Houston to NYC road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best road trip stops on the Houston to New York City drive are New Orleans, Chattanooga and Charlottesville. The distance from Houston to NYC by car is 1,628 miles, with a 24m driving time.
Planning a Houston to New York City road trip itinerary
The Houston to New York City drive connects the biggest cities in Texas and New York.
The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the NASA Space Center. This 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.
Highlights of New York City include the Empire State Building and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. There’s also the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History.
For great New York tours, try the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Or maybe a night time city lights helicopter flight and a Greenwich village food tour.
More unusual options include catacombs tours, a round-Manhattan architecture cruise and a guided exploration of Grand Central Station’s secrets.
You seriously need to shop around to find affordable New York City accommodation. Start looking for deals here.
Houston to New York City distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Houston to New York City is 1,628 miles. You can expect a driving time of around 24 hours. The quickest route is via the I-10, I-59, I-81 and I-78.
For roughly even splits in journey time, the best stops to add to a Houston to New York City road trip itinerary are New Orleans, Chattanooga and Charlottesville.
Houston to New York City road trip attractions: New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans resolutely refuses to feel like any other American city. From the raucous hedonism of Bourbon Street to the European-influenced charm of the French Quarter, New Orleans is mesmerizingly unusual to hang out in.
Top New Orleans experiences include French Quarter food tours, haunted pub crawls, jazz cruises aboard the steamboat Natchez and cemetery walking tours.
For other attractions, try the National WWII Museum. There’s also the Vue Orleans observation deck and the urban enslavement tours at Hermann Grima House.
If looking for New Orleans accommodation, the pool and jazz bar-equipped Royal Sonesta in the French Quarter is a great option. The Virgin Hotel downtown has a huge sense of fun, too.
- For more suggestions of where to stop, check out the guide to the Houston to New Orleans drive.
Best stops between Houston and New York City: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga in the Appalachian foothills is home to the National Medal of Honor Heritage Museum and the Tennessee Aquarium. But it’s mostly an outdoorsy place. Great Chattanooga experiences include rafting on the Middle Ocoee River, backcountry tours in Swincars and kayak adventures to the Nickajack Bat Cave. You can also try Segway tours, guided ghost walks and trolley tours.
Houston to New York City drive: Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is home to the prestigious University of Virginia. This college town can be used as a base for exploring local wineries on a wine tour or craft cider makers.
Other Charlottesville experiences include food tours and self-drive audio tours in Shenandoah National Park.
The real reason to visit Charlotteville, however, is Monticello. The home of polymath president Thomas Jefferson is architecturally stunning and the tours are endlessly fascinating.
For great Charlottesville accommodation options, the redbrick Forum Hotel is amongst the botanical gardens of the UVA campus. The Quirk, meanwhile, has a sense of fun.
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 Milwaukee | Houston to Mobile AL | Nacogdoches to Houston | Nashville to Houston | Houston to New Braunfels | Houston to New Orleans | 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 New York City road trips
New York City to Baltimore | New York City to Bridgeport CT | Boston to New York City | New York City to Chicago | New York City to Cincinnati | Dallas to New York City | Greensboro to New York City | Hartford to New York City | Kansas City to New York City | New York City to Memphis | Minneapolis to New York City | New York City to Myrtle Beach | New York City to Nashville | New Haven to New York City | New York City to Norwalk CT | New York City to Philadelphia | New York City to Pittsburgh | Raleigh NC to New York City | New York City to Richmond VA | New York City to Stamford CT | St Louis to New York City | New York City to Washington DC | New York City to Wilmington NC | New York City to Worcester MA.