Trip Report: Ohio to Texas Roadtrip
Jun 18th, 2009, 06:06 PM
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Trip Report: Ohio to Texas Roadtrip
First, I'd just like to say that this is my first trip report...and what a strange one to choose as my inaugural trip report! We made this trip out of necessity (moving from Ohio to San Antonio, TX), but decided we might as well have some fun along the way. We travelled with our 2 year old, so if nothing else, I hope someone else travelling with children will find this helpful! Thanks for reading!
WHO: Me, Hubby, 2 yr old Kiddo
WHEN: Four days in June
WHY: moving from OH to TX, had to drive both of our cars
WHAT: Drove from southwest Ohio through Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Dallas, and then south through Austin to San Antonio. Overnight stops in Nashville, Little Rock, and Dallas. We did about five hours of driving per day, which was perfect. We had time to see some sights in Nashville, LR, and Dallas.
NASHVILLE: We left on a Friday evening after Hubby got done with work, so we didn't get to Nashville until late. We stopped for dinner en route, so once we got to Nashville, we checked into the hotel and went to bed. We stayed at the Hyatt Place near Opryland. It was nice, clean, quiet. Very modern design, but you could tell the building was a little older and that it was only the redecorating that was new. Free breakfast in the morning was good. I wouldn't have a problem staying here again. Met up with family in the morning and then hit the road.
LITTLE ROCK: I had heard bad things about LR--nothing to do, dangerous, etc.--but I actually loved the part of LR that we saw. We arrived in the early evening and had dinner at Bosco's. Although this is a chain in the sense that there are a few locations in Tennessee and Arkansas, it was new to us and we really enjoyed it. I ordered a pasta dish with a rich cream sauce, chicken, and sundried tomatoes...it was really good! If you like beer/breweries, I recommend Bosco's. I'm no beer expert, but I enjoyed the summer ale, especially after a day of driving. After a quick walk around the area (the river market district, I think it's called), we went back to the hotel. We stayed at the Comfort Inn--Clinton Pres. Library location. It was clean, quiet, and the staff was very nice. I would definitely stay here again. It's nothing luxurious, but it served it's purpose. Free breakfast was average.
The next day, we stopped by the Clinton Library even though it was closed (doesn't open until 1 on Sundays). I wanted to see the building since I like modern architecture. Took lots of pictures and let the Kiddo run around in front of the building and look at the fountains. Then we went back to the river market area for lunch and ate at a small outdoor deli, the name of which escapes me. After lunch, we headed to Dallas.
DALLAS: Arrived in the evening and ate dinner at...get ready for this...Bone Daddy's. We wanted BBQ, and this was what the front desk at the Hyatt Place recommended. They did warn us that it is a bit like Hooter's in terms of the waitresses' attire, but we didn't have a big problem with that. Our daughter was happy with her chicken fingers and fries, so I can't complain. Hubby spent the meal trying to look, but not look, at the waitress. I ordered a burger and wished I had gotten the turkey sandwich.
DRIVING: The route we took had a fair amount of construction and traffic, especially outside of Nashville. However, the drive through Kentucky was very pretty. The drive through western Tenn. and Arkansas was rather boring, but we didn't run into any delays. Traffic was bad again through Austin, especially since we got there around rush hour.
In terms of travelling with the kiddo, things went pretty well. Even though she is over 2, we brought the pack n play and had her sleep in that instead of a bed. The free breakfasts were quick and convenient, since getting three of us going in the morning took a little extra time. For the car, I brought the Crayola "Color Wonder" markers. They only mark on a certain type of paper and otherwise are only clear. That way, kiddo could color in the car and it didn't matter if she dropped a marker or fell asleep with the marker touching her shirt. Hubby and I switched cars when one of us needed a break from trying to keep up with our daughter's musical demands ("I want song! I want song!" followed by screams of "NO!" if you turn on something she doesn't like.) Kiddo had some prior travelling under her belt, and overall she did a great job.
So, we're now here in San Antonio. It feels really hot to us Midwesterners, but we're hanging in there!
Thanks for reading!
WHO: Me, Hubby, 2 yr old Kiddo
WHEN: Four days in June
WHY: moving from OH to TX, had to drive both of our cars
WHAT: Drove from southwest Ohio through Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Dallas, and then south through Austin to San Antonio. Overnight stops in Nashville, Little Rock, and Dallas. We did about five hours of driving per day, which was perfect. We had time to see some sights in Nashville, LR, and Dallas.
NASHVILLE: We left on a Friday evening after Hubby got done with work, so we didn't get to Nashville until late. We stopped for dinner en route, so once we got to Nashville, we checked into the hotel and went to bed. We stayed at the Hyatt Place near Opryland. It was nice, clean, quiet. Very modern design, but you could tell the building was a little older and that it was only the redecorating that was new. Free breakfast in the morning was good. I wouldn't have a problem staying here again. Met up with family in the morning and then hit the road.
LITTLE ROCK: I had heard bad things about LR--nothing to do, dangerous, etc.--but I actually loved the part of LR that we saw. We arrived in the early evening and had dinner at Bosco's. Although this is a chain in the sense that there are a few locations in Tennessee and Arkansas, it was new to us and we really enjoyed it. I ordered a pasta dish with a rich cream sauce, chicken, and sundried tomatoes...it was really good! If you like beer/breweries, I recommend Bosco's. I'm no beer expert, but I enjoyed the summer ale, especially after a day of driving. After a quick walk around the area (the river market district, I think it's called), we went back to the hotel. We stayed at the Comfort Inn--Clinton Pres. Library location. It was clean, quiet, and the staff was very nice. I would definitely stay here again. It's nothing luxurious, but it served it's purpose. Free breakfast was average.
The next day, we stopped by the Clinton Library even though it was closed (doesn't open until 1 on Sundays). I wanted to see the building since I like modern architecture. Took lots of pictures and let the Kiddo run around in front of the building and look at the fountains. Then we went back to the river market area for lunch and ate at a small outdoor deli, the name of which escapes me. After lunch, we headed to Dallas.
DALLAS: Arrived in the evening and ate dinner at...get ready for this...Bone Daddy's. We wanted BBQ, and this was what the front desk at the Hyatt Place recommended. They did warn us that it is a bit like Hooter's in terms of the waitresses' attire, but we didn't have a big problem with that. Our daughter was happy with her chicken fingers and fries, so I can't complain. Hubby spent the meal trying to look, but not look, at the waitress. I ordered a burger and wished I had gotten the turkey sandwich.
DRIVING: The route we took had a fair amount of construction and traffic, especially outside of Nashville. However, the drive through Kentucky was very pretty. The drive through western Tenn. and Arkansas was rather boring, but we didn't run into any delays. Traffic was bad again through Austin, especially since we got there around rush hour.
In terms of travelling with the kiddo, things went pretty well. Even though she is over 2, we brought the pack n play and had her sleep in that instead of a bed. The free breakfasts were quick and convenient, since getting three of us going in the morning took a little extra time. For the car, I brought the Crayola "Color Wonder" markers. They only mark on a certain type of paper and otherwise are only clear. That way, kiddo could color in the car and it didn't matter if she dropped a marker or fell asleep with the marker touching her shirt. Hubby and I switched cars when one of us needed a break from trying to keep up with our daughter's musical demands ("I want song! I want song!" followed by screams of "NO!" if you turn on something she doesn't like.) Kiddo had some prior travelling under her belt, and overall she did a great job.
So, we're now here in San Antonio. It feels really hot to us Midwesterners, but we're hanging in there!
Thanks for reading!
Jun 18th, 2009, 06:10 PM
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Thanks for posting! One time I moved from the E Coast to Dallas, we also stopped at multiple places on the way for some sightseeing. It was great because many of those places weren't on my "must-see" list, such as Louisville, Nashville, Hope AK etc.
Jun 18th, 2009, 06:36 PM
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Thanks for reading!
Can't believe that I forgot to mention Dealey Plaza when discussing Dallas. It was definitely interesting to see the grassy knoll after seeing it on TV so many times.
Can't believe that I forgot to mention Dealey Plaza when discussing Dallas. It was definitely interesting to see the grassy knoll after seeing it on TV so many times.
Jun 19th, 2009, 09:04 AM
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missypie:
The food was pretty good. I don't think I'd go there again, but the scantily-clad waitress thing wasn't that weird. They have a kid's menu, so it isn't meant to be too "adult."
The food was pretty good. I don't think I'd go there again, but the scantily-clad waitress thing wasn't that weird. They have a kid's menu, so it isn't meant to be too "adult."
Jun 20th, 2009, 07:30 AM
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siena1,
Welcome to Texas. We have been having some toasty weather lately, that's for sure, so try to find some swimmin' holes to cool off in. South Padre sounds like a great idea and I think you'll love it there.
Welcome to Texas. We have been having some toasty weather lately, that's for sure, so try to find some swimmin' holes to cool off in. South Padre sounds like a great idea and I think you'll love it there.
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:57 PM
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siena1,
While it sounds like you hit Dealey Plaza, I'm betting you didn't want to drag the 2-yr old through the Sixth Floor Museum? You must come back for a 3-day weekend some time. The museum is incredible and very well done.
Sorry about the heat. As a native Midwesterner (Chi-town), I can attest that it takes some gettin' used to.
San Antonio is a great town! You'll love it there. And it's so close to so many other great places to visit- Austin, Fredericksburg, Houston, Galveston, and Dallas/Ft.Worth. Think of all the fun 3-day weekends you can have!
There are many Fodorites here, so any time you need advice- just ask!
Welcome to Texas!
While it sounds like you hit Dealey Plaza, I'm betting you didn't want to drag the 2-yr old through the Sixth Floor Museum? You must come back for a 3-day weekend some time. The museum is incredible and very well done.
Sorry about the heat. As a native Midwesterner (Chi-town), I can attest that it takes some gettin' used to.
San Antonio is a great town! You'll love it there. And it's so close to so many other great places to visit- Austin, Fredericksburg, Houston, Galveston, and Dallas/Ft.Worth.
Think of all the fun 3-day weekends you can have!There are many Fodorites here, so any time you need advice- just ask!
Welcome to Texas!
Jun 25th, 2009, 05:51 AM
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Welcome to Texas! You will enjoy San Antonio. We go to San Antonio, Austin, and the Hill Country often. We live in Houston so it is nothing to drive that way for a long weekend. The heat is here right now and everything will look awfully dry that way, but it is a wonderful part of Texas to live in. My daughter's boyfriend lives in San Antonio and she will be going to UTSA so I imagine we will be out there often too!
Jun 25th, 2009, 05:52 AM
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Thanks so much for all of the kind words! We're very happy to be here and can't wait to explore Texas.
Sarge56--You're correct about the 6th Floor Museum...we didn't think the little one would cooperate, so we just walked around the Dealey Plaza area. I'd like to see the museum sometime. BTW, I couldn't believe the people running out into the street to have their pictures taken on the big X's where JFK was shot. It's almost as though the whole sad event has become a joke to some people. Very strange.
Sarge56--You're correct about the 6th Floor Museum...we didn't think the little one would cooperate, so we just walked around the Dealey Plaza area. I'd like to see the museum sometime. BTW, I couldn't believe the people running out into the street to have their pictures taken on the big X's where JFK was shot. It's almost as though the whole sad event has become a joke to some people. Very strange.
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