I've never been (on a drive out there), but I'm thinking that any state to the west is going to be a pretty boring drive, just because you'll be in Texas for about 10 hours.
Yeah, but once you get out of Texas it is really nice, in terms of scenery - New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, etc.
We drive everywhere. My dad has incredible road endurance. We drove to Canada from Houston back in 98. We drove up the east coast and stopped in D.C, NYC, Boston on the way. We stayed at my aunts house in Jersey. Last year we drove to Orlando nonstop.(20 hours) We've driven to Cali, it took us all day just to get out of texas, spent the night in El Paso. We also drive to Kansas to visit my grandma, every other year. (12 hours)
When we bought a new car, we drove to Memphis over a long weekend - it was awesome, but then, all of America was awesome to us then, since we were only there temporarily. If you wanted somewhere closer, try Hot Springs Arkansas! My advice - take 3 or 4 days and drive to Pensacola/Destin. Leave on Thursday afternoon and get to New Orleans for the night - fun in itself. Get up early and drive to Folrida - should be there sometime after lunch. Spend all day Sat/Sun there and drive home Monday afternoon.
Good call. Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze and Destin have some of the prettiest beaches in America, if not the world. I've been to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Acapulco, Tahiti, the French Riveria, the Great Lakes, and other places, yet nothing compares to the perfectly powdery white sand and clear emerald water. Definitely worth a drive. I remember my parents carrying me from Mobile to H-town to visit my grandparents every summer. Always looked forward to that trip, because we'd stay with my grandparents for a month, eat whatever we wanted to (my mother didn't let us eat sugar cereals or drink soda) and go to Astros games with my grandfather back when they had those awful unis.
Longest non stop drive I have taken from Houston was Houston to Hilton Head. Cut NE through GA at one point cause I-10 was so boring in Fl Panhandle. Longest drive TO Houston....LA to Houston, with a 4 hour stop at the Grand Canyon to take pics, followed by a 2 hour lunch in SA the next day. Two drivers. I had the midnight to 6am shift from NM through to somewhere in Texas, I swear I was losing my mind. All I had was AM radio, country, and the Cure's Greatest Hits.
Went to Panama City/Destin area for 2002 spring break. That area really does have unbelievable beaches, and on the way back we made it to Houston in a little less than 10 hours, with two stops. It's only about 650 miles from Houston (so it's 10 hrs not counting stops if you avg 65 mph), and most of the highways are pretty good Definitely worth the drive. Stopping in NO is a good idea, but we went through Baton Rouge, which is a lot quicker if you are planning to make the drive in one day.
New Orleans, baby!!! It's not that far...and you drive over the swamps and bumpy highways that can only be found in the constant riot of Louisiana.
I have just returned from a 4 day road trip with my brother and a buddy. We went to Tallahassee,Fl. to see a concert. It was a great trip. Drove from Houston...to New Orleans, we stayed the night and partied on Bourbon St....then drove to Tallahassee,Fl and watched the concert we partied there and stayed the night then we woke up the next day and drove to Athens,Georgia and watched another concert.....Drove back right after the concert and arrived the next day at 330pm...I put some miles on my new truck.......Great trip!