Driving from TX to 30A
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Has anyone driven from Texas to 30A and have good recommendations on how to break up the drive for kids? Good places to eat, even better if there is a playground at the restaurant etc
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We did it once with little kids and once we arrived we decided to spring for return tickets for me and my kids and my husband drove solo LOL!
But to answer your question, we started the drive at 4am and the kids slept. Then we stopped in New Orleans for brunch. A Buccees outside Mobile, Al and then final push to the beach.
It really wasn’t terrible and we should probably try again now that the kids are a little older -
It’s worth renting a suburban/minivan if you don’t have one. We did it a few years back in my midsize suv and it was not enough room.
The kids did a lot better than I anticipated. We drove anytime they slept and stopped when they were up (duh). I don’t have any recs for specific places to stop but following bc I would like to know, as well. -
We have done it once and will never do it again
Definitely so much better to fly right into Panama City, rent a car and then it’s 30 min drive to the beach. If you do have to drive we stopped overnight in Biloxi on the way there, woke up, drive to Pensacola for breakfast at cracker barrel and then 2 more hours you’re there. On the way home stretch it out and stay the night in New Orleans. But overall flying is so much easier with kids. We’ll never drive again. Not worth loosing 2-3 days of the trip to us. I will mention our kids did great on the drive, we just don’t enjoy sitting in the car loosing vacation days -
We drove from Austin to Gulf Shores last year. Stopped at Bass Pro Shops near Baton Rouge both ways which was a hit with our toddler, we also made stops at sporting goods stores, Chick-fil-A, Buc-ees, etc. it was a lot slower than our usual pace, but we made it
.Also thought about stopping at the aquariums in Biloxi or New Orleans, but our timing of getting to those places didn’t sync with nap time so we skipped them
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If you're traveling on Friday, Palmetto’s in Slidell is a great spot for Cajun food. It’s right on the bayou, just five minutes off the highway, and could be a fun lunch stop for the kids. They can sit on the patio deck, watch the water, and maybe even spot an alligator. Palmetto’s is only open for lunch Friday through Sunday.
Another option is stopping at one of the waterfront restaurants or the lakefront park in Mandeville.
The INFINITY Science Center is just across the Mississippi River has a Saturn V rocket outside. While there wouldn’t be time for a full tour, it’s at the same exit as the Mississippi welcome center—it would be a fun site to get out and see!
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Yes! We are a road trip family - just got home from a drive from Austin to Atlanta and have done a ton of long road trips with kids (now 7, 4, and 2). We leave very early and kids eat something light/small, then our first stop is at a Starbucks on the west side of Houston. Then stop in Baton Rouge and drop off husband/kids at the City-Brooks community park playground to start playing while you drive through somewhere (when in Rome, gotta get Raising Cane's) and then take it back to the park so that everyone can have a nice picnic lunch. We've also often build in a stop at a Walmart on longer trips so kids can stretch their legs in the aisles and you can grab whatever you forgot while you were packing!
