Florida to Texas and back

Hi all, great site and forum, wish I'd found it sooner! We are heading to Florida next week and have 11 days to drive to Texas and back again - we are hoping to take in as many states as is practical - thus far we hope to go Florida - Georgia - Alabama - Mississippi - Louisiana - Texas (have been toying with the idea of going from Mississippi up into Arkansa and then Oklahoma and dropping down into Texas). Return route will be coastal Texas - Louisianna etc.

We will be spending a few days in Texas visiting friends and sites. We have booked our first night in a hotel but the rest of the trip is an open schedule we plan on finding accommodation as we go...good or bad idea?

Would welcome any tips from people.

Our last 10 days after returning to Florida will be spent near Manasota Key - any tips for places to visit - scenic, beaches, historic, wildlife etc?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Texas and Florida are two pretty big areas. A trip from Tallahassee to Houston is a very different trip than say Miami to El Paso, so having a better idea of where it is, exactly, that you are going would be helpful.

You've got 11 days total, and you're planning to spend a few with your friends, so it sounds like you're planning 8 days total to drive there and back?

Prebooking your hotel rooms really is a matter of personal preference. Some people would rather have the flexibility to end up wherever they end up at the end of the night. Others like the security, and potential time savings, of not having to look for a place to stay at the end the day, and potentially run into sold out room. I will say, at this time of year, finding a hotel shouldn't be too difficult, as it is the off season most places.

Thank you, yes I should have said we are going from Ft Lauderdale and ending up in Dallas. Original plan was 3 days to get there and 3 days to get back but we are flexible on that.

Via fastest route, Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas is 2 very long days on the road, so you aren't giving yourselves much time to do any diversions or sightseeing.

We would be happy to take 3 or 4 days for the journey either way, happy to alter things as we go depending on what traffic and road conditions are like. Our return journey will be along the gulf coast taking in the likes of Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Tallahassee.