20 Locations To Discover On A Houston To Miami Street Journey 2023

Houston and Miami are two of the biggest and most fun cities within the south. An thrilling solution to uncover the secrets and techniques of the south is to plan an epic highway journey between the 2 cities. When journeying from Houston to Miami, you go via Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and plenty of superb sights and experiences.

The 1200-mile drive takes about 17 hours, however with a lot to see, you’re extra more likely to spend 17 days! From the cool bars in New Orleans’ French Quarter to the enjoyable theme parks of Orlando, road-tripping from House Metropolis to the tip of the Sunshine State is an epic American highway journey. 

Houston to Miami

20 Locations To Go to On A Houston To Miami Street Journey

1- Galveston, Texas

When you haven’t visited Galveston, detour to the Lone Star State’s favorite coastal retreat.

Straddling the Gulf Coast, Galveston is legendary for its Southern attraction and hospitality.

Its splendidly preserved Victorian homes and world-class out of doors points of interest are inside 50 miles (80 km) of Downtown Houston.

Galveston’s lengthy record of implausible points of interest makes the town a well-liked trip vacation spot any time of the yr.

Some points of interest are the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, the Strand Historic District and Galveston’s well-known Pleasure Pier. 

Galveston is 51 miles (82 km) from Houston, and the drive takes barely over one hour. It’s not precisely on the way in which, as you’ll have to go again in the direction of Houston, however should you haven’t had the possibility to go to but, it’s definitely price trying out. 

Prime tour: Galveston Pink Gentle District Tour.

2- Baton RoGalveston Pink Gentle District Touruge, Louisiana

The state capital of Louisiana and the house of the Louisiana State College’s predominant campus, Baton Rouge is a contemporary metropolis teeming with historical past, Southern attraction, a large breadth of points of interest, and that quintessential Louisiana Creole flavour.

Baton Rouge usually will get missed as a highway journey stopping level in favour of the bigger and extra in style New Orleans, nonetheless, the town’s college-town really feel and issues to do will entertain even probably the most urbanised metropolis slickers.

Baton Rouge’s laundry record of distinctive landmarks makes it onerous for first-time guests to determine the place to begin, with the Louisiana State Capitol, rowdy Tiger Stadium and the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial all good selections to go to.

Baton Rouge is 269 miles (432 km) from Houston. The driving time is round 4 hours from Houston and about half an hour should you drive from Galveston. 

3- New Orleans, Louisiana

Synonymous with Mardi Gras and Jazz music, New Orleans is the beating coronary heart of the South’s Creole, Cajun and French cultures.

First established by the French in 1718, New Orleans is a surprising metropolis that oozes enjoyable and historical past round each nook.

Town is the biggest in Louisiana and is conveniently located on the Mississippi Delta, which helped remodel this former French colony into one of many mightiest cities south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Right this moment, New Orleans is a global metropolis with implausible corners to maintain you up evening and day, such because the French Quarter and Jackson Sq.. 

New Orleans is 81 miles (130 km) from Baton Rouge and a few 1.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Steamboat Natchez Night Jazz Cruise with Dinner Possibility.

4- Biloxi, Mississippi

On the Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, Biloxi is the go-to seaside vacation spot for Mississippians due to the town’s glorious seashores, vibrant culinary scene and wealthy maritime previous.

Town is filled with issues to maintain you busy, starting from playing dens and historic points of interest for adults to amusement parks and sports activities arenas for households.

The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library, Hurricane Katrina Memorial, Biloxi Lighthouse and Biloxi Seaside are simply a few of Biloxi’s best-kept secrets and techniques ready to be found as you make your method east in the direction of Florida.

Biloxi is 90 miles (145 km) from New Orleans and round a 1.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Skip the Line: Beauvoir Common Admission Ticket.

5- Cell, Alabama

Cell is Alabama’s favorite coastal retreat steeped in gorgeous structure and various cultures.

Located on the Gulf of Mexico on the very tip of Alabama, Cell combines one of the best that the Antebellum South and Creole tradition has to supply via varied enjoyable points of interest and iconic landmarks.

Cell dazzles guests with lots to select from by way of leisure, starting from the annual Cell Mardi Gras, one of many largest Mardi Gras carnivals exterior New Orleans, to the well-known Crescent Theater, which dates again to 1885.

For historical past buffs, the town is residence to the USS Alabama and the African-American Heritage Path, two important historic points of interest. 

Cell is 95 miles (153 km) from Biloxi and round a 1.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Downtown Cell Meals Tour.

6- Montgomery, Alabama

Packed filled with historical past and cultural points of interest, Montgomery is a historic metropolis that’s stood on the crossroads of a few of the most influential and impactful moments in American historical past.

Town is located on the banks of the Alabama River and is the birthplace of a number of notable figures, together with Zelda Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole.

It was positioned firmly on the map when it turned the epicentre of the Civil Rights Motion through the 50s and 60s, which has outlined Montgomery and its glorious museums, landmarks and points of interest.

From the Rosa Parks Library and Museum to the First White Home of the Confederacy, Montgomery is a lesser-known gem price taking a detour if in case you have time in your Houston to Miami highway journey. 

Montgomery is 313 miles (503 km) from Cell and a 4.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Montgomery Metropolis Multi-Attraction Move.

7- Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama

When you’re a racing fan, you’ll need to take an additional day to go to Talladega Superspeedway.

It’s among the many most intimidating racing venues on the earth, taking centre stage each time NASCAR rolls into Alabama.

NASCAR races at Talladega are sometimes a few of the largest spectacles in all of motorsports, treating followers of high-octane, bumper-to-bumper racing to a few of the most intense moments in motorsports.

Internet hosting races all year long along with the annual NASCAR race, the Talladega Superspeedway turns into the most popular place to be within the South each time racing weekend arrives in Alabama.

Talladega Superspeedway is 98 miles from Montgomery and a few 2-hour drive. 

8- Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost metropolis in Florida and is the unofficial welcoming level for travellers arriving within the Sunshine State.

Nicknamed the Metropolis of 5 Flags, Pensacola has tradition and historical past to discover because of the a number of nations that after dominated over the port metropolis. 

Image-perfect white seashores beckon on the Pensacola shoreline, with a number of breathtaking nationwide parks and preserves scattered across the metropolis’s edges.

P-Cola treats highway trippers to wildlife, lovely landscapes and glorious eating and leisure choices.

Excellent for stretching your legs or spending a whole weekend, Pensacola is effectively price a go to and is a metropolis that’s greater than able to preserving guests of all ages and pursuits entertained.

Pensacola is 292 miles (470 km) from Talladega Superspeedway and a 4.5-hour drive. When you determine to skip Montgomery and Talladega Superspeedway, it’s solely 59 miles (95 km) from Cell and fewer than an hour’s drive. 

Prime tour: Hop-on Hop-off Tour in Pensacola.

9- Panama Metropolis, Florida

Panama Metropolis’s sugar-white seashores and turquoise waters have lengthy been a magnet for households looking for an inexpensive resort-style trip.

The Florida metropolis was formally integrated in 1906 and is among the largest city centres within the Florida Panhandle.

Town is a dream vacation spot for nature lovers, with quite a few conservation areas and undeveloped islands.

Whereas the town’s seashores are the largest draw, Panama Metropolis’s Pier Park, Gulf World Marine Park and Shell Island show that Panama Metropolis is rather more than your typical seaside bum coastal city.

Panama Metropolis is 138 miles (222 km) from Pensacola and a few 2.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Shell Island Snorkel and Dolphin Catamaran Cruise with Island Time.

10- Large Bend Scenic Byway, Florida

Stretching for 220 miles (354 km) and winding previous 4 counties, the Large Bend Scenic Byway is correct up there as probably the most iconic and picturesque roads in America.

The byway is a loop connecting Tallahassee with St. George Island, linking a lot of Florida’s small coastal cities and cities within the Florida Panhandle.

Straightforward to navigate and a handy method of travelling down south to Miami, the byway doubles as a freeway and a landmark to create an incredible Florida expertise. 

Large Bend Scenic Byway at Apalachicola is 60 miles (97 km) from Panama Metropolis and a few 1.5-hour drive. 

11- Tallahassee, Florida

That includes rolling hills, streets lined with mighty oak bushes and architecturally gorgeous plantation properties, Tallahassee is residence to the Florida State Capitol, two prime universities, and a bunch of different landmarks and sights.

Town turned the state’s capital in 1824 and has a full of life leisure and nightlife scene due to the 70,000+ college students who name Tallahassee residence when college’s in session.

Mixing wealthy pure magnificence with world-class museums, galleries, monuments and a effervescent youthful ambiance, Tallahassee is all the time a enjoyable Florida metropolis to cease at as you make your method via the Sunshine State.

Tallahassee is 76 miles (122 km) from Apalachicola and a 1.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Tallahassee Scavenger Hunt: The Better of Florida’s Capital.

12- Jacksonville, Florida

Straddling the Atlantic Ocean on Florida’s northeast nook, Jacksonville is the biggest metropolis by space in the complete contiguous United States.

The Timucua individuals first inhabited what’s now an city sprawl, nonetheless, it has served beneath the stewardship of the French, Spanish and British all through the town’s historical past.

Jacksonville is among the largest cities in Florida and the US, permitting this cosmopolitan city hub to function many points of interest, facilities and sights to entertain guests of all ages and pursuits.

Teeming with tradition and wildlife, Jacksonville’s must-see landmarks embody the well-known Catty Shack Ranch, the eye-catching Most important Avenue Bridge, historic Fort Caroline, and the Friendship Fountain, one of many largest fountains on the earth.

Jacksonville is 166 miles (267 km) and a 2.5-hour drive from Tallahassee.

Prime tour: Half-Day Metropolis Tour in Downtown Jacksonville.

13- St. Augustine, Florida

Elegant, romantic and extremely historic, picture-perfect St. Augustine is a must-see highway journey vacation spot on any journey via Florida.

Spanish explorers nicknamed it the Historical Metropolis in 1565, and it’s the oldest constantly inhabited European settlement within the contiguous United States.

St. Augustine’s vibrant tradition and structure give the town a definite Mediterranean ambiance, making it a novel place to go to.

With points of interest such because the Fort Matanzas Nationwide Monument, the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum, St. Augustine Seaside and the Lightner Museum, there’s loads of historical past to discover in scorching St. Augustine.

St Augustine is 41 miles (66 km) from Jacksonville and a few 45-minute drive. 

Prime tour: St. Augustine Ghost Tour: A Ghostly Encounter.

14- Daytona Worldwide Speedway, Florida

One of many world’s premier motorsports venues, the Daytona Worldwide Speedway is a must-visit attraction for racing fanatics road-tripping via Florida.

The observe was opened in 1959 and has seen a few of the largest names in NASCAR, endurance racing, motocross, and motorbike racing, obtain the head of their respective sports activities.

That includes a jam-packed racing calendar yearly, it’s straightforward to line up your highway journey with an enormous race at Daytona to create an unforgettable expertise you’ll discuss for years. 

Daytona Worldwide Speedway is 55 miles (89 km) from St Augustine and a few 1-hour drive. The tackle is 1801 W Worldwide Speedway Blvd, Daytona Seaside, FL 32114.

15- Kennedy House Heart, Florida

The Kennedy House Heart is a Florida attraction that wants no introduction amongst house fanatics and NASA geeks.

Located in Cape Canaveral, the centre has been the first launching pad of manned house missions since 1968 and has been on the forefront of NASA’s Apollo, House Shuttle and Skylab tasks.

The centre is unbelievably huge, protecting an space of over 144,000 acres (58,275 ha) and residential to greater than 700 particular person services.

It options a number of world-famous NASA buildings, such because the Car Meeting Constructing and the Shuttle Touchdown Facility.

Whereas the centre remains to be an lively NASA facility, massive sections are open to the general public for excursions and even deal with guests to one-of-a-kind house artefacts and memorabilia in a state-of-the-art guests’ centre.

Kennedy House Heart is 114 miles from St Augustine and 59 miles from Daytona Worldwide Speedway. The driving time is 2 hours from St Augustine and 54 minutes from Daytona. The tackle is House Commerce Approach, Merritt Island, FL 32953.

It is a highly regarded attraction, so e book your tickets on-line to skip the road right here. 

16- Orlando, Florida

House to large theme parks corresponding to Disney World, Common Studios Florida, SeaWorld Orlando and Magic Kingdom, Orlando is the place youngsters and adults reside out their favorite fairytales in probably the most magical locations on Earth.

Downtown Orlando was constructed on the success of the town’s early theme parks and has grown to develop into a cosmopolitan metropolis.

It has a group of traditionally and culturally important points of interest and implausible eating and purchasing choices.

Fashionable-day Orlando eclipses the town’s repute as a resort city.

It’s a various Twenty first-century metropolis that entertains guests of all ages with out counting on Disney World and Common for all of the enjoyable and pleasure.

Orlando is 53 miles (85 km) from the Kennedy House Heart and is lower than a 1-hour drive away. 

Prime tour: Helicopter Night time Tour Over Orlando’s Theme Parks.

17- Tampa, Florida

Located near the resorts and theme parks of Orlando, Tampa is among the hottest vacationer locations in America.

Established as a strategic army centre through the 1800s, modern-day Tampa is a phenomenal cosmopolitan metropolis that treats guests to numerous enjoyable points of interest and distinctive cultural landmarks.

Tampa varieties a part of the sprawling Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro space and is residence to world-class points of interest such because the Florida Aquarium, Busch Gardens, the Tampa Theater and the Tampa Museum of Artwork.

Nice year-round climate and even higher meals make Tampa among the many go-to vacation locations in Florida and the proper place to cease alongside your Houston to Miami highway journey.

Tampa is 84 miles (135 km) from Orlando and a 1.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Tampa Bay CityPASS.

18- Everglades Nationwide Park, Florida

The mighty Everglades Nationwide Park in southern Florida is an enormous tropical wetland stretching from Orlando to the south tip of mainland Florida.

The Calusa and Tequesta tribes inhabited the Everglades 15,000 years in the past, lengthy earlier than European explorers first noticed this UNESCO wilderness, making the park an important historic landmark and an extremely scenic pure oasis.

Through the years, the Everglades have seen fast adjustments, with farms and sugar plantations arising all through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

These plantations fuelled South Florida’s financial development but in addition scarred the delicate biomes of the Everglades.

Main preservation efforts had been initiated to assist restore the Everglades to their former self.

Right this moment, the Everglades is as soon as once more a wild and thriving a part of Florida that teems with life and nature.

It’s certainly one of Florida’s must-see locations and a bucket-list highway journey vacation spot you can not go up on when travelling from Houston to Miami.

There are three entrances to the park, and should you’re driving from Tampa, go to the Gulf Coast Customer Heart.

The Everglades Metropolis entrance is at 815 Oyster Bar Lane, Everglades Metropolis, FL 34139, and is 207 miles (333 km) from Tampa and a few 3-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Florida Everglades Airboat Tour and Wild Florida Admission with Non-obligatory Lunch.

19- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Nicknamed the ‘Venice of America’, Fort Lauderdale is the place the ruggedness of the Everglades and the nightlife of Miami come collectively to create one implausible metropolis filled with unimaginable experiences.

Town lies simply north of ritzy Miami and is legendary for its pearly white seashores, artwork galleries, wildlife and superb culinary scene.

Fort Lauderdale is correct on the sting of the well-known Everglades Nationwide Park, making exploring South Florida’s quick swampland extremely straightforward, with Everglades excursions departing from Fort Lauderdale recurrently.

Fort Lauderdale is the proper Florida highway journey vacation spot should you’re in search of that wholesome steadiness of nature and urbanity.

Fort Lauderdale is 100 miles (161 km) from the Everglades Metropolis entrance and a few 1.5-hour drive. 

Prime tour: Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi – All Day Move.

20- Miami Seaside, Florida

Earlier than ending your journey, in Miami metropolis, you’ll need to head straight for Miami Seaside, the place you possibly can hang around with the cool crowd and have enjoyable partying and having fun with the seaside. 

Miami Seaside is its personal metropolis linked to the mainland by bridges.

Miami Seaside is internationally famend for its gorgeous Artwork Deco buildings, avenue cafes and superstar residents, nonetheless, the town additionally boasts a wealthy historic facet and plenty of actions for all ages.

Although Miami Seaside isn’t technically a part of Miami, it’s the metropolis’s heartbeat and the place locals and travellers head for beachside rest or weekend escapes. 

Prime tour: Miami Seaside Meals and Artwork Deco Strolling Tour.

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