Texas road trip from Thanksgiving
 

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are planning a road trip with our then 16 Month old around Texas from Thanksgiving day for 10 days. We’ll be flying to Houston, then driving to San Antonio then Fredericksburg then Austin and leaving from Fort Worth/Dallas.

I wanted to ask for your input on a few things:
1. Space Center in Houston - is the VIP tour worth it? Which is better - Mission Control or Astronaut Training? I haven’t found enough reviews to understand the difference.

2. For catching our first rodeo: what’s better, Tejas Rodeo in San Antonio or Fort Worth Stockyards Championship? Will it be too cold to watch that time of year?

3. Bandera - is it worth a visit if we don’t do any trail rides and we wont be staying in the dude ranches there?

4. Zoo - as we'll only go to one, would you recommend Fort Worth's or Dallas'?

Thanks in advance!

Texas is famous for its BBQ and Tex-Mex both of which you can get in Bandera. It has been reported that cowboys will ride to town and tie their horses to hitching posts. Fredricksburg features stone buildings built by Germans, biergardens and a lively downtown.

Here are a couple answers:

#2) Weather around Thanksgiving in Texas will generally be on the mild with average daytime temps in the low 60's F and average nighttime temps in the mid-thigh 40's. f course you could get higher r lower temps on any given day. There's not much difference in quality between the Fort Worth Stockyards Rodeo and the San Antonio Rodeo other than the Fort Worth Rodeo is indoors and the San Antonio Rodeo is outdoors so if you are concerned about being too cool when you go opt for the Fort Worth Rodeo.

#40 Having lived in the DFW Metroplex for over 20 years I can tell you The Fort Worth Zoo is far better than the one in Dallas.

Fort Worth Zoo is way better than the Dallas Zoo.

Bandera offers nothing you can't get elsewhere along your travels.

I don't know what the VIP tour is at the Space center, but you can reserve your tour slots in advance using their app. We did not know this and signed up when we got there near to when the museum opened and had to wait until probably 11 to get on a tour. We did the one that showed us Mission Control for the lunar landing. The Houston science center is supposed to be fantastic and the butterfly exhibit great. Your 18 month old might like that. I haven't been there in years. Also in Austin, The Thinkery is a fantastic children's museum. We recently went to a small science museum in Johnson City near Fredericksburg but I would say that was for kids older than 18 months. But somewhere in Johnson City/ Fredericksburg there may be a petting zoo or a farm you can visit. I can't remember details but I'm sure a google search would turn up something. While in the area we enjoyed our experience at Longhorn Caverns near Marble Falls.

Your trip sounds amazing! I'd go for the Mission Control tour at the Space Center—it's iconic. The Fort Worth Stockyards is great for a classic rodeo experience, and while it might be chilly, you'll be fine bundled up. If you're not doing trail rides in Bandera, it might not be worth the stop. For the zoo, I'd recommend Fort Worth—super family-friendly. Enjoy your Texas adventure.