Day Trippin' › Texas › From Houston › Within 4 hours
115 places are worth the drive within 4 hours of Houston, counted by road time from ZIP 77002: 16 under 1 hour, 12 1 to 2 hours, 36 2 to 3 hours and 51 3 to 4 hours.
The mix leans toward history, hikes and beaches & lakes, mostly to the west and northwest. Four hours each way is weekend territory: most of these work best with a night away, so check the places to stay on the state page.
The headline places are Moody Gardens, Big Thicket National Preserve and Barton Springs Pool, and the closest real day trip is San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site (26 min).
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours 3 to 4 hours
Photo: Nsaum75, CC BY-SA 3.0
Family fun · 52 min southeast
Galveston attraction with Aquarium, Rainforest and Discovery pyramids, 3D theater, zip line and the new Galveston Children's Museum.
Photo: Jim Evans, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wildlife refuge · 31 min southeast
Nonprofit preserve in Pasadena with 5 miles of walking trails, a boardwalk loop, a bison viewing platform and kayak and pontoon tours on the bayou.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Historic site · 52 min southeast
An 1892 mansion, also called Gresham House, in Galveston's East End Historic District, with daily self-guided tours.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
State park · 53 min west
Shady park on the Brazos River about 50 minutes west of Houston, with five miles of hiking and biking trails near historic San Felipe.
Photo: Devin P Morris, CC BY-SA 4.0
Theme park · 52 min southeast
Waterfront amusement pier in Galveston with rides, midway games, food and shops.
Photo: File:Robert C. Lanier ferry.jpg: Daniel Schwen derivative work: Jim Evans, CC BY-SA 4.0
Scenic drive · 55 min southeast
Free state car ferry with an 18-minute crossing between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula.
Photo: NPS Photo, Public domain
National park · 1 hr 43 min east
Free national preserve near Kountze spanning nine ecosystems, from longleaf pine forest to cypress-lined bayous, with over 30 miles of trails and paddling routes.
Photo: Yinan Chen, Public Domain
Beach · 1 hr 3 min southeast
Gulf beach on one side and bay marsh on the other, with about four miles of trails, boardwalks over dunes and marsh, paddling trails and bird blinds.
Photo: John Bonzo, CC BY 3.0
State park · 1 hr 8 min north
Pine forest park around 210-acre Lake Raven with a swim area, kayak rentals, 21 miles of hiking and biking trails and access to the Lone Star Hiking Trail.
Photo: William L. Farr, CC BY 4.0
Wildlife refuge · 2 hr east
Coastal marsh refuge in Chambers County, formerly Anahuac NWR, with the 2.64-mile paved Shoveler Pond loop and boardwalk for alligators, spoonbills and winter waterfowl.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Bike trail · 1 hr 49 min west
A hilly 12-mile park road through the Lost Pines between Bastrop and Buescher state parks, good for road biking or a slow drive.
Photo: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0
Museum · 1 hr 17 min east
Re-created oil boomtown on the Lamar University campus in Beaumont that tells the story of the Spindletop gusher.
Photo: Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town · 2 hr 36 min west
A 15-acre historic district on the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, with old township buildings, local shops, food and free live music daily.
Photo: ljpelletier, CC BY-SA 2.0
Theme park · 2 hr 38 min west
A big riverside waterpark in New Braunfels with about 45 rivers, rides and slides in four sections, each with a lazy river and kids' area.
Photo: Liveon001 ©Travis Witt, CC BY-SA 3.0
Historic site · 2 hr 51 min west
Four Spanish colonial missions on the south side of San Antonio, Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada. The Espada Aqueduct and Rancho de las Cabras are part of the park too.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Cave · 2 hr 53 min west
Big show cave near New Braunfels named for the natural limestone bridge at its entrance. Two guided cavern tours plus zip lines, a maze and gem mining above ground.
Photo: Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0
Swimming · 3 hr west
A swimming hole under a roughly 50-foot waterfall in a box canyon west of Austin. A short, steep, rocky trail leads down to it.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Family fun · 2 hr 49 min northwest
Busy shopping and food complex in Waco with shops, places to eat and a big turf lawn.
Photo: Jpp858, CC BY-SA 3.0
Theme park · 3 hr 9 min west
A big theme park in San Antonio with roller coasters, family rides and shows.
Photo: Hot Furnace, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town · 3 hr 38 min west
A Hill Country town founded in 1846 by German settlers, known for German food, history museums, more than 150 shops and nearly 100 wineries nearby.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
State park · 3 hr 45 min north
Paddle Big Cypress Bayou under bald cypress draped in Spanish moss at the edge of 26,810-acre Caddo Lake, with 2.5 miles of trails and historic CCC cabins.
Photo: Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Historic site · 3 hr 56 min northwest
Fort Worth's Old West district, where the Fort Worth Herd runs the world's only daily cattle drive and rodeos fill the historic Cowtown Coliseum.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
State park · 3 hr 7 min southwest
A bayside park near Rockport home to the Big Tree, one of the largest live oaks in the country, plus a 1,620-foot fishing pier.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Wildlife refuge · 3 hr 24 min southwest
A coastal refuge known as the winter home of endangered whooping cranes, with a 16-mile paved loop drive, an observation tower and alligators.
Our picks, by drive time, include Moody Gardens (52 min), Armand Bayou Nature Center (31 min), Bishop's Palace (52 min), Stephen F. Austin State Park (53 min) and Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier (52 min). The full list on this page has 115 places, each with its drive time and direction from Houston.
28 places within 2 hours, 64 within 3 hours and 115 within 4 hours of Houston, by road from ZIP 77002.
31 of the 115 places need no pass or fee, such as Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas and Fort Worth Stockyards. Fees and passes change, so check each place before you go.
111 places are marked good for kids, including Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Fulton Mansion State Historic Site and Goose Island State Park.
They are by real roads on a typical day, from the middle of ZIP 77002 to each place (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Traffic, weather and closures can change them. Places under 25 minutes from the city center count as in town, not a day trip, so they are left out.
Yes. Type your ZIP code into Day Trippin' and it shows everything by drive time. Your ZIP is used for that one search and is not saved.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.