Needing road trip ideas from OK to Dallas to New Orleans and FL
 

My fiancee and I are taking a road trip with our baby and needed some ideas. We want to visit interesting places along the way and eat places we've never ate. Does anyone know of any good places to visit and eat in these areas. We are leaving from Oklahoma and wanted to visit Dallas, TX and New Orleans before heading to Florida. Any advice on where to stop? Thanks

How many days do you have for the trip?

A couple of days

Do you mean a couple of days from Oklahoma to New Orleans (and passing through Dallas on the way)?

Starting in Oklahoma and ending in Florida. We are taking a couple of days to make it to Florida.

I wouldn't eat places, I'd eat food.

How do you "visit" Dallas and New Orleans when "taking a couple of days" to drive to Florida? You're talking about a lunch stop in Dallas and an overnight in Louisiana somewhere before reaching New Orleans.

Dallas to New Orleans is 8.5 hours. New Orleans to Florida is about 2.5 hours because you can reach the western panhandle quickly.

So where are you going?

And what do want to eat?

We are going from Tulsa to Orlando and wanted to make a couple of stops along the way. That's why I asked for ideas bacause we dont know of anywhere to stop. We can to try something new. Any ideas? We like spicy food.

I'm assuming you know that Dallas and New Orleans are out of your way?

How about setting up an itinerary for us? Like how much time you are estimating in each city and what time of day will you be there? Like are you going to do Dallas for lunch and afternoon then overnight in Shreveport then New orleans for a day or so and then on?

What's the tentative schedule and maybe someone could have some concrete suggestions.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Dalla...ed=0CAoQ_AUoAg

quickest rt

Sorry, the map won't work but just put in your address for where you live in Ok and then put your address in for Orlando and get the best rt. It is a long boring drive imo. Do stop and spend the night somewhere along the way. You can then ask for places to stay and eat, should work ok for you.

Skip Dallas and follow the Google Maps route to Breaux Bridge, LA, in the heart of Cajun Country, where you can eat all the delicious spicy food you ever wanted. Spend two night and a whole day in this area so you can eat two dinners, two breakfasts, and one lunch in the area. This food is going to be found in bars, grocery stores and gas stations, so the baby will slow you down. Be realistic.

It will be expensive to stay in NO, especially with parking fees. I would save it for your return trip and keep on driving toward your goal.

Thanks for the suggestions. We have decided to leave early Friday morning and arrive on Sunday to Orlando. We realize that Dallas and New Orleans are both out of the way but they are places we have wanted to visit. Any suggestions on places to visit, things to do or foods to try. It's on Super Bowl weekend.

Do you know if you will be coming into Dallas on 75 or 35?

No we don't know. Why?

Dallas-Twisted Root Burger, Pappasito's, or Pappadeux's

New Orleans-Cafe Du Monde for breakfast, Angelo Bracatos for Ice Cream. Cochon Butcher for a meal. Commander's Palace for an upscale meal.

Well, if you are passing through Dallas, not spending the night, suggestions on where to stop might depend on which road you are coming in on. I-635 is a construction mess right now, so whatever you do avoid that one.

Thanks for the heads up

That's going to be a lot of driving in just a couple days...

Pappasitos and Pappadeaux are both chain restaurants. Yes, they have good food, but there are many better local places that are not chains. Also, you will be eating Cajun food in LA, so there's no need to eat it in Dallas, too. I would look for Mexican food places here in DFW. That's what our area is known best for. Or, there is also a good middle eastern place (it was on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) in Richardson that may be convenient on your route.

I agree that 635 is a mess and should be avoided. So is north Loop 820/183 in Tarrant county. So, you will really want to come down 75 to miss the construction. If you had time to spend a night, the Sixth Floor Museum in downtown Dallas is all about the JFK assassination and is very good. But you really need at least 3 hours to do it justice, and it would be tough to see with a baby.

ChristieP,

It sounds to me that the OP hasn't been through this area. I listed Twisted Root as an inexpensive "local" option. I listed the Pappas as they are both directly on 75 and moderate restaurants that appeal to most people. Just out of curiosity I looked on Yelp and Tripadvisor and both get very high marks. As a matter of fact Pappadeux's ranked #15 out of 2967 Dallas restaurants. Most of the ones ranked above it are very high end--French Room, etc. So, someone else besides me must think it's a great place too. The entire menu isn't cajun. Besides, they are only in NO for one day.
Pappadeux in the airport is ranked #17 on TA.

Dallas is more of a Tex/Mex place than true Mexican food, IMOP. I listed Pappasitos. In case your not familiar, it is considered mexican and it is ranked #86 on TA.

I'm well aware of the various Pappas chain restaurants. We have them over in Fort Worth, too. Even if hugely are so highly rated, I still do not recommend chain restaurants to any visitor who is looking for a unique dining experience. If I had to recommend a local place along 75 for good Mexican food, I would probably say Luna De Noche in North Park.

Considering that the OP hasn't come back, maybe they realized that making such a huge detour off their path just to sit in DFW traffic really wasn't worth the time and trouble...