Want to get away, enjoy a vacation with the family, but not have to work so hard to have fun? Here are the best road trips from Houston, recommended by Houston parents! Read on for road trips from Houston, Texas.
Below are spots near Houston, towards Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Dallas... and beyond Texas. Drive a short distance, or drive for several hours... either way, there is a great adventure waiting!
Do you have a idea for a roadtrip from Houston? Tell us so we can add it to the list.
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Best road trips... near Houston
- Beaumont - 84 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Visit the Fire Museum, Children's Museum, Energy Museum and Spindletop.
- Learn all about the animals at Gator Country. You can even wade through the water with baby alligators.
- Galveston - 50 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Beaches, museums, parks and restaurants!
- Jellystone Park - 50 Miles from Downtown Houston - 34843 Betka Rd, Waller, TX 77445
- Camping/cabins with Yogi, Boo Boo, and Cindy!
- Fishing, swimming pools, mini-golf and lazy river!
- Margaritaville Lake Conroe - 55 Miles from Downtown Houston - 600 Margaritaville Parkway, Montgomery, TX 77356
- Water park, pools, lazy river, beach, mini golf and boat rentals.
- The Woodlands Resort - 31 Miles from Downtown Houston - 2301 N Millbend Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380
- Water slide, underwater music, sprayground, toddler pool, lazy river, dive-in movies and family activities.
- 200 miles of hiking and biking trails that meander through the southern reaches of the East Texas Piney Woods.
Best road trips... towards Austin
- Austin - 163 Miles from Downtown Houston
- The Antlers - 220 Miles from Downtown Houston - 1001 King St., Kingsland, Texas 78639-5252
- Sleep in a caboose, play in the yard, swim in the lake!
- Fredericksburg - 240 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Go to the National Museum of the Pacific War, visit Texas Wine Country, find award-winning shopping, visit the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and more.
- Hyatt Lost Pines - 146 Miles from Downtown Houston - 575 Hyatt Lost Pines Road, Lost Pines, Texas 78612
- Luxurious hotel next to the McKinney Roughs Nature Park.
- Kayaking, raft trips, horseback riding, hiking, and live music.
Best road trips... towards Corpus Christi
- Corpus Christi - 207 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Texas State Aquarium
- Dolphins, eagles, flowers, splashpads, otters, sharks, stingrays and more.
- Use your Houston Zoo membership for discounts.
- USS Lexington, Aircraft Carrier and WWII Museum
- Museum and educational facility on WWII Aircraft Carrier.
- Texas State Aquarium
- Port Aransas - 207 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Explore this small town on Mustang Island by Corpus Christi!
- South Padre Island - 369 Miles form Downtown Houston
- 34-miles of beaches and attractions
Best road trips... towards San Antonio
- Big Bend National Park - 565 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Chalk Bluff Park - 293 Miles from Downtown Houston - 1108 Chalk Bluff Road, Uvalde, TX 78801
- On the Nueces River.
- Camp, swim and hike.
- Garner State Park - 285 Miles from Downtown Houston - 234 RR 1050, Concan, TX 78838
- Next to 2.9 miles of Frio River and on 1,774 acres.
- Swim, inner tube, paddle boat, hike, camp, fish, mini-golf, geocache, bike and dance.
- Gruene - 176 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Texas' oldest continually operating dance hall.
- Whitewater raft, tube and canoe trips on the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers.
- Fly fishing, pottery making and lots of history.
- Landa Park Aquatic Center - 175 Miles from Downtown Houston - 350 Aquatic Circle, New Braunfels, TX 78130
- Mayan Dude Ranch - 246 Miles from Downtown Houston - 350 Mayan ranch rd, Bandera, TX 78003
- Schlitterbahn Waterpark - 176 Miles from Downtown Houston - 400 N Liberty Ave, New Braunfels, TX 78130
- 70 acre waterpark next to the Comal River.
- River adventures, kid’s water playgrounds, and spots to relax and picnic.
- San Antonio - 200 Miles from Downtown Houston
- The Tipis at Geronimo Creek Retreat - 163 Miles from Downtown Houston - 2050 Laubach Rd, Seguin, TX 78155
- Not camping... "glamping" at Geronimo Creek. Stay in a tipi or cabin... with beds, kitchens and private bathrooms.
- Go camping... without really "roughing it".
Best road trips... towards Dallas
- Dinosaur Valley State Park - 259 Miles to Downtown Houston - 1629 Park Rd 59, Glen Rose, TX 76043
- Find dinosaur tracks, camp, picnic, hike, mountain bike, swim and fish.
- Fort Worth Zoo - 267 Miles to Downtown Houston - 1989 Colonial Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76109Open 365 Days a Year
- Grapevine - 263 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Historic Downtown has shops, restaurants and galleries.
- Dove Park - 1509 Hood Ln, Grapevine, TX 76051
- Open summers and reasonable admission.
- Slides, climbing wall, water playground.
- Great Wolf Lodge - 100 Great Wolf Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051
- Indoor and outdoor water park, kids spa and more.
- LEGO Land Discovery Center - 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine, TX 76051
- Lots of Legos and indoor Lego playground.
- Sea Life Aquarium - 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Grapevine, TX 76051
- Feed shows, touch zones, play zone and more.
- Texas State Railroad - 150 Miles from Downtown Houston - Park Road 76, Rusk, TX 75785 & 789 Park Road 70, Palestine, TX 75801
- Steam Engine runs out of Palestine and a diesel departs from Rusk.
- Travel 25 miles through the woods.
- Waco - 185 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Dr Pepper Museum, Magnolia Shop, Texas Ranger Museum and more.
Best road trips... beyond Texas
- Broken Bow, Oklahoma - 327 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Gorgeous outdoor adventures – hiking, canoes, zip lines, fantastic fishing, breweries, wineries and great restaurants.
- Rent a luxury cabin
- Eureka Springs, Arkansas - 555 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Hot Springs, Arkansas - 409 Miles from Downtown Houston
- New Orleans, Louisiana - 350 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Memphis, Tennessee - 566 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Great children’s museum and another museum, The Pink Palace.
- Beal Street during the day with a fire station museum nearby.
- Take the trolly car around downtown.
- Go see the ducks walk the red carpet inside the Peabody Hotel.
- Visit the Civil Rights Museum/Lorraine Motel.
- Fabulous children’s garden at the Memphis Botanical Garden.
- Graceland if kids are older.
- Take the monorail over to mud island and explore.
- Several parks along the Mississippi River.
- Underground Railroad Museum and Cotton Museum.
- Bass Pro Shop in the Pyramid.
- Orange Beach & Gulf Shores, Alabama - 520 Miles from Downtown Houston
- Pensacola Beach, Florida - 530 Miles from Downtown Houston
Also, did you know your Houston Museum and Zoo Memberships can get you free or discounted admission at museums and zoos all over the world? Learn more HERE!
Do you have more ideas for the best road trips from Houston? For fun Texas road trips from Houston? Let us know in the comments!
Melissa Rhea says
Mallory Rhea Farrow Kelsey Prince Chelsea Schofield Britney Rose Prince here is some good ideas for this summer!!!! I see some road trips in our future!!!
Crystal Cazares says
http://www.pickyourown.org/TX.htm lots of places to stop along the way, stretch those legs and pick some yummy snacks too. I have been to a few of them and the ones I've been to are great.
Crystal Cazares says
Also can't forget Austin's children's museum called the thinkery, it's rated one of the top 11 children's museums in the country. Also on the list is the Houston children's museum and the doseum in San Antonio because they are some of the most engaging, interactive places for kids and have lots of steam related ways to get kids excited about learning.
Crystal Cazares says
I also feel Waco might need a shout out with the dr pepper museum, the magnoila homes shop that has the really large yard for families to play, and the Texas ranger museum
Crystal Cazares says
Choose to Houston should include the show body theatre. It's a drive in movie that has a playground at the front and you get two movies for one price. It's nice to sit and watch the stars while a movie is playing and the kids aren't stuck to only one seat, they can kick their legs a bit or hop up and down without distributing others.
Kevin R says
For a short road trip from Houston, only 5 hours, I would encourage your readers to go to Broken Bow, Oklahoma. It has gorgeous outdoor adventures – hiking, canoes, zip lines, fantastic fishing, breweries, wineries and great restaurants. The cabin rentals are incredible. They are secluded and luxurious.
Check out our site Rustic Luxury Cabins for some of the best out there. We have a great resource for Top 25 Things to do in Broken Bow as well.
https://www.rusticluxurycabins.com/things-to-do-in-broken-bow/
https://www.rusticluxurycabins.com/
Go explore,
Kevin
Rustic Luxury Cabins