Our 14-Day Texas Road Trip Itinerary: 1,037 Miles Across the Lone Star State

Written By Rene Gedeller

Planning a Texas road trip? We just got back from an epic two weeks, driving more than 1,000 miles across Texas, visiting eight cities including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, New Braunfels, San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, and Waco- a true “Tour of Texas!”

Now, before I delve into what we did each day, you might be wondering- “Why Texas???” Or maybe, “Texas… for TWO weeks??” (This is the exact question my husband asked me!)

And to that, I say- absolutely! We usually try to visit a couple states in one trip, but this time around, given the sheer size of Texas, it didn’t feel right to visit one city and say we’d been there. Plus, with young kids, I’m always looking for kid-friendly things to do, and Texas checked off all the boxes!

The best part is that its easy for you to replicate! Read on for a quick overview of our complete 14-day Texas itinerary to help you plan your own adventure:

Day 1: Arrive in Dallas / Fort Worth Area

Early flight to Dallas. Picked up our rental car and checked into our hotel in Fort Worth. Ate lunch- our first bite of Texas barbeque! Walked around the Stockyards, saw the cattle drive and made our way through the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze. Burgers and fries for dinner and then off to bed due to a long travel day.

Day 2: Exploring Forth Worth

Fort Worth Water Gardens. Then off to the Fort Worth Zoo for the rest of the day (AMAZING)! Mexican for dinner, yum!

Day 3: Dallas Highlights

Made an unexpected stop at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum. Drove into downtown Dallas to eat at The Exchange. Saw the infamous scene at Dealey Plaza before admiring the longhorn statues at Pioneer Plaza. Got a well-deserved afternoon snack- ice cream- and relaxing for a bit before a pizza dinner.

Day 4: Unique, Kid-friendly Dallas

KIDZANIA!! Enough said.

Day 5: Hill Country

Checked out of our hotel to drive to Austin. Made a pit stop mid-way in Waco for the Dr. Pepper Museum and a trip to the Magnolia Silos. Checked into our hotel in Austin, then went on a tour of the Texas State Capitol. Fareground Food Hall for dinner before the Congress Avenue Bridge bats at dusk.

Day 6: Austin Highlights

Checked out of our Austin hotel but hit several sites before heading out of town. Zilker Botanical Gardens in the morning. Cidercade for unlimited arcade games in the afternoon. Strolling South Congress Ave before waving goodbye to make a 7 pm dinner reservation at The Grist Mill in New Braunfels. Checked into our new home for the next few days before eating s’mores by the fire.

Day 7: The World’s Best Waterpark

Schlitterbahn! I have no words, which is saying something.

Day 8: The World’s Best Waterpark- Round two

Schlitterbahn (again). Two days here is a MUST if you want to do it justice.

Day 9: San Antonio Highlights

Checked out of our cabin and made the short drive to San Antonio. San Antonio Mission Trail, ending at the Alamo. Riverwalk, with an Italian dinner.

Day 10: Explore Mexican Heritage in the heart of San Antonio

Voodoo Doughnuts for breakfast, followed by shopping at the Mexican shops of the Historic Market Square. Left San Antonio for our long trek to Houston with a stop at Buc-ees along the way. Checked into our final hotel of the trip.

Day 11: Houston Highlights

Space Center Houston. Burgers and shakes on the water to wrap up the day.

Day 12: Galveston Highlights

Drove to Galveston. Spent most of the day at Moody Gardens. Checked out the historic Victorian mansions. Late night visit to beach.

Day 13: Lazy day for the most part as we got ready to wrap up our trip. Our special event for the day was a trip to the movies.

Day 14: Fly home- back to reality :(

Texas Road Trip by the Numbers

  • 🚗 Total miles driven: 1,037

  • 📍 Cities visited: 8

  • 🏨 Hotels: 4

  • 🌮 Mexican dinners:3

  • 🌊 Wild and crazy waterparks: 1

  • 🚀 Space centers: 1

  • 🦇 Bat colonies: 1

  • 🐂 Cattle drives: 1

Why spending two weeks of precious PTO in Texas was so worth it for our summer, family trip

We loved experiencing so many different sides of Texas—from watching the Fort Worth cattle drive and riding the slides at Schlitterbahn to exploring Space Center Houston and strolling the San Antonio River Walk. If you're planning your own Texas road trip, I hope this itinerary gives you a great starting point. Be sure to check out our detailed guides for each destination, where we share our favorite attractions, restaurants, tips, and what we'd do differently next time.

Rene Gedeller