Road Trip Through Texas | USA
The Lone Star State has definitely a lot to offer than you think. Texas is the largest state in the Southern United States.
My very first impression of Texas was Boring, Old School and Not My Type until I landed in Dallas/FortWorth International Airport.
The view from my seat in the plane surely built a lot of anticipation in me and did change the impression I had of this State. Welcome to the Home of Cow Boys, my mind prompted.
The roads in Dallas are amazing and people ‘amazinger’!
Dallas is pretty big and beautiful. It’s skyline is decent and the place is absolutely spick and span.
I stayed in Stephenville, 100 miles aways from Dallas. It’s a small town in Northern Texas and is home to Tarleton State University, where my sister is pursuing her Second Masters in Kinesiology.
There She Is!
Be prepared for long drives, Texas is BIG and places are far situated.
Start early, the drive to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area took us about 2.5 hours from Stephenville. The drive is beautiful, farms on either sides with aesthetically placed hay rolls on mostly all the farm lands that definitely adds to the beauty of the place.
Enchanted Rock is quite famous among hikers and campers.
The hike till the top is awesome yet strenuous. The View from top of the rock is quite thrilling.
Don’t just come down walking. There’s a big crack at the top that turns into a cave that gets you down. The cave is real fun if you are not a claustrophobic, the drops, the tiny cracks, millions of spiders right above your head makes the experience all the more adventurous.
Avoid doing the cave during dark, make sure you have head lamps, it gets really dark inside. Head lamps are a must.
Do experience the Sunset from the top, it’s worth the patience. The views are amazing.
Carry a lot of water, a lot, trust me. Protein bars, energy bars/drinks and more water. Keep yourself hydrated all the time. Hat, good pair of shoes, a towel are a must too.
Moreover there are a few trails around the rock , walk on to explore the surrounding area.
We later stopped at Fredericksburg Town. A very neat and beautiful town packed with tourist from around the world.
A stroll on the Main Street is a must. It is packed with a lot of stores. Fredericksburg is famous for it’s Winery and Breweries.
Wild Seed Farms is definitely a place to go. It offers Wine Tasting, Souvenirs, variety of Jams, variety of seeds, plants and a lot more.
Who says Texas isn’t touristy?
There’s been this misconception since very long of how boring and non touristy Texas is.
Well, you won’t know until you experience Texas yourself. It’s BIG, it’s BEAUTIFUL and it has A LOT to offer.
Next stop, Granbury. 70 miles from Dallas, this town is small yet beautiful. It is Packed with Parks, Hotels and Cafés.
My most favourite spot in this town is it’s Man-Made Beach – Granbury City Beach.
It’s totally amazing to be there, the water front is great. It’s a clean beach with facilities available. Some beautiful sand arts can be seen along the beach.
Adjacent to the beach is the beautiful Hewlett Park, where you can sit and relax for sometime. It’s a great place for kids, as the park offers a variety of swings to enjoy.
City Municipal Pool situated on the N Park Street, Granbury is yet another cool place to be. The pools are great. Grab a beer and enjoy the water.
We later drove to the Granbury Town Square.
Town Square is the centre of the city. Usually all town squares here in USA have a beautiful Town hall Building in the centre surrounded by Markets, Cafés, Restaurants, Theatre and Gift Stores.
Granbury’s town square is decent and offers good food, and great stores for shopping. The City Square keeps hosting a variety of events that draws a lot of people in to the town.
A stroll along the street is a great way to spend some time here. Do check out the stores, some stores are really really good and some are expensive.
Next up is Glen Rose. Yet another small town in Texas.
Glen Rose is popular for it huge running farms and the three rivers. It’s a very neat town, and people are sweet and friendly.
If you happened to be in Glen Rose, do visit the Big Rocks Park. It’s one of the coolest places in Glen Rose. It’s a little park covered with big fallen Rocks and the Paluxy River Stream which is the main attraction of the park. Just sit on the concrete steps near the small dam and let the powerful water stream flow over your shoulder. The experience is amazing. You just don’t want to get up and go home.
Dinosaur Valley State Park is yet another interesting place in Glen Rose and offers great sites for camping.
Moving on to the next destination, Austin – The State Capital of Texas
Austin further changed my impression, I had of Texas being boring. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of attractions. Even an entire day is not enough to enjoy all that Austin has to offer. But there are places that you don’t want to miss when in Austin.
- Zilker Park | Barton Springs : The most coolest place ever. It’s an outdoor pool fed by a nearby natural spring. The line can get really long to enter the water, but once you’re in, all your efforts are worth it. At first the water feels super cold, but it gets comfortable in a couple of minutes. The crowd is good and young. Getting out of the spring is hard because you just don’t want to come out once you’re inside.
- Lady Bird Lake Hike : If you’re fond of hikes or biking or running, this is the place for you. Offering spectacular views of Austin skyline, this place definitely needs to be visited when in Austin. Kayaks and bikes can be rented on the spot.
- First Street Bridge : Walking the First Street Bridge is one of the best experiences in Austin. The view of the Colorado River from above is fantastic plus amazing view of Austin’s Skyline is right in front of you.
- Inks Lake State Park : This is not exactly in Austin, It is 65 miles away from the City of Austin. But it is totally worth the trip. The swim in the Inks Lake was by far my best experience in Texas. Right in the middle of the woods, this lake is huge with very less people. Feels so close to the nature. Inks Lake State Park also has one of the best camping sites in Texas along with all the facilities. Cliff jumping (right in the middle of the picture) is super fun, don’t miss that.
This amazing experience in Inks Lake was followed by a crazy party in Forth Worth Stockyards.
3 hour drive from Inks lake, Fort Worth Stockyards is exceptionally good. Every inch of the place will take you back in time and make you ponder history. You’re gonna thank me later for this. It’s a National Historic District where trading of cattle and Horses takes place. There’s so many things this district has to offer. DO NOT MISS the longhorn cattle drive on the Exchange Avenue that takes place daily at around 11:30 AM. The best you could experience, trust me. Night life is great with amazing cafés and texan bars along the street. Do check out the Cowboy stores, they are awesome. Cowtown Coliseum is another great place that hosts weekly rodeos that you must experience. Just as Broadway is to New York City. Likewise, rodeo is to Forth Worth Stockyards.
Next day we drove to our next destination – Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It is situated far up north of Texas. A wonderful place for camping. It offers truly majestic sights and great camping spots.
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