The pictures sure don't prove it, but this Texas adventure started in Dallas.
A city full of sights for all kinds of different interests, Dallas has long been one of my favorite stops. It caters to sports fans, museum junkies, artsy folks, and even those who need a little bit of grass with their cityscape.
Potential employment gave me an excuse to point my little Pontiac west, so I grabbed all the road trip snacks, every CD I've ever owned, and a good pal for the ride. We'd sought out all the free things available to us in each of our stops, spending nearly all of our dollars on Airbnb and gas.
In between interviews we were able to check out the Dallas Museum of Art (helloooo, cool art for $0!), neighboring Klyde Warren Park, and Abe's Flavor Flave Taco Truck. And yes, I chose the food truck simply for it's name--plus the tacos were wonderful. We also stopped by Fort Worth to see the Fort Worth Water Gardens, which are one thousand times cooler than you're anticipating.
After a few days in Dallas, it was time to head an hour south toward Austin. But we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop for a quick cupcake and campus tour in Waco.
Chip and Joanna Gaines are total rockstars and have stolen the hearts of basically our entire nation, so it's no surprise that Magnolia is such a hit. Luckily we came through at just the right time, avoiding major summer crowds. The wait to grab one of Silo Baking Co.'s Strawberries 'n Cream cupcakes lasted no longer than 15 minutes.
After a quick driving tour of Baylor University's campus and a playful "Roll Tide" yelled at the Auburn fan running Magnolia's resident The Alabama Sweet Tea Company, we headed for the state capital.
Ah, Austin. A time of rooftop drinks, famous fried chicken and lots of traffic.
People say Austin is weird. I'm not sure if that's true, but we sure did enjoy our stay in the city. We first stopped at the capitol building, which, like I said of Fort Worth, is so much more interesting than you're thinking. Just building itself is beautiful, not to mention its decorative ceiling, historical rooms, and Texas' unique state troopers in their cowboy hats.
But Austin's food is how the city really wins you over. For our first night we found ourselves at Matt's Famous El Rancho, a restaurant whose name almost turned us off because it didn't seem "authentic." Wrong. This restaurant's history is fascinating, and the salsa is killer. An Austin must-have--as well as Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. Gus's started in Memphis, but is worth the headache of downtown Austin street parking.
Once we'd sufficiently stuffed ourselves with salsa and fried chicken, it was time for one last day in the great state of Texas. So we headed south again toward San Antonio, spending the day strolling the city's famous Riverwalk and stopping for lunch under the colorful umbrellas of Casa Rio.
Our time in San Antonio was the shortest, but possibly the most restful part of our trip. The city has a slower pace, focused much more on the pretty things it has to offer than getting the job done like Dallas or Austin. We remembered The Alamo, sipped lemonade outside San Fernando Cathedral and drove around the rest of the city as we wrapped up our Texan adventure.
Nearly every sight we saw and activity we participated in throughout the trip was free, costing us only the money we paid for food, housing and gas to get there. What started out as a potential employment opportunity turned into a great week of exploring new places on the minimal dollars we had in our pockets.
What's a road trip you'd love to take, but are afraid will cost an arm and a leg? How do you save money when you travel? I love hearing good advice!
xoxo,
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