Trip Advice on things to do I-10 to Tucson

[MikeandCarol]

Fredericksburg TX is Just north of San Antonio off of I-10. It is worth a stop for the many antique stores and especially all the wineries in the area.

[OTRA15]

Ditto to Gnorts about the KOA just off I-10 and the local food near Lafayette LA!

[NavyCorpsman]

Get a good Atlas and take your time. I-10 is my favorite big road. I have driven it several times from side to side. All of the previously mentioned sites are awesome.
San Antonio, and Saguaro Natl park are on the top of my list. As you approach Las Cruces, NM from the west, look for the HUGE Roadrunner. It is a trash sculpture, unlike anything I have ever seen.

[baldwin6601]

Catalina State Park north of Tucson is awesome. Bisbee is a must.

[baldwin6601]

San Xavier mission and Tubac, south of Tucson are cool too

[SouthForkAS]

If you want to get off the slab (and avoid going up I 35 North) and see some down home Texas, grab 290 out of Houston to Austin, then take 290 out of Austin to I10 and carry on thru miles of rolling west Texas- with a stop in Van Horn (halfway between Austin and Tucson) - I don't remember anything out that way west of the Pecos.
Then after Tuscon for some real adventure, take I-8 to San Diego - the biggest surprise of my last Malibu to Miami and back adventure (along I-10). Make sure you can make some serious long grades heading into SD. That's the REAL southwest, far superior to any other "attraction"

[Doc Foster]

I too would second the recommendations for Titan Missile Museum and the Sonoran Desert Museum and Carlsbad Caverns.
Titan Missile Museum: Home
https://www.desertmuseum.org/
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Take a daytime tour inside and be sure to check out the Bat Flight program at dusk.

Also in Tuscon:
Pima Air and Space Museum is worth a whole day Pima Air & Space Museum : Tucson, Arizona

Near Bisbee, AZ Take a Queen Mine Tour

For places to camp, 3 hours or so East of Tucson is Rockhound SP
Rock Hound State Park, a New Mexico park located near Deming

And about an hour North of El Paso is Oliver Lee SP.
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park New Mexico

Oliver Lee SP is a great base camp for checking out
White Sands NM White Sands National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
New Mexico Museum of Space History New Mexico Museum of Space History » Alamogordo, New Mexico » Celebrating the significant role the state of New Mexico has played in the development of the U.S. Space Program
For ancient history - Three Rivers Petroglyph Site Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
And just a bit further north Valley of Fires Rec. Area Valley of Fires Recreation Area

Just outside of El Paso is Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site
Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

[OTRA15]

Thanks for all the details Doc. Your second for Carlsbad Caverns reminds me to mention one small tour they do, into a smaller side chamber, where they turn off all the lights. It is hard to anticipate how dark and silent it is.

[they warn you ahead of time, and only consenting adults go on this sub-tour]

Worth trying IMO.

PS -- They also have [edit -- or at least used to have] an animal kennel to board pets for a couple of hours -- a thoughtful accommodation to pet owners.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

they warn you ahead of time, and only consenting adults go on this sub-tour

And what kind of hanky-panky do the consenting adults get up to in that dark cavern?

[rmkrum]

Darkness in a deep cave is really hard for some to manage. If you get claustrophobic in a building, a cavern is a lot harder. Personally I have a very hard time with caves and darkness. It's not just dark, it's absolutely without light. I can handle maybe a minute or two of that, and I'm not that claustrophobic under normal circumstances. It's hard not to freak out.


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[Alumaholic]

Kartchner Caverns is a must see! But you may need reservations depending on time of year. They have one of our favorite campgrounds too.
Don't dismiss NM. ROCKHOUND State Park is on your way and a wonderful place to stay. City of Rocks State Park is a bit north of I-10, but is an unforgettable campground, especially for star gazers escaping light pollution.
P.S. if you must choose Kartchner Caverns are better than Carlsbad. But I'm glad I've been to both more than once.

[FranM]

Both Austin and San Antonio are great cities to visit. San Antonio speaks for itself. Austin is good for walking around, visiting the capitol and the LBJ museum. We stayed at Oak Forest Campground. Nice little place 15 min. from town. They offered a nice gas grill under a lovely pavilion for guests use.

[silverlabs]

Both Austin and San Antonio have tons of places of interest. The missions in San Antonio are my favorite and I love the food in Austin. Barton Springs is really cool, too. As for Tucson, my two favorite places there are the Sonoran Desert Museum (it's really outdoor gardens) and Kartchner Caverns. You will want to make reservations there but it is well worth it, and I don't like caves.

[calais66]

Can't forget about The Thing between Wilcox and Benson! A classic roadside attraction in that it's kinda disappointing.

[Craig Schrader]

In Austin. Pecan Grove RV Park in town. Very few openings, but really cool. Close to the Hike/Bike trail around Lady Bird Lake and 6th street Music scene.
About 5 miles out of town, McKinney Falls park. Very quite and has a paved hike/bike trail around it, lots of wildlife.

[featherbedder]

Ariz. Picacho state park rite on I 10 exc. picnic area with wild donkeys, also Kitts peak national observeratory, guided tours expl. of stars planets etc. Do not take trailer up, no place to turn around or park, it is a day trip. Other places mentioned in Ariz. also exc. visits. In Bisbee also hard rock copper mine tours.

[pappy19]

If you hike, get off at the Fort Bowie exit and drop your AS. Then drive up the dirt road to the Fort Bowie trail. It's about 1 mile to the old fort. An amazing site and was right in the middle of the Apache wars.

[Ed Brownfield]

Thanks to each of you for taking your time to share your knowledge and experiences with me abou traveling I 10 from Florida to Phoenix! We are currently in NO where we visited the WW II Museum. It is a MUST SEE if you visit NO! We are staying at The French Quarter RV Resort so we haven't needed to drive the truck in NO. We took a walking tour of The French Quarter yesterday, good but in my opinion not as good as the walking tour of the garden district that we did last year. We head further west tomorrow and thanks to advice that we received from our post we are taking route 90 vs I 10. If anyone has suggestions of places to see, things to do, or places to stay in San Antonio or Tucson let us know. We plan to spend a few days in each of those cities before ending our trip in Phoenix.

[Ahab]

In Arizona, besides those mentioned, Check out the campground in the Chiricahua Nat'l Monument. Az State Parks are outstanding as are NM Parks.