Get the kids excited for a road trip in Texas with these suggestions.
Depending on your destination, road trips in Texas can be long or short. Choose from beaches, historic sites, state parks, shops, restaurants, and tours. Get away for a day or a weekend with your family. Follow along with these 13 Texas family road trips that top our list.
13 Texas Family Road Trips To Take In 2025
A Texas road trip always includes a trip to a Buc-ee’s, right? They have cheaper gas, clean restrooms, and a lot of nuggets. I live five minutes from one, but I still stop at them, like the one in Ennis.
1. Pearland, Texas
Pearland is a short drive south of Houston. Its name in Spanish means “The Land of Pears.” Now, you can take your souvenir photo on the Pear-Scape Trail with giant pears painted by local artists. Pearland has many hotels, restaurants, shops, and antiques. I particularly like the Pearland Town Center – there are so many name-brand stores in one place.
Your family can enjoy disc golf, a nature center with interactive animal programs, educational exhibits and workshops, hiking and biking trails, and more. A recent article by Kim C. is about a Mother-Daughter trip to Pearland.
2. San Angelo, Texas
If you want to experience the Old West of Texas, San Angelo offers several options for exciting outdoor adventures. The most popular things about this city are the guided tours to see bison and longhorn cattle, or the longhorns in San Angelo State Park.
Visit Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, stroll the Concho Riverwalk, admire the international collection of water lilies at Civic League Park, and enjoy the art around town.
3. Hiking In Texas State Parks
If you like nature, adventures, hiking, and excursions, take a road trip to Texas to one of our state parks. These parks offer these outdoor activities. You’ll find cabins and places to pitch your tent. These parks are perfect for spending a day away from the city with family.
Fantastic Texas State Parks for Hiking:
- Palo Duro Canyon State Park
- Caprock Canyon State Park
- Tyler State Park
- Dinosaur Valley State Park
- Pedernales State Park
4. Seguin, Texas
Seguin is a family vacation spot located south of Austin on the banks of the Guadalupe River. It offers different lodging experiences, such as a historic and haunted hotel or a resort with treehouses and glamping cabins.
Take your family to the world’s largest pecan, eat at local restaurants, and take a photo in front of one of the city’s murals.
Visit Geronimo Creek, where you can do water activities, or visit the private lakeside cabins on Son’s Island, which offer private cabins in a relaxed and luxurious atmosphere. They also have treehouses to experience.
5. Brazosport Area, Texas
The Brazosport area is a low-traffic coastal community located south of Houston. You can enjoy different beaches in this area, each with its own rules. Go prepared for everything you need during the day because you will not find stores or concessions here. There are different options for staying. Please read about our family trip and the communities that make up the Brazosport Area.
Apart from the beach, you can visit the Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site in West Columbia, Texas. Also, see the Sea Center Texas, a free aquarium and wetland featuring marine life exhibits, a fishing lake for kids, and more.
6. Baytown, Texas
Baytown is located on the Gulf Coast, 26 miles from Houston. Tour the city on the Official Baytown GeoTour, take photos of the city’s artistic murals, or browse the art galleries in the Downtown Art District. Enjoy nature at the Baytown Nature Center, a family area where you can fish, walk through the butterfly garden, see birds of different species, and walk along its paths, among other activities.
You can also visit Roseland Park, which has a walking trail, boat ramps, fishing piers, covered play areas, barbecue grills, and courts for volleyball and basketball.
7. Mesquite, Texas
Do you like rodeos? Mesquite, Texas, is the Rodeo Capital of Texas, with more rodeos than any other city in Texas, including Fort Worth. There’s a lot to do in the city, only 15 minutes from downtown Dallas. I had the chance to attend a rodeo when I took my dogs on the weekend pet-friendly trip to Mesquite, TX.
8. Conroe, Texas
How about staying at a resort north of Houston? The one and only Margaritaville Resort Lake Conroe. It’s a great place for the whole family, and water sports are a huge thing there—kayaking, boating, swimming, fishing, and lots of memories!
9. New Braunfels, Texas
Any reason to go to New Braunfels is a good reason for me. It’s one of my favorite family road trips. We love the Guadalupe River, but we love Gruene better. The restaurants there are hard to beat for having a great dinner and a good time.
10. Plano, Texas
Plano has become a family place to travel to. With the Crayola Factory, horse riding at Southfork Ranch, that cool zipline at GO APE, and all the shopping and dining you can think of, Plano is rocking and rolling and would make a wonderful Texas family road trip. Here are three reasons why:
11. Tanglewood Resort – Lake Texoma
Adults and kids alike will like the new 3-tier pool with a slide. The outside is gorgeous, with lots of seating, a tiki bar, and live music. Of course, that’s not all; the villas are nice and spacious, and the restaurants are there to make everyone happy-yes, even your kiddos. See our trip when I went with my girlfriend, Tanglewood Resort on Lake Texoma.
12. Abilene, Texas
If any place is great for a family road trip, it’s Abilene. Seeing that it’s the Storybook Capital of Texas, there are plenty of stories to read to your children. I haven’t made it out that way, but one of our writers took her family there a few years ago and had a great time. Read her story here – Family-fun Weekend Getaway to Abilene, TX.
13. Kerrville, Texas
I recently visited this Texas Hill Country town and want to return …soon! We had so much fun and downtime. Kerrville has something to do for the whole family, from kayaking in the Guadalupe to playing in the parks, having coffee at PAX, and going to the farmers market on a Saturday. Here’s my article on how to spend a fun weekend in Kerrville, TX.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these 13 Texas family road trips. Have fun on your journey. Texas Travel Talk will start taking road trips from Texas to other states that have Texas in mind. My first one was to Abilene, Kansas. I took a road trip on the Chisholm Trail from Fort Worth to Kansas. It was so much fun, and I know if you’re reading this far down, you’ll enjoy this part of the United States as I did – so much rich history all throughout that small town in Kansas!
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