Dallas to Port Aransas

We attended the 2026 Whooping Crane Festival February 19-22, 2026 in Port Aransas. This was Virginia's first visit to Port Aransas, and I hadn't been in decades. My vague recollection from childhood trips was that you just headed to San Antonio on I-35, and then headed to the coast on I-37, but it appears you could also take the (relatively) new tollway and bypass San Antonio completely. Also, you can stop in Waco for lunch and have a Magnolia fix. I found Buc-ee's in Hillsboro and Luling for soda breaks, so that completes the route. 

Northbound, we altered the route a bite and headed home through San Antonio - which gave us time for a Tex-Mex lunch at Mi Tierra (you don't have to check the schedule since they're open 24x7.) 

Virginia was allowed a "short" time to shop, and then we headed back home, with Buc-ee's stops along the way. Of course, her store at the Mercado was closed on Mondays. Oops. So, that saved a lot of money if not time.