Weekend Getaways From Dallas: Drive Times & Cost

Dallas is within a weekend of the Hill Country, three of the state's big cities, and a scatter of small towns from dinosaur tracks to a bayou full of cypress. The question is the drive: a wine town four hours southwest eats most of a Friday and a Sunday in the car, so it is the drive time, not the map distance, that decides whether a place is worth two nights. The list below now runs fifteen deep, from a 90-minute dinosaur-valley run to a five-hour cavern haul, sorted by how far each sits from the city. Verified drive times, an honest all-in cost for two, and the month worth going. And one stance up front: the Hill Country is the signature weekend out of Dallas, and Fredericksburg is the trip to make.

Every drive time here was checked against a routing source, not the optimistic figure, and labeled one-way in typical traffic. The cost is an honest all-in estimate for two over two nights: lodging, driving, and meals out. Two of these cross a state line, none needs a passport.

The short list#

Best for the Hill Country#

The limestone hills southwest of the city are Texas's prettiest country, and five of the fifteen work them. If you make one weekend trip from Dallas, make it a Hill Country one, and make it Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg#

Four hours and ten minutes southwest, Fredericksburg is the trip this list is built around. German settlers left a Main Street of heritage storefronts, the peach orchards and vineyards spread through the hills beyond it, and Becker Vineyards anchors the tasting rooms while Enchanted Rock's granite dome rises a short drive north. The National Museum of the Pacific War is the oddity, a serious naval museum in a landlocked wine town, and it rewards a full morning. April, for mild Hill Country days before the summer heat.

Fredericksburg

Wimberley#

Three and a half hours south, Wimberley is the swimming-hole weekend. Blue Hole Regional Park keeps its clear water under giant cypress trees, the Cypress Creek Nature Preserve runs along the edge of the village, and the shops around Wimberley Square handle the browsing between swims. Natural Bridge Caverns adds an underground tour a drive south. June, for warm water at the start of the season.

Wimberley

Burnet#

Three hours southwest, Burnet is the lakes weekend, quieter than the tourist-town Hill Country. Inks Lake State Park has the Devils Waterhole, a swimming spot cut into limestone cliffs above turquoise water, and Lake Buchanan spreads out beyond it. The Fort Croghan Museum covers the frontier history between swims. May, for warm lake days before the crowds arrive.

Burnet

Bandera#

Four hours and fifty minutes southwest, Bandera is the cowboy weekend, deep in the hills. The Bar M Ranch keeps the region's ranch culture running, the Frontier Times Museum holds its artifacts, and the 11th Street Cowboy Bar handles the evenings. Hill Country State Natural Area and the Medina River cover the days. October, for cool mornings in the hills.

Bandera

Salado#

Two hours south, Salado is the shortest Hill Country stop, an artisan village on a creek. Galleries and studios line Salado Main Street, Salado Glassworks blows its own stock, and Stillhouse Hollow Lake sits nearby for the afternoon. The whole town runs at a slow browse. October, for cool creekside afternoons.

Salado

Best for small towns#

Four towns, each built on one strange or storied thing.

Waco#

Ninety minutes south, Waco is the closest escape and the silo one. Magnolia Market at the Silos draws the crowds to a central lawn of garden shops and local food, the Dr Pepper Museum covers the soda's hometown history a short walk away, and Cameron Park and the Waco Suspension Bridge cover the walking. April, for mild days on the lawn.

Waco

Glen Rose#

Ninety minutes southwest, Glen Rose is the dinosaur weekend and the family one. Dinosaur Valley State Park has dinosaur tracks pressed into a shallow riverbed, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center runs a drive-through preserve the same weekend. Big Rocks Park and the Somervell County Courthouse square fill the gaps. October, for cool days on the trail.

Glen Rose

Paris#

An hour and forty northeast, Paris is the roadside-oddity weekend. This small Texas town built a replica Eiffel Tower and, in the way of Texas, topped it with a giant red cowboy hat. Beyond the photo, the historic downtown, the Sam Bell Maxey House, and Bywaters Park make a low-key day. June, before the summer heat peaks.

Paris

Jefferson#

Two hours and forty minutes east, Jefferson is the bayou weekend. Tour boats thread narrow waterways under ancient cypress hung with moss, and the Jefferson Historic District keeps the town's old streets walkable between runs. October, for fall color in the swamp and cooler air.

Best for the cities#

Three of Texas's big cities, each an easy weekend and a different draw.

Austin#

Just under three hours south, Austin is the big-city weekend with the most to fill it. The line at Franklin Barbecue starts early, Antone's Nightclub runs the music late, and Barton Springs Pool holds its cold spring water through the hottest months. The Harry Ransom Center's archives and the crystalline stalactites of Inner Space Cavern cover the indoor hours. October, when the heat finally breaks.

Austin

San Antonio#

Four hours south, San Antonio is the history weekend and the far edge of a two-night trip. The Alamo anchors downtown, the River Walk threads below street level, and Historic Market Square handles the browsing. Ride the Tower of the Americas up at dusk, when the evening light hits the mission district and the river below. November, for cool days and thinner crowds.

San Antonio

Houston#

Three and a half hours southeast, Houston is the biggest city on the list. Space Center Houston fills half a day, the Museum of Fine Arts and Hermann Park sit near each other for the rest, and the Waterwall drops its sheet of water inside a ring of live oaks. March, for mild days before the humidity settles in.

Houston

Best for the outdoors#

Pines, bathhouses, and a cave. Two of these leave the state.

Broken Bow#

Just under three hours northeast into southeast Oklahoma, Broken Bow is the cabin weekend. Pines shadow the lake shore, cedar cabins ring it, and Beavers Bend State Park handles the hiking, starting with the Friends Trail. Girls Gone Wine pours tastings, and the Gardner Mansion and Museum covers the local history. October, for fall color in the pines and cool nights.

Broken Bow

Hot Springs#

Four and a half hours northeast in Arkansas, Hot Springs is the bathhouse weekend. Bathhouse Row lines the edge of the national park, the Fordyce Bathhouse is the one to tour, and the Hot Springs Mountain Trail climbs through the forest to the tower above town for the view. Soak after the hike, not before. October, for fall color on the mountain.

Hot Springs

Sonora#

Five hours west, Sonora is the far edge of this list and a one-thing trip, and the thing holds up. The Caverns of Sonora hide intricate helictite crystal formations beneath the desert plains, and the walking tour threads through chamber after chamber of them. Make the cavern the destination, not a stop. April, for mild desert days.

Sonora

Getting there and getting around#

Every one of the fifteen is a drive, and most need the car at the far end too. The one exception is Amtrak's Texas Eagle, which runs south to Austin and San Antonio, so both work car-free with planning, though the schedule is thin. The Hill Country, Broken Bow, and the small towns all need a car, and the Friday-afternoon crawl out of the metroplex is the real cost of the closer ones. Hot Springs and Broken Bow cross into Arkansas and Oklahoma, with no border formality, just distance. Confirm current Amtrak schedules before you plan around a train.

Common questions#

What's the best weekend getaway from Dallas? Fredericksburg, the Hill Country wine town four hours southwest: Main Street tasting rooms, peach orchards, and Enchanted Rock a short drive north. Waco covers the Magnolia silos at 90 minutes, and Austin the music and Barton Springs at just under three hours.

What's the closest weekend getaway from Dallas? Waco and Glen Rose, both about 90 minutes out, one for the Magnolia silos, the other for the dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Valley State Park. Paris and its cowboy-hatted Eiffel Tower sit at an hour and forty.

How many weekend getaways are within 3 hours of Dallas? Eight of the fifteen on this list sit within a three-hour drive, from Waco and Glen Rose at about 90 minutes to Burnet right on the three-hour line. Austin and Broken Bow land just inside it at about two hours fifty.

What's a good Hill Country weekend from Dallas? Fredericksburg for wine-country Main Street and Enchanted Rock, Wimberley for the Blue Hole and Cypress Creek, or Burnet for the Highland Lakes and the Devils Waterhole. Bandera adds cowboy country and Salado the creekside galleries. They run two to five hours southwest.

Where can you go from Dallas for a weekend without a car? Amtrak's Texas Eagle runs south to Austin and San Antonio, so both work car-free with planning, though the schedule is thin. The Hill Country, the small towns, and the outdoor runs all need a car.

What's a good weekend getaway from Dallas with kids? Glen Rose for the dinosaur tracks and the Fossil Rim drive-through, Waco for the silos and the Dr Pepper Museum, and Broken Bow for lake cabins and Beavers Bend. All keep the drive under three hours.

Which weekend getaways from Dallas leave Texas? Broken Bow crosses into southeast Oklahoma at just under three hours for pine-ringed lake cabins, and Hot Springs is the Arkansas bathhouse town at four and a half. No border formality, just distance.

How much does a weekend getaway from Dallas cost? Most of these run $620 to $930 all-in for two over two nights, covering lodging, driving, and meals. Glen Rose and Waco sit at the lower end; Sonora, San Antonio, and the out-of-state runs at the higher.

The bottom line#

The best weekend getaway from Dallas is the one whose drive leaves you time to enjoy it. With a full weekend, Fredericksburg and the Hill Country reward the haul more than anything else on the list, with the cities and the Hot Springs bathhouses close behind. Short on time, Waco, Glen Rose, or Salado keep you close and back by Sunday. Either way, plan your weekend free and the planner ranks these for your exact dates, group, and budget.

Browse more weekend getaways by city for other home cities.

Cover photo by Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons. Drive times verified against routing sources in August 2026; confirm seasonal hours and transit schedules before you travel.