Instead of doing the annual fall Caribbean trip, I'm thinking about seeing a few things right here in the US for a change. The plan is to fly into any of the following cities (whichever city has the best airfare), renting a car there and driving a circle from, lets say, Dallas to Austin to San Antonio to Houston to Baton Rouge to New Orleans to Shreveport and back to Dallas. I'm looking to do this in about 10 days in October when the weather should be tolerable.

Is this a reasonable plan? Has anyone out there done it?

Alex-
I guess it depends on how much time you want to spend in each city. To me, the plan looks a little aggresive. You may want to stop your trip in New Orleans, drop off your car, and fly back to your departure city to save some time. I've not been to Shreveport or Baton Rouge but I must say, they've never been high on my list of places to visit.

Driving through TX can take a while- it is a big state! Dallas to Austin is about 3 1/2 hours, Austin to SA would be about 1 1/2 hours, SA to Houston about 4, Houston to New Orleans about 3 1/2.

I've spent time in all of the cities listed above (except Shrevep. and BR), so let me know if you have any other questions.

Slow down, Jane! There's really no way you can drive from Houston to New Orleans in less than 6 hours and that's if road construction doesn't add an hour to it!

I would agree that BR and Shreveport don't offer much in the way of attractions. Spend your time in New Orleans, San Antonio and Austin.

John-
That's so funny...I *do* drive a little faster than the average person! Grew up in Dallas where going 70 still keeps you in the slow lane!

I would recommend spending at least a little time in the Metroplex area. There are some really neat western/cowboy museums in Fort Worth that are worth a visit, and the Kimbell art museum is always a good one. Besides, you'll probably get the best airfare to DFW anyway.

John's right! San Antonio, Austin, and New Orleans are good choices. All that driving you have planned might be a bit much. As a matter of fact, just got back from that same area you're considering and did too much driving! After arriving in San Antonio, driving to Austin and Corpus Christi, and then New Braunfels, we flew into New Orleans and drove some more! Made us so tired, we needed another vacation all over again! Not sure what activities or sightseeing you'd enjoy, but we really liked Austin and the bats at the Congress Ave. bridge at dusk, the 6th street downtown area and the Lakes. We took a carriage ride downtown and went to The Oasis for brunch, not too impressed with the food, but it's better known for it's great lake view at sunset. There is a drive-through wildlife safari right outside of San Antonio where you can feed the animals. Don't miss the River Walk and the Alamo while in San Antonio and maybe the Hemisphere(sp?). Texas is great. The people are friendly and there's a lot to see and do. If you have a chance, go to the New Braunfels area and the town of Gruene, where there are some small shops, and a huge waterpark called Schlitterbaun for inner tubing down the river. We stayed in the French Qaurter while in New Orleans, so a lot of our activities were centered there. You can go to Jackson Square and see the street performers and stroll around in the quarter area. Oh, yes, and you must try Cafe DuMonde for the famous beignets and coffee!! Bourbon Street is where all those wild, bead-throwing, top-flashing people hang out. It's quite the scene. You can also do a swamp tour and/or a plantation tour. There's a visitor center adjacent to Jackson Square with brochures, too! I'm sure that'll keep you quite busy during those 10 days! Have fun

Jane, you said that you grew up in Dallas, well I am looking to move to Plano in October, what is life like in the south I am from Boston,Mass. Thanks, Jen

Jennifer-
I see that you've posted your own message re: Plano so I'll answer on that message.

Take it from someone who is suck in Baton Rouge...skip it.
In New Orleans..Took a swamp tour with Cajun Pride and loved it. If you have a car, don't waste your time taking a bus tour to see the plantations. Just drive along River Road and you can see the plantations on your own time instead of being crammed on a tour bus. The scenery is really nice. Bourbon street can be fun, but its smelly and dirty...so don't wear your nice shoes!!!

Just for the record, the drive thru safari in New Brunfels, TX that gottago was talking about is "Natural Bridge Caverns". Was there in '99 and loved it! Be sure to check out the underground caverns as well (a guided tour).

I live in Texas near Beaumont. Have been to all the cities you want to visit. There's not a lot to see or do in Dallas. Fort Worth may be a better stop. The air port is about half way between Dallas and Fort Wort. The drive from Dallas/Fort Worth to Austin is nice. Lot to do in and around Austin. The state capital is a must along with the other things listed by others. The drive from Austin to San Antonio will take you though the edge of the hill country. Keerville area is one of the best in Texas. Lots to do in San Antonio. Plan on spending several day there. The drive from SA to Houston is about 2 hours. Need to get a visitor's guide for all of the cities, to much to list. If you like the beach, Galvaston is just 45 mintues from Houston. Would make a good day trip or lots of hotels on the island. The drive from Houston to New Orleans will take you about 6 hours on IH 10. You will go through Beaumont. There are many small museuns. From there you will go through Lake Charles, LA. They have the casino boat there. Good luck! New Orleans is Ok if you like the night life all day long. Skip Baton Rouge and Shreveport. You can do all of this in 10 days easly.

Thanks for all your suggestions! What started out as a brainstorm might actually happen. Sounds like a fun trip.

I just realized that you might be in Texas during the State Fair! It is definitely worth a visit and is good entertainment for the whole day. This year's dates are September 28 through October 21. www.texfair.com

Alex,
You should definitely plan a couple of days in Fort Worth! It's much more laid-back than Dallas and much easier to get around. Stay in the downtown area - the Worthington is a great place, if a bit pricey, and you'll be in the thick of the active nightlife of Sundance Square. The museum/cultural district is nearby, as is the terrific Fort Worth Zoo. The new Texas Wild exhibit opened there recently with the flora and fauna found in the different regions of Texas. The Stockyards area is also lots of fun, especially on the weekends. There are great restaurants all over the city; be sure to try some "Tex-Mex."
Have fun!

Alex-
I have driven all the point-to-points you mention. Dallas-Austin with no stops is a good 4 hours, most of it not particularly attractive. Austin-San Antonio is 1 to 1-1/2 hours, possible stops in New Braunfels (a little bit of Germany in the US) or outlet shopping along IH-35. SA to Houston is 210 miles, with good traffic will take at least 3-1/2 hours with no stops, add lots more for the notorious Houston traffic. Houston to N.O. is at least 6 hours, again with not much more than swamps along the way - really a waste of precious vacation time.
So much for drive time - now the fun:
Dallas offers little than you can't find at any mall. It is not easy to get around with nasty traffic, confusing freeways and lots of construction. Fort Worth is a very cool place to visit, with touristy but not tacky area called Sundance Square. The stockyard area and Kimball museum are cool. Austin has been inundated with dot com yuppies, so traffic can be bad, but it is a cool place for a day or two of observing the social habits of a cross betweeh hippie and good old boy. San Antonio is terrific - Riverwalk, Alamo, the Spanish mission trail, Mexican market, good food, nice people (it's not the most vistied tourist destination in Texas for nothing!). Houston is a big city with bad traffic and worse air pollution. It also has great museums and every sort of restaurant, and lots of retail. Galveston, about an hour away, is an island with restored historic areas and a couple good restaurants. The beaches are not at ALL like the Caribbean - sand is brown and so is the water - but it can be fun. N.O. is a great place to eat and drink too much. Both Houston and NO are essentially built on a swamp, and if you are there before late October there's a good chance the weather will be hot and very sticky. After thatn it will be merely warm and very sticky.

Alex,
You don't say if you are traveling with kids or not. If you are, I would suggest spending a shorter amount of time in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, as they are mostly geared towards casino type attractions. I don't know alot about Houston, it's a pretty slummy town, but has some great cultural attractions. New Orleans, Austin, and DFW have alot to offer for both kids and adults. The weather should be pretty nice, I'll bet around mid-80s. Also, if you can, try to schedule your drive through Texas around Oktober fest, there are some great festivals, especially in the Hill country (the area between Dallas & Austin)!

Why not stop in Lafayette on your way in from Houston to New Orleans? It is a neat little city with great food. And I agree with above posters, skip BR and Shreveport.

Check guidelive.com for Dallas/Fort Worth events; mysanantion.com and savisit.com for San Antonio; traveltex.com for all of Texas.

I agree with the posters that you ought to narrow your trip to fewer cities. Pick three or four points within a 200 mile radius circle. The road trip you take depends on your taste and interests. I think with ten days, four cities at the most, more likely three.

One idea would be visit New Orleans with road trips through the southern Louisiana swamps including St. Martinville, Avery Island, and Lafayette. If you are into sports and depending on the season, Dallas, Austin, Houston could get you a flavor of professional and collegiate baseball and football, and some outstanding public golf courses. Mueseums and culture are your thing, Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston are the choices. Romantic, San Antonio and New Orleans are both rated as one of the top five most romantic cities in U.S.

I am from Houston. And it is a good place to visit. The restaurants here are excellent and many cultural sites abound. Yes it is hot in the summer, but from mid-September to Mid-may, we often have weather that others lust for. Humidity during the fall and spring abates, and outdoor festivals are everywhere.

Howdy and several other posters are right, Fort Worth is the only thing interesting about Dallas. The museums are top notch, especially if you are interested in Cowboy Art.

Austin is pretty (I went to college there and my in laws still live there) but not much to do. The bar scene is pretty lively, and the music scene is very interesting.

If you like wines, you might try to tour around Fredericksburg, sort of between Austin and San Antonio.
If you like folk music, the Kerrville Folk Festival will take place labor day weekend.

A key questions is when is your trip? When you bracket your travel time, check to see what is going on in each city that you are considering. Local festivals can make a place much more interesting.

I lived in Shreveport for 4 years while stationed at Barksdale AFB. When my relatives visited they had a great educational experience, because of the tours I planned. We went to Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in LA. Located there is the Melrose Plantation with the interesting history of Clementine Hunter, the black artist. There's the Cane River and the St. Augustines Church and above ground cemetary. Also in the area is Kilgore, TX with the oil museum. It's set up as if you are going back in time with various shops, etc. I loved Shreveport for the Mardi Gras parade instead of in New Orleans. Shreveport has about four riverboat casinos if you like gambling. My favorite restaurant is the Superior Bar and Grill which I still think about those great margaritas and mesquite grilled steak, which is served like fajitas but without all the onions and green peppers. There are great sales at all the malls near the end of September. And of course in Dallas go to the Sixth Floor and Dallas Alley. Good luck with your decision.