Head north into Colorado to reach Colorado Springs.
Great first stops when you arrive:
Garden of the Gods
Pikes Peak
Explore downtown Colorado Springs
Quick Road Trip Overview
Stop
From Dallas
Why Stop
Wichita Mountains
3 hrs
Wildlife + scenic views
Caprock Canyons
5.5 hrs
Texas bison herd
Palo Duro Canyon
6 hrs
Massive canyon + hiking
Colorado Springs
12 hrs
Mountains + iconic Colorado scenery
Whether you’re heading to Colorado or just looking to break up the long drive from Dallas, these stops make the journey part of the adventure. From the wildlife and scenic views in the Wichita Mountains to the dramatic red rock landscapes of Caprock Canyons and Palo Duro Canyon, each stop offers a chance to stretch your legs and experience some of the most underrated scenery in Texas and Oklahoma. Road trips aren’t just about the destination—they’re about discovering incredible places along the way.
If you’re planning a Dallas to Colorado road trip, save this guide for later and check out more real-life road trip itineraries here on the blog!
You don’t need a flight to have an epic adventure. Some of the most beautiful landscapes in the South and Southwest are within driving distance of Dallas — and they won’t wreck your budget.
These are real road trips we’ve personally done. No luxury resorts. No complicated planning. Just scenic drives, affordable lodging, big views, and weekend-doable itineraries.
If you’re looking for budget-friendly road trips from Dallas (3–8 hours away), start here.
If you want maximum payoff with minimal driving, this is it. The Wichita Mountains feel wild and rugged, but they’re incredibly accessible — especially for families.
Day 1: Hit the road from Dallas for an easy 3–3.5 hour drive to Lawton, Oklahoma. Start your trip with a stop at the Museum of the Great Plains for a fun and educational break (especially great if you’re traveling with kids). Afterward, check into the Hampton Inn & Suites in Lawton, grab dinner at a local spot in town, and then make your way up to Mount Scott for sunset. The views overlooking the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge are absolutely worth it and make the perfect way to end your first day.
Day 2: Enjoy the hotel’s free breakfast before picking up to-go lunches at a nearby grocery store in Lawton. Spend the day exploring Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge — hike the family-friendly Narrows Trail, drive the scenic loop to spot bison, elk, deer, and prairie dogs, and stop by the Visitor Center to learn more about the area. After a full day of adventure, make the easy drive back to Dallas.
Why It’s Budget-Friendly
No entrance fees
Free drive-up sunset views at Mount Scott
Affordable hotels in Lawton
Easy 2-day trip (no PTO required)
What to Do
Hike the Narrows Trail (great for kids)
Visit Prairie Dog Town
Wildlife drive (bison, elk, longhorn)
Stop at the Visitor Center
Explore Medicine Park
Perfect for: First-time road trippers, short weekends, wildlife lovers.
Caprock is quieter, less crowded, and wildly underrated. If you want space and scenery — this is your spot.
Caprock Canyons Day Trip (On the Way Back to Dallas): After wrapping up your time at Palo Duro Canyon, take a slight detour to Caprock Canyons State Park for one more Panhandle adventure before heading home to Dallas. The park is known for its rugged red rock cliffs and the official Texas State Bison Herd, so keep your eyes open as you drive in. Stop by the visitor center for a quick overview, then stretch your legs on a short hike like the Lower North Prong Trail or Eagle Point Trail for beautiful canyon views without committing to a long trek.
When you’re ready to hit the road, begin the drive back to Dallas with wide-open Texas views and likely a few dusty shoes. Caprock makes the perfect add-on stop — less crowded than Palo Duro but just as stunning — and an easy way to soak in a little more adventure before closing out your road trip.
Why It’s Budget-Friendly
Affordable park entry
Fewer crowds = easier reservations
Camping + basic lodging nearby
What to Do
North Prong Trail
Clarity Tunnel
Lake Theo picnic
Bison spotting
Perfect for: Families who prefer off-the-beaten-path parks.
Here’s the truth: Flights are expensive. Rental cars are expensive. Resort towns are expensive.
These destinations keep costs down because:
You drive your own car
Park entrance fees are low
Many offer camping or affordable cabins
Scenic views are free
You can pack your own meals
You’re paying for gas and park entry — not airfare and baggage fees.
What to Pack for a Budget Road Trip
Keep it simple and practical:
Refillable water bottles
Snacks + picnic supplies
Hiking boots
Lightweight daypack
Sunscreen + hats
Printed or downloaded trail maps
Bonus tip: A National Park Pass can save money if visiting multiple parks in a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best road trips from Dallas under 5 hours?
Wichita Mountains is the top pick. Broken Bow is another popular option.
What national parks are within driving distance of Dallas?
Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns are both 7–8 hours away.
What is the cheapest weekend trip from Dallas?
Wichita Mountains and Caprock Canyons typically offer the lowest overall costs.
Are these trips kid-friendly?
Yes. Each destination offers accessible hikes and short scenic stops suitable for families.
What’s the best time of year to go?
Spring and fall offer the best temperatures. Summer works well for caves and higher elevations.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a passport for adventure. Just a full tank of gas, a simple plan, and a weekend. These budget-friendly road trips from Dallas prove that epic landscapes are closer (and cheaper) than you think.
Our road tripping adventures have taken us to so many fascinating and educational places across the United States. Keep reading to learn more about our favorite museums across America the whole family will love!
One of the most recent new states we visited last summer was Massachusetts! We stayed in Boston and ventured to Plymouth and Salem during our stay. This area is a history buff’s dream! We learned so much about our country’s history during the trip and seeing the places that we discuss in school was so engaging. I highly recommend a visit to this area, there is so much to experience!
The teacher in me loved this living history museum in Plymouth, MA! It was like stepping back in time and experiencing life like the Pilgrims did in the 1600s. We walked along the dirt streets in the village, explored the inside of the homes, and experienced a Wampanoag site!
The Mayflower II is a full scale reproduction of the ship that the Pilgrims sailed to America on in the 1600s. It has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and is truly an amazing site to explore!
The Freedom Trail in Boston is a unique collection of museums, churches, homes, and buildings that tell the story of the American Revolution. What I enjoyed most about this 2.5 mile trail was the option to explore it all at our own pace.
The entire family really enjoyed our time at the Boston Tea Party Museum. Not only did we learn a lot, when you’re here you are experiencing a reenactment of the time period. We were given cards with a short biography about a key person involved in the Boston Tea Party and that was the role we played during our visit. We even got to throw tea overboard! It was a really fun experience for all of us, but our boys seemed to enjoy this one the most!
My favorite part of visiting Washington DC is the amount of FREE museums that are available! We’ve visited DC four times so far and haven’t even come close to seeing all of them. Below are my favorites!
You can spend all day at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and still not see everything this amazing museum has to offer! Highlights for us included the ancient Egypt exhibit, the Fossil Hall, the Hope diamond, and the Ocean Hall!
If you enjoy space and aviation, then you must check out the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum! We enjoyed the Destination Moon Exhibition and seeing the Apollo 11 Command Module Colombia and Neil Armstrong’s Apollo spacesuit in person.
Even if you’re not a history buff, this museum has a lot to offer with over three million historical objects in collection. My personal favorite is the actual Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired our national anthem!
If you’re interested in seeing the Declaration of Independence in person, this is the place to visit! Of course, this museum holds a vast amount of national records, but seeing our founding documents really was the highlight of our visit!
While this museum is somewhat of a somber one, I highly recommend a visit if you’re in DC! Be sure to get tickets to the museum, the theatre, and the Petersen House (across the street). With these three tickets, you can take a self-guided tour of the museum, it even includes a blood stained pillow from the bed Lincoln passed away in. Don’t miss the Ranger Talk in the theatre upstairs. Here you can see the special balcony seats the Lincoln’s were in at the time of his assassination and a Park Ranger will retell events leading up to that fateful night. Across the street, you can visit the Petersen House, which is where Lincoln ultimately succumbed to his injury.
Your trip to DC isn’t complete without a visit to our President’s home and workplace. Here, you will enjoy a self-guided tour of the East Wing, which includes a few public rooms, the Red Room, Blue Room, Green Room, the state dining room, and a view of the White House Rose Garden. To learn more about securing your reservation, click here.
If you find yourself in Connecticut, a great museum to visit is the Mystic Seaport Museum. Here, you will be transported back to the New England whaling trade of the 19th century as you stroll along the recreated Seaport Village and climb onto boats and ships in the Shipyard.
There are over a hundred museums in New York City, so the few we visited are just a small glimpse of what this city has to offer! I hope we have the chance to return and add more to our list soon.
A trip to New York City is just not complete without seeing Lady Liberty in person! On your visit, you can get tickets to go inside either the pedestal or the crown of the Statue of Liberty and we highly recommend this! It’s a very cool experience. While there, don’t forget to check out the museum. We enjoyed learning more about the statue’s history and seeing the original torch which is located inside.
The 911 Memorial and Museum is near the Stature of Liberty, so you can easily check out both of these museums on the same day. This is a really somber place, but a site that I feel like everyone should see at least once. The museum is very informational and very sad, but they did a wonderful job with the memorial and the artifacts. Our boys were pretty young when we visited and had a lot of questions, but I feel like it’s a big part of our history and something we should never forget.
The Empire State Building is an iconic staple of New York City. We enjoyed going up to the top viewing deck, but we loved the inside even more! I’m not even sure if this one is considered a museum, but learning about the history of the building and the construction was really neat! Plus, there’s a lot of movie history inside and several different options for photo ops!
After visiting several Smithsonian Museums over the past few years, some museums just don’t compare. But the Museum of Natural History in New York is just as amazing! I’m not sure if you can even see it all in one day, but we definitely tried! From dinosaurs to gemstones, this place has it all. Plus, it’s near Central Park, so when you finish inside, there will be more to explore outdoors!
From beaches to mountains, and a ton of history in between, Virginia is one of those states that I will never tire of visiting! And here, you will find some of my favorite museums of all time!
Being a teacher, I have a great love for history and living history museums. Colonial Williamsburg was the first one I ever visited and since then, I’ve been hooked. I was totally in my element there! The entire area is just gorgeous, and it felt like we were actually walking around in the early colonial days! You’ll see colonial homes, businesses, streets, people in time-period clothing, horse drawn carriages, and more!
How cool is it to say that you’ve walked where Pocahontas did?! This is the neatest area full of history and artifacts that go back to the early days of exploration. If you enjoy history and learning more about this time period, then I recommend checking out this historic site!
The Jamestowne Settlement is probably my favorite living history museum that we’ve visited to date. Here, you will learn about life in a Native American village, a colonial village, and on a ship. You are encouraged to talk to the re-enactors to learn more about life in this time-period as they go about their daily chores. There are even different costumes for kids to dress in. It’s a really fun, interactive museum for the whole family!
My boys loved the battlefield at the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown. If you are near Williamsburg, Virginia be sure to check out the Historic Triangle and visit Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestowne, and Yorktown. Here, you’ll learn more about the Revolutionary War!
If you’re near DC, you should consider adding a day trip to visit George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon! You are allowed to take a guided tour of the home and then explore the entire grounds on your own. The house was very impressive, but we also saw his gravesite, slave quarters, barns, and more on our visit. The most exciting part for me was inside the museum. We got to see George Washington’s actual teeth!
I love visiting our Founding Father’s homes and Thomas Jefferson’s has probably been the most fascinating. He was responsible for many of Lewis & Clark’s adventures, so there are tons of artifacts from their exploration on display in his home. Because of this, we were not allowed to take photos inside the home, but trust me, it’s amazing! We also visited the slave quarters, learned more about Sally Hemings, and were able to explore the entire property and see his gravesite. If you are near Charlottesville, Virginia be sure to check out this historical site.
Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities to visit. The history of our country and Founding Fathers has always intrigued me, so there’s no better place for history buffs than a trip to Philly, the birthplace of our nation!
Take a step back in time to the late 1700s and learn more about our independence at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. We listened to a Park Ranger tell us more about the time period and how our Founding Fathers worked together inside of the rooms here to form our government. I may have cried a few times. It smelled like the 1700s and I am still amazed I stepped foot into the very room Ben Franklin and George Washington were in!
A trip to Philadelphia is not complete without seeing the Liberty Bell. This can be a quick stop, the Liberty Bell can be seen through a glass window. Otherwise, you can wait in a line (it does move very quickly) to view the bell in person, which is what I recommend. Before you get to the bell, you have the opportunity to walk through a small museum to learn more about its history. It’s set in a beautiful location with Independence Hall in the background!
We had such a fun time at the Betsy Ross House! We got to hear from Betsy herself, and the boys even learned how to make the same stars that were on our first flag. Touring the house was fun and informational, and it was great to see so many people re-enacting history in the area!
We love learning about our Founding Fathers and its one of my goals to visit all of their homes. Ben Franklin’s home is no longer standing, but there’s a museum and courtyard where his home used to be. You can see the structure of what his home looked like, there are some artifacts left of the original structure. You can also see his printing press and post office right outside of his home!
We spent a rainy afternoon at the Franklin Institute and had a great time! There’s so much to explore and most things are hands on. The boys really enjoyed the human body and the brain exhibits!
If you plan to visit Texas, museums are an excellent attraction to add to your list of activities to beat the heat! There are several across the Dallas metroplex and throughout the entire state.
I included the Dallas World Aquarium because its location is close to the Perot Museum and it is truly an amazing place. Here, you’ll walk through a rainforest ecosystem before moving down to the aquarium. It really is a special place that we have visited time and time again.
I recently visited the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas and thoroughly enjoyed my time here. My boys loved the baseball collection and I was really impressed with Bush’s paintings that are displayed throughout the museum!
Sci-Tech in Frisco is such a fun, hands-on museum, especially for younger kiddos! My kids loved the tornado simulation and the bubble tables! This is a smaller museum, but there are so many activities for kids to explore!
The Thinkery in Austin has been one of my favorite museums in Texas! There are several hands-on activities here, both inside and outdoors. This place will keep you entertained and engaged for hours!
You can’t visit San Antonio without a stop at The Alamo! Here, you can step inside this historic Spanish Mission and learn more about the Texas Revolution!
Space Center Houston is the official visitor’s center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. This is the only place in the world where you watch astronauts train for missions, touch a real moon rock, and take a behind the scene tour of NASA!
Who knew there would be so much more to Illinois than just Chicago! While we did love exploring Chicago, we also enjoyed the history in Springfield, specifically centered around our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln!
This is my favorite Presidential Library to date! This museum, located in Springfield, seemed to be catered to kids and my boys loved it, too! There are so many neat exhibits inside that tell the story of Abe Lincoln, from when he was boy living in a log cabin, all the way to his time in the White House!
The only home that Lincoln owned can also be found in Springfield, just down the street from the Presidential Library. It was great to take a guided tour and see the home that his family lived in. Be sure to take a walk down the street as well, it has been restored to look like the time period that the Lincoln’s lived there.
My kiddos really enjoyed their time at the Adler Planetarium on our first trip to Chicago. There are many hands-on activities and even space suits and helmets to try on. It was a fun stop on our trip!
I had the chance to venture through the Art Institute of Chicago with a friend of mine. It’s truly amazing to see famous prints that I studied in school, up close and in person!
Even though I’m more of a Dr. Pepper fan, we had to check out the World of Coca-Cola on our recent trip to Atlanta. I was impressed with the amount of Coke memorabilia and it was fun trying out different flavors from around the world!
I’m including the Georgia Aquarium since it is right next to the World of Coca-Cola. It’s one of the most impressive aquariums I’ve had the chance to visit, but man was it crowded in the summer. It’s still very cool and worth a visit!
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is located on Jekyll Island. It’s a small rehabilitation center for injured sea turtles and there’s also a museum on site. We really enjoyed learning about and watching how they help sea turtles get back to sea!
The City Museum is probably the weirdest museum I’ve visited and we loved every minute of it! There are so many places to crawl and climb your way through, in fact knee pads are highly recommended. If you’re looking for a unique adventure in St. Louis, be sure to check this place out!
The Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis ended up being a lot more interesting than I anticipated. We enjoyed exploring outdoors around the Arch, but the museum inside is pretty cool! While there, take a tram ride up to the top!
The Titanic Museum in Branson is a really neat attraction for anyone that’s interested in the Titanic. There’s icebergs, cold temps, and over 400 artifacts, plus a replica of the grand staircase. This was a fun stop for our family
There are so many more museums across America, but these are our family favorites! It’s the perfect way to spend a day in a new place or to beat the weather if it’s too cold, hot, or rainy at your destination. Let me know what your favorite museums are that we should add to the list!
If you follow along on our adventures, then you already know that we love to explore the outdoors and hike around National Parks. But, we also enjoy changing it up sometimes and venturing to the city with our boys. Below are 5 fun cities to explore with kids!
5 Fun Cities to Explore with Kids: DC, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Dallas!
Washington, DC
Touring the White House was on my bucket list for years!
Washington, DC was the first big city we traveled to with our kids. It was such a great “starter city” for our family. Not only is it extremely walkable, there’s so much to do. And the best part is, there are several free activities around the city to enjoy!
The boys’ first request was a visit to the Lincoln Memorial!
We’ve traveled to DC in September, November, and March. We got lucky on all of our trips and had gorgeous weather each time. DC is stunning in the fall, but just as beautiful in the spring with the cherry blossoms in bloom!
My littlest boy, cherry blossoms, and the Capital!
My favorite visit was our trip over our Thanksgiving break in November. The city was not crowded at all, which made it easy to explore the museums and we didn’t have to wait long for dining at restaurants. The only downside is that we were not able to tour the White House because it is closed this week for Christmas decorating.
We can say we’ve been inside George Washington’s house! It was beyond amazing!
Be prepared for a lot of walking. We clocked an average of ten miles per day when we were there! Our boys were only five and nine on our first visit and were tired, but made it just fine! We did use a taxi to get from the airport to our hotel. There are also several taxis that stay around the National Mall area, mostly near the Lincoln Memorial. We jumped in a few of those when the boys were too tired to make the walk back to the hotel for the night.
Posing with the White House
Our most memorable moments of our trips to DC were going inside the White House, watching President Trump leave the White House on Marine One, seeing George Washington’s actual teeth on display at Mount Vernon, and seeing the original United States’ flag & the Declaration of Independence!
George Washington’s actual teeth on display at Mount Vernon!
New York City is an amazing destination for just about anyone! I’ve traveled to the Big Apple with my boys twice now and honestly, we can’t wait to go back!
Our first visit to the Statue of Liberty!
We’ve visited NYC in June and in November. Summertime can get pretty hot, but we’re from Texas, so we’re used to it. Our first day in the city on our November visit was extremely cold, but the rest of the days felt really nice.
My favorite, Christmastime in NYC!
I loved both visits, but there’s something really special about traveling to this city before Christmas! We enjoyed the Christmas décor so much. So, I have to say that our trip over Thanksgiving break in November was my favorite. I highly recommend visiting this week if you can! We got to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and experience all of the Christmas spirit at the same time!
You should also prepare to walk a lot in this city, too! Besides walking, we also used the subway system to navigate around the city. It’s definitely true, you’ll never be able to do everything on your list in one visit, so don’t over plan activities and pack in too much each day. We picked one major activity per day that was a must do/must see and it worked out well for us!
The boys’ first subway ride!
Of course, there are different activities based on the season you’re traveling. Some of our favorite New York City memories are riding the subway for the first time, going inside the Statue of Liberty, watching the Macy’s parade balloons being inflated, watching Elton John perform in the street in front of Saks, and finally seeing Naked Cowboy in Times Square!
Awesome experience getting to watch the Macy’s parade balloons being inflated the day before the parade!
We were so pleasantly surprised with our first ever visit to Philly! This city is fun, historical, and full of many different activities to explore. And it’s so easy to maneuver, which made it even better for me since I was there with my boys, without Jereme.
The Liberty Bell!
We visited Philadelphia in late June and were only there for three days. The weather was fantastic! It was in the low 80s while back home in Texas it was already pushing 100 degrees.
Independence Hall
I loved that we were comfortable to walk around the city from morning until evening! I feel like we left the city with more early American knowledge than ever before. The old buildings and historical sites, basically everywhere in Philadelphia, have me yearning for another visit!
We happened to visit the Betsy Ross House on Flag Day!
Be prepared to walk a lot in this city, too. Again, it’s very easy to maneuver, but we clocked in eight to ten miles each day exploring. The boys were a little older, one was almost seven and the other was ten during our visit.
We walked to New Jersey on the Ben Franklin Bridge!
My favorite moments in Philadelphia were seeing the room that our Founding Fathers developed the ideas for our country in person, watching early American time period re-enactments, seeing an actual ghost on our Philly ghost tour, and watching my boys get excited to learn so much about Benjamin Franklin! We had an absolute blast and I hope we are able to return again soon with Jereme!
We road tripped to Chicago a few years ago on a total whim when we realized it wouldn’t take us that much longer to drive to than our yearly trips to Colorado. Since that first trip, I’ve traveled back another four times!
The Bean
Most of my trips to the Windy City have been in the summertime, only once did I visit in the fall. We love being outside, so walking around Chicago was something that my family enjoyed. In the spring and early summer, the weather is gorgeous, and I still can’t get over the flowers that are blooming virtually everywhere!
I loved the flowers!
My favorite trip was our first summer visit. We packed in so much and had a wonderful time together. Plus, I had previous students that had recently moved to the city from Texas, so they showed us all around!
Even though we had our car with us since we road tripped, we walked just about everywhere. We left our car at the hotel the whole entire time. We clocked an average of ten miles each day that we were here. We did brave the bus one time, but otherwise we enjoyed walking.
Walk back from the Planetarium
My favorite memories in Chicago are seeing Payton Manning filming on the Chicago River, eating delicious food the entire time, exploring the aquarium with my boys, and of course, seeing the house that Home Alone was filmed at!
If you live near the Dallas area, or you want to visit Texas, this recommendation is for you! I’ve lived near Dallas my whole entire life, but never really visited as a tourist until last summer. My best friend and I took our boys for a few nights, and we truly had a blast!
A rooftop pool is a must!
We visited in July, and true to Texas, it was HOT. But, that’s not anything we’re not used to. We planned mostly indoor activities and booked a nice hotel with a rooftop pool.
We spent a lot of time swimming!
I wouldn’t really call Dallas a walkable city, we needed our car for most of the places we decided to visit. But, it’s not nearly as crowded as the other cities mentioned above and we never had any issues finding places to park. If you’re visiting from out of town, I do suggest renting a car!
Even though Dallas is close to home, we still had such a great time on our “staycation!” We didn’t even get to do everything on our list, but fun was had by all. My favorite Dallas memories are visiting the George W. Bush Presidential Library, going inside the Reunion Tower and up to the GeO-Deck, lounging by the rooftop pool, and not having to drive too far on our road trip here from home!
No matter which city you plan to visit, a fun time is guaranteed! My boys both agreed that New York City is their favorite city of the five. Mine is Philadelphia! Be sure to check back soon to see what we’re up to next. And don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
Road Trip Queen 