Where to stay 3 hours from Galveston?

[grantbob]

We are taking a fall break cruise in early October and are wanting to drive within a 3 hours or less from Galveston the day before departure (coming through Arkansas). Looking on the map I see Lufkin or Livingston as a possible stop. Should I drive on in to the east side of Houston or are there any other places you would recommend?

[train460]

lufkin and livingston are small towns and you then would have to deal with Houston traffic. If it were me i would stay closer to galveston, say Clear lake(webster) league city, Texas city, etc. Clear lake would be my choice. tons of Hotels along I-45, If you had time could visit Nasa and staying in the clear lake area puts you in about a 30 minute drive from the port.

Michael

[PacificMountain2012]

I would say the closer the better. If you are coming in for a weekend departure there is always the possibility of heavy traffic on the 45 south of Houston, if its during the week you'll have to navigate all of Houston's traffic. We are coming in from Colorado in October and will be staying in Texas City before heading down to the ship; closer the better.

[grantbob]

This is just the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestions.

[GalvestonBear]

While the previous posters are correct in that getting to the south side of Houston is ideal (and the absolute safest bet), that makes for a long drive in one day if coming from Arkansas.

 

I think you could definetely stay on the North side of Houston and feel quite comfortable as long as you left yourself time for "what ifs."

 

Livingston would be my choice as it's 45 minutes closer. It's not a big city by any stretch but there are numerous "name brand" hotels in Livingston (Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, La Quinta, etc) and plenty of your prototypical restaurants so it's great for a simple stopover.

 

I would do the following to make sure not to avoid most of the possible hiccups in Houston traffic:

 

From Livingston, take Hwy 59/69 towards Houston to Beltway 8. Take Beltway 8 (east/south) to Deer Park and take Hwy 225 east towards LaPorte. Take Hwy 146 South in LaPorte towards Texas City. Hwy 146 dumps out into I-45 right before the Galveston causeway.

 

The mileage going this route is almost exactly the same as taking I-45 direct, however, it might take 30 minutes longer because Hwy 146 has several lights in/around Seabrook/Kemah and in/around Texas City but the traffic on this road is almost always very light.

 

Beltway 8 is a toll road but you don't have to stop except once or twice and toll lines are non-existent due to the "bill by mail" or "Toll Tag" option which 90% of people utilize.

 

Google Maps says this route referenced above takes roughly 2 hours. I would think you could do it in less but absolutely no worse than 3 hours assuming the worst of circumstances.

 

Meanwhile, taking Livingston to Galveston via the typical I-45 route could be done in an hour and 45 minutes assuming no traffic but it could be 4+ hours if you hit major traffic coming into Houston (on the North side) and then assuming you hit major traffic going from Houston to Galveston (on South side).

 

In other words, I-45 is definetely faster and more direct but there are far more variables that could delay you.

 

I would think if you crashed at a hotel in Livingston for the night, were out of the hotel by 9AM, there would virtually zero chance you wouldn't be in Galveston by noon with plenty of time to spare for a 4pm departure.

Edited April 18, 2014 by GalvestonBear

[mistshar]

We don't like dealing with the Houston traffic at all so we get on Hwy. 146 in Livingston and then hit I-45 just before the causeway going into Galveston.

 

Hope you have a great trip and cruise.

[GalvestonBear]

I've driven 146 between Livingston and Baytown more times than I could count. Only problem there are a few parts (Dayton/liberty jaunt) that are not intuitive in my opinion. You would be guaranteed not to hit traffic this way but you'll also be driving backroads a bit. I think I'd go the route I mentioned above because I could drive 75+ all the way until LaPorte but you couldn't go wrong taking 146 all the way in, especially if you have a phone with Google Maps to be safe.

Edited April 19, 2014 by GalvestonBear

[mistshar]

I've driven 146 between Livingston and Baytown more times than I could count. Only problem there are a few parts (Dayton/liberty jaunt) that are not intuitive in my opinion. You would be guaranteed not to hit traffic this way but you'll also be driving backroads a bit. I think I'd go the route I mentioned above because I could drive 75+ all the way until LaPorte but you couldn't go wrong taking 146 all the way in, especially if you have a phone with Google Maps to be safe.

 

I lived in Houston when I was young and traffic didn't bother me then. We tried the route you suggested once and it made me a nervous wreck. LOL We enjoy the slower route much better since we are old. I just am not able to handle the traffic now. We also live in a small town and are not used to a lot of traffic and freeways. However the way you suggested is a great way to go if you don't mind the traffic.

 

We also want to see how it is to get to the new Houston Port since we will be cruising from there next year.

[grantbob]

Thanks for the very detailed information, I really appreciate it. We will be driving in on Sunday for a Monday morning departure. I would guess that the insterstate into Houston on a Monday morning could be pretty crowded.

 

We are early risers and should be on the road by 7am. Livingston sounds like a perfect stop to keep the drive day before a little shorter.

[GalvestonBear]

Grantbob,

 

As I rethink it, I would seriously consider just going 59 to Beltway 8 to 45 South. You shouldn't hit much traffic on 45 south on a Monday morning as you will be going against traffic.

 

You could still do 59 -> Beltway 8-> 225 -> 146 as I mentioned above. It will be slightly slower.

 

At the end of the day, the real key will be getting off 59 as soon as possible because it is a major artery into Houston and the closer you take it to downtown, the more likely it becomes a parking lot.

 

If you are getting on the road at 7am, you'll be great. I can't imagine a scenario where you wouldn't be there by 10-11 at absolute latest and you could be there by 9-930 if everything goes smoothly.

[TruckerDave]

I would just grab a hotel by the airport on US59. Many more choices and more choices of places to eat. As somebody who drives from Houston to Texarkana on a fairly regular basis (and onto Chicago/OH/PA etc etc for work..see my screen name) I would stay on US59 and avoid TX146, I have driven it many times and it takes longer with all the little towns and stop lights. You will make much better time staying on 59. (there are no lights close to Houston and you can just scoot). Skip the toll road that is just a waste of money. Just take US59 to I610 and go east until you get to I45 and then go south to the island. If you leave a hotel (near the airport area) by 9 or so (enjoy breakfast before leaving) you will have no major traffic issues as long as you use 610 and should be on the island by 11 at the latest...just in time to check in and board.