In a post regarding what they felt was “The Ultimate Texas Road Trip,” Condé Nast Traveler summed up what we also see as some pretty phenomenal things about our state into a series of nine picture posts. An honor to be included by other travel and tourism sites as a must-visit destination, the state of Texas is so broad and has so many wonderful sights, it’s truly hard to pin them down into one all-encompassing road trip experience…but they tried.
Written and published in 2016, the article appears to focus on the central part of Texas for the most part, including places such as San Antonio, Austin, Fredericksburg, and so on, before also whisking the reader to West Texas for a beautiful photo of Big Bend National Park and the Prada art installation at Marfa. But, aside from an honorable mention to Houston and Lockhart, the trip recommendation failed to truly capture the essence of what a road trip in Texas can ultimately mean. It’s more than just visiting metropolitan areas or places of high repute as regarded by the standard tourism guides (Fodor’s is a great example.) It’s about truly experiencing the sounds, smells, foods, and local color, and you can’t do that in Texas with a week and a photo compendium of places to see.
Photo: Pixabay
If you’re really doing the whole road trip experience, remember that you’re going to get sick of your partner in crime at some point in the journey. Honestly. And, in Texas, you have a massive amount of space in which to do that. Pick some mutually-interesting holes-in-the-wall to visit (keeping safety at the forefront of the conversation, of course), and take some recommendations from family or friends that have been in these parts.
East Texas has some fantastic historic restaurants, outdoor adventures, and local scenery which, in comparison to West Texas (or any other region for that matter), is in stark contrast to what the normal tourist haunts have. And, the Panhandle region, although you’ll experience periods of long, flat, driving silence, also has the second largest canyon in the U.S. and ranching history that’s second-to-none.
The Gulf Coast boasts some of the best seafood, marine history, cool cottage kitsch, and nature viewing there is to be had. Do yourself a huge favor and don’t make a rush of it, go by a picture post, or listen to a college friend. A true road trip in Texas deserves your time, energy in planning, and proper knowledge of who you’re traveling with well in advance. It also deserves a minimum of two weeks to soak it all in. Take some time to tour Texas the right way, and you’ll be glad you did. And, remember, “Drive Friendly – The Texas Way.”
