where to sleep between Houston an Austin?
 

Hi there friends
me and my family (1 child 1,5yrs, 1 child 3,5yrs) are flying in from sweden to houston and then we´ll drive to austin. but we need a nice place to sleep between those cities. any suggestions?
Thanx Jacob

It isn't that far--maybe 4-5 hour drive. If you are arriving late in the day, then either stay in Houston or drive about 3 hours to San Antonio. Other than that, off hand, I can't recommend much.

The drive from Houston Airport is about 3 1/2 to 4 hrs on highway 290. You won't be going through San Antonio. About 1/2 way between Houston and Austin is the town of Brenham, with quite a few chain motels. I can't specifically recommend, any particular hotel. There ain't much else along the way - it's rural eastern Texas at its best.

Some people recommend the I-10 to Highway 71 route from Houston to Austin, but those that make a distinction usually live on the south side of Austin closer to 71 so they want to shave a few min off the trip. (290 comes into town on the North side of town). From the Houston airport I think they're about the same.

Actually, Gretchen's timing is a little off. It takes about 3 hours to drive to Austin from Houston, and it takes about 3.5 hours to drive to San Antonio from Houston. And San Antonio is NOT on the way to Austin.

You really might consider staying at a hotel near the airport in Houston, although it's not a particularly interesting area. It's a really easy drive to Austin, and you bypass most of the towns on your way, so there's not a lot of hotel options. There are several smaller motel-like places to stay, but I can't think of the names of any of them now.

If you don't want to drive all the way through or stay near the airport, you could start driving and stay in a hotel near I-10 in west Houston. There are more options there and there's a great shopping mall called Memorial City Mall that's been redone recently. In addition to the stores, it has quite a few restaurants, an ice skating rink, and an indoor playground. (I'll try to figure out what hotels are nearby and post back.)

From there, you'll be on the right side of town to make your drive to Austin when you're refreshed the next day.

Susan

We stopped at the Hampton Inn in Katy, TX (on I-10) when we were moving to Austin. We really enjoyed that route to Austin as well and I think it was no more than a 3 hour drive from Katy to Austin. It's a nice drive too - very rural. The Hampton had a continental breakfast too and there were plenty of places to eat very close by. The room was very comfortable and clean.

hi thanx for all replies, i know it´s close but when we arrive to houston we´ve been traveling for about 15hrs so we just can´t drive for 3-3,5hrs so i was thinking if there was any place in particular 30min-60min drive towards austin/Kindly Jacob

Jacob,

Do you need ideas about what to do in Austin or are you all set there? You can either reply on this thread or start a new one if you want info and many of us will be glad to chime in.

J62

hi j62 feel free to give is advice on what to do in austin. we´ll be staying there for almost 3 weeks and have so far planned to go to a ranch somewhere in bandera for 1-2 days and to go to barton springs and to drive to schlitterban but what more shall we do?
Thanx Jacob

Sorry for my geography mistake. I did know there was a "hypotenuse" but didn't take time to look it up. My kids lived in San Antonio so was referencing from there. But did know there isn't a whole lot going on. should have waited.

Jacob,

With little ones like yours, here are a few more suggestions. The mid day heat (11 am to 5 or 6pm, depending on when you go) can be quite harsh, so be cautious about being exposed outside.

1. Climb Enchanted Rock, just N of Fredricksburg. The 3.5yr old can walk to the top in 40min, no problem. The 1.5yr old would need to be carried in a backpack. You could NOT do this with a stroller, even a an all terrain stroller.

2. Children's discovery museum, 2nd or 3rd st, just west of Congress. Good for a 1-2hrs on a hot afternoon.

3. Bob Bullock Tx State Museum. Just a block north of the Capitol bldg. Also good for 2hrs on a hot afternoon. They have a varying selection of IMAX films too.

4. One World Theater, Bee Cave Rd west of Austin. They have some wonderful childrens shows in an intimate theater setting. You can google for their website.

5. You mentioned Barton Springs in Zilker Park. Little ones might actually find the water a little cold. The city of Austin has other municipal pools that are good for kids.

6. Also in Zilker park is a mini train ride, nice kids playground under the trees, and a canoe rental. The 3.5 yr old might like to go on canoe paddle in the quiet creek - there are always dozens of turtles sunning logs and rocks, and often ducks to feed bread.

7. On the other side of Zilker park is a small nature center - not a destination in and of itself, but if you're in the vicinity and looking for an activity it's fun.

8. Krispy Kreme donuts. You can watch them make the donuts through a glass window then get a fresh, hot one as soon as it comes off the line! Sounds silly, but kids love it. They are scattered around Austin.

Good kids restaurants are Chuy's and Shady Oaks? or maybe it's shady grove on Barton Springs rd., Hula Hut on Town Lake (or is it Lake Austin?), plus many other chain or independent restaurants in the area. Every restaurant I've ever been to in town is used to kids, so yours will be welcome, even at nice places. Family dinner time out in Austin is usually 5:30 to 7ish, often later on really hot days.

Hey j62! thanx so much i will for sure print your message and put in the backpack, do you live in austin yourseld and do you have kids?

/Jacob