Little Rock to Austin road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The distance from Little Rock to Austin is 514 miles, with an 8h driving time. The best road trip stops on the Little Rock to Austin drive are Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, Dallas and Waco TX.
Planning a Little Rock to Austin road trip itinerary
A Little Rock to Austin road trip connects the capitals of Arkansas and Texas.
Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas, and the closest thing the state has to a metropolis.
Key experiences in Little Rock include the Museum of Discovery and the William J Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. The latter, as with most presidential libraries, acts as a fascinating insight not just into the president, but the era he was in charge for.
Of Little Rock’s hotels, the Capital Hotel provides most historic glamour and the Residence Inn Little Rock Downtown is great value.
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.
Little Rock to Austin distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Little Rock to Austin is 514 miles. That makes for a driving time of around eight hours. The quickest route is via the I-30 and I-35.
The best stops to add to a Little Rock to Austin road trip itinerary are Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, Dallas and Waco TX.
Little Rock to Austin drive: Lake Bob Sandlin State Park
A short detour south of the I-30, Lake Bob Sandlin State Park is centred around a 9,000 acre lake. There are a few woodland walking trails, but fishing is the primary activity here. Largemouth bass, catfish and trout are regularly caught here.
Lake Bob Sandlin is best visited in the fall, when the changing colours of the leaves can make for spectacular photography.
- For more suggestions, read the guide to the Little Rock to Dallas drive.
Best stops between Little Rock and Austin: Dallas
Dallas has plenty of high quality cultural attractions. These include the Nasher Scupture Center, Pioneer Square and the Perot Museum of Science and Nature.
But for many visitors, the main reason to visit Dallas is the JFK assassination. Yes, you can go up to the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly took his shot from.
Top Dallas experiences include a JFK Assassination and Museum tour, the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower and a self-guided scavenger hunt.
Good places to stay in Dallas with a pool include the sassy Kimpton Pittman downtown and the historic Warwick Melrose near Turtle Creek.
How to do the JFK sites in Dallas
The best way to combine the JFK sites in Dallas is a special themed tour. This takes in the JFK Memorial, Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll before heading to Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house. It finishes in the Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository. On the way, expert guides take you through the assassination facts and theories. Find out more here.
Little Rock to Austin road trip attractions: Waco TX
To the west of the I-35, the Waco Mammoth National Monument is home to the biggest ice age Columbian mammoth fossil find anywhere in the world. The skeletons of 16 mammoths – a nursery herd – were found her in an archaeological dig that started in 1978.
Guided tours of the site take place every 30 minutes – just rock up and join the next departure.
The Brazos River runs through Waco. The best way to see the city is on a morning or sunset boat tour. The cruises depart from next to McLane Stadium, and take in several city attractions, including Baylor University, the enormous Waco Suspension Bridge and Cameron Park. The latter is the best place in Waco for spotting the local wildlife.
Book your Waco boat tour, or search for other Waco experiences.
More Little Rock road trips
Atlanta to Little Rock | Chicago to Little Rock | Little Rock to Dallas | Little Rock to Houston | Little Rock to Memphis | Nashville to Little Rock | Texarkana to Little Rock.
More Austin road trips
Abilene to Austin | Austin to Albuquerque | Amarillo to Austin | Arlington to Austin | Austin to Baton Rouge | Dallas to Austin | Denton TX to Austin | Austin to Destin FL | Austin to El Paso | Austin to Fredericksburg | Fort Worth to Austin | Frisco TX to Austin | Austin to Galveston | Houston to Austin | Indianapolis to Austin | Irving TX to Austin | Austin to Jacksonville | Katy to Austin | Lubbock to Austin | Memphis to Austin | Austin to Midland TX.
Nashville to Austin | Austin to New Braunfels | San Angelo to Austin | Austin to San Antonio | Austin to Odessa TX | Oklahoma City to Austin | Austin to Orlando | Plano TX to Austin | Austin to Santa Fe | Austin to Tampa | Tyler TX to Austin | Wichita Falls to Austin.