Nonnativetexan & any Local Experts For First timers to Texas

Posted my original question a while back and got plenty of help from several people, which I was grateful for.

Flights are now booked and route tentatively planned !!

Flying into Houston 12th April 2007 - arrive 1.20 pm

Stay 2 nights in Houston

14th April - San Antonio for 2 nights

16th April - Austin 1 night

17th April - Fort Worth 2 nights - visit Dallas one day

19th April - Little Rock 1 night

20th April - Memphis ( Graceland ) - hotel booked

21st April - Nashville - Visit Grand Ole Opry

22nd April - start to drive to Panama City beach Florida - stop for night somewhere en route

Accomodation booked from 23rd April for 9 nights -collapse in PCB and chill out !!

We have to be in Memphis on the 20th April 2007 as we are meeting a friend who will join us at the hotel for the rest of the trip, hence the whistle stop tour.

Other than that we are flexible, do you think we have the route planned okay or should we change the amount of days stopping at each place ? Is it possible to travel into Dallas from Fort Worth on public transport ?

Any suggestions will be gratefully received !!

Thanks

Nonnativetexan %26amp; any Local Experts For First timers to Texas

What%26#39;s in Little Rock that you want to see?

Nonnativetexan %26amp; any Local Experts For First timers to Texas

To get to Dallas from Fort Worth, you take the TRE (Trinity Railway Express) http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/

It%26#39;s basically commuter service between the cities. There are two places to catch the train in FW and you can ride to the end of the line in Dallas at Union Station. From there, you can catch DART (Dallas%26#39; kight rail) over to the West End and see the 6th Floor museum, etc. and lots of other places around downtown.

Just curious- where did you decide to stay in FW?

West of PCB is the area referred to as South Walton, SoWal or 30A- you might take a look at sowal.com to see some of the cool places and less crowded areas to visit .

Your trip is a whistle stop but looks like lots of fun. Let us know how it all turns out, OK?

Comments in ( ) below

Flights are now booked and route tentatively planned !! (fun!)

Flying into Houston 12th April 2007 - arrive 1.20 pm

Stay 2 nights in Houston

(are you staying in the Galleria area?)

14th April - San Antonio for 2 nights

(are you staying on the Riverwalk?)

16th April - Austin 1 night

(are you staying downtown? There is a new steakhouse that just opened downttown and it is fantastic - III Forks) (be sure to go hear some live music on 5th and 6th streets at night and walk around - it gets kind of crazxy on weekends with all of the college kids though).

17th April - Fort Worth 2 nights - visit Dallas one day

(you will love downtown Ft. Worth)

19th April - Little Rock 1 night

(did you decide to stay at the Peabody?)

20th April - Memphis ( Graceland ) - hotel booked

(I think you are staying at Heartbreak Hotel? - that%26#39;s funny, my wife and I stayed there last year . Make sure to hang out and hear some Blues on Beale Street at night - the Graceland area is not safe to walk around at night).

21st April - Nashville - Visit Grand Ole Opry

(downtown Nashville is great!)

22nd April - start to drive to Panama City beach Florida - stop for night somewhere en route

(are you driving through Gatlinburg ? It%26#39;s a pretty drive through the Smokey Mountains).

Accomodation booked from 23rd April for 9 nights -collapse in PCB and chill out !!

We have to be in Memphis on the 20th April 2007 as we are meeting a friend who will join us at the hotel for the rest of the trip, hence the whistle stop tour.

Other than that we are flexible, do you think we have the route planned okay or should we change the amount of days stopping at each place ? Is it possible to travel into Dallas from Fort Worth on public transport ?

(I think your trip sounds fantastic! I think you were smart to pack alot in and then plan to relax for 9 days! perfect....)

Any suggestions will be gratefully received !!

Thanks everyone for the info.

Pepper - just passing through Little Rock on way to Memphis, probably just stay the night, if we have time maybe visit Clinton Presidential Center, but depends how trip is going.

Poodleone - not booked any accomodation in FW - any suggestions ?

Nonnativetexan - Houston - yes thought Galleria area as you had recommended it - any suggestions for hotel ? Should we hire car from first day or would we get about easy without one in Houston and the rent one for the rest of the trip ?

San Antonio - yes Riverwalk area - any suggestions hotel ?

Austin - downtown - you had suggested the new Hilton

Memphis - yes Heartbreak Hotel because my friend is a big Elvis fan and as trip is short thought it would be good as Graceland over the road and she will be up early the next day with jet lag !! We had read about the area not being to safe, but thought as it was only an overnight stay we would be okay.

We won%26#39;t be going as far as Gatlinburg, but travelling straight down through Birmingham Alabama.

Thanks everyone for the info.

Pepper - just passing through Little Rock on way to Memphis, probably just stay the night, if we have time maybe visit Clinton Presidential Center, but depends how trip is going.

Poodleone - not booked any accomodation in FW - any suggestions ?

Nonnativetexan - Houston - yes thought Galleria area as you had recommended it - any suggestions for hotel ? Should we hire car from first day or would we get about easy without one in Houston and the rent one for the rest of the trip ?

San Antonio - yes Riverwalk area - any suggestions hotel ?

Austin - downtown - you had suggested the new Hilton

Memphis - yes Heartbreak Hotel because my friend is a big Elvis fan and as trip is short thought it would be good as Graceland over the road and she will be up early the next day with jet lag !! We had read about the area not being to safe, but thought as it was only an overnight stay we would be okay.

We won%26#39;t be going as far as Gatlinburg, but travelling straight down through Birmingham Alabama.

I see I have replied twice - my computer was slow !!

Also we will be flying back from Atlanta, would there be a plantation house we could visit on the way back up ??

Thanks again everyone

tomkins-

as far as staying in Fort Worth goes, I would decide first if I wanted to stay in the Stockyards or downtown in Sundance Square.

In the Stockyards, we like Amerisuites. There are lots of music/bar venues (White Elephant, Longhorn Saloon, Pearl%26#39;s Dance Hall and Saloon, Billy Bob%26#39;s) and restaurants (Cattlemens, H3, Star Cefe, Lonesome Dove), Western/ Cowboy theme shopping.

If you would like to stay downtown in Sundance, here are some suggestions:

Renaissance Worthington (big hotel), Etta%26#39;s Place (bed and breakfast), Ashton (boutique- big bucks), Courtyard Blackstone. There are lots of places to eat and shop, movies and bars, Bass Hall for shows.

One other idea is the Residence Inn (Mariott) near the Cultural District- close to the museums.

If you are staying in the Galleria area of Houston, I would stay at the Westin Galleria. It is attached to the Galleria and is a nice hotel. That way, you can walk right in to the mall from your hotel. The Doubletree in the Galleria area is also nice.

You will definitely need a car while in Houston. I would go ahead and rent the car at the airport and keep it. Houston is very spread out and cab rides add up very quickly (for example, last time I had to take a cab from Intercontinental Airport to the Galleria area, it was over $50). That%26#39;s almost the price of a mid sized car rental for one entire day.

Hotels in Little Rock are tricky, I%26#39;ve stayed at many for work over the years. None even come close to the Peabody. One other suggestion. You could drive to Natchitoches, Louisiana and spend the night in a Bed and Breakfast to change things up a bit, instead of going to Little Rock as there is really nothing special about Little Rock. check out this website:

http://www.natchitoches.net

it also has a list of places to stay. It%26#39;s a very charming small southern town that has been used as a location on some major films. It would not be too much out of your way.

As far as hotels in Nashville, I%26#39;ve stayed at the Hilton downtown and it was very nice. It may be fun to stay at the Gaylord Opryland hotel too, depending on what you want to do.

if you want any other suggestions, just ask! Sounds like you will have fun!

My experience is that about all big chain hotels are the same no matter where in the world they are located. (I have stayed in them in the past due to convention schedules and when I have been on hosted tours. But when I am spending my own money I want the unique experience of a local bed and breakfast ) One exception is the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and I recommend it just because it is legendary and I do still get quite a bit of pleasure thinking about it.

I have stayed in the Peabody in Memphis and it was not anything spectacular. I wish that I had stayed near Graceland. I have walked around the area near Graceland but it was during an crowded Elvis event. I did feel a need to be a little watchful.

Graceland probably still sells a ticket that includes admission to many Elvis venues including touring his DC-3 airplane and a museum. I recommend going to all of it. I am an Elvis fan. I have flown to Memphis just for a day to participate in an Elvis event and I would do it again if the right opportunity came again.

I took a Grayline tour of Memphis and it was good at that time. I have since decided that hiring a private car and driver who acts as a tour guide is a much better way to use my time while on vacation. Even though it seems expensive it is really is a bargain. Usually the local tourist bureau can recommend a tour guide who will ride in your car and it may cost a little less money.