5 Road Trips Closer (And Better) Than Driving The Length Of Texas

It's not a secret as to how big Texas is. You look on a map and you can see the sheer size of our great state. Many of us have even traveled long distances in our cars and never leave the state.

After making several of these types of trips myself, I started to wonder just how long it would take you to travel from edge to edge of the state, both from north to south and east to west. I was absolutely shocked at how long it would take to cover the state from line to line.

The only rule I had in this exercise was that I wanted the straightest route possible, and these are the two combos I came up with. Going west to east, it's a trek from El Paso to Beaumont. According to Google Maps, a straight shot would take you 11 hours and 51 minutes. Nearly 12 hours and you're still in the state.

It actually gets worse if you travel from north to south. If you start in Perryton and work yourself down to Brownsville, again, the straightest route possible, it would take you 12 hours and 56 minutes to travel the state.

I'm sorry, but if I'm going to drive THAT far somewhere, I want to go somewhere more exciting than Beaumont or Brownsville, no offense to those places. So I started looking at a map and picking out places that would be fun to road trip to and would take a shorter amount of time to get there or around the same travel time. Here are five places you can travel to that you'd probably enjoy more.

AMARILLO TO DENVER, CO.

This is the shortest trip on the list, checking in at just 6 hours and 31 minutes. Denver is a thriving city with a TON to do. Incredibly scenic views, four major sports teams, a vibrant nightlife, and for those interested, 420-friendly. Not to mention that if you wanted to travel just about an hour or two longer, you can find yourself in the Rocky Mountains. To me, that's a much better use of my driving time.

AMARILLO TO GRAND CANYON, AZ.

Look, I know we have Palo Duro Canyon in our backyard, and it's the second-largest canyon in the United States. However, if you are willing to make the 10-hour and 3-minute trip, you will find yourself in THE largest canyon in America, that being the Grand Canyon. Look, if you've never been, it's absolutely majestic. The views you get and the rock structure is a sight to be seen. You won't find anything like that in Beaumont.

AMARILLO TO MEMPHIS, TN.

When I looked at the map, I thought to myself there was no way it was closer than traveling line to line in Texas, but I plugged it in to check. I was wrong, and I'm glad I was. In just 10 hours and 12 minutes, you can find yourself on Beale Street, and let me tell you from experience, it is one of the most fun places you can ever be. A mini version of the French Quarter in New Orleans, but with WAY better BBQ. Yes, Memphis BBQ tastes different than Texas BBQ, and it's well worth trying.

AMARILLO TO ST LOUIS, MO.

In just 10 hours and 52 minutes, you could be staring at the beautiful St. Louis Arch, and getting a bird's eye view of this beautiful city from inside the arch. Once you're done there, go check out St. Louis Union Station which was once one of the largest and busiest rail terminals in the country. After you've checked that out, go to Busch Stadium and catch a Cardinals baseball game. It's one of the nicest ballparks in America.

AMARILLO TO LAS VEGAS, NV.

This is the longest drive on our list, but it still takes you less time to get to than traveling from Perryton to Brownsville. You can be walking down the strip of Las Vegas, staring at the majestic Bellagio fountains, and just taking in all the mesmerizing lights of Vegas with just a 12-hour and 12-minute drive. Now if you're headed to Vegas, make sure you take a little extra spending money to hit the tables and try out all the amazing restaurants you'll find there.