many times before, and always enjoyed our trips, but never to Texas. Any thoughts on the rough ides that I outlined would be welcome, and any places that are worth visiting but that the guidebooks might leave out!
One thing we have never done is a drive in movie - any near where we are going?
Thanks for any input!
Mar 3rd, 2009, 04:50 AM
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The weather is unpredictable that time of year. Just like this time of year. The other day it was nearly 80 and then we dropped into the 30s. In general October and November and pretty moderate temperatures. It will be too cool to swim at Galveston, but you'll definitely want to check out Moody Gardens. The San Luis is a nice hotel with a view of the water. I live in Houston, and I was reading an article in the local paper about a drive-in theater on the outskirts of town. I'll see if I can dig up the name for you. In the Galveston/Houston area you would probably want to visit NASA and then eat on the boardwalk in Kemah, nice views of the water down there. You can do some great shopping at the Galleria, and there are great restaurants in Houston. Good live theater and sports teams too. The Texans would be playing then at Reliant Stadium if you want to check them out.
In Austin, we love Salt Lick Barbecue and going to the Oasis out near the lake. In Austin, we like to eat at Boudro's on the River Walk, and you'll want to go see the Alamo. We did a segway tour that was fun too.
In Austin, we love Salt Lick Barbecue and going to the Oasis out near the lake. In Austin, we like to eat at Boudro's on the River Walk, and you'll want to go see the Alamo. We did a segway tour that was fun too.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 04:56 AM
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Should be a really nice time to go. In very general terms, weather in Oct is very nice over most of the state with warm days and cool nights. Early Nov is also usually nice but you'll start to see some wide variations between northern and southern parts of the state - sometimes as much 30-40 degrees difference.
As far as your itinerary, you might consider 1) staying in Houston and making day trip(s) to NASA/Galveston, 2) wouldn't spend 3 days in Amarillo (although the Palo Duro Canyon State Park south of there is worth a visit). I'd put that time to visit Santa Fe/Taos, just north of Albuquerque. Santa Fe is a wonderful, unique place and well worth a visit. [Albuquerque and Santa Fe will be cooler than most of Texas, especially in Nov] Albuquerque to Dallas is about 640 mi, and can be done in a day (a little long, but there's frankly not a lot in between).
Between San Antonio and El Paso, which is about 710 mi, I'd suggest the Marfa/Alpine area for an overnight. It's a little south of I10, but a real nice area and nearby Fort Davis and the McDonald Observatory are worth a stop.
Also highly recommend Carlsbad Caverns Nat. Park, NM. It's somewhat out of the way from El Paso to Albuquerque, but is absolutely worth IMO.
Sorry, can't help with the drive-in movie (haven't seen one in years).
Hope this helps.
As far as your itinerary, you might consider 1) staying in Houston and making day trip(s) to NASA/Galveston, 2) wouldn't spend 3 days in Amarillo (although the Palo Duro Canyon State Park south of there is worth a visit). I'd put that time to visit Santa Fe/Taos, just north of Albuquerque. Santa Fe is a wonderful, unique place and well worth a visit. [Albuquerque and Santa Fe will be cooler than most of Texas, especially in Nov] Albuquerque to Dallas is about 640 mi, and can be done in a day (a little long, but there's frankly not a lot in between).
Between San Antonio and El Paso, which is about 710 mi, I'd suggest the Marfa/Alpine area for an overnight. It's a little south of I10, but a real nice area and nearby Fort Davis and the McDonald Observatory are worth a stop.
Also highly recommend Carlsbad Caverns Nat. Park, NM. It's somewhat out of the way from El Paso to Albuquerque, but is absolutely worth IMO.
Sorry, can't help with the drive-in movie (haven't seen one in years).
Hope this helps.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 06:41 AM
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Here's a whole website devoted to drive-in movie theatres in Texas: http://www.driveinmovie.com/TX.htm
But, since this info appears to be a few years old, I'd call them before I went to make sure they were still in operation.
But, since this info appears to be a few years old, I'd call them before I went to make sure they were still in operation.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 06:54 AM
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I agree that weather in Texas is usually pretty good during Oct/Nov.
Just a thought, you are starting your trip in South Texas (Galveston) and ending in North Texas (Dallas). You may want to flip that around (for weather/temp reasons), so you'll be in N TX in October and S TX in November.
Dallas Arboretum has a Fall Blooms festival every fall with hundreds of thousands of chrysanthemums.
http://www.dallasarboretum.org/
Another HUGE event in Dallas in the fall is the State Fair of Texas. The calendar for 2009 is Setp 25-Oct 18. It is probably something you'd never see outside of Texas.
http://www.bigtex.com/
Just a thought, you are starting your trip in South Texas (Galveston) and ending in North Texas (Dallas). You may want to flip that around (for weather/temp reasons), so you'll be in N TX in October and S TX in November.
Dallas Arboretum has a Fall Blooms festival every fall with hundreds of thousands of chrysanthemums.
http://www.dallasarboretum.org/
Another HUGE event in Dallas in the fall is the State Fair of Texas. The calendar for 2009 is Setp 25-Oct 18. It is probably something you'd never see outside of Texas.
http://www.bigtex.com/
Mar 3rd, 2009, 07:17 AM
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Hi Thin- It depends on the town/city she was in, as "Dallas" is made up of many cities. Some are dry, but where we used to live (Dallas proper), one can purchase alcohol from regular supermarkets (though the alcohol section is roped off on Sundays until a certain time).
to adding days for Santa Fe/Taos and taking away from Amarillo.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 07:35 AM
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I also noted that you didn't mention Fort Worth in your itinerary. It is worth at least one day, which you can do as a day trip from Dallas. OR, you can spend one night in F Worth and 2 nights in Dallas, if you don't mind moving hotels. FW is much more "Texas" than Dallas... Dallas is just kind of a typical American city without much character.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 07:48 AM
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Thin - to follow up on yk's comments. Dallas County is local option, meaning each city/community can elect whether it's "dry" or "wet". In the "wet" areas, you can buy liquor, wine and beer from liquor/package stores. Grocery and convenience stores can sell wine and beer, but not liquor. If a store has a license to sell liquor, etc. it's closed on Sun. But you can buy wine or beer at grocery/convenience stores after 12 noon on Sun. And, yes, there are still a fair number of areas in Dallas County that are "dry".
Mar 3rd, 2009, 09:35 AM
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We went to a restaurant in a dry county and ordered drinks - didn't know it was dry. They asked us if we were members of the club. We said no, and they said we could buy a membership for five dollars each. I'm not kidding - they got out membership cards at this restaurant and put our names on them, and we paid $10. Then we ordered drinks again, and they asked to see our cards, which we produced, and then they served us alcohol. One of the weirdest things I've ever seen. Apparently a restaurant can be considered a private club and then sell alcohol in a dry area.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 11:32 AM
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Hello vacationbug,
we are also from Europe and have done our first trip to Texas over Christmas/New Year - and we fell in love with Texas. Weather was most agreeable - up to 30°C in Big Bend (by end of December!) and mostly around 20°C to 25°C. Here my thoughts about your itinerary:
- We skipped Galveston and Corpus Christi because we got the impression they are summer destinations and not too interesting in winter.
- 4 nights for San Antonio and Austin is not sufficient. San Antonio is good for at least 3 nights, better 4 nights - it is a fascinating city with lots of different attractions: The riverwalk, the Governor's Palace, the Missions, the Spanish Market, the Alameda Museum, the King William Historic District, the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Buckhorn Saloon... (the Americans also go crazy about the Alamo).
- Austin is also a very beautiful city with gorgeous music venues. Spend at least 2 nights there in order to have to nights to go to music clubs. See the museums (the art museum is a gem), the State Capitol, stroll through the park at town lake.. BTW, the city's motto is "Keep Austin weird!" That says a lot.
- Between San Antonio and Austin you find Texas hill country. Personally, I liked most Gruene (pronounced "Grüne") and Luckenbach - both tiny hamlets but full of weird characters, historical structures, live music and hearty food. We regretted that we did not spend a night in Gruene in order to listen to some music there.
- In any case, I would add one night in Forth Worth in the Stockyards area (you can't drive from Fort Worth back to a hotel in Dallas after you have spent the evening there). Without the Stockyards, a trip to Texas would be incomplete.
- Instead of El Paso and Amarillo, think of Big Bend Natl. Park. It is really a beautiful park and makes a good diversion after visiting all those cities. And the climate is most agreeable that time of year.
- What do you want in El Paso and Amarillo?
- We made the drive from Big Bend to Santa Fe in one day (9 hours driving time). Besides Roswell (Aliens), there is NOTHING between both places and we decided to drive as fast as possible.
- An alternative way is taking the interstate and stopping in Las Cruces with a daytrip to White Sands Natl. Monument (spectacular) and Alamogordo NASA labs. (Do this if you have time.)
- Santa Fe is one of my favourite places in this world. If possible try to spend a few days there. The vicinity offers many attractions too (e.g. Taos and Taos pueblo, Los Alamos..).
we are also from Europe and have done our first trip to Texas over Christmas/New Year - and we fell in love with Texas. Weather was most agreeable - up to 30°C in Big Bend (by end of December!) and mostly around 20°C to 25°C. Here my thoughts about your itinerary:
- We skipped Galveston and Corpus Christi because we got the impression they are summer destinations and not too interesting in winter.
- 4 nights for San Antonio and Austin is not sufficient. San Antonio is good for at least 3 nights, better 4 nights - it is a fascinating city with lots of different attractions: The riverwalk, the Governor's Palace, the Missions, the Spanish Market, the Alameda Museum, the King William Historic District, the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Buckhorn Saloon... (the Americans also go crazy about the Alamo).
- Austin is also a very beautiful city with gorgeous music venues. Spend at least 2 nights there in order to have to nights to go to music clubs. See the museums (the art museum is a gem), the State Capitol, stroll through the park at town lake.. BTW, the city's motto is "Keep Austin weird!" That says a lot.
- Between San Antonio and Austin you find Texas hill country. Personally, I liked most Gruene (pronounced "Grüne") and Luckenbach - both tiny hamlets but full of weird characters, historical structures, live music and hearty food. We regretted that we did not spend a night in Gruene in order to listen to some music there.
- In any case, I would add one night in Forth Worth in the Stockyards area (you can't drive from Fort Worth back to a hotel in Dallas after you have spent the evening there). Without the Stockyards, a trip to Texas would be incomplete.
- Instead of El Paso and Amarillo, think of Big Bend Natl. Park. It is really a beautiful park and makes a good diversion after visiting all those cities. And the climate is most agreeable that time of year.
- What do you want in El Paso and Amarillo?
- We made the drive from Big Bend to Santa Fe in one day (9 hours driving time). Besides Roswell (Aliens), there is NOTHING between both places and we decided to drive as fast as possible.
- An alternative way is taking the interstate and stopping in Las Cruces with a daytrip to White Sands Natl. Monument (spectacular) and Alamogordo NASA labs. (Do this if you have time.)
- Santa Fe is one of my favourite places in this world. If possible try to spend a few days there. The vicinity offers many attractions too (e.g. Taos and Taos pueblo, Los Alamos..).
Mar 3rd, 2009, 11:46 AM
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Unless Grüne is pronounced "green", I must respectfully disagree with you. Gruene is pronounced "green" as strange as that might sound. Another town, Boerne, is pronounced "Bernie". Lots and lots of strange pronounciations in Texas!
Mar 3rd, 2009, 11:47 AM
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The weather will be very nice, what you'd probably call summer in the UK. Around 22-30C in the day and 15-20C at night most days. The northern sections will be at least 10 degrees colder than the southern sections, so start north and work your way down south. I'd start in Dallas/Ft. Worth (easy to get into DFW from the UK), go down to Austin/San Antonio, work my way down to the Big Bend area (skip El Paso), and then finish up in the Houston/Galveston area as Houston will be warm even in November and travel back to the UK will be easy from Houston.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 11:58 AM
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My very rough thoughts are:- 4 nights in Galveston (from which we could visit Houston as well), Corpus Christi (3 nights), San Antonio/Austin (4 nights), El Paso (2 nights with possibly an overnighter on the way to El Paso due to distance), Albuquerque (3 nights), Amarillo (3 nights) and Dallas (3 nights).
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I think 7 nights for Galveston/Corpus is way too much time for that area. It won't be warm enough to swim in the ocean, but nice to stroll the beaches. There really isn't much else in either place, IMHO. If you must go to both, I'd pick 2 nites each. Or pick one or the other and stay just 3. I would stay longer in SA and Austin - 2 nights in SA and 3 in Austin. I agree, add Gruene to that maybe stop there on your way between SA and Austin.
I too would pick Big Bend over El Paso. I don't care for El Paso at all. I would take Amarillo off the schedule and add Santa Fe or another night to Big Bend.
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I think 7 nights for Galveston/Corpus is way too much time for that area. It won't be warm enough to swim in the ocean, but nice to stroll the beaches. There really isn't much else in either place, IMHO. If you must go to both, I'd pick 2 nites each. Or pick one or the other and stay just 3. I would stay longer in SA and Austin - 2 nights in SA and 3 in Austin. I agree, add Gruene to that maybe stop there on your way between SA and Austin.
I too would pick Big Bend over El Paso. I don't care for El Paso at all. I would take Amarillo off the schedule and add Santa Fe or another night to Big Bend.
