Texas

Looking for some advice/tips... am thinking of going to the Lone Star state next year - either April/May or September/October time. Can anyone advise the best time of year to go? Is there a hurricane season and if so, when? Best places to visit????

Any advice much appreciated, as always!

My eldest had Texas on his itinerary during his East - West roadtrip last year. As it was just one part of the trip he didn't linger, but here are his comments. Remember they are from the perspective of someone in their early 20's travelling with their mates on a limited budget, and where they ended up staying in towns and cities would often colour their views of those places. I know, for example, that he has vowed never to go back to Washington (a place I know is popular with V-Flyers) because of the area they had to traverse to get to where they were staying.

"Austin was the big highlight in Texas. Live music etc, proper BBQ places.

Dallas is a no-no. We stayed there for one night, saw the JFK stuff (and Medieval Times) and that was it.

I think they are the only two places we stayed, we changed our trip to stay in Austin longer"

Hope this helps in some way.

Paul

My eldest had Texas on his itinerary during his East - West roadtrip last year. As it was just one part of the trip he didn't linger, but here are his comments. Remember they are from the perspective of someone in their early 20's travelling with their mates on a limited budget, and where they ended up staying in towns and cities would often colour their views of those places. I know, for example, that he has vowed never to go back to Washington (a place I know is popular with V-Flyers) because of the area they had to traverse to get to where they were staying.

"Austin was the big highlight in Texas. Live music etc, proper BBQ places.

Dallas is a no-no. We stayed there for one night, saw the JFK stuff (and Medieval Times) and that was it.

I think they are the only two places we stayed, we changed our trip to stay in Austin longer"

Hope this helps in some way.

Paul

I have had the misfortune of working out there in a previous project - particulary Dallas and Fort Worth. I would NEVER pay to go back - the most boring state I have visited and I have visited all bar 2. You can do Dallas in a short day and that includes a trip to Southfork and the JFK museum (ignore the crosses on the street - they move every day depending on what street hawker gets there first to put the duct tape down). Fort Worth is OK but you have to know where you are going - the state is not known for being friendly to visitors.
The weather is also bizzarre and can be extreme at any time of the year.

My younger brother has attended college in Texas for the past few years. It's such a huge state, but the advice seems to be Austin. It's probably the most liberal city (this is Texas remember) with a great live music scene.

Unbelievable temperatures and humidity at this time of year, and some interesting stories about how whole cities are evacuated before approaching storms. I'm sure this happens in lots of US cities in the hurricane corridor, but apparently they switch the highways so that all lanes are one way. Can you imagine all 10 lanes of traffic fleeing the city? Add a bit of excitement to the vacation

Seems like a random request, and obviously depends on your interests. San Antonio is an attractive place for a couple of days as is Austen, and the coastal areas are very attractive. But April / May gives you a good chance of clashing with spring break, so avoid such spots as South Padre Island. Don't know where the unfriendly tag comes from, seriously! As a Brit living in the US, I compare my treatment with that of my US wife who lived in the UK, and wonder how anyone in the UK can produce such a sentence.

[Scrooge]

Hurricane season is July to October and only really affects the coast and a few miles inland.

Tornado's on the other hand can happen at any time of the year.

If it was me, I would go for early in the year just to avoid the heat, however it is worth noting that Texas can be could during the winter, so April/May would be your best bet.

With that said, if you do pick that time of year please remember that it's spring break and the coast towns will be going a little nuts.

Just to echo Matt, I have no idea where the treatment of Brit's thing is coming from either.

In 21 years of living over here and having traveled throughout the country I have had exactly one incident, which happened to be here in Vegas.

As with every country I have ever been to, treat people how you would like to be treated and they will treat you well as well.

Again echo Matt's recommendations. I've had some great times in Dallas, but certainly not because of how the place looks. Worked with a lot of people there, and had a trial in Texas, and Dallas had many good places to eat, drink and be merry. It's better than Houston ... it's biggest downer is that you have to use your car even more than in LA - there's no picking an area of town and hanging out, you'll drive no matter where you are.

If you're feeling adventurous, drive from Austin to San Antonio through Texas Hill Country. There's a lot to be said for that part of the world, probably one of only two areas of TX that are naturally pleasant to be in, they even make drinkable wine! Alternatively, if you drive east of Dallas towards Shreveport, LA, after an hour and a half of extremely dull, flat landscape you start hitting woodsy, interesting areas - bit back-of-beyondish, though.

Wow, such a diverse bunch of comments - and thanks for all of them! Yes, I know it's a huge place and wasn't entirely sure where to start.

Thank you, thank you.