Twelve Texas Road Trips

West Texas

You'll have to drive pretty far to get here, but it's well-worth it to see the Guadalupe Mountains, Big Bend National Park, and the Franklin Mountains in El Paso. You can also go down into Marfa and check out the famous Marfa lights.

East Texas

East Texas has its own smalltown country charm, with hundreds of miles of thick forests, towering pine trees, and little towns to stop in for some serious southern comfort food done right. From Beaumont it takes about 4 hours to reach Texarkana, so this makes for a perfect family road trip, and you can stay at a bed and breakfast somewhere along the way to get the full East Texas experience.

Corpus Christi

Take a drive into South Texas and relax on some of the best beaches in the state, see aquatic life up-close-andpersonal at the Texas State Aquarium, or take a tour of the famous USS Lexington battle ship, now transformed into a museum.

Texas Hill Country

With so much to see in this part of a state, a road trip to the hill country is definitely in order. Drive through the cascading hills of Marble Falls, tube the Guadalupe, Comal and San Marcos Rivers, explore the many state parks in the area such as Pedernales Falls, or spend the day splashing and sliding at Schlitterbahn. The beauty of the hill country is just something everyone should experience, especially in the summertime.

Austin, Texas

Arguably the best city in Texas, you will never get bored in the capital city. Eat at some of the most unique restaurants in the state, see the bats fly out from under the Congress Ave Bridge in the summer, take a tour of the Texas Capitol Building, visit one of the many music festivals held in the city, or go paddle-boarding on Lady Bird Lake. Oh, and if you really can't find anything to do, you could always get a tattoo (there's a shop on almost every street in Austin).

Houston Texas

You can eat almost every single kind of cuisine in the world and never even leave this city. Aside from the wide variety of food, Houston also has one of the largest gallerias in the country for the shopaholics out there, plus plenty of museums and theaters for art and science lovers

Paris, Texas

You don't have to go to France to see the Eiffel Tower..we have our own little replica right here in Paris, Texas! In addition to this widely popular landmark, you can also tour the historic district with beautiful old homes, art galleries, museums, and shopping at the Town Square.

Amarillo, Texas

Drive along the legendary Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle, which will take you 178 miles through old ghost towns and historic relics and attractions, such as the Devil's Rope Museum and Phillip's 66 Service Station in McLean, Bugg Ranch in Conway, and the highlyvisited Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. While I-40 has replaced much of the original route, some remnants of 66 parallel the interstate as a frontage road.

San Antonio, TX.

This city is overflowing with a mix of the Spanish culture, lively nightlife, fun family attractions, and historic sites like The Alamo. Top things to do include taking a stroll down the River Walk, trying the delicious authentic Mexican food, visiting SeaWorld and Six Flags, and sight-seeing in the historic districts of the city.

PHOTO BY MARCELO MOREIRA

PHOTO BY

ATLAS MOUNTAIND ROAD, MOROCCO

The Dades Gorge in Morocco is beautiful to look at, but not while you’re driving this twisty-turvy road. You could end up being a part of the Gorge. You can also explore the High Atlas and its scenic appeal by driving through a switchback of hairpin curves that connect Marrakech to the pre-Sahara through the mountain range. The most spectacular drive is the Tizi n Test ROAD, weaving its way through the Atlas, over the Tizi , Test pass at 2092 meters (6,870 ft.) then down onto the Souss plains. Along the way you can explore the superb crumbling Kasbah of Telout – the most spectacular sight in the High Atlas.