🚐 Road to Texas Series

Just joining us? Catch up on the first two legs of the adventure:

Part 1: On the Road to Texas
From New York to Alabama, with roadside stops, changing landscapes, Nashville highlights, and the first days of life on the road with LoDa.

Part 2: Mississippi, Louisiana & New Orleans
Historic Laurel, waterfront sunsets, colorful murals, wrought iron balconies, and a few unforgettable days exploring New Orleans.

👉 Postcard from Lauri: Life on the Road with LoDa
👉 Postcards from the Sisters: Road to Texas with LoDa 🚐

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Part 3 of our Road to Texas adventure took us from the Gulf Coast to Galveston’s historic neighborhoods and eventually on to Waco. What started as a trip inspired by HGTV quickly turned into a few extra days of exploring after we discovered just how much there was to see.

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🌊 Galveston Island State Park

Our first stop was the Texas coast.

The humidity was real. There was a steady breeze and plenty of waves, but somehow our skin still felt sticky and every camera lens looked a little hazy. It was hard to capture the vibrant colors we were seeing because the lighting washed out many of our photos.

Still, there was something peaceful about waking up near the water and hearing the waves from our campsite. Wild dewberries grew along the back edge of our site, and we spent our days walking the beach, watching shorebirds, and enjoying slow mornings by the Gulf.

One surprise? The beach was far more littered than we expected. We found ourselves wondering why more people weren’t picking up debris while enjoying the shoreline, especially with garbage cans located all along the dunes.

We also witnessed some interesting shenanigans while waiting in line for the free ferry from Bolivar to Galveston.

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🏖️ Exploring Galveston

The original reason for this stop was simple: HGTV’s Restoring Galveston.

What we didn’t expect was to stay several extra days thanks to a pair of tourism brochures that introduced us to historic neighborhoods, walking tours, and some incredible architecture. Smart marketing and tourism!

The historic homes alone were worth the trip.

One of our favorite stops was the old gas station renovated by the hosts of Restoring Galveston into an ice cream and hot dog shop.

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🌺 Favorite Galveston Finds

A few things that caught our eye:

• Historic homes and colorful cottages
• The cemetery covered in wildflowers
• Great-tailed grackles, the most common bird we saw throughout much of the trip
• Giant Texas flags
• Coastal wildlife
• Interesting architecture around every corner

One memorable overnight stop ended up being our most expensive Harvest Host stay of the trip after I insisted on replenishing our depleted stock of gin.

Worth it.

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🌻 Waco & Magnolia

Eventually we made our way inland to Waco.

Like many visitors, Magnolia Market was high on the list. I came home with a few cloth napkins, while Dave found a souvenir T-shirt that may eventually find its way into my closet.

Waco ranked third among our three main destinations on this trip. We’re glad we visited, but don’t feel the need to rush back.

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The Waco Riverfront made for a great picnic stop, and no road trip through Texas would be complete without sampling a few local treats.

The kolaches were excellent on a rainy morning. I just love a good yeasty white bread—it brings back memories of my youth.

And the giant pinecone-shaped donut?

Absolutely delicious.

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🦩 Back Through Louisiana

Before heading east, we spent two more nights in Louisiana.

We stopped at Lake Arthur for a morning coffee break, admired the famous oak at St. John’s Cathedral in Lafayette, and spent several hours exploring Lake Martin Rookery at Cypress Island Preserve.

The birds were difficult to see through the natural screening along the boardwalk, but the sounds were deafening.

Looking back, we probably spent too much time hiking to the alligator viewing area and not enough time enjoying the shaded boardwalk.

One of our favorite meals of the entire trip came from Uncle T’s Oyster Bar in Scott, Louisiana, which we found through a recommendation from YouTube traveler Peter Santenello.

The boudin eggrolls and boudin balls are highly recommended.

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🌴 Emerald Coast, Florida

For the final stretch of the trip, we traded Texas highways for Florida beaches.

We stayed:

• One night at a Harvest Host in Valparaiso near Niceville
• One night in our nephew’s driveway in Shalimar
• Two nights at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
• One night at a Harvest Host in Santa Rosa

The Emerald Coast, particularly the Santa Rosa area and Gulf Islands National Seashore, may have become our new favorite Florida destination.

No high-rise buildings. No crowded skylines. Just miles of white sand dunes and emerald-green water.

The sand here is crushed white quartz. When the sunlight hits the water, it creates that incredible emerald color the area is known for.

If you’re traveling with a dog, Pensacola’s East End Dog Beach was a great find. I even collected several olive shells while setting up Maia’s beach shade.

One afternoon, David spent quite a bit of time helping search for my prescription glasses after I lost them while taking photos at an overlook near Campbell Lake.

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🚐 Looking Back

Texas gave us beaches, historic neighborhoods, wildlife, HGTV locations, giant flags, and more road-trip memories than we expected.

Not every stop became a favorite, but every stop added something to the adventure.

And LoDa carried us through all of it.

The trip ended with one final feather appearing just before it was time to leave the beach and begin the long drive home.

Yet another sign.

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Until the next postcard,
Lauri, Dave & LoDa 🚐