Road-trip stops in undefined

Buc-ee's - Katy

The original Buc-ee's mothership. If you're starting your Florida road trip from Houston or San Antonio, this is where the pilgrimage begins. Sixty-eight thousand square feet of jerky, fudge, beaver nuggets, and the cleanest restrooms in the Western Hemisphere. Your Texas kids already know what Buc-ee's is. Your out-of-state kids are about to have a spiritual experience. Fill the cooler. Fill the tank. Fill the children. Let's ride.

Hampton Inn Beaumont

Beaumont is the natural overnight if you left San Antonio or Houston in the afternoon. You're at the Louisiana border and tomorrow you've got the long bayou stretch ahead. The Hampton Inn is right off I-10, the pool takes the edge off, and you can eat at one of the surprisingly good Cajun restaurants in town before calling it a night. Don't try to push through to Baton Rouge tonight. You'll thank me.

San Jacinto Monument - Houston

Taller than the Washington Monument — and Texans will never let you forget it. San Jacinto marks the spot where Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, and the observation deck at the top gives you a view of the Houston Ship Channel that smells like progress and petroleum. The Battleship Texas is right next door. Your kids get a battleship and a monument. Texas gets to remind everyone that everything here is bigger.

Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum

In 1901, a geyser of oil shot 150 feet in the air right here and launched the modern petroleum industry. The museum is a recreated boomtown where your kids can see what Texas looked like when it struck oil and went completely insane. For a state that defines itself by oil, football, and BBQ, this is where one-third of that identity started. Fifteen minutes off I-10 and cheap to get in.

Whataburger - Beaumont

Whataburger is Texas's answer to every other fast food burger chain and the answer is 'sit down, we're not finished.' The honey butter chicken biscuit at 2am is a life event. Beaumont is the last major city before the Louisiana border, so this is your final Whataburger until the way home. Texas families treat the last Whataburger like a farewell ceremony. It's beautiful and also a little sad.