Wichita Falls TX to Austin road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The distance from Wichita Falls TX to Austin by car is 302 miles, with a 4h57m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Wichita Falls to Austin drive are Bowie TX, Fort Worth and Waco.
Planning a Wichita Falls to Austin road trip itinerary
The drive from Wichita Falls to Austin takes you from an attraction-packed North Texas hub to the state’s capital city.
The ‘falls’ in Wichita Falls is a man-made waterfall in Lucy Park. Artificial or not, it still looks pretty cool. But there’s more to see in this North Texas city.
If you want serious, there’s the Museum of North Texas History. If you want fun, there’s the Castaway Cove Water Park. And, for a touch of nature, plump for the River Bend Nature Center.
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.
Wichita Falls to Austin distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Wichita Falls to Austin is 302 miles. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 57 minutes.
The quickest route is usually down the US-287 and the I-35. The best stops on a Wichita Falls TX to Austin road trip itinerary are Bowie TX, Fort Worth, and Waco TX.
Wichita Falls to Houston: World’s Largest Bowie Knife
Bowie TX is home to what is excitedly billed as the world’s largest Bowie Knife. For the uninitiated, the Bowie Knife was created by Rezin Bowie and used by his notorious knife-fighting brother, Jim.
The large sheathed knives, beloved of outdoorsmen and the military, are still associated with knife fights today.
Good luck holding the one in Bowie TX, though – it’s 20ft long, and is one of America’s most gloriously silly roadside photo stops.
Wichita Falls TX to Austin drive: Fort Worth
Fort Worth fully embraces its status as a cow town, with the Stockyards district full of cowboy heritage. And cowgirl heritage, as the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame shows off.
It’s also a place that knows how to have a shamelessly good time, with Billy Bob’s Texas Honky Tonk famously big on the yee-has and line dancing.
Other good Fort Worth experiences include a Stockyards food tour, electric bike BBQ tours, historic pub crawls and ghost tours.
Things to do on the Wichita Falls TX to Austin drive: 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, and 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.
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