Feedback on Louisiana and Texas road trip (United States)

We were lucky enough to explore the American West a few years ago... a VERY fond travel memory. The urge to return to the USA is calling us...

We're heading out in August with our two grown sons: 21 and 18 years old.

We want to discover another part of the US and I found this itinerary on a website:

Day 1 - New Orleans Day 2 - New Orleans Day 3 - Natchez Day 4 - Dallas Day 5 - Dallas Day 6 - Dallas Day 7 - Austin Day 8 - Austin Day 9 - San Antonio Day 10 - San Antonio Day 11 - Houston Day 12 - Houston - NASA Day 13 - Lake Charles Day 14 - Lake Charles Day 15 - Lafayette Day 16 - Lafayette - White Castle Day 17 - White Castle - Vacherie (Oak Alley) Day 18 - New Orleans Day 19 - New Orleans Does this seem like too many cities?

We love: big landscapes, museums, history, and shopping.

What do you think?

Gaetano

Hi there,

I don’t have much feedback on your itinerary since I haven’t done it, but I had the same hesitation about visiting too many cities. For our part, we did the following route starting from Houston (cheaper than flights to New Orleans):

Day 1: Houston - Space Center, overnight in Galveston Day 2: Drive to Lafayette along the coast (it’s not the most scenic, but it feels like the middle of nowhere) Day 3: Lafayette, Tabasco factory and park Day 4: Lafayette, Cajun village Day 5: Lafayette, Lake Martin Day 6: Plantation route, overnight in New Orleans Day 7: New Orleans Day 8: New Orleans, WWII museum Day 9: New Orleans Day 10: New Orleans Day 11: Drive to Shreveport via the Mississippi, stop at the Bonnie and Clyde museum (lots of driving) Day 12: Drive to Dallas Day 13: Visit Dallas Day 14: Visit Dallas, then return to Houston in the evening for a flight the next day

I’d say the first part around Lafayette met my expectations for nature. We reconnected with distant American cousins in New Orleans, which is why we stayed so long—but honestly, 2 days would’ve been enough. Similarly, we chose to limit ourselves to Dallas (one day is plenty, in my opinion). We also wrapped up Lafayette in a day, but since we were tent camping, it was tough to find campgrounds that allowed tents. We had one in Lafayette, which influenced our choice. In the end, it still let us explore the whole region, though by the last day, we felt like we were going in circles. We made this choice to minimize city time—I’m keeping San Antonio and Austin in mind for a future road trip.

Hope this helps!

Anna

Hi there,

You should clarify your priorities: you say you love big landscapes, but "your" itinerary only includes cities. A full day + one night in New Orleans is enough IMHO; attend a Gospel service at St. Augustine Catholic Church if you're there on a Sunday. Visit the bayou in Houma and the plantation circuit.

Happy planning

I've reworked the itinerary as follows. Still too many cities—I need to find more nature activities (like I’ve planned in Lake Charles).

The Memphis-Dallas leg is a bit long.

And I still have one "unassigned" day on 08/21.

What do you think?

Thanks!!

Friday 08/01/2025 New Orleans

Saturday 08/02/2025 New Orleans

Sunday 08/03/2025 New Orleans Afternoon: Swamp tour by boat in the Bayou

Monday 08/04/2025 Leave New Orleans for Natchez Visit plantations along the way

Tuesday 08/05/2025 Natchez

Wednesday 08/06/2025 Drive to Memphis—stop and overnight in Vicksburg

Thursday 08/07/2025 Arrive in Memphis

Friday 08/08/2025 Memphis (Graceland)

Saturday 08/09/2025 Drive to Dallas

Sunday 08/10/2025 Dallas Stroll and Sixth Floor Museum

Monday 08/11/2025 Dallas Art District and Dallas Museum of Art

Tuesday 08/12/2025 Drive to Fort Worth Afternoon in Fort Worth

Wednesday 08/13/2025 Drive to Austin Afternoon in Austin

Thursday 08/14/2025 Drive to San Antonio Afternoon in San Antonio

Friday 08/15/2025 San Antonio

Saturday 08/16/2025 Drive to Houston Afternoon stroll in Houston

Sunday 08/17/2025 Houston

Monday 08/18/2025 Houston—NASA Space Center

Tuesday 08/19/2025 Drive to Lake Charles

Wednesday 08/20/2025 Nature exploration

Thursday 08/21/2025 ???

Friday 08/22/2025 Departure from New Orleans at 9:55 PM