Come Explore Texas With Me!
- Molly Carter
- Aug 10, 2019
- 5 min read
Before I get started telling you all about my exciting travels through the second largest state in the U.S., I want to say that 1) this is the first time that I have ever visited Texas before in my life and 2) I have always wanted to travel to the state! As such, this post is not meant to encapsulate all of Texas but just to give an insight on some of the greatness that these cities have to offer.
Day 1: Airport & Dallas
I love travel days! Going to the airport, getting a few magazines to read on the flight, relaxing, and reeling in the thrill of a new adventure! Luckily, the flight was not too short nor too long (around 3.5 hours) and soon I was in Dallas. My first impression of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was that it was huge! It took my friend around 15 minutes just to navigate her car to my section of the terminal! Anyways, we soon found each other and then headed to her apartment in the outskirts of Dallas. After getting settled in we decided to explore Dallas (her new home). My friend just moved to Dallas a little over a year ago and was excited to show me some of her favorite spots.
Check out some of my friend's favorite Dallas spots!
~Dallas' Bishop Arts District (cute little section of Dallas with many restaurants, shops, cafés, bars, and more!)
~Dallas Grilled Cheese Co. This is probably my favorite grilled cheese restaurant ever! If you like BBQ, check out their Grilled Mac 'N Cheese (yes Mac'N Cheese on a grilled cheese!) with a side of brisket (it is truly amazing!). For those of you who are of the drinking age, their 'pink drink' is definitely Instagram worthy.
~The Deep Ellum District (known for drool-worthy restaurants and eye- catching murals)
~STIRR (restaurant with a rooftop bar)
After a whirlwind day of exploring Dallas, we headed back to her apartment before going two-stepping at a real Texan honky tonk! It was an absolute blast to learn how to two-step though I did feel a little out of place without my cowboy hat and boots!
Day 2: Leaving Dallas, Destination - San Antonio
The next day my friend and I headed out of Dallas towards San Antonio. While the first leg of the roadtrip took around 4.5 hours (horrible traffic), we had a lot of fun catching up and seeing the Texas countryside. While we didn't have the chance to stop and go inside, I did see a few Buc-ee's (a local-ish gas station popularized throughout the state) alongside the road. If you guys are heading to Texas, my friend said that this gas station is apparently a very popular, must-see location in Texas.
Once we arrived in San Antonio (and checked into our hotel), our first stop was the River Walk! Checking out the River Walk is a definite must-see in the city! After exploring for about 30 minutes (it was very hot!) we got lunch at the Carl Hilmar Guenther House. I would 100% recommend stopping by the Guenther House for brunch as it is very cute (especially because the decor reminds me of an English tea house!).
Luckily my friend and I didn't have to wait too long for our food (chicken and waffles) which turned out to be fantastic! After lunch, we headed out to the Pearl District where we met up with another friend from San Antonio who took us around to all of the sites.
My Favorites Included
~Southerleighe Fine Food & Brewery
~Bakery Lorraine
~The Alamo
~La Panaderia Bakery Cafe (was on the show Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives).
~The River Walk
After all that, we had dinner at a great Mexican restaurant close to the River Walk, walked back to our hotel, said goodbye to our friend, and went to sleep!
Day 3: Goodbye, San Antonio; Hello, Austin!
While I had an absolute blast in San Antonio (and was sad to say goodbye), I was pumped that we were now setting our sites on Austin! I don't know what it is about the city but I have always wanted to visit Austin and was ecstatic that I finally had the chance to! Fast
forward 2 hours (traffic and restroom stops), we finally made it to Austin!
Side note: One thing (and this may sound stupid) that I was surprised about from visiting Texas was the heat. Now before you say anything like "of course Texas is hot" and "it is the summertime". Yes, I know. I am from the South. I am used(ish) to 95 degree (Fahrenheit) weather being 'cool' for the summer. I also knew that Texas is also just as (if not) more hot than I am used to. What I didn't anticipate however, is how the heat feels different than anything I have expected before. As a result, my friend and I kept having to return to either the car or the hotel to get out of the sun for a bit.
After checking into our hotel (The Fairmont Austin - which I would highly recommend), it was around lunch time so we decided to explore the dining options available to us. One of the options that both my friend and I were excited to check out were the many food trucks located throughout the city. I love food trucks so I was in absolute bliss trying all the different types of food. Once we decided that we had had enough to eat, we went back to our hotel to cool off for a bit, later deciding to have a look at the University of Texas at Austin (plus the Target close by as my friend left her phone charger in San Antonio). I was blown away at how massive and beautiful the campus is!
Later, we decided to have dinner (pizza and beer), followed up by a sweet treat in the form of donuts (my fave). My friend said that supposedly, there is a rivalry between Voodoo Donuts and Gourdoughs Donuts; so we checked out them both. While I liked both donut shops, my personal favorites were the Naughty & Nice (doughnut with sugar and cinnamon) and the Mother Clucker (doughnut with fried chicken drizzled with honey butter) from Gourdoughs. Eventually the sun became a bit too much for us and we decided to chill and relax for the rest of the day (around 7:30pm). We decided to finish the night watching the sunset on the rooftop bar at the Fairmont Austin; basically it was the perfect end to a perfect day!
Day 4: Returning Back to Dallas
Sadly, our roadtrip was quickly coming to an end as we were heading back to Dallas for my second to last day in Texas! Luckily, the trip back to Dallas was not too busy with traffic and soon we were close to my friend's house. However, before we made it back, we made a quick pit-stop in Waco so that I could see Magnolia Market Silos (Chip and Joanna Gains' market in Waco, TX)! While I absolutely adored looking around, it was a little too hot for my friend and I to justify waiting in line for an hour to go to the bakery so we instead walked around the 'courtyard' of the outdoor market, looked inside the market itself, before heading back on the road to Dallas. After arriving back in Dallas, we met up with some friends for lunch, dinner, and drinks before heading back to her apartment and going to sleep (especially since I had an early flight out the next day!).
Overall I had such a great time in Texas and can't wait to explore more of the US!
Happy Travels!
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