State park · 41 min northeast
Big Spring State Park
A mesa-top park with a paved 3-mile loop road that climbs Scenic Mountain for wide views of Big Spring and the plains.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Day Trippin' › Texas › From Midland
Day trips from Midland
From Midland, the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum is minutes away, Big Spring State Park about 40, Monahans Sandhills under 50, Lake Colorado City a little over an hour, and Balmorhea State Park and San Angelo under two hours. The best day trips from Midland, by drive time.
30 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Midland
- Big Spring State Park 41 min northeast
- Monahans Sandhills State Park 49 min southwest
- Lake Colorado City State Park 1 hr 9 min east
- Science Spectrum 1 hr 43 min north
- San Angelo State Park 1 hr 45 min east
- International Waterlily Collection 1 hr 45 min east
- Balmorhea State Park 2 hr southwest
- Frontier Texas 2 hr 5 min east
- McDonald Observatory 2 hr 45 min southwest
- Marfa 2 hr 55 min southwest
Within an hour from Midland 2 spots
State park · 49 min southwest
Monahans Sandhills State Park
Wind-shaped sand dunes you can roam freely, where kids slide down the slopes on rented sand discs.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Fall to spring; busy Sep-Mar
- Texas State Parks day-use fee (per person; kids 12 and under free)
1 to 2 hours from Midland 11 spots
Swimming · 2 hr southwest
Balmorhea State Park
A giant spring-fed pool, up to 25 feet deep, with clear water that stays 72 to 76 degrees all year; you can swim, snorkel and even scuba dive.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round (best in summer)
- Texas State Parks day-use fee (per person; kids 12 and under free)
Museum · 1 hr 43 min north
Science Spectrum
A hands-on science museum in Lubbock with over 250 exhibits, the city's only public aquarium and a domed OMNI theater.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
State park · 1 hr 45 min east
San Angelo State Park
A big park on O.C. Fisher Reservoir with 50 miles of multiuse trails for hiking and biking and pens of bison and longhorns.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Spring and fall
- Texas State Parks day-use fee (per person; kids 12 and under free)
Family fun · 1 hr 45 min east
International Waterlily Collection
A free garden of pools in San Angelo's Civic League Park filled with hundreds of colorful water lilies.
- 1 hr · Easy
- April to October for blooms
- Free
Lake · 1 hr 9 min east
Lake Colorado City State Park
A lake park west of Abilene for swimming, fishing and birding, with lakeside trails and a fishing pier.
- Half day · Easy
- Spring to fall (busy Easter to Labor Day)
- Texas State Parks day-use fee (per person; kids 12 and under free)
Historic site · 1 hr 47 min east
Fort Concho National Historic Landmark
A well-preserved frontier Army fort in downtown San Angelo with restored and reconstructed barracks and other buildings.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Historic site · 1 hr 50 min north
Lubbock Lake Landmark
An archaeological preserve run by the Museum of Texas Tech with an interpretive center and 4.5 miles of nature and wildflower trails.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Museum · 1 hr 43 min north
Buddy Holly Center
A Lubbock museum about rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly, his music and West Texas, plus a free art gallery.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
2 to 3 hours from Midland 16 spots
Observatory · 2 hr 45 min southwest
McDonald Observatory
A University of Texas research observatory atop the Davis Mountains, with daytime telescope tours, solar viewing and night star parties under some of the darkest skies in the country.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round; nights are cold, bring layers
- Admission
Town · 2 hr 55 min southwest
Marfa
A tiny high-desert town known for minimalist art, galleries and big skies, made famous by the artist Donald Judd.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Museum · 2 hr 5 min east
Frontier Texas
A modern western heritage museum in downtown Abilene that uses modern technology to tell stories of Comanches, cowboys, buffalo hunters and forts.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Zoo · 2 hr 8 min east
Abilene Zoo
A family zoo with giraffe feeding, a train and a carousel.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
State park · 2 hr 13 min east
Abilene State Park
A shady creekside park built by the CCC, with a historic swimming pool in summer and a small no-wake lake for paddling.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round; pool in summer
- Texas State Parks day-use fee (per person; kids 12 and under free)
State park · 2 hr 34 min southwest
Davis Mountains State Park
A cool mountain park with the CCC-built Skyline Drive, ridge trails, a bird blind and the historic Indian Lodge.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round; cooler than the desert
- Texas State Parks day-use fee (per person; kids 12 and under free)
Town · 2 hr 4 min east
Abilene
The Storybook Capital of America, where dozens of bronze characters from classic children's books fill downtown streets and gardens.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Historic site · 2 hr 35 min southwest
Fort Davis National Historic Site
One of the best-kept frontier Army forts in the Southwest, with restored 1880s buildings, ruins and trails in a box canyon.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 79701 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.