NBA holiday/road trip

[peppermint420]

has anyone done a holiday to the states and been to a bunch of games?

ive just found out that you can fly from sydney direct to dallas now, so my dream of going to a spurs home game is now likely to happen. looking at a map of that area it seems like it would be pretty easy to to a big loop of houston, new orleans, memphis and oklahoma too...

question to anyone who has been there - is that whole area interesting outside of basketball or is it kind of crap? would i be better off just travelling up/down the west coast instead?

this would happen late november/early december 2016 after my exams are done, any hints or tips would be awesome.

 

[Allstar cards inc]

Been to the US 3 times in the past 3 years.....2 west coast trips and 1 east coast (mainly NYC). I haven't been to the areas you're looking at....but I've researched it a bit as it'll likely be where I head to next. I'll try and get from Dallas to Orlando and visit the theme parks there.
Personally, I reckon it'd be an amazing area to visit....lots to see. If you like food the texas-style BBQ and southern food would be worth the trip alone!! I'd visit Austin and try to include a day trip across the border into Mexico too. Add the basketball games (maybe even college football which is huge in Texas) and it'll be an awesome trip!!

 

[drobfan8]

I was in san antonio earlier in the year and it's a great place to visit. Dallas sounds awesome too. Just a great/different vibe in Texas from other states.

Definitely go with that plan of Memphis, NO etc. That would be incredible.

 

[peppermint420]

thanks guys

its a lot of money so i just want to make sure its going to be worth going to that area!

 

[thePACisback]

Sounds sweet. If you do go, show us pics from the trip!
Haven't been to a game in Cleveland yet, but it's high on my bucket list.
Had a mate go to Houston. He reckons it was amazing!
Good luck with it!

 

[goehring9]

That's a fantastic idea. I've been to each of those arenas to see a game (my son and I have been working on seeing a game in every NBA arena).
My take on the cities: Houston not so great. Dallas pretty nice. San Antonio great for a day or two max. Oklahoma pretty good, and Memphis very good. In Texas, try to take in a football game as well, if you are early enough in November the college games are a great atmosphere, and the Dallas Cowboys stadium is spectacular. Travel in the south is completely different than the west coast (where I live) - both are good but in totally different ways.
If you have any questions just ask me, happy to help

 

[peppermint420]

i would really love to get to a texans football game but the basketball is taking priority, plus uni exams go until mid november so it might be a problem

i like being on the road and dont plan on spending more than a day or two anywhere, what is it like in between the big cities in texas/south? i want to see some genuine hicks with tractors and stuff!

 

[goehring9]

The Texans play through mid December so you would be able to make that happen. Your best bet for the 'hick's would be either between Houston and New Orleans, New Orleans and Memphis, or Dallas and OKC. To see the true South that you are looking for, you'll have to venture off the main highways into the small towns. If you drove from New Orleans to Memphis for example, all through the state of Mississippi, you'd see some relics of the old South for sure. And yes, truly a day in any of those places is enough to soak it in.

 

[peppermint420]

thanks g - another question, what is car hire like over there? i have had a quick look but the prices seem pretty brutal and maybe i would be better off just getting the bus or train between cities?

 

[goehring9]

Car hires can be pretty expensive - you need to shop around and remember that the cheaper ones are Very small. You can take a bus between cities, it's a lot cheaper but quite slow. Trains are limited so probably not a great idea.