Wm

We are taking a three-month RV trip through the southern part of the US leaving northern California early April. We will be driving from Carlsbad, NM to Sonora, TX, then to Austin then to Houston probably by mid-to-late April. We will be sure to see the famous sights , but would appreciate your feedback on the little-known areas or attractions to be visited near or on our way to our destinations. Our interestes are scenery, art, crafts and culture, history, bird watching, and experiencing the local cuisine. Any information you can provide would be most helpful.

tomfuller

I enjoyed a tour at the Caverns of Sonora a few years back.
http://www.cavernsofsonora.com/index.php
They do have a campground there but no dump station.
Fredricksburg TX was the boyhood home of Chester Nimitz. There is a museum of the Pacific War there. I saw a Japanese submarine there that was used on Dec. 7, 1941 in Honolulu harbor. There are several great German restaurants in that region. As many people have said "Remember the Alamo" (San Antonio).

WhereAreWe

Can you clarify this - you say you're taking a 3 month RV trip but are leaving Northern CA in early April and will be in Houston by mid to late April? What about the other 2+ months??

Anyone interested in bird watching needs to go to Big Bend National Park. The entire Big Bend region is out of the way, but the national park in particular is well known for bird watching.

Wm

We will be making our way across southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas as I described then through southern Louisiana, skirting along the gulf shore of Mississippi and Florida, across northern Florida to Savanna Georgia. Up the coast of South Carolina then into Kentucky for the bourbon trail, back through Tennessee to go to Nashville and Memphis. We'll make our way through Oklahoma, northern Texas, northern New Mexico (Santa Fe again!), northern Arizona then home to northern California.

WhereAreWe

Ok. Well like I said, Big Bend National Park is a birders mecca. And by the time you get there the spring break crowds will have lightened up.

Are you pulling a car behind your RV? There is a length restriction on the road there that leads into the mountains in the park and I don't think RVs will fit.

There are plenty of lesser-known stops in the region. Marfa and Alpine has some good art galleries.

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge might be on your way too, it's pretty well-known for birders as well.

spirobulldog

Ok, now your last posts makes things much more clear. I was very confused. So really, your just going to be in Arizona 10 days or so, and then Texas about the same? That changes things a lot on the way others will reply.

Big Bend is very interesting Place.

volcanogirl

Gruene is a great little town in Texas - lots of cute shops and some antiquing, the oldest dance hall in Texas - has good live music, and the Grist Mill is a great little place to eat.

Austin has nice botanical gardens, and there's a great view from Mt. Bonnell. We like to go out to The Oasis to eat by the lake - nice views.

San Antonio is a must with the River Walk and the Alamo. Boudro's is famous for their tableside guacamole and prickly pear margaritas.

In Houston, go to NASA, and while you're down there visit the Kemah Boardwalk to eat outside by the water. If you make it to Galveston, Moody Gardens is fun, and The Spot is a nice little dive where you can grab a great burger. Houston's Museum of Fine Arts is very good, and the theater district is fantastic. Catch a Rockets or an Astros game.

WhereAreWe

I posted this on another thread awhile ago, still relevant for you:

"near El Paso is Hueco Tanks State Park
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/hueco-tanks

About 110 miles east of El Paso is Guadalupe Mountains NP:
nps.gov/gumo

Big Bend Ranch State Park is along the Rio Grande (great scenic drive) about 30 miles west of the national park. It is pretty remote though as the only access road to the interior of the park is a rough dirt road, and most of the interior park roads are 4WD or high-clearance recommended.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/big-bend-ranch

North and a little west of the national park is Fort Davis and Alpine, with the Fort Davis National Historical Site, Davis Mountains State Park, McDonald Observatory and Museum of the Big Bend. All are great places to visit.
http://www.nps.gov/foda/index.htm
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/davis-mountains
http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/
http://ww2.sulross.edu/museum/

Alpine also has a lot of art galleries which I loved.

And last, there's Balmorhea State Park on the way to/from the park, depending on which route you take. It has the world's largest spring fed swimming pool.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/balmorhea "

Also, you may drive from Big Bend to Sonora along the border and could stop at the Judge Roy Bean museum and Seminole Canyon State Park. Both are decent but not something you need to go too far out of the way for.

jayne1973

On your southern route in Texas, if you find yourselves in Marfa at night, check out the Marfa Lights Viewing Center just outside of town. You might get lucky and see something to write home about!

In Marathon, have a meal and look around at the historic Gage Hotel.

I agree about the Sonora Caverns being worth a stop. The tour is not long--maybe an hour or so--and the formations are living so the whole thing is really pretty.

In the Austin area or on the way to Houston, have some of the area's famous barbeque. You will get plenty of advice on that here, or do your own research. You really can't go wrong.

Wm

Great replys--just what we're looking for on our adventure. We have a 24' travel trailer pulled by a 4WD pickup.

WhereAreWe

Ok. Well if you stay in Big Bend NP you have two campgrounds to choose from. Cottonwood is on the west side along the Rio Grande river, no generators allowed and fairly primitive. Rio Grande village is on the east side, also along the river and has hookups, generator and no-generator zones, a general store with laundry and showers. Much more developed area. You would definitely have to leave the travel trailer behind to go into the mountains (the Basin) as there's no way a set up that size would fit on the road.

J62

Enchanted Rock, near Fredricksburg, West of Austin.

volcanogirl

http://www.saltlickbbq.com/ is a great spot for BBQ outside of Austin. Very authentic and Texasy.

Cranachin

If you have not visited The Menil Collection in Houston, I recommend it. Do not miss the Rothko Chapel!

http://www.menil.org

volcanogirl

Also Bayou Bend in Houston is beautiful; April is a wonderful time to visit - that's usually when all the azaleas will be in bloom. There's also the Azalea Trail that's held in the Spring.

jill_h

for the southern route, look for Blue Bell Ice Cream in Brenham, Texas. http://cdn.bluebell.com/the_little_c...B_Brenham.html

Also, the Painted Churches of Shulenburg, Texas
http://www.klru.org/paintedchurches/

longhorn55

Don't get Texans started on BBQ! There are as many opinions on what is good Texas BBQ as there are Texans. Personally, I'm not a big fan of The Salt Lick--over-rated in my opinion. I recommend you just stop at any small mom-and-pop place along the road.

showtime2

Austin is Cuisine Mecca! Gingerbread pancakes at Magnolia Street Cafe on Lake Austin Blvd, East Side Cafe (grow their own veggies), Mexican Martini's at Trudy's, Threadgill's on Lamar for good southern cooking, and funky Shady Grove on Barton Springs road (live music under the stars - check schedule), and the food truck craze on South Congress Ave, And while youre in 'SoCo' pick up a great pair of boots on South Congress Ave - new or vintage! These are just a few of my personal favorites...Have fun!

volcanogirl

Ooh, yea, we like East Side Cafe and Shady Grove too.

Wm

You guys are great! We are pretty excited about our time in Texas. DH's dad's family is from Aspermont so he's got roots!