Hi!

I'm a Spaniard who intends to travel to the States next September. My point
of arrival and departure will be NYC and I want to spend about three days
there after arrival and before departure, but the two weeks in between, I'd
like to spend them travelling around Texas. With the help of some friends,
I've made a draft plan and I'd like you to give me your opinion about it.
The plan is this:

9/8 NYC-DFW. Stay in Dallas just that day.
9/9 DAL-MAF. Fly to Midland/Odessa in the morning. Rent a car. Drive to Big
Bend Natl' Park.
9/10-9/11 Big Bend NP. One day to drive and hike the park, the other one to
make a rafting excursion through one of the canyons.
9/12. Drive to MAF. Drop off the car. Fly MAF-DAL. Rent another car and drive towards Austin. Half day visit of the city. Sleep in Austin or on the road between Austin and San Antonio.
9/13-9/15. San Antonio. River Walk, Mission trail, Hemisfair,...
9/16-9/18. Drive to Galveston. Stay there, some activities on the beach, one
excursion to the NASA center.
9/19. Drive to Dallas. Five or six hours stop in Houston to stroll and get a view of it.
9/20-9/22. Dallas, possibly including a rodeo in Mesquite on Friday evening and a NCAA football match on Saturday evening.
9/23. Drop off the car. DFW-NYC.

In the cities I intend to visit museums from arts to crafts, ethnological,
or natural history ones.

I have been told that Southwestern is the best option to fly in Texas. I have visited their Website and cannot find deals for multi-city trips. I say that because if they exist and the price is not too high, I can consider to fly DAL-MAF-SAT-HOU-DAL and rent independent cars for San Antonio and Galveston areas instead of only an eleven-days renting (with the subsequent save of driving time).

Have you any suggestion? Do you think it is a balanced itinerary to get an
idea of what Texas is? Any things I cannot miss? Thank you very much in
advance.

Although my screen name would suggest otherwise, I've spent a good deal of time in Texas.

Thus, trust me when I tell you that you're spending way too much time in Dallas. Your schedule is similar to planning a trip to New England and spending most of your time in Newark.

The interesting areas in Texas are...

* San Antonio

* Austin and surrounding Hill Country

* Gulf of Mexico area south of Galveston and all the refineries

Big Bend is nice and it's wilderness, but it's also big. You may want to spend more time there.

Your day on 9/12 is too full. Driving 3 hours from Big Bend to MAF, flying, and then trying to drive another 2-3 hours will be pretty stressful. I'd advise stopping for the day outside Dallas. It's a big place, and a lot of people just can't grasp how long it really takes to get around!

Other than that, it will be a whirlwind tour of Texas, and the weather will likely still be really hot, too. Have fun!

With the time you have available, I'd probably forget flights around Texas and use one rental car the whole way. The smaller towns and side roads can be quite interesting. I'd probably expand time at Big Bend, spend time in the Hill Country, and minimize time in Dallas, as others have suggested.

Welcome to Texas !

If you haven't already done so, go to
http://www.traveltex.com/ and order their planner booklet (264 pages).

Regarding the itinerary, you could spend more time in Big Bend, it's BIG. Also, unless camping, book early, there's not that many places to stay around there. Try the Chisos Mountain Lodge in the crater or the Cavalry Post in Lajitas. The drive from Lajitas to Presidio is said to be spectacular.

I'll ditto the others who said to spend time in the Hill Country west of Austin.
Other comments: Houston has a good Natural History museum, Galveston has Moody Gardens and aquarium, not to forget the old part of the city itself, restored now. Fort Worth has good art museums (Kimbell) lastly, you haven't even mentioned Padre Island / Corpus Christi area !
Paul

P.S. Looks like you can download a PDF of the Travel Guide:

http://www.traveltex.com/order.asp?SN=2822755&LS=0&OT=1

Get a map of Texas and taker a closer look a the distance you will be traveling. most Europeans don't understand the size of America until they travel over here. Heck, Easterners dont realize it either. Midland to Big Bend is 200 Miles. You could easilly take another 2 hrs to drive across the Park. September in Texas is still quite HOT. You can also check driving distances at www.mapquest.com Texas is HUGE. You will be spending most of your time driving or waiting at airports. I live in New Braunfels just north of San Antonio. New Braunfels between Austin and San Antonio is worth half a day at least.You can tube or raft the Guadalupe river.It may be slow depending on the flow. It could ever be closed due to rageing floodwaters! Just depends on the weather. San Antonio has much to see, Riverwalk, Alamo, Mission Trail, museuns. The hill country village of Fredricksberg just west of Austin has the Nimitz museum and the Museum of the Pacific War. Don't spent so much time in Dallas. Have Fun!

Someone call me on this if I don't have it right, but I think that Texas is about the size of France, if that gives you an idea of distances. It takes about 14-16 hours to drive across the state. With 2 weeks to spend on your trip, I think you can go just about anywhere you want.

It's going to take you about 2-4 hours, not including the flight, for every time you turn in a rental car and pick up another, in combination with at least one-hour check-in at airports. That's why I would just keep the same car the whole time, and plan your trip to avoid drives of over 7 hours in a day.

Yes, it will be hot everywhere. If you're lucky, central and west Texas may cool down a little in the evenings, because the humidity is lower there.

France is about the size of Texas. Uh..Close...Your only about 52000 square miles off. Add most of New England and you've got it. I would rent a car and plan a circular route that includes the areas that you want to visit. Start in Houston. Gulf coast, to Rockport, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, HWY 90 to Del Rio, Langtry (judge roy bean), Marathon and south to Big Bend . Spend a few days at big bend. North to Alpine, Fort Davis McDonald Observatory . In west Texas you will see the stars like never before because there is no city light to obstruct the view.Balmorhea state park and springs.
I-20 to midland , Big Spring, Abiline, Dallas.
South on I-35 to Austin (barton springs, LBJ library), HWY 290 West to Fredricksberg. South to San Marcos and New Braunfels. East to College Station ( TX A&M university, George Bush Library0 Then South to Houston. Pick what you want to see and enjoy!!

chrisp: I learned the thing about Texas being about the size of France when I lived in Texas. That must explain the discrepancy.

Here's my trip report:

(Yes we went in August; Yes it was hot but not as bad as we thought it would be: it is hot in NY also; Yes we went with a 6 year old child & for this kind of trip, if you are travelling with a child, you really have to know your child?s capabilities; Yes we got up early in order to accomplish all this . Here goes:

Day 1; Big Bend National Park: Flew in from NY by way of Dallas into Midland Airport (closest to Big Bend, 235 miles away). Rented an SUV from National on site at the airport and began the drive to Park headquarters I-20W to TX-18S to I-385S. Arrived at the Park and had time to visit the Ranger station and do the short Panther Path nature walk before checking into the Lodge in the Chisos Basin (10 miles further and the only motel units in the Park).

Day 2; Big Bend National Park: Drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive with gorgeous scenery and marked hiking opportunities along the way especially Mule Ears and Burro Mesa Pouroff; had picnic lunch (prepared by only restaurant in the Park at Chisos Basin) at Castolon Historic District and finished up at Santa Elena Canyon and back to Chisos Basin via Old Maverick Road (must have SUV). Once back at Chisos Basin, had time for Window View Trail & Chisos Basin Loop short hikes (saw deer).

Day 3; Big Bend National Park: Began with an early hike on the Lost Mine Trail (3 out of the 5 miles). Then drove the road from Panther Junction to Rio Grande Village with gorgeous scenery and marked hiking opportunities along the way including Dugout Wells & Hot Springs; had picnic lunch at Rio Grande Village and continued on to Boquillas Canyon. Headed back the way we came and drove toward Persimmon Gap entrance station with off road nature drive to Dagger Flat & a stop at the Fossil Bones archeological site.

Days 4-6; Bandera: Left the Park and headed for Bandera (380 miles) and a 3 night stay at Twin Elm Guest Ranch. Included in the rate are all three meals per person/per day and your accommodations, day & evening activities, swimming pool, river tubing, and 2 horseback riding sessions. We also went to the Frontier Times Museum and drove the Hill Country Scenic Trail while there.

Day 7; San Antonio: Left the Ranch after breakfast and drove the 50 miles to San Antonio. While there, we went to the Alamo, the National Park Historic Missions, and the Institute of Texan Cultures in Hemisfair Park. After dinner, we took a Yanaguana Riverwalk narrated boat ride right from the Rivercenter Mall. We stayed overnight at the La Quinta Convention Center (great included breakfast).

Day 8; Austin: Left SA after breakfast and headed for Austin (80 miles). While there, we went to the LBJ Presidential Library, toured the Capitol building, saw the Governor?s Mansion, and went to the Bob Bullock State History Museum. After dinner, we went to see the flight of the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats. Stayed overnight at the La Quinta Capitol (great included breakfast).

Day 9; Houston/Webster: Left Austin after breakfast and drove the 160 miles to Houston. Went to the San Jacinto Monument and museum and then to Space Center Houston. Stayed overnight at the Super 8 NASA/Webster (4 blocks from Space Center) (included breakfast).

Days 10-15; Carnival Cruise/Galveston: Dropped off the rental car at Houston Hobby airport and took Platinum Limousine the 45 miles to Galveston Passenger Ship Terminal. The Cruise called at ports of Cozumel and Calica. The shore tours were Atlantis Submarine (Cozumel) and Tulum/Xel Ha (Calica). When we got off the ship, we rented another car from Hertz for the day and drove around Galveston (the Strand, the Victorian Homes, the County Historical Museum, the Seawall and the beach). We then drove back to Houston Hobby airport to drop off the rental car and fly home.

*LOL* Travellyn, Yea that explains it. You went to a public school in Texas.
Texas = 262,000 Square miles
France =211,000 square miles
But whats 51,000 square miles anyway?

Most of New England! Hell we don't even use most of it anyway. So come on over theres plenty for Yall.
Yankee= person from New England
Texas Yankee= anyone from "UP NORTH"
Dam Yankee= Anyone from "UP NORTH" who STAYED.
Chrisp= Dam Yankee . Landed from New York. I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could! Wasn't born in N.Y. either... ...Irvine Scotland! *****************LOL*******************

chrisp sez quot;I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could! Wasn't born in N.Y. either... ...Irvine Scotland! "

Ditto here, except I'm a Sassenach from Surrey !
Cheers

My family is from Texas.

Here are the 3 places I would visit:

Amarillo: Cadillac Ranch and Palo Duro Canyon
Dallas: Book Depository Blg. and enjoy some great Mexican food and check out bars in D.Ellum (sp?)
Austin: The whole city is a blast -- especially music scene. Try to stay at one of the coops...where you have to pitch in help.

Get a "Let's Go" guide.

You can actually drive the whole thing...it is amazing....if you like open spaces with very few people.

That should do the trick!

I am new to this group but just had to respond to the Texas discussion. My partner and I are wildlife photographers and have lived in and photographed in Texas all of our lives. I agree with most of the advice others have given. Here are the areas I think you should see:

Lajitas to Presido (hwy. 170)
Big Bend
Langtry (Judge Roy Bean Museum)
Seminole Canyon (Indian Rock Art)
San Antonio and the Hill Country
The Big Thicket (East Texas)

Seeing these areas would give you a good idea about Texas. I would avoid the big cites except for San Antonio, and you can skip the coast since you have better ones in Spain. I will be glad to give advice as I really know Texas.

Chema - I'd skip Dallas too, as well as Galveston. As someone else stated, your beaches in Spain are probably nicer. If you must do the coast, I'd say Rockport or Port Aransas.

Laurie had a great Texas trip. I'd probably follow in her "footsteps". I think Big Bend is a must-see if you have that much time in Texas. Also spend time in the Hill Country, Austin, and San Antonio.

With that said, it reallly depends on what kinds of things you like to do...restaurants? bars? music? Camping/hiking? Let us know and we can give better advice. And once you finalize an itinerary, we may help with other details as well, such as hotels and restuarants.

Here's my rework of your itinerary:

9/8 NYC-MAF. Fly to Midland/Odessa
9/9 In the morning. Rent a car. Drive to Big Bend Natl' Park via Monahans Sand Dunes and Ft. Stockton.
9/10-9/11 Big Bend NP. One day to drive and hike the park, the other one to
make a rafting excursion through one of the canyons.
9/12. Drive to MAF. Drop off the car. Fly MAF-AUS at 645am Spend a FULL day visiting the city. Sleep in Austin or near Congress bridge and watch the bats emerge at dusk (seasonal) and go party on 6th street.
9/13-9/15. San Antonio. River Walk, Mission trail, Hemisfair,...
9/16-9/17. Drive to Corpus (Port Aransas, Matagorda Island, etc...) Stay there, some activities on the beach
9/18 Fly from CRP to IAH and drive to NASA. Spend evening in Houston.
9/19. Fly to DAL and head downtown See sights and spend evening in Deep Ellum (cab ot rent a car)Stay in dntn hotel.
9/20 Continue visiting Dallas and head to Mesquite for the rodeo, if you like.
9/21 drive to and tour Ft Worth
9/23. Drop off the car. DFW-NYC.
Whatever you do, don't waste valuable time driving up and down 35 and 45. They totally suck. A awful waste. Hopping in Southwest is not big deal and you can get from point A to point B quickly, leaving you full days to explore.
My itin is simply a spin on yours... it's not really what I would do.

Chema:

Whatever you do, you will see many different terrains on your trip.

I suggest driving Big Bend to Austin. About 9 hours. Less time than driving from Big Bend to Midland, flying to Dallas, changing planes, flying to Austin, renting a car, and driving to your destination in Austin. Also less chance for a glitch along the way,such as a storm. Even if they charge you $100 to pick up in Midland and drop off in Dallas, it will be cheaper and easier.

As a reference for size, the Iberian peninsula is approximately 231,000 square miles (There is a some variance on estimates of the size of Portugal, and I did not include Andorra), about 85% the size of Texas.

I'd skip Galveston (and I live in Houston). Kind of like the Algarve coast, maybe not as tacky or full of Germans.

Suggestions for places to visit depend a lot on your interests and age. If you are under 25, Austin wil be great fun. See if you can get tickets to the Texas-Arkansas football game on September 13.

River walk in San Antonio can be enjoyable as well as the mission trail. Hemisfair is a little dull.

If you like museums, there will be a great debate between Dallas and Houston as to which city has the better museums. Both have very good museums, but if you enjoy art, the choice is Fort Worth.

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is on Friday and Saturday nights. For more info go to www.mesquiterodeo.com. There is a County Fair in Abilene with a PRCA sanctioned event September 9-13, and the Amarillo Tri-State Fair Rodeo is the weekend of September 18-20. Personally, I would go to the UT football game.

Enjoy your trip. Let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

Just return from a TX vacation. Flew into Houston, got married at the Inlaws home, drove to South Padre for a week. It's true...TEXAS IS BIG! The suggestion not to fly between locales is probably a good suggestion for 2 reasons:
(1) security requirements chewing up any time saving you get from flying
(2) airlines are, for ecconomic reasons, consolidating flights and only flying FULL-FULL-FULL flights....consequently, it is not unlikely that your flight could get cancelled and/or rescheduled which will may eat up even more of you vacation time.

I agree with those who suggest picking up one rental car for the entire tour around Texas.

Also = as the last post replied, Fort Worth has interesting museums. Don't forget to include the "Fort Worth Stockyards" (even if you are into city life). The free walking tour is very interesting and historically informative.

If covering the western side of Texas, do not miss Carlsbad Caverns National Park which is just on the border of New Mexico. Well worth the visit!

I did the trip around Texas last year by car.