Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Chicago to Houston. If you're planning a road trip to Houston, you can research locations to stop along the way. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. Traveling with a dog or cat? Find pet-friendly stops. Camping along the way? Search for RV campgrounds. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the most talked about places recommended by Trippy members.
10:00 am start in Chicago
drive for about 2 hours
12:14 pm Champaign
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 1:14 pm
drive for about 2.5 hours
3:43 pm Mount Vernon (Illinois)
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 4:43 pm
drive for about 2 hours
6:38 pm Cape Girardeau
stay overnight and leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 1 driving ≈ 6.5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Cape Girardeau
drive for about 2.5 hours
12:40 pm Memphis
eat at Central BBQ
stay for about 2.5 hours
and leave at 3:10 pm
drive for about 2 hours
5:18 pm Little Rock
eat at Doe's Eat Place
stay overnight and leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 2 driving ≈ 5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Little Rock
drive for about 2.5 hours
12:19 pm Texarkana (Texas)
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 1:19 pm
drive for about 3 hours
4:06 pm Nacogdoches
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 5:06 pm
drive for about 2.5 hours
7:22 pm arrive in Houston
eat at Uchi
stay at Hotel ZaZa
day 3 driving ≈ 7.5 hours
find more stops
syed from Rockford (Illinois) asked:
Traveling with kids (1 answer)
Juliana asked:
What's the best route for a 4 day road trip (1 answer)
Champaign
Mount Vernon (Illinois) (2 answers)
questions about Mount Vernon (Illinois):
I need Locals Advise
Cape Girardeau (4 answers)
Memphis (114 answers)
Beale Street (9 mentions)
Graceland (9 mentions)
National Civil Rights Museum (8 mentions)
Memphis Zoo (7 mentions)
Mud Island (6 mentions)
restaurants around Memphis:
Central BBQ
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Charlie Vergos Rendezvous
Payne's Bar-B-Q
Cozy Corner Restaurant
questions about Memphis:
What's the best neighborhood in Memphis for a first time visitor?
What are the musts of Memphis, y'all?
Must sees in Memphis TN?? Hidden gems places to eat??
Best blues clubs in Memphis?
Good Food and Fun With Kids
Little Rock (41 answers)
William J Clinton Library (6 mentions)
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site (3 mentions)
Governors Mansion Historic District (2 mentions)
William J. Clinton Presidential Center (2 mentions)
Museum of Discovery (2 mentions)
restaurants around Little Rock:
Doe's Eat Place
Loca Luna
questions about Little Rock:
What is your favorite restaurant in Little Rock?
Best sights in Little Rock
Arkansas to Northern California
Good Eating Gems
Can't miss restaurants in Little Rock?
Texarkana (Texas) (9 answers)
questions about Texarkana (Texas):
What is your favorite restaurant in Texarkana (Texas)?
Nacogdoches (2 answers)
Are you going straight to a hotel, or looking for a vacation rental or Airbnb?
The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, and hotels is the Trippy page on where to stay in Houston.
If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Hotel ZaZa, which was mentioned 4 times on Trippy.
Want to research more popular hotels in Houston? Click the blue button below.
Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?
Trippy members suggest Uchi, which was mentioned 10 times.
Here are some more restaurants people talk about:
Want to research more popular restaurants in Houston? Click the blue button below.
This section could be endless, so rather than trying to suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it open-ended.
These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:
Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions because there's an entire community of travelers talking to each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is where you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, trip dates & more!
For example, here are some questions people have asked about Houston. Click on any question to see answers from the community!
Emily from Ann Arbor asked:
Best Mexican restaurants in town? (15 answers)
Meradith from Scottsdale asked:
Young Professional Neighborhood (10 answers)
Norma from asked:
MD Anderson patient (10 answers)
Geraldine from asked:
Favorite places to eat in Houston? (9 answers)
Valerie from Los Angeles asked:
What is your favorite restaurant in Houston? (8 answers)
Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Houston.
Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation who wants the trip to end? It's okay, you can start planning your next trip!
Want to plan the trip back? Get the reverse directions for a Houston to Chicago drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip.
You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from Chicago to Houston. Or get a full Chicago to Houston flight plan.
Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. You can also find some cool day trips or get away for a weekend. Maybe try typing in a faraway location like London, Hong Kong, or Sydney, and get inspired for your dream trip around the world.
And if you know Chicago well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about Chicago!
More info on this route: