Texas trip help!

[jarmor]

Hey guys. I need some HELP!!! I’m planning a Texas trip and what better place to come for help than here! My primary goal is to visit SFFT, SFoT and Sea World. I would also love to check out the new wooden shuttle coaster as well as I am interested in the Schlitterbaun water parks. So, with that being said I need some tips, suggestions, game plan…etc Based off the following info.

 

- Will be flying into Dallas and renting a car.

- Looking at going mid to late June

- Open to going to any park or any “not to miss” local places.

- Looking at staying a week or so.

 

So yeah, any help to make this trip as successful as it could be would be great! Thanks in advance…

[bert425]

you would save a lot of money if you fly into Austin, and rent a car here.

 

Then use Austin as your "base-camp" (SFoT ~4 hours from Austin; Schlitterbahn ~30 minutes from Austin, SFFT & SeaWorld (as well as the Alamo & Riverwalk) ~ 1:10 from Austin).

 

you'll get a cheaper flight, and a cheaper car rental.

 

just sayin.

[bert425]

That said, here's what *I* would do:

 

Day 1: Fly into Austin, rent car, hop on I35 and drive to Dallas/FW and check into Best Western across street from SFoT.

 

Day 2: full day at SFoT

 

Day 3: check out of hotel and drive from Dallas thru Houston and get a hotel on the Seawall in Galveston (~4 - 4 1/2 hour drive). Check out Moody Gardens http://www.moodygardens.com/ (if not too exhausted). Evening at Pleasure Pier. http://www.pleasurepier.com/

 

Day 4: check out of hotel and spend morning at Schlitterbahn Galveston http://www.schlitterbahn.com/ , and back to the Pleasure Pier if there's anything you wanted to do in the daytime (tho the pier is much prettier at night).

 

Head back towards Houston (45 minutes), stopping at the Kemah Boardwalk to ride the Boardwalk Bullet (or anything else you wanted to ride), http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/ and if you've never been NASA can be a fun afternoon http://spacecenter.org/. (if not interested in NASA, it's an easy skip, and just continue thru Houston to San Antonio (~3 1/2 hours) and check into Hotel along outer loop of city.

 

Day 5: Full day at SFFT (check out San Antonio Riverwalk/Alamo at night if not too exhausted)

 

Day 6: Full day at SeaWorld (check out San Antonio Riverwalk/Alamo at night if not too exhausted)

 

Day 7: check out of SA hotel, drive towards Austin (~1:10 drive total) stopping to ride the wooden shuttle coaster (it's really going to be the only thing to keep you there unless you want to drive go-karts), then spend rest of day at Schlitterbahn http://www.schlitterbahn.com/ in New Braunfels.

 

drive remaining 30 minutes into Austin and grab hotel for night -- check out famous 6th street clubs if not completely wiped out.

 

Day 8: Return car, fly back home.

 

that's how I'd do it. . one big triangle starting in Austin to hit all the Texas fun stuff

Edited May 4, 2015 by bert425

[KBrylczyk]

^ I don't believe you about the flight and car rental. Flight prices change depending on where you're flying from. For instance, myself, coming form Vegas, getting to DFW is under $200 round trip pretty much every day. Austin, however, is $250-$500 depending on when I'm flying. Car rental at DFW wasn't bad, either, at $32 per day.

 

The point I'm trying to make is that you should do some research on your own end, jarmor. Everything bert425 mentioned about distance is great information to have, but when it comes to flights and rentals, well, obviously things change in big ways for different people.

[bert425]

^ I don't believe you about the flight and car rental. Flight prices change depending on where you're flying from. For instance, myself, coming form Vegas, getting to DFW is under $200 round trip pretty much every day. Austin, however, is $250-$500 depending on when I'm flying. Car rental at DFW wasn't bad, either, at $32 per day.

 

 

We went on a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Round trip from Austin was $180/person. From Houston it was over $400 per person. (seriously, the Houston people coming wanted to drive up here and fly from Austin).

 

same with our upcoming Washington DC trip.. a friend from Dallas is considering joining us. Our tix roundtrip from Austin? Less than $400 each. From Dallas? $650 round trip.

 

Austin is simply cheaper to fly into/out of. . which is why folks going to San Antonio often fly into Austin as well.

 

 

Edit: just for giggles, I went ahead and compared Southwest airlines from Vegas to Dallas and to Austin (using June 15 & June 22).

 

all things equal, pulling cheapest option (even if late at night for gotta get away fares).

 

to Dallas: $344 ($175 & $169)

to Austin: $345 ($193 & $152).

 

tho if you go with what times work for you, the flight to Dallas could go up to $716 ($373 + $343 most expensive), while the flight to Austin always stayed below $684 ($339 + $345 most expensive)

 

where they get you is that car rental tho: (compact car via Dollar Rent a Car)

 

Dallas:

$401.41 / Week

 

Austin:

$316.49 / Week

 

$100 savings right there.

 

factor in the most expensive flights?.. you can save ~$140 flying into Austin.

 

but yeah. . rates are gonna change depending on where/when you fly. . so check out those.

 

regardless, I would STILL recommend flying in/out and rent/return at the same airport, and just do Texas in a big triangle

Edited May 4, 2015 by bert425

[KBrylczyk]

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying prices vary for all destinations and origins. Simple as that.

[TexasParkman]

There really is no wrong answer. It just depends on what you like. You can find airfare on SW fairly cheap to any Texas city. It depends on when you want to fly. 3 of the things you wished to see are closer to Austin. It may make more sense to fly in and out of Austin. Personal preference really. SeaWorld and SFFT are out on the Anderson Loop on the edge of San Antonio. Schlitterbahn's is between San Antonio and Austin. I personally would not miss the RiverWalk if you have never been to San Antonio. Of Course the Alamo is right there as well. Austin has some pretty cool music spots, Bars, etc. Dallas has SFOT, Hurricane Harbor, Professional Sports and Horse Racing. It depends on what you like.. In Dallas- the Dallas Museum of Art, The Kimball, The Fort Worth Zoo, Sundance Square, Deep Elm in Dallas. I like Galveston as well. Kemah and Pleasure Pier are both pretty nice. There is good Gumbo and seafood available in Galveston. If you drive from Austin to DFW stop just north of Waco in West, Texas. Remember they had the big gas explosion 2 years ago. There is a Czech bakery there- easy to find just look for massive amounts of cars. However you chose- Have fun and enjoy Texas.

[TexasParkman]

Sorry I should post drive times... San Antonio (SeaWorld and SFFT) to New Braunfels (Schlitterbahns's) about an hour. New Braunfels to Austin- I hour-ish. Austin to DFW 4 hours with traffic. DFW to Houston.. 4 hours ( but I have seen people drive it in 3). Houston to Galveston 1.5 hours. Houston to Austin 3 hours.

 

Helpful tips for a Texas driving trip... People drive very fast from San Antonio and DFW (traffic permitting) and DFW to Houston. Sometimes close to 80 MPH. Tailgating is permitted... not really but it happens. DFW and Houston CAN have the worlds worst traffic. I would plan my drive times to not coincide with rush hours.

 

My Favorites ... Guido's in Galveston, and "Pappas" restaurant in Texas ( Pappasito's, Pappadeux's, Pappa's Barbeque etc.). Good Restaurants are available in San Antonio on the River Walk- Several. My Favorite is "The little Rhine Steak House". Lots of good Mexican Food in San Antonio. My Favorite in Austin is the "Hula Hut"- Mexican food with a Hawaiian twist. For something unusual- Try Wolfgang Pucks in the Reunion Tower in Dallas. Reunion Tower is the tall tower with a ball on top. The restaurant rotates- great views (it is pricey).

[Mrlittle]

I've heard they won't have Switchback open till mid July. So you won't have to worry about stopping at ZDTs. Pretty much everyone has given good advice. If you plan to drive to Houston. We are currently doing a lot of construction to build bigger freeways so add that to drive time.

[jarmor]

Thanks guys for all the info thus far. I would be flying out of columbia cae (which has direct flights to dfw I think) or charlotte clt sin e its more accessible to a lot more carriers. Hmmm...ao the shuttle may not be ready. I wonder if its worth pushing the trip back lol. Also, I've been thinking, I'm doing this alone...would the water parks be ideal being a party of one?

 

Again, thanks guys for all the info so far!

[DirkFunk]

Thanks guys for all the info thus far. I would be flying out of columbia cae (which has direct flights to dfw I think) or charlotte clt sin e its more accessible to a lot more carriers.

 

If you fly out of Charlotte, I would post a monetary wager that the cheapest flights will be to Dallas-Fort Worth on US/American. There's a nonstop flight from Columbia, but you may find Delta to DFW or Dallas Love (DAL) through Atlanta being cheaper in order to compete with them and because they have the heaviest amount of traffic out of the airport.

 

Hmmm...ao the shuttle may not be ready. I wonder if its worth pushing the trip back lol.

 

If you move the trip to September, you can hit the Texas State Fair as well, which is the largest fair in the United States and will run on weekdays. Something to keep in mind.

 

Also, I've been thinking, I'm doing this alone...would the water parks be ideal being a party of one?

 

The first thing that pops to mind is the cautionary tale of Flume Dog:

 

http://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Flume-Dog-loses-Six-Flags-lawsuit-5383873.php

 

Obviously no one is going to care on single person slides, but not everything you'll want to do is gonna be a single person slide.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Hmmm...ao the shuttle may not be ready. I wonder if its worth pushing the trip back lol.

If I were you I would push the trip back. If nothing is set in stone why not push it back? It's going to be a very unique coaster, so why not wait a little longer?? Other than that everyone else is providing you with some really good advice. If you are traveling any where near Houston make sure it is no where near like 7:30am - 10am and 2:30pm - 7pm. Traffic there can be awful.

[ArizonaGuy]

^ I don't believe you about the flight and car rental. Flight prices change depending on where you're flying from. For instance, myself, coming form Vegas, getting to DFW is under $200 round trip pretty much every day. Austin, however, is $250-$500 depending on when I'm flying. Car rental at DFW wasn't bad, either, at $32 per day.

 

The point I'm trying to make is that you should do some research on your own end, jarmor. Everything bert425 mentioned about distance is great information to have, but when it comes to flights and rentals, well, obviously things change in big ways for different people.

 

Agreed. It all depends on where he is leaving from and who he is flying. So say he flew to Austin on American from the east coast depending on where he's leaving he would probably have to hit one of American's hubs (DFW/Chicago/Miami) before he hits Austin. If it's still an "USAir" American flight then he'd go through Philly, Charlotte, or crazy but it happens Phoenix before he gets to Austin. If you leave from a smaller airport depending where it is and who you fly though, you're gonna hit a hub.

 

So yeh....lot's of homework to do before booking. But I would say Bert's idea is great because Austin is centrally located. If you could swing that......go for it.

[Brent York]

Having just done a full Texas trip last summer, I think you can do it all in fewer days. Though it depends on if you plan to do many attractions at each park, or mainly just the coasters. FYI, SWT is more like a half day park.

I enjoyed driving around Texas, with the scenery and 80-85MPH speed limits.

[jarmor]

Wow how time flys lol. Here we are two years later and by a twist of fate I was able to secure a non-stop round trip flight from ATL to San Antonio for 131.4 so I guess I will be doing the texas trip after all. What im thinking is, since my flight gets in at 9ish 05/18 morning, get the rental and drive the 4 hours to SFoT for half a day at the park. I figure since it's a thursday it shouldn't be that busy so I should be able to get most of not all the coasters. Stay over night in dallas then hit the park again for like 2 hours and head to sea world for the rest of the day (as it seems like a half day park. Looks like I will be spending the day at SFFT that saturday as I would want to do the water park some (im hoping the new water coaster will be open since its the opening day of the water park).

 

I was thinking about veering off for switch back but im not sure of the operating schedule as I type so I would check that later. Any comments, suggestions?

[bigboy]

The Thursday crowd at SFOT will likely include a lot of school groups, but it should slow down as the day goes on. The other risk you run is that it's tough for the park to staff everything on weekdays, so a few rides might be closed as a result.