Tips and Tricks to Driving Cross Country
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Cross Country Drive Itinerary
If you live or were raised in the US, driving cross country or traveling cross country has probably crossed your mind. My husband and I got the opportunity to do this for our honeymoon in 2017. We were leaving Fort Lauderdale, Florida and moving to San Francisco, California. We had gotten married a few months before the big move and decided to make the drive cross country our honeymoon. That is one of the best decisions we made. We took two weeks to do it. Also, if you are looking for things to do in Fort Lauderdale, here are my highlights.
If you have a road trip coming up or are thinking about it, this will be your guide.
Starting our trip cross country we left Fort Lauderdale, Florida and headed north about 5-hours to Jacksonville Beach Mikee and I met in Jacksonville where I went to college, so this quick detour and trip down memory lane was worth it for us.
First Stop: Jacksonville Beach, Florida
If you are ever in Jacksonville Beach check out the beaches they have hard packed sand to ride your bike on, a slow beach town vibe, and a slew of bars on the beach to grab a cocktail and enjoy the day! Food options are unlimited.
Where to stay cross country
Can’t go wrong with a hotel on the beach here. Seahorse Inn during the summer is my recommendation. They are attached to Lemon Bar, the best outdoor bar in the neighborhood. Any hotel on the beach is great. You can also rent beach houses too, super affordable.
Bites & Booze
Mellow Mushroom if you love pizza! They have this to die for wheat crust. On Thursday’s they do ladies night where wine is $1 and lots of other great drink specials. After you grab a bite, head to the bars.
If you are looking to chill I Atlantic Beach, if you are looking to dance and stay out till the bars close, Jax Beach is your spot. Check out the Ritz and the Brix they have signature Gatorade drinks that are crowd pleasers. At the end of the night mosey over to the Ritz parking lot, they have a food truck that serves Ritz Dogs. Hot Dogs anyway you want them!
Things to do
Beach, bike to bars and so many good things to eat!!!
Second Stop: New Orleans, Louisiana
After brunch, we hit the loooooooooong road to New Orleans. For our drive cross country we decided to take my two seater Mini Cooper, Roadster. It is convertible so leaving Florida we put the top down and left it down for about 5-6 hours. So consequently, we got burnt… painfully burnt. Always wear sunscreen, I have learned my lesson over and over. It was a painful way to start our cross country trip.
Where to stay cross country
Prince Conti, we stayed here two nights. Because it was good price, in a good location, one block from Bourbon Street! We walked everywhere! The hotel was nice, clean and the hospitality is amazing in New Orleans. If you can, stay on Bourbon Street and get a balcony overlooking the street, that would be the best! I can only imagine the things you would see and hear. As a result, this would give you the real Bourbon Street experience.
Bites & Booze
Starting the honeymoon off in New Orleans, meant lots of booze! It felt like we hit all the bars. New Orleans is known for its Hand Grenades, the spot to get one of these is Tropical Isles. They warn you not to drink too many. I stopped at two and the sugar/booze was more than enough for me. Head over to the Cat’s Meow Karaoke Bar, Fat Tuesday’s to get a blended cocktail to keep you cool on the hot days. The Courtyard Grill has the club vibe with bottle service if that is what you are looking for. Last spot you have to see is the Dueling Piano’s.
Café du Monde for beignets in the morning, there is nothing better. I didn’t even know I liked beignets until I ate here. The line is always massive to sit in the restaurant. Good news, they have a back window where you can order to go. Grab your coffee and a bag of beignets for the road.
In our drunken haze we stumbled (literally) into the Bayou Burger & Sports Bar. The burgers are ginormous, so it helped sober us up. For dinner, we pulled it together and got a seat on the balcony at the Cornet. The food was a mix between steaks and creole. Mikee got the one of the best jambalaya’s he has ever tasted!
Lafayette Pit Stop for Cajun
On our way out of New Orleans we hit Prejean’s in Lafayette. My go-to and yes, I said go-to because this was not my first time here. Prejean’s is know for it’s Cajun style food and rustic setting. In other words, uou feel like you are on someone’s porch in the Bayou (swamp area) eating a home cooked meal. I got the Crab Cakes, it comes with a corn macaque choux. I do not know what that means but if you like corn even just a little you will die for this. In other words it is amazing!
I threw out some suggestions above, but the best thing to do is immerse yourself in the culture and go to the bars and restaurants that speak to you.
What to do
Here is an obvious one, walk Bourbon Street. As you walk the street you will see street shows, kids playing drums on buckets and killing it, some of the best beats I have ever heard. I saw a guy slide across the ground on his head, check out the pic!!! For real, stop and watch everything you can.
Go to the museums there is so much history in New Orleans. We went to Jackson Square and walked through two or three museums there. I loved learning about Katrina, seeing it on the news does not do it justice. The museum has a section dedicated to the survivors and has pieces of the aftermath. It is moving.
SWAMP TOUR with the Louisiana Tour Company, how can you come to the Bayou and miss out on this? Mikee came out here for a bachelor party and met the tour guide BeBop. He grew up in Louisiana, entertains the boat the whole time and shares some history on the swamp. He will get you closer than you want to the alligators. So cool!!!!
Bump in the road from Louisiana to Texas.
Unfortunately, our time in New Orleans came to an end. We continued cross country to Texas and before we could get out of New Orleans my car decided to die on us.
No Bueno. We were able to catch a tow from USAA to the brand new Mini Cooper dealership that was built less than an hour away in the right direction. Talk about luck.
However, it was a Saturday afternoon and the shop at the dealership was closed so we would have to stay in Baton Rouge until Monday, because auto shops don’t work on Sundays.
Luckily, the manager of the shop was still there and took a quick look and was able to fix the car for free. WOW, the hospitality we encountered in Louisiana was unheard of.
Coming from South Florida where everyone is all about money and status, not about smiling at strangers, this was the best culture shock. I love Louisiana!
Third Stop: Houston, Texas
With a few hours delay, we were back on the road to Texas. Originally, we wanted to spend the night in Austin, but the drive was too far, so we slept in Houston.
Where to stay cross country
Wyndham Houston West Energy Corridor, the amenities were great! They had a shop where you could buy toiletries and snacks and a Starbucks (which is where we ate the next morning). A great indoor pool and gym.
Literally came in at night, worked out in the morning then hit the road.
Fourth Stop: Austin, Texas
Less than 3 hours until we hit Austin on our cross country trip. It was going to be an epic Sunday Funday. While I was working in Florida I rarely would Sunday Funday, because that made Monday awful. I would call it Sober Sunday’s, anyone else in the same boat?
However, today was my first real Sunday Funday in a long time and we could not wait to explore Austin.
Where to stay cross country
We got to our hotel at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol. The hotel was nice enough to upgrade our room to a suite with the view of the capitol. The perks of being on our honeymoon. It had a downstairs bar called the Yard Bar at Waller Creek. You walk out of the bar with cocktails in hand to a beautiful little pool deck area and a grassy courtyard. The courtyard had big chairs and fire pits (check out our vacay vibes on these chairs). My favorite thing was the HUGE (everything is bigger in Texas) Howdy sign outside. Perfect photo opp and you can bet we did!
Bites & Booze
When in Texas, you eat Mexican, so we grabbed lunch at the Iron Cactus. The margaritas were fresh and so were the tacos. Amazing guac too!
Austin in known for two streets. The first is Sixth Street, where we grabbed our food, I have been told this street goes off Thursday through Saturday but on Sunday’s it is more low-key. The next known street is Rainey Street. They do not take it easy on Sunday’s.
We hit Rainey Street, which is an old neighborhood that has taken each home and turned it into a different themed bar. To paint the picture, imagine cute cookie cutter homes on the outside the house does not look like a bar. When you walk in you have no idea what you will get. Some houses are completely gutted and circus themed, others have a bar in each room. The backyard has, built-in food trucks and bands or DJ’s playing.
There was also Container Bar that is made up of old shipyard containers. In the middle is a courtyard and you can walk into different containers with themes (2 stories) and it is air-conditioned. Texas is hot! Talk about a creative neighborhood.
After we explored the different bars on the strip we hit Sixth Street again. We needed food after all the house/bar hopping. First stop was Parlor and Yard to play pool and darts. They have big cushy couches to enjoy bites and booze. Our final stop to close down the bar was at Recess, an arcade bar!
What to do
We Sunday Funday’ed it up. So, our day consisted of drinking and exploring ALL Austin had to offer.
Fifth Stop: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Before we left Austin almost half way through our cross country trip, we had to get BBQ, duh! I looked up a spot via Yelp, SLAB BBQ. Not only is the food amazing, literally best BBQ but the theme is old school hip hop. All of the meals and meats are named. For instance you can order a Notorious P.I.G., the McDowell, or the CHICK.N.W.A.
Austin was my favorite stop of our whole trip! Now for the drive to New Mexico. Everyone says Texas is long, but it is long. After we got through Texas it started to feel like we were finally making progress on our two-week road trip. New Mexico was just a drive by for us.
Where to stay cross country
Hotel off the highway in Albuquerque (I think, we didn’t use our HotelsTonight App on this one)
Bites & Booze
Dinner at K-Bob’s Steakhouse, we were running out of spots to stop before we hit a long string of highway. We picked K-Bob’s, the steaks were good, and the salad bar was in a huge wooden wagon. This is not a must stop by any means. I wouldn’t have added it, but I wanted to stay true and honest to our whole trip.
What to do
Sleep, sometimes you just have to listen to your body. After driving and drinking our way from Florida through Texas our bodies and our livers needed a rest. There is something relaxing about sleeping in at a hotel. Late Checkout please!
By this time in the trip we were living a permanent hangover (it felt like) and were exhausted from driving. We took some pictures of the scenery. The mountains and the sky in the desert were out of a movie. We picked up some ‘real’ fireworks for the Fourth of July that was coming up.
Sixth Stop: Flagstaff, Arizona
After recuperating for the night in Albuquerque, we were on the road again. Less than 5 hours until we hit Flagstaff. Mikee has family out there that we stayed with. They took us out downtown to grab dinner and drinks.
Where we stayed: Family
Bites & Booze: The Annex Cocktail Lounge in downtown Flagstaff. A cute patio area in between two buildings to block the wind and to enjoy the sunset.
After we had dinner we headed out to Hops on Birch for drinks. This is a local brewery downtown, great selection on brews.
Things to do: It was a family reunion for us, so we did not do much exploring. Flagstaff is known for it’s hiking, skiing, white water rafting and of course the Grand Canyon.
Mikee’s cousin is part of the fire department, so the next morning we were able to get a tour of the station. So fun!
Also, if you have time head south and check out the most relaxing and luxe hotel I have ever been to in Scottsdale.
Seventh Stop: Las Vegas, Nevada
Viva Las Vegas, here we come. A quick 4 hour drive to Vegas!!!
Where to stay cross country: Planet Hollywood, hotels in Vegas are so cheap. You can stay just about anywhere under $100 and some places under $50.
Quick Tip: Casino’s usually have a resort fee each night from about $20-40 depending on where you stay.
Booze & Bites: Once we got to Planet Hollywood, we checked in and hit the casino. All of the casino’s in Vegas serve free drinks if you are playing.
We had dinner in the Paris Casino at a French Bistro called, Ami Mon Gabi.
Our hangovers and exhaustion kicked in again and I would be lying if I told you we made it past midnight. So, gambling, dinner and drinks was our evening.
What to do
On our way we stopped at the Hoover Dam and Damn it was HOT! Unbearably hot and of course we were still hungover from the ‘family reunion’. We drove through, walked over the Dam and took some pictures. It is HUGE!
We splurged and booked a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Before we got on the helicopter, we hit a nearby hotel bar for some bloody Mary’s.
Papillon Helicopter Tour was under $300 each. This was the honeymoon splurge! The tour was about four hours, took us around the rim and landed at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. They fed us a picnic lunch with a champagne toast! It was incredible to be walking at the bottom of the canyon and to see there is water down there. I have never had an experience like this before.
Pool Party in the morning at the Planet Hollywood Pool. This is one of my favorite pools to hang out at. There are two pools, one for families and the other for adults only (21+). There is a café style counter to order food and drinks at or you can grab a server. I recommend getting to the pool before noon to grab chairs. They also have gambling at the pool and a wave pool to ‘attempt’ to surf on. The desert heat is hot, so pool days are key.
Eighth Stop: Los Angeles, California
We are coming around the home stretch to our cross country trip. If you are road tripping to Northern California, you have to check out Southern California first. It is a different place. The people, the weather and the beaches!
We came to LA to meet Mikee’s mom, step dad and younger siblings. They all wanted to go to Universal!
Where to stay cross country
Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. There is a cute patio bar out front, where you can sit by the fire and sip cocktails. They also have a huge Starbucks inside for your coffee cravings.
The hotel has a discount for Universal and it has a bus that will take you there, keep that in mind if you follow my footsteps and stay here. Parking at the hotel about $24 a night.
Bites & Booze
After Universal, we went to the Sunset Strip to grab food at the Hard Rock Café. Along the strip there are shops, people doing magic tricks, selling food and tchotchski’s. You name it there is an attraction at every corner.
Mikee’s buddy Benji or as you may know him ‘DJ As Is’ was DJ’ing around the corner from the strip. So we broke off from the family and headed out to see him.
In the morning before we hit the road. Breakfast at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. There are a few locations in Los Angeles. When you make it to Los Angeles you have to stop here and yes, you have to get the FAMOUS Chicken and Waffles. It is literally the best thing to ever hit these lips. If you have not heard of Roscoe’s here is the scoop. It is in rap videos and celebrities frequent the Hollywood location regularly. You never know who you will sit next to here.
What to do
Universal Studies, I had not been this since I was a kid. We did the Back Lot Tour to see what happens behind the scenes, so fun and interactive. They had tons of actors playing out different parts of TV shows to make it seem ‘real’. The rides and attractions have all changed. We went on almost all the rides. Grabbed lunch at the Krusty Burger and beers at Duff Brewery and Beer Garden. Rounding out Universal with Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream before catching an Uber to the hotel.
Ninth Stop: Carmel, California
Leaving Los Angeles after we stuffed ourselves with Chicken and Waffles. We decided to take the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH as you may call it to finish off our cross country drive. Driving along the coast the whole way with the top down and the California sun shining! Feels like Cali to me!
DETOUR: The drive from LA to Carmel is about 5 and a half hours. So, we decided to stop about an hour into our drive in Ventura. It is a cute beach town with an even cuter downtown area. In true Tiffer Time fashion I thought a glass of California wine would be necessary. We cruised through the area and stopped at Grapes and Hops. Had a bottle of Ms. Behave a Malbec, made in Paso Robles. In true honeymoon fashion we told our server our special occasion and out came a champagne toast. A toast to the coast as I like to call it!
If you enjoy wine I highly recommend this place. They had a cute patio area looking out to the downtown and it is a just a mile or so from the ocean. HUGE wine list.
Back on the road to Carmel, with still almost 5 hours to go. We pushed it to the limits to get to Carmel. This is the spot where I fell in love with California. Carmel is a little beach town near Monterey, which is where Big Little Lies is filmed.
Fun fact, Clint Eastwood was the Mayor. Talk about a town having character. There is everything from drives/walks along the beach, vineyards, hiking, and shopping.
Where to stay cross country
The Hideaway, we love this hotel it is located at the beginning of the Carmel-by-the-Sea Strip. We splurged again (honeymooning) and got the suite with a fireplace and hangout area. Complimentary wine for the lovebirds. They have a breakfast in the morning and a happy hour with wine and snacks each evening. We got in too late to enjoy the happy hour but have since been back.
Bites & Booze
Our late night, snack was at Cultura Comida y Bebida. We sat in the bar area at a corner table sharing wine and tapas. The whole town has a romantic vibe and this restaurant did not disappoint with the ambiance or the food. After our late-night snack, we hit the Irish pub, Mulligan Public House. Another late-night bar to try is Brophy’s.
Things to do
We got up in the morning and walked through the town and down to the beach. We hopped back in the car and took the drive along the coast to do the 17-mile drive before we headed to our new home. 17-mile drive is a staple in Carmel, it takes you through communities, golf courses and private ocean views. You could spend the whole day in here, walking on the beaches, spotting humpback whales, riding bikes or playing golf. We did a quick drive by before heading to Wargin Wines for a tasting before hitting our last stop AKA home.
Now that you are in wine country it is time for a wine tasting. About 40 minutes up the road in Watsonville is a tasting room for Wargin Wines. I literally googled wine tastings and this was on the way to our last stop. So, we went for it. The wines were delicious, and the bottles were hilarious. We had our tastings, an extra glass of our favorite and bought a bottle. I like going to smaller wine cellars because it has a more personal feel and every season they come out with a new wine. Keeps your palate guessing.
From here we headed to Santa Cruz to stay with Mikee’s family rounding out our cross country honeymoon trip. Where we were greeted by the people we love and Champagne!
This is your go to guide for a cross country trip, or if you are just visiting one or two of these places there should be enough ideas to cover a day in that city or even a weekend.
Check out my Tips and Tricks for Traveling Cross Country below.
Tips and Tricks for Travel:
- When we travel it is usually a last-minute trip. With this long cross country road trip we didn’t want to commit to being in a city at a certain time, we wanted the freedom to stay an extra night. So, booking hotels can get complicated. What I did was use my favorite app, hotels tonight. It gives me the best prices and you can book minutes before showing up.
- Pinterest was a lifesaver when it came to finding things to do.
- We were on our honeymoon and we told everyone!!!! There was not one stay that did not get upgraded or a bottle of champagne sent to the room. We got free drink tickets, champagne toasts at restaurants, so much more. If you’re traveling and celebrating, don’t be shy! Tell everyone!
- Take pictures. Even if you think it is cheesy, trust me. I took all the pictures through the trip and put them into a scrap-book I made with Shutterfly for our One Year Anniversary. The traditional present for Year One is Paper, so a scrapbook of our first year of marriage was perfect. I was grateful I took too many photos and was able to relive the last year in our book.
- Splurge don’t go crazy. (sounds like an oxymoron) But, know what you care about. We knew the helicopter tour was a must, so we were okay with the splurge. Same thing with the Hideaway Hotel, we knew it was the last night of our honeymoon before we stayed with family, so we SPLURGED. It’s okay, go to the fancy dinner, take the tour or stay at the Ritz. You deserve it.
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