An Alternative Western USA Road Trip from Texas to New Mexico

Rise and shine, it’s your first full day in Texas and there’s not a moment to waste in the gargantuan city of Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest metropolis. While its size can be a little disconcerting, you can relax knowing we’ve done the hard work discovering exactly what to do on a time-sensitive visit. The ultimate can’t-miss attraction is NASA's coastal space centre, which you’ll have tickets for ready and waiting at your hotel. Dedicated to mission control and astronaut training and home to the Saturn V, the giant rocket which landed on the moon, as well as the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules, NASA is a treasure chest of fascinating space gadgets. The rest of today is yours to play with. Another of our favourite things to do here is touring the Menil Collection, an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art displayed in a beautiful museum designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano. Our team will also be on hand to recommend anything and everything worth seeing and doing according to your tastes, from gentle strolls in elegant neighbourhoods to wining and dining in innovative bars and restaurants.

It’s time to bid a warm farewell to Houston and get some miles under your belt on this epic southern American road trip. After breakfast, hop back into your hire car and drive three hours west through rolling green hills to San Antonio, a beautiful city known for its rich colonial heritage. Your home for the night here is a boutique hotel nestled in a historic building filled with nostalgic Hispanic charm. After settling in and freshening up, head out and spend the rest of today soaking in the scenic delights of the city. There are plenty of picturesque canals and parks worth walking through, which act as oases of coolness in the Texan heat.

You’ll be hitting the road again later this afternoon, but before that you’ll have the opportunity to walk along the beautiful river banks and visit one of San Antonio’s most important historic sites: Fort Alamo. A fifteen-mile stretch of the San Antonio River, from Brackenridge Park (San Antonio Zoo) to Mission Espada, has been beautifully developed as a pedestrianised riverbank where locals can walk, jog, cycle or have picnics. Enjoy a leisurely walk here before meeting your guide at Fort Alamo, the state’s most visited historic site and one of the most photographed in the entire country. The former Spanish mission acted as a fort (and later, tomb) for folk hero Davy Crockett, who perished here in the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. Continue on this afternoon to the state capital, the beautiful city of Austin, an hour-and-a-half drive away. Your home for the next two nights is a trendy boutique hotel surrounded by upmarket food trucks, stylish bars and designer boutiques.

Nestled along the banks of the Colorado River and dominated by the pink granite Texan State Capitol, Austin is a city known for its pretty architecture, masses of greenery and eclectic music scene, which centres around the rock and country music that has flowed through its veins for decades. Some big names in music have left their mark here, including singer-songwriter Janis Joplin and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Today is yours to spend discovering the many scenic and cultural delights on display here, such as a visit to the prestigious and architecturally-impressive Texas State Capitol; a visit to Barton Springs, one of the most beautiful natural springs in and around the city; Zilker Park, a huge wooded park and haven of tranquillity in the heart of Austin; and explore Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at central Austin’s Lady Bird lake.

Your road trip across Texas continues today with an hour-and-a-half drive west the through the emerald landscapes of Hill Country, the crossroads where West, Central and South Texas come together. Your next destination is Fredericksburg, a small city oozing with classic country charm and fascinating German heritage. Along the way you can make a stop at the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch, a beautiful Texas-German farm where none other than America’s 36th President was born, lived, died and was buried. The site traces the family’s ancestral roots and details Johnson’s deep connection to the ranch and surrounding region. On arrival in Fredericksburg, check in for the night in a quaint riverside hotel and spend the rest of today exploring this adorable country city. There are two fantastic museums worth visiting: the National Museum of the Pacific War, which details the human story of World War II in the Pacific, and the Pioneer Museum, which delves into the history and daily lives of the German pioneers of the Texan hinterland. As for this evening, we recommend enjoying live music in one of the many charming local saloons.

Make sure to fuel up on breakfast and fill the car with tasty snacks as you have quite the journey ahead of you today. This morning you’ll be hitting the road west to Marfa, a small desert Texan city near the southern border with Mexico, a six-hour drive away. The landscapes become increasingly more golden and arid as you head further into the heart of America. Your home for the next two nights here is a bohemian yet elegant estate featuring an eclectic mixture of teepees, yurts and safari tents. Spend the rest of your day here enjoying the natural and creative atmosphere of your new setting after a long day on the road.

Home to barely 2,000 souls in the heart of the expansive Texas desert, Marfa has become a real enclave of independent artists and old cowboys seeking out an alternative, libertarian way of life. The city also attracts movie buffs, who come to visit the filming locations of Giant, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. After breakfast this morning, you’ll be heading out into this one-of-a-kind place for a day of sightseeing. First up: The Block. Built as a city-within-a-city by famous visual artist and theorist Donald Judd, The Block is a collection of buildings and spaces, including a ranch, library and several workshops, that exhibit the artist’s works. For this afternoon you’ll be armed with tickets for the McDonald astronomical observatory, a 6,500ft-high complex belonging to the University of Austin. It is one of the most important observatories in the region and a great place to learn more about the fascinating complexities of the skies above us.

It’s time to hit the road further south, inching even closer to the Mexican border, through an arid desert dotted with brush, shrubs and rolling hills. Your next destination is Terlingua, a small tourist resort nestled between two beautiful parks, Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, a two-hour drive from Marfa. Your home for the next two nights here is small and charming guesthouse well-located for easily getting to both parks, which you’ll have the rest of today and tomorrow to spend exploring. Both parks are excellent hiking destinations, offering desert and mountain trails, breathtaking vistas and diverse wildlife.

You’ll be hitting the road again to your next destination later today but before that there’s time for one last bit of adventure here in southern Texas. After breakfast this morning you’ll be met by an experienced local driver-guide, who’ll be taking you into the heart of Big Bend National Park by Jeep and on foot. Nestled inside the Chihuahuan Desert, this national park is tucked far away from the traditional tourist trail, making it possible to soak in expansive desert landscapes without the crowds. Once you’ve rejoined civilisation back in Terlingua, it’s time to hop back into your hire car and continue your road trip. You’ve come about as far south as south goes in Texas (and this part of the USA), so, naturally you’ll be heading north to New Mexico. Your first destination in the second state of this itinerary is Carlsbad, a lovely city and gateway to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a five-hour drive from Terlingua. On arrival, check in for the night in a small and comfortable hotel in the city centre and spend the rest of today enjoying the facilities here after a busy day.

After breakfast this morning you’ll be heading off to the unmissable natural wonder that attracts wanderlust travellers to Carlsbad: Caverns National Park. In addition to its varied fauna and flora, the park shelters over 100 square miles of underground cavities, which form a fantastic landscape of stalactites and other geological works of art. 120 caves have so far been discovered and explored, however there are most likely plenty more to be found. After touring the site with a private guide, head back to Carlsbad and continue on to your next New Mexico destination: Alamogordo, the gateway to White Sands National Monument, a three-hour drive northwest. On arrival, check in for the night in a classic and comfortable hotel in the city centre and spend the rest of today discovering the surrounding area. You can visit the New Mexico Museum of Space, which details the American achievements in space from New Mexico. There is also the Holloman Air Force base, which delves into the state’s history as a base for nuclear testing. You can even visit the Alamogordo Test Range in the Jornada del Muerto desert, which was the site of the world's first atomic bomb test: the Trinity Test, in July 1945.

Today you’ll be swapping the wild desert landscape of southern Texas for the vibrant cityscapes of Santa Fe. The drive takes around four hours and passes through the heart of central Texas, so there is lots to see and do along the way. One of our favourite spots to stop at is the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, which brings together three missions founded by the Spanish in 1598 on land that at the time was lived on by Native Americans. While the site is now in ruin, it still serves as an important relic of the first encounters between the traditions of the Native Indians and those of the Spanish Conquistadors. Your home for the next two nights in bustling Santa Fe is a charming hotel with touches of both Hispanic and Native American influences. The rest of today is yours to spend relaxing and enjoying the facilities at the hotel ready for a day of exploring tomorrow.

Today is completely dedicated to soaking in the vast and varied cultural delights of Santa Fe, a city known for its picturesque historic architecture and rich Native American heritage. The centre extends around the central Plaza and is a popular spot for gentle strolls and sightseeing. The square is home to the Palace of the Governors, a former royal palace that invites visitors to delve into the regal roots of New Mexico. The surrounding streets are a rhapsody of art and culture, with local vendors selling everything from jewellery and clothing to pottery and paintings. There are also a wealth of art galleries here – Canyon Road, in particular, is known to have over 100 art galleries. One of our favourite museums here is the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, which traces the origins and history of various Native American peoples and displays beautiful collections of both modern and ancient ceramics. For something a little more contemporary, you could make a stop at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which houses the largest collection of her modern art in the world.

Your journey across New Mexico continues today with an hour-and-a-half drive north to Taos, a historic adobe town set in the heart of New Mexico’s high desert. Along the way you’ll pass over the Rio Grande Bridge, a dizzying steel bridge measuring 560ft tall and 600ft long. From the pedestrian crossing, the panoramic views to the west across the desert Taos Plateau and the jagged walls of the gorge are breathtaking. On arrival in Taos, check in for the night in a small adobe motel that fits in seamlessly with the New Mexico landscape and spend the rest of today discovering the region’s rich Native American roots. We recommend heading off to Taos Pueblo, an ancient village belonging to a Native American tribe that has been continuously living here for over a thousand years. The beautiful adobe constructions on display here date from before the time of the Spanish Conquest, meaning you’ll discover the exact same spectacle as the first Spanish explorers. While you’re in Taos it is also worth taking the time to visit the 1815 San Francisco de Asis church, which dazzles visitors with the curves and angles of its solid adobe walls.

Today you’ll be heading south to your final destination in New Mexico: the vibrant and historic city of Albuquerque, a two-and-a-half drive from Taos. Along the way you can make a stop at the Bandelier National Monument to visit the ruins of the ancient Anasazi Native American civilisation. The National Monument Museum presents archaeological pieces found on site, as well as reconstructions of the daily life of the Native Americans at that time. On arrival in Albuquerque, settle in for two nights in your final property: a beautiful lavender farm and estate on the outskirts of the city. The rest of today is yours to spending relaxing in this enchanting setting. You can enjoy the facilities at the estate before tucking into a delicious meal this evening based on the farm-to-table approach.

Since its founding by the Spanish in 1706, Albuquerque has been sat at the crossroads between Mexico and New Mexico. At the time, the Rio Grande was the only means of getting around, but the construction of the railway and later Route 66 made it possible for the city to expand and grow. Even so, the city retains its old-world charm, especially in the picturesque Old Town, where ochre adobe houses, flowered patios and large squares exude the spirit of the simple living of the past. If you’re looking to dig further into the state’s Native American past, then our team will be happy to recommend our favourite Pueblo Indian villages in the region. There is also the Petroglyph National Monument, a lava field nestled in a sweeping desert park, home to more than twenty-four thousand ancient petroglyphs. And finally, for panoramic views of Albuquerque and the surrounding area, make sure to take the Sandia Peak Gondola to the top of the Sandia Mountains.