Thanksgiving break is an awkward length that doesn't always justify the time, price and struggle of air travel. If your family is among the many that will hit the highways this November, then you're probably already bracing yourself for the road ahead.
We have provided a small guide to stops en route to the other three major metropolises of Texas. Each stop is less than a mile or two off of the highway and is guaranteed to prove better than the average rest stop. So buckle up and prepare for some pre-Turkey Day calories. Spoiler alert: Most of these are coffee or pastry stops to keep you adequately fueled. It should also be noted that these breaks were curated with the assumption that you'll travel down IH-45 to get to Houston and IH-35 to end up everywhere else.
Destination Austin
About a three and a half hour drive from the Dallas area, barring traffic and stops, the trip to Austin still earns you a stretch break or two. And you're in luck, because we're providing you with just that. First on the list is a Texas staple: Kolaches in West. As you should well know by now, kolaches are a traditional Czech pastry that is made of a delicious fruit filling surrounded by puffy dough. This is not to be confused with a Klobásnik, which contains meat. Either way, both baked goods are in ample supply in West, a small town about 20 minutes north of Waco. If you're looking for a quick stop and a chance to fill the gas tank, the obvious choice is Czech Stop. The pastries are easy to find but so are the crowds. If you don't mind going a little further into town, try out the Village Bakery, which is rumored to have the best kolaches in Texas.
If you're holding out for the true halfway point between Dallas and Austin, then a stop in Waco is in order. Nestled right off of IH-35 and one block from Baylor's campus, a coffee shop called Common Grounds serves up some quality coffee drinks. If you're tired from the drive, try out the “Sleep is Overrated” menu. Drinks on this list reach up to four shots of espresso. It's enough to get college students through finals week, and it's enough to get you to Austin. Czechstop.net, CGwaco.com
Destination San Antonio
We'll keep this list narrowed down to stops between Austin and San Antonio. For anything before that, see the above section. If you choose to take TX-130 to avoid hitting downtown Austin traffic, we applaud your forethought, but if you take it all the way down, these stops will not apply to you. We're sticking to IH-35 finds.
Only 45 minutes south of Austin, San Marcos offers a host of tempting pit stops. You won't run out of fast food eateries. Thankfully, downtown San Marcus is a few blocks off of the highway and has all of the quaint offerings of a traditional Texan town square. Tantra Coffeehouse is right off of the square and has the kind of eclectic vibe you could expect from a river town, college town combo. While the coffee is the main event, don't look past the sandwiches and tacos. In the midst of these tasty treats, you'll find plenty of vegan options that even meat-eaters would enjoy.
Twenty minutes down the road, you'll encounter New Braunfels, a town that is deeply connected to its German heritage. With that in mind, the name of this next stop should come as no surprise: Gruene Coffee Haus. Gruene (pronounced green) is the historic part New Braunfels that serves as its downtown and tourism district. It is there that you will find this wunderbar coffeehaus. They roast in-house and sell bags of their specialty blend, giving you the opportunity to keep the caffeine party going until your final destination. tantrasmtx.com, gruenecoffee.com
Destination Houston
Between Dallas and Houston, you will find… a Buc-ee's. Alright, fine, our list doesn't end there, but in comparison to the trips listed above, you will discover that IH-45 was paved in moderate wilderness. That said, there are some real gems en route to the land of traffic worse than our own. Corsicana, one of the larger cities on the way, is home to a surprisingly hipster coffee shop: Mita's Coffee Lab. This stop will entice you to stay a while, as the atmosphere exudes calmness. But even if you can't enjoy a matcha latte in the exposed-brick haven, the coffee menu should be enough to steer you a little further off the highway.
Next up is Fairfield. If you've been paying attention to the billboards so far, you saw this one coming. Cooper Farms Country Store allows you to fuel yourself and your car. Shelves of delicious preserves, pies, breads, cobblers and more will have you feeling like you traveled back in time. Fill up on nostalgia and fresh produce and brace yourself for the traffic ahead. Safe travels! mitascoffeelab.com, cooperpeaches.com