Houston to Milwaukee road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Houston to Milwaukee drive are Hot Springs AR, St Louis and Chicago. The distance from Houston to Milwaukee by car is 1,151 miles, with an 18h2m driving time.

Planning a Houston to Milwaukee road trip itinerary

The Houston to Milwaukee drive connects the biggest cities in Texas and Wisconsin.

The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the NASA Space Center, which takes you behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. This includes the Mission Briefing Center, and a vast array of high tech exhibitions.

Other attractions include the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Children’s Museum, 

For more Houston experiences, try hip hop party bike tours, foodie walks in the Montrose neighbourhood and quirky tours of Houston’s tunnel system.

Top Houston accommodation options include the superb value Club Quarters Houston Downtown and the upscale but boutique Magnolia.

Milwaukee is famous for its beer, and doing a multi-brewery tasting tour is practically obligatory. Other good Milwaukee experiences include historical ghost tours and the Harley Davidson Museum.

You can also learn about Great Lakes history at the North Point Lighthouse and visit an art museum with a twist. The Grohmann Museum is devoted to art that shows the history of human work.

Houston to Milwaukee distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Houston to Milwaukee is 1,151 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 18 hours and two minutes.

The best stops to add to a Houston to Milwaukee road trip itinerary are Hot Springs AR, St Louis and Chicago.

Best stops between Houston to Milwaukee: Hot Springs AR

Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains has loads to do. The natural highlight is Hot Springs National Park, which strings thermal springs together on a series of hiking trails. The historic bathhouses are also part of the national park.

There are also several amusement parks, of which Magic Springs is arguably the best as it has a water park.

Other Hot Springs experiences include zip line adventures and the Star Wars and superhero-obsessed Galaxy Connection.  

For well-rated Hot Springs accommodation with charm, go for the Hilltop Manor B&B or the Gables Inn.

Houston to Milwaukee road trip attractions: St Louis

St Louis is one of America’s great crossroads cities. The major landmark is the 630ft-tall Gateway Arch, which visitors can go to the top of. Other top attractions include the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden and Busch Stadium.

Good St Louis experiences include highlight-packed trolley tours, true crime walking tours and small group tours that include going to the top of the St Louis Arch and a Mississippi River cruise.

For St Louis accommodation with personality, try the Last Hotel or the Pennywell.

• For more attractions, check out the guide to the St Louis to Chicago drive.

Houston to Milwaukee drive: Chicago

Chicago’s skyscrapers, music scene and massive collection of cultural attractions make it arguably the most exciting city in the US to visit.

Highly recommended Chicago experiences include an architecture river cruise, a gangsters and ghosts tour of famous Mob sites and a bike tour of the lakefront neighbourhoods. It’s also worth paying a visit to the Field Museum, the 360 Chicago observation deck at the Hancock Tower and the Chicago Architecture Center.

• For more suggestions, take a look at the guide to the Chicago to Milwaukee drive.

More Houston road trips

Abilene to Houston | Houston to Albuquerque | Houston to Amarillo | Arlington TX to Houston | Houston to Atlanta | Houston to Austin | Houston to Baltimore | Houston to Baton Rouge | Houston to Beaumont TX | Houston to Biloxi | Houston to Birmingham AL | Houston to Buffalo | Bryan TX to Houston | Carrollton TX to Houston | Houston to Charlotte | Houston to Chattanooga | Cincinnati to Houston | College Station to Houston | Houston to Colorado Springs.

Dallas to Houston | Denton TX to Houston | Houston to Denver |  Houston to Destin FL | Houston to Detroit | Houston to El Paso | Frisco TX to Houston | Houston to Fort Lauderdale | Houston to Fort Worth | Houston to Fredericksburg | Garland TX to Houston | Houston to Gatlinburg | Houston to Hot Springs | Indianapolis to Houston | Irving TX to Houston | Houston to Jackson MS | Houston to Jacksonville | Houston to Knoxville.

Houston to Lafayette | Houston to Lake Charles | Lewisville TX to Houston | Little Rock to Houston | Longview TX to Houston | Houston to Lubbock | Magnolia TX to Houston | Marshall TX to Houston | Houston to Memphis | Houston to Mobile AL | Nacogdoches to Houston | Nashville to Houston | Houston to New Braunfels | Houston to New Orleans | Houston to New York City | Houston to Oklahoma City | Houston to Omaha NE | Houston to Orlando.  

Houston to Panama City | Houston to Pensacola | Houston to Philadelphia | Houston to Phoenix | Houston to Pittsburgh | Plano TX to Houston | Houston to Salt Lake City | San Angelo TX to Houston | Houston to San Antonio | Houston to San Marcos | Houston to Santa Fe | Shreveport to Houston | Houston to St Louis | Houston to Tampa | Temple TX to Houston | Texarkana to Houston | Houston to Tucson | Houston to Tulsa | Waco TX to Houston | Houston to Washington DC | Houston to Wichita | Wichita Falls to Houston.

More Milwaukee road trips

Atlanta to Milwaukee | Chicago to Milwaukee | Detroit to Milwaukee | Indianapolis to Milwaukee | Milwaukee to Minneapolis | Nashville to Milwaukee | St Louis to Milwaukee | Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells.