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Best road trips from Houston… Find them here!

by Jill Jarvis 6 Comments

Best Road Trips from Houston
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 Texas road trips from Houston.

Read on to see spots near Houston, towards Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Dallas. Drive a short distance, or drive for a few hours… either way, there is a great adventure waiting!

Do you have a idea for a Texas roadtrip from Houston? Tell us so we can add it to the list. (Also, here are camping spots near Houston.)

Best Road Trips from Houston… Near Houston:

  • 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.
  • Margaritaville Lake Conroe – 55 Miles from Downtown Houston – 600 La Torretta Blvd, Montgomery, TX 77356
    • Water park, pools, lazy river, beach, mini golf and boat rentals.
  • Galveston – 50 Miles from Downtown Houston
    • Beaches, museums, parks and restaurants!
  • Lone Star 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!

Best Texas Road Trips from Houston… Towards Austin:

  • 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.
  • Austin – 163 Miles from Downtown Houston
    • Things to do in Austin with Kids
    • 365 Things to do in Austin
  • 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!

Best Roadtrips from Houston… Towards Corpus Christi:

  • Explore Corpus Christi – 207 Miles from Downtown Houston 
  • Texas State Aquarium – 207 Miles from Downtown Houston – 2710 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78402
    • Dolphins, eagles, flowers, splashpads, otters, sharks, stingrays and more.
  • USS Lexington, Aircraft Carrier and WWII Museum – 207 Miles from Downtown Houston – 2914 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78402
    • Museum and educational facility on WWII Aircraft Carrier.
  • Pirate Cruise – 364 Miles from Downtown Houston – 501 E Maxan St, Port Isabel, TX 78578
    • Take a cruise on a pirate ship! There is interactive entertainment as you cruise around Laguna Madre.
  • South Padre Island – 369 Miles form Downtown Houston
    • 34-miles of beaches and attractions

Best Texas Road Trips from Houston… Towards San Antonio:

  • 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”.
  • Landa Park Aquatic Center – 175 Miles from Downtown Houston – 350 Aquatic Circle, New Braunfels, TX 78130
  • Schlterbahn 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.
  • 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.
  • Mayan Dude Ranch – 246 Miles from Downtown Houston – 350 Mayan ranch rd, Bandera, TX 78003
  • 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.
  • Chalk Bluff Park – 293 Miles from Downtown Houston – 1108 Chalk Bluff Road, Uvalde, TX 78801
    • On the Nueces River.
    • Camp, swim and hike.
  •  San Antonio – 200 Miles from Downtown Houston
    • Things to do in San Antonio with Kids
    • San Antonio Underwater Room at the Omni

Best Roadtrips from Houston… Towards Dallas:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Grapevine – 263 Miles from Downtown Houston
    • Historic Downtown has shops, restaurants and galleries.
  • LEGO Land Discovery Center – 263 Miles from Downtown Houston – 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine, TX 76051 
    • Lots of Legos and indoor Lego playground.
  • Sea Life Aquarium – 263 Miles from Downtown Houston – 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Grapevine, TX 76051
    • Feed shows, touch zones, play zone and more.
  • Great Wolf Lodge – 264 Miles from Downtown Houston – 100 Great Wolf Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051
    • Indoor and outdoor water park, kids spa and more.
  • Dove Park – 266 Miles from Downtown Houston – 1509 Hood Ln, Grapevine, TX 76051
    • Open summers and very reasonable admission.
    • Slides, climbing wall, water playground.
  • Fort Worth Zoo – 267 Miles to Downtown Houston – 1989 Colonial Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76109
    • Open 365 Days a Year.

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!

The Best Texas Roadtrips from Houston... as recommended by Houston parents!

Filed Under: All, Roadtrips, Things to do, Travel, You Asked Us! April 16, 2015

About Jill Jarvis

Jill Jarvis is the owner of JillBJarvis.com, a BigKidSmallCity.com and Things to Do in Houston, with Kids, blog!

She is the mom of 4 and started the website years ago... when she was tired of constantly cleaning up the same mess in the family room.

Another mom showed her that you could just go do fun things in Houston, without hours of planning.

This inspired the blog and changed everything about how she enjoyed life in Houston, with kids!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa Rhea says

    May 30, 2015 at 8:04 pm

    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!!!

    Reply
  2. Crystal Cazares says

    May 24, 2016 at 8:20 pm

    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.

    Reply
  3. Crystal Cazares says

    May 24, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. Crystal Cazares says

    May 24, 2016 at 8:34 pm

    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

    Reply
  5. Crystal Cazares says

    May 24, 2016 at 8:38 pm

    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.

    Reply
  6. Kevin R says

    June 16, 2018 at 7:58 am

    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

    Reply

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jill-jarvis-bigkidsmallcity-circle-300 Welcome!  JillBJarvis.com is the go-to blog for things to do in Houston with kids!  It is upbeat and dedicated to making our big city feel small.   START HERE!    

On this website you will find a full list of Houston weekly events, things to do around the city, travel ideas and resources for parents.

I know just what it’s like to be overwhelmed by work, life and family. I spent a lot of years traveling for work, missing big milestones for my kids and feeling bad about everything.

I started this website to make a list of all the events happening around Houston and then pick one to enjoy with my kids. And instead of thinking of all the things I was missing, I started to enjoy the things we were doing together.

If you are a parent that is feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could be doing in Houston… please just use our weekly lists and daily posts as suggestions. Pick one thing to do with your family and intentionally ignore the rest!

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