All road trips

3-day road trip · ≈ 700 miles · Best Year-round

Space & Tech Trail

From Mission Control to the Starship pad.

Visitor tip

Check SpaceX's launch and road-closure schedule before driving to Boca Chica.

  1. Day 1: Austin's tech corridor

    • 1
      Austin Tech Corridor & Giga Texas

      Austin · From Tesla's Gigafactory on the Colorado River to the startups of East Austin, the capital is where Texas builds what's next.

    Eat: Franklin BarbecueSleep: Austin

  2. Day 2: Houston: Space City

    • 2
      Space Center Houston

      Houston · NASA Johnson Space Center's visitor center — historic Mission Control, a Saturn V and the tram tour behind the gates.

      ≈ 205 mi, 3.7 hrs from previous stop

    • 3
      Houston Museum District

      Houston · Nineteen museums around Hermann Park, from natural science to the Children's Museum.

      ≈ 27 mi, 0.5 hrs from previous stop

    Eat: Niko Niko'sSleep: Houston

  3. Day 3: Starbase

    • 4
      Starbase & Boca Chica

      Brownsville · SpaceX's Starship launch site on the Gulf — rockets on the pad beside wild beaches and wildlife refuges.

      ≈ 363 mi, 6.6 hrs from previous stop

    • 5
      South Padre Island

      South Padre Island · Warm Gulf water, sea turtle rescue, birding boardwalks and a front-row seat to Starship launches.

      ≈ 10 mi, 0.2 hrs from previous stop

    Eat: VermillionSleep: South Padre Island

Drive times are estimates. Check hours and reservations before you go.

Ask the Texan