Despite what people may think, planning road trips in the United States can be a lot of fun. If you’re living in dryer or hotter climate zones, you can easily change up both the scenery and weather conditions. Plus, you usually don’t have to drive that far to experience something new. But it’s equally engaging if you’re not a citizen and want to explore America by going on a road trip.
So, if you want to start in Texas and drive to Florida, there’s a lot to consider. Aside from the obvious, like the length of the journey, you may want to stop along the way to both rest and visit exciting places. And we’ve got you covered here.
So, let’s begin with the obvious: the trip itself and its length. It all depends on where you start, as Texas is quite a big state. So, assuming you would drive out from the middle, your trip will last for about 20 hours and 40 minutes, and you will have to do 1,369 miles of driving. However, if you were to measure travel time from the capitol to the capitol, it would take close to 17 hours.
The starting point matters a lot in our case because, as a reader, you may not precisely be a US citizen and, thus, have your idea of where to begin. But if you live in Texas, you’ve probably seen what your state has to offer and just want to visit interesting places along the way to your final destination.
So, for the sake of the article and to appease both sides, let’s assume you’ll start in Houston, Texas, with the intention to go along the coastline. That way, you’ll enjoy the scenic views while visiting great peculiar places. Plus, this route takes less time overall, with about 15 hours spent on driving in total.
While it would take quite a long time to describe what you can do in Houston, you can discover that on your own. It’s a relatively large and popular city, with many things to do. Plus, the start is not as difficult as the middle or the very end, and there’re some places you may not know about along the I-10.
After 3.5 hours of driving from Houston along the I-10, you’ll reach a peculiar Cajun town called Lafayette. The city started as a colony of French Canadian descendants and, today, is the fourth largest in Louisiana, so it does have a lot to offer.
A great idea here would be to visit Girard Park. It’s located in a beautiful neighborhood with vast, open green space, equipment for kids, and jogging paths. If that’s not up your alley, you could visit Agave for a Mexican lunch or go on a Cajun Country Swamp Tour. But if you’re a history buff, try out Vermilionville, a living history park.
If you decide to drive off the path and spend a little more time on the trip, then it’s a good idea to visit New Orleans. With its undeniable ties to French culture, New Orleans is the city of music and the birthplace of Louis Armstrong.
To try out the cuisine, hit up the famous Café du Monde and try the beignets. They’re incredibly delicious, especially when paired with the sound of trumpets. It will only add an extra 30 minutes to the trip, we promise!
The next exciting stop would be the Infinity Science Centre. It’s 45 minutes east, right over the Mississippi border from Louisiana.
It’s a pretty large NASA visitor center for the Stennis Space Center. Generally, a great place to hang out to learn about space and earth. Here, it would probably be great to drop by the carnivorous plant gallery or the butterfly garden to add a little bit more excitement to the journey.
After the Infinity Center, you’ll have the opportunity to stop at two coastal towns: Ocean Springs and Mobile.
Ocean Springs, Mississippi, will come up first, and it’s a great place to relax, catch a coffee break and enjoy some art galleries. And, it offers an excellent view for tourists, making it a very lucrative spot.
Another similar spot is Mobile in Alabama. It’s just further down the coastline, and apart from catching a quick break, you can visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, where you can go for tours and see every nook and cranny of the retired aircraft.
Before arriving, you could also take another stop in Alabama to see Fairhope. It’s a combination of Ocean Springs and New Orleans, with great places to have lunch and even more fantastic beaches in Gulf Shores.
But if you’re itching to reach Florida, you shouldn't miss the fabled Emerald Coast. It has two most popular hubs: Destin on the west and Panama City Beach. The primary attraction is the white sandy beach, with big resorts, souvenir shops, go-karts, and golf courses, only sweetening the experience. But if you like being proactive and want to enjoy bike rides, try staying between Grayton Beach and Rosemary Beach.
After this point in the trip, it’s up to you to decide what’s next!
And all that wraps up the trip we propose. There’s a lot to take in and experience when driving from Texas to Florida, so don’t miss the opportunities. What’s another extra 30-45 minutes when there’s so much to spice things up along the way?
All in all, we hope we managed to help you out with the trip. So, good luck on the road, and enjoy the experience!
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