LA to Dallas

In about 10 days Im making this roadtrip with my sister. Its not established around sight seeing, as in we probly wont spend the night on the way. I would however Like to know of any places along the way, where we could stop, that would not take up alot of time. If there is just some really good reasturaunt or just anything not that far out of the way.

We will take I-10 from LA to Texas, then Merge onto I-20 and on to Dallas.

If there is anyone familiar with this route and knows some fun places to visit, Please Reply.

Az - I've done that ride, and remember looking at all the stuff marked on the map that I passed by and wished I had more time for. Keep in mind, Joshua Tree near Palm Springs is not too far off the freeway, and just to the north. You could easily run up into the national monument, and run back. Well worth the detour.

One thing I remember about that ride was around Midland, Texas, there was an Oil Museum. Probably sounds dumb, but I sure wished I would have stopped and checked that out, just looked interesting. It was right off the freeway on the north side, and along an intensely boring and straight section of perfect-nothingness that Texas is so famous for. You might have to swing by and tell us how it was!

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Originally Posted by azo

In about 10 days Im making this roadtrip with my sister. Its not established around sight seeing, as in we probly wont spend the night on the way.

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Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum. You are planning on driving this stretch without an over-night stop? That would be 25 hours of driving. Make sure you read our suggestions for a speed run!

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If there is anyone familiar with this route and knows some fun places to visit,

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There are lots and lots of places to stop and explore -- how long can you stretch the trip out?

Mark

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Originally Posted by pashnit

One thing I remember about that ride was around Midland, Texas, there was an Oil Museum.

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It is cool, Megan stopped there and filed this report.

Mark

well, my sister is the kind of person that will try and drive the 22 hour trip from LA straight. Thats why im going, so we can trade off some behind the wheel, and so she dosent try to do it so fast. We will probly aim for about a 25-30 hour drive, which sould not be too bad with us trading off driving.

Thanks for those places suggested, does anyone else know of some more?

I really enjoyed visiting these two attractions (both right off the interstate in Arizona) when I did a similar trip from Simi Valley, California back home to Shreveport, LA. And I did it with my sister too.

The Thing is off I-10 at exit 318 in a Dairy Queen. There are tons of signs for it. It's just one of those side of the road attractions everyone should see just to say they did it.

I'd like to go back to Tombstone one day. We managed to arrive there on the 4th of July and it was a zoo with parades and people everywhere. It was a random excursion off the road and not a destination for the trip, so we weren't that upset. You'll have to report back whether it's worth the stop or not.

BTW - we broke the journey up over two days because we did stop a lot and explore.

Laura

So far, here are the planned stops that we might possibly make

1. Chiriaco Summit, Cali - Patton WWII Museum
2. The Thing - Exit 318
3. Tombstone? - Since its 35 minutes out of the way, probly not
4. Western Playland Amusement Park - El Paso
5. The Petroleum Museum, Midland, Texas
6. Ratliff Stadium - Odessa Texas (Home stadium of Permian from Friday Night Lights)


I know there are probly alot more places to see, so if you can post them before friday I would appriciate very much. Thanks

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Originally Posted by azo

We will take I-10 from LA to Texas, then Merge onto I-20 and on to Dallas.

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Your question is puzzling, because there are literally hundreds of stops you could make along the way, but all will take more than twenty minutes. But here are a dozen or so places to consider: Cabazon Dinos, Joshua Tree National Park, Fountain Hills Arizona Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, Saguaro NP, Kartchner Caverns!, Chircahua National Monument, La Mesilla (near Las Cruces), White Sands NM, Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadalupe NP, Monahans, and a bunch of cool stuff in Texas found on this site.

Mark

Your Right, I have thought about it more. I didnt litterally mean that, I just ment that we dont want to spend hours at this place and that... If its a good attraction we will probly stay for a little while. If someone has the time to list the hundreds of stops we could make, please do so. We definantly wont stop everywhere but it would be nice to have a long list to pick from. Although we do not wish to travel more than a few miles off the interstates, unless it is really worth it...

And we are also probly going to stay some where for the night now, so we will have more time. So thanks for some of those ideas and please keep listing some more.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out, this will probly be the lat time i use a computer before i go. What I get back, I will give an update and tell what attractions you should go vist if you ever make this trip.

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Originally Posted by azo

I will give an update and tell what attractions you should go vist if you ever make this trip.

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We look forward to that!

Mark

My sister had driven about 90% of the way to El Paso. So we made a trade off, about 15 minutes down the road I saw a speed limit sign "80 MPH"... Wow, Both of us were puzzled in confusement. That was the highlight of behind the wheel.

Our parents funded the gas, as long as we took out time and had a fun time seeing the sights
Saturday - Los Angelas to Tucson - 490 miles
Sunday - Tucson to Pecos, Tx - 530 miles
Monday - Pecos to Dallas - 430 miles


We stoped at
1. Cabazon Dinosaurs
2. Patton Museum
3. We looked for the big boy on tractor in Avondale, Az... But did not find him
4. We went to Downtown Phoenix and saw where the Mavs and Suns were playing the NBA Western Finals
5. We went through the tourist town of benson and tried to go to the ketchican caverns but it was a two hour wait
6. Since those caves were halfway to tombstone, we decited to go on to tombstone. Since it was memorial day alot was going on there.
7. We stoped at "The Thing" in az, it was intresting. If your passing by, dont miss it.
8.Stoped at a New Mexico Gas station to buy fireworks
9. we stoped at the rest stop overlooking las cruces and saw the road runner made of old shoes
10. Saw Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, Texas. The home stadium from "Friday Night Lights"
11. We drove about 1500 miles,I drove 700, she drove 800
12. we totaled 21 red bulls, she had 9, I had 12
13. We counted 22 cops in action writing tickets, we got 0
14. Supprisingly we only stoped at 5 starbucks, my sister wanted to go to more, but southern Arizona and new mexico do not have many
15. In pecos texas, the 4th and final motel was the only one with space on the night before memorial day

If want to know more? ASK!

The next time I head that way I'll have to check out several of those things. Maybe one of these days one of us will catch Tombstone not on a holiday.

Do tell about those caverns though. I've never heard of them, but I have a rather unatural fascination with caves and caverns. My sister loves telling the story of how she fell asleep on the Interstate with no stops in mind and woke up in the middle of Bowling Green, Kentucky as I was hunting down the Lost River Caverns (great stop by-the-way).

I love that you stopped at some of the "tacky tourist traps" along the way. I love those types of places!