robin1234

My son, who lives in England, is attending a wedding in Dallas in early July, and planned a convoluted way to get there. He's flying to Los Angeles, spending three or four days there, then taking the train from there to El Paso, Texas. There, he's renting a car, and driving to Austin over the course of three or four days, spending a couple of days in Austin (having returned the car,) then bus to Dallas for the wedding festivities.

On the spur of the moment I decided to join him on the El Paso to Austin road trip and then a couple of days in Austin. I realise it'll be hot out there. What's to see between El Paso and Austin? Davy Crockett monument, Caverns of Sonora? How about El Paso, is it worth me getting there a day or so earlier, is it full of really interesting things to visit?

Thanks in advance!

sir_eccles

Having done Phx to Austin I can tell you that there just isn't much in west Texas other than about 500 miles of I-10. On the plus side the speed limit is 85.

Leslie

I haven't been to El Paso in years but, I loved it the few times that I was there. Like most border towns, there is a strong Mexican influence that I think you'll enjoy. It's not a glamorous place or a touristy place but rather a real place where real people live. If you've never been to that particular part of the country, it should be fun for you to just look around and "see how the other half lives". If you like El Paso, you might try Laredo next time ... now that's the shit.

Leslie

PS - if you're turning the car in at Austin and then staying on for a few more days, Uber is your friend.

TimFountain

No point. It's flat, boring and hot. Fly into LA, do whatever, fly from LA to Austin or DFW if that's where the wedding is. Be aware that 1-way rentals are sh1t expensive..

That road trip is nothing at all to get excised about.... ELP is a hot sweaty dump to be avoided....

scrubbedexpat097

When you leave El Paso make your way to a small town called Presidio, find the road to Terlingua. It is known as the River Road and has amazing inclines and descents as it winds it's way through the mountains and follows the Rio Grande. When you get to Terlingua enjoy a few hours with the weird and wonderful locals who seem to have gravitated there from all walks of life..you will discover the lost hippy life! If you have time you could drive into Study Butte and see the wonders of Big Bend State Park but July is way too hot to hike around there.

If you are interested you could also go up into the Davis Mountains to the MacDonald Observatory which is a neat place to tour and also see the Fort Davis ruins which may also interest you as they do a very good tour as well.

You might want to try and stay off I10 as much as possible, we did this 2 weeks ago, and we drove on US 90 which was much more interesting. A great place to stop on US 90 is a very small town called Langtry (named after Lilly) and it is the town of Judge Roy Bean! If you blink you miss it but the small museum is great. They also have the best cactus garden right next to it.

If you stay on 90 until San Antonio then you can make your way to Austin.

Top tip: top up your gas tank whenever you can as there are sometimes long distances between gas stations. And it will be very very hot in July!

Also if you get chance Google La Kiva murder and see if you can find a Houston Chronicle report on this, it's an interesting story.





Judge Roy Bean's Bar and River Road

username.exe

Agree, especially Laredo... very charming town. Met some awesome people there both times I visited.
McAllen was in a similar vein, too.

Recommend you stop in San Antonio and check out the Alamo!

petitefrancaise

Sugarmooma's right about Mcdonald observatory and the area around there. Book your tickets though as it can get busy. Marfa's meant to be nice and artsy - I keep meaning to get there but somehow haven't.

San Antonio is definitely worth a visit... not just the alamo in the city centre but also the "missions" - if anything I think they are better.

Austin? Well my home town... no Uber or Lyft though, they've had a tantrum and walked out - at least for now. Look on Do512 for things to do, although just a walk down 6th Street with music and the bars is fun. Stand up paddle board on the lake. swim in Barton Creek - it will be lovely and cool. Depending on when you are here, there are free outdoor movies on the long center lawn with music and food trailers. Of course there are BBQ places. I'm not a great lover of BBQ so maybe someone else will advise you that. Airbnb in one of the cute houses around the city center would be nice and then you may even manage on bikes although it's going to be hot in July. Or give me a call. Happy to host a night or two.

robin1234

Hey thanks everybody for some great insights!

I got a decent price on flights down from Ottawa, and I'm getting in to El Paso the day before my son's train comes in, so I'm looking forward to seeing the city. Then road trip of three nights; I'm thinking of stopping in Alpine for the first night, or possibly even two nights. There are some wicked high mountains right there, and plenty to see around there. Then looking forward to the road trip to Del Rio and onward to Austin. Langtry sounds like it's worth a stop. (Also, making sure to stop for gas whenever available)

scrubbedexpat097

Excellent We stayed in Alpine on our recent roadtrip. It's a good place to stay and to see some of the surrounding places, Marfa is not too far away. The Marfa lights are an interesting sight

I look forward to your thoughts after this trip. As you can tell it is one of our favorite places to go. It's hot,desolate and different

robin1234

So here I am in Austin! I love the place! Call me an unsophisticated rube from rural New York, but that Wholefoods on 6th Street is amazing. It has several wine bars, cafes and restaurants right inside the supermarket. I had a superb (and very reasonably priced) salmon dish and a glass of wine at the 5th Street Seafood Restaurant in the Wholefoods.

Very good bus service from the airport in Austin to downtown. $3.50 for a 24 hour unlimited systemwide bus ticket! That's pretty good!

petitefrancaise

robin1234

Thanks!!

I think I want to live here.

But I say that (almost) everywhere I visit....

petitefrancaise

How was the trip?

You picked a VERY hot time to travel through the SW.

robin1234

This is the beginning. I flew round trip, Ottawa to Austin, as the price was very reasonable. Then I have a one way Southwest flight to El Paso tomorrow. Hope to visit the fine arts museum on Saturday. Then meet up with my son, who's currently in LA, San Diego etc., and we drive from El Paso back to Austin. I'm hoping to stop in Alpine and maybe Fredericksberg...

Hot, yes, but I didn't find it too bad here today. It doesn't seem to be too humid...