Amarillo to Austin road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The distance from Amarillo to Austin by car is 495 miles, with a 7h53m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Amarillo to Austin drive are Lubbock TX, the National WASP WWII Museum and Brownwood TX.
Planning an Amarillo to Austin road trip itinerary
The Amarillo to Austin drive connects Route 66 to the capital of Texas.
Amarillo is a classic stop on Route 66. Highlights include Cadillac Ranch, an art installation featuring 10 brightly-painted Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. You’ll also find the Texas Air and Space Museum here, and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. For the great outdoors, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is just to the south-east of the city.
Interesting Amarillo activities include Route 66 walking tours and scavenger hunts.
For high quality Amarillo accommodation, try the historic Barfield or the spacious Embassy Suites Amarillo Downtown.
Austin is renowned for its live music scene, although it has plenty of more conventional attractions too. These include Austin Zoo, the Museum of Ice Cream and the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Top Austin experiences include ebike tours taking in the city highlights, haunted pub crawl walks and segway tours.
You can also try highly-rated downtown food tours, half day wine shuttles in the Hill Country, brewery-hopping beer tours and sightseeing on a boat cruise.
For Austin hotel recommendations, try band crashpad chic meets rainbow bathrobes at the Hotel San Jose and the unashamed rock star swagger of the W.
Amarillo to Austin distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Amarillo to Austin is 495 miles. You can expect a driving time of around seven hours and 53 minutes. The quickest route is via the I-26, US-84 and TX-183.
The best stops to add to an Amarillo to Austin road trip itinerary are Lubbock TX, the National WASP WWII Museum and Brownwood TX.
Best stops between Amarillo and Austin: Lubbock TX
Lubbock is home to the Texas Tech University, which plays host to the National Ranching Heritage Center. This explains the history and culture of ranching across Texas and further afield.
There’s also the Museum of Texas Tech University, which has dinosaurs and a planetarium. Perhaps the most interesting attraction, though, is the Buddy Holly Center, which celebrates the local boy music star who died tragically early.
For something a little cuter, you can visit the prairie dogs at Prairie Dog Town Park.
Good Lubbock accommodation options include the good value La Quinta and the personality-packed Cotton Court Hotel.
- For more suggestions, read the guide to the Lubbock to Austin drive.
Amarillo to Austin road trip attractions: National WASP WWII Museum
The National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater TX takes a look at World War II from an unusual angle. This aviation museum celebrates the efforts and achievements of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. When qualifies pilots were in short supply after Pearl Harbor, these women took on the task of delivering planes to the training bases in the South. They also flight-tested repaired planes before they were returned to active service.
The museum tells their story amid the planes on display.
Best stops between Amarillo and Austin: Brownwood TX
Brownwood TX is primarily known as the home of Howard Payne University, although the Brown County Museum will tell you more about the city’s frontier past.
Lake Brownwood State Park to the north-west is a good spot for fishing, boating and swimming. Kids, meanwhile, tend to enjoy the water slides of the Camp Bowie Aquatic Center.
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