The best road trip stops on the Arlington TX to Houston drive are Corsicana TX, Fort Boggy State Park and Huntsville TX. The distance from Arlington TX to Houston is 256 miles, with a four hour driving time.
Planning an Arlington to Houston road trip itinerary
The Arlington to Houston drive connects the home of the Dallas Cowboys to the biggest city in Texas.
Arlington TX is best known as the home of AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys play their home games. When there’s not a game on, you can take a stadium tour.
Arlington is also home to Six Flags Over Texas, one of the top theme parks in the US, with a prodigious collection of thrill rides. For something slightly less hair-raising, you can visit the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.
The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the Space Center Houston, which takes you behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. This includes the Mission Briefing Center, and a vast array of high tech exhibitions.
Other attractions include the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Downtown Aquarium, Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Children’s Museum.
For more Houston experiences, try hip hop party bike tours, foodie walks in the Montrose neighbourhood and quirky tours of Houston’s tunnel system.
Top Houston accommodation options include the superb value Club Quarters Houston Downtown and the upscale but boutique Magnolia.
Five great things to do in Houston
- 🚀 Reserve your tickets – for Houston’s number one attraction, Space Center Houston.
- 🎵 Discover Houston’s hip-hop culture – on a motorised party bike.
- 🚇 Explore the largest downtown tunnel system in the US – on the Astroville Tunnel Tour.
- 🎨 On a downtown mural tour – learn about Houston’s street art scene.
- 🖼️ Immerse yourself in a spectacular interactive art installation – at Meow Wolf’s Radio Tave.
Arlington TX to Houston distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Arlington to Houston is 256 miles. You can expect a driving time of around four hours. The quickest route is mostly down the I-45.
The best stops to add to an Arlington to Houston road trip itinerary are Corsicana TX, Fort Boggy State Park and Huntsville TX.
Arlington TX to Houston road trip attractions: Corsicana TX
The derrick in Petroleum Park, Corsicana, marks the birthplace of the oil industry in Texas. That’s largely just a photo stop, but visitors to Corsicana can also admire the heritage buildings at Pioneer Village or taste wines at the Angelita Vineyard.
Other options while in town include learning about the Civil War in the Pearce Museum and swimming in Lake Halbert.
Arlington TX to Houston drive: Fort Boggy State Park
Roughly halfway between Arlington and Houston, Fort Boggy State Park is a good spot for stretching the legs. It is based around Sullivan Lake, which is a popular spot for catching rainbow trout, sunfish and largemouth bass.
Kayak rentals are also available by the lake, while swimming is permitted.
For walkers, the 1.5 mile Lake Trail and two mile woodland Nature Trail bring wildflowers and birds.
Best stops between Arlington TX and Houston: Huntsville TX
On the edge of both the Sam Houston National Forest and Huntsville State Park, Huntsville also has a couple of cultural attractions worth considering.
This is where Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas, died. The Sam Houston Memorial Museum on the family homestead tells his story and, with it, that of Texas.
The other key attraction in Huntsville is the Texas Prison Museum, which looks at prison life and the criminal justice system.
More Texas road trips
- Best stops on the Austin to Galveston drive and the Dallas to Galveston drive.
- Best stops on the Dallas to Houston drive.
- Best stops on the Dallas to Amarillo drive and the Fort Worth to Amarillo drive.
- Road trips from Houston: Where to stop on the Houston to Oklahoma City drive.
- Best stops on the Dallas to Austin drive and Memphis to Austin drive.
