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This year we decided to ring in the new year and start our cross-country drive bright and early on January 1st. Crystal was spending the holidays in Los Angeles and drove solo to California with Kuma (Crystal’s corgi), so I (Candy) joined Crystal and Kuma when it was time to drive back to Florida.

We wanted to stop by a couple of places on our way back to Florida, so this trip took us a total of 7 days. Our itinerary consisted of pet-friendly destinations since we wanted Kuma to enjoy this road trip too. 

ROAD TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1: Los Angeles > Tombstone, 559 miles, 8.5 hours
DAY 2: Explore Tombstone
DAY 3: Tombstone > Marfa, 487 miles, 7.5 hours
DAY 4: Marfa > Waco, 467 miles, 7 hours
DAY 5: Explore Waco / Magnolia Market
DAY 6: Waco > Mobile, 648 miles, 9.5 hours
DAY 7: Mobile > Tampa, 510 miles, 7.5 hours

ROAD TRIP PREP

To make sure you are fully prepared for your road trip, review our ultimate packing checklist. If you are traveling with your dog, we have a great dog-packing checklist as well.

If you are looking for some handy, durable, and efficient travel gear, check out our favorite travel luggage we highly recommend.

Make sure to download the iExit app. This app is great if you’re driving on the interstate. It finds you automatically, shows you the exits ahead, and allows for easy searching. It’s come in handy many times when we were in search of restrooms, service stations, food, and more.

THE ROAD TRIP

DAY 1 - LOS ANGELES TO TOMBSTONE

The first day of driving is always the easiest day. We didn’t go out to celebrate New Year’s Eve since we wanted to be up early with plenty of energy for our first day on the road. The morning started out with beautiful clear skies and we were pretty pumped and excited that we were heading to Tombstone, Arizona.

Halfway into our drive, we got hit with some severe weather. It started raining really hard and luckily Crystal was driving because she’s a pro when it comes to driving in the rain. It rained for quite some time which caused a little bit of a slowdown on our route, so we got into Tombstone just after sunset.

For lunch, we packed our own food, which we usually do on all of our road trips, so we only stopped a couple of times for gas or to use the restrooms.

We typically plan out our drives so that we reach our destination before sunset. We prefer to drive during the day since we feel more safe stopping at gas stations and rest stops when it’s light outside. It was still raining when we reached our Western-themed hotel at Tombstone Miners Cabin, but luckily our room was just a few steps from our parking spot.

After we checked into our room, we immediately headed down the street to grab some dinner at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. We were really excited about eating here because it has a cool western saloon vibe and you can take fun western-themed photos as well.

DAY 2 - TOMBSTONE

We are fans of the Wild West and Tombstone, Arizona is well-known for its Wild West history. Before visiting Tombstone, we watched the classic 1993 film, Tombstone, which we highly recommend doing if you haven’t already seen it. It’s a great movie with a star-studded cast including Val Kilmer and Kurt Russel.

We woke up to an amazing view from our balcony but mostly enjoyed the view from inside since it was freezing. The temperature was unusually chilly for Arizona (mid-thirties), so we definitely bundled up and threw on our cowgirl hats.

Many of the establishments were pet-friendly, so Kuma joined us when we explored the museums and walked along the boardwalks. It’s also great that the town is closed off to traffic, so walking around the area was peaceful. 

You can’t leave Tombstone without experiencing  a live gunfight show, so we made sure to buy tickets for the O.K. Corral Gunfight Show. We only had plans to watch one gunfiight show, but was invited to watch a different one at the Old Tombstone Western Theme Park as well.

Both were fun shows and surprisingly longer than expected. The actors were all great and we had some really good laughs at both of them. We had a fantastic time in Tombstone and couldn’t believe how fast the day went by. Everyone we met was super friendly and we loved that many of the establishments were more than happy to take photos for us.

DAY 3 - DRIVE TO MARFA, TEXAS

We both went to bed fairly early, so we were up before sunrise and were on our way to Marfa while it was still pitch black outside. Just a  few miles into our drive, we came across a deer on the road and thankfully we weren’t going too fast and were able to avoid a collision. 

We chose to stop in Marfa because there is a unique Prada art installation about 30 miles from downtoan Marfa. It’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere and located along U.S. Route 90 in Jeff Davis Country, Texas.

It’s a very Instagram-famous location where even celebrities like Beyoncé have stopped by. We always wanted to check out Prada Marfa if the opportunity arose and the route we were taking back to Florida worked out perfectly to stop by here.

As we approached the installation, we were wondering if other people would be there and there was surprisingly a steady flow of cars that stopped by while we were taking photos. Afterward, we headed to Hotel Saint George. 

Hotel Saint George is located in downtown Marfa and it’s a trendy pet-friendly hotel. We loved how spacious the room was and everything looked so sleek. The one thing we really appreciated in this room was the amount of storage space there was since we had so much luggage being on a week-long road trip.

After we checked in, Crystal headed straight to Fort Davis Veterinary Services which was about 30 miles outside of Marfa. Kuma was having issues with her ear, so Crystal wanted to get them checked out. Luckily, it was nothing serious and she just had a ton of ear wax stuck in her ear that needed to be removed. 

We had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, LaVenture, which was located next to the lobby on the first floor. The atmosphere was great and the food portions were plentiful. We both had a drink with our meal and then called it a night. 

DAY 4 - DRIVE TO WACO

We woke up early to grab some breakfast nearby at a trendy coffee shop (The Sentinel) but sadly, it was closed. We headed back to our hotel and walked around a little bit and enjoyed the most gorgeous sunrise. Everything except for the local NPR station was closed since it was so early in the morning.

The drive to Waco was different from the previous days since we were on the highway more than the interstates. We prefer driving on the interstate because there are more rest stops and gas stations, but highways are interesting since you go through more rural areas and smaller towns. 

We arrived at Hotel Indigo in Waco before sunset and got settled into our room pretty fast. We were hungry and headed out to Magnolia Market for dinner since we were within walking distance. A lot of the food trucks were closed for the day, so there weren’t a ton of options, but Crystal ordered a pizza from one of the food trucks.

Candy opted to wait and eat at the hotel, but before we headed back, we stopped by Silos Baking Co. and ordered some cupcakes. At the hotel, Candy ordered tacos and the food was surprisingly good and at an affordable price.

RELATED: Drive This Scenic Route from California to Florida

DAY 5 - MAGNOLIA MARKET

We had a full day planned to explore just about everything Chip and Joanna Gaines created at The Silos. Crystal visited Magnolia Market last year on her solo road trip, so this year we were excited to explore the market together.

Some things had already changed since Crystal’s visit, so there were plenty of new things for Crystal to explore. We started our morning at Magnolia Press and grabbed some coffee and some light bites. Candy ordered the Apple Pie Oatmeal and Crystal had the Croissant Souffle. Everything was delicious.

After breakfast, we went back to the hotel and picked up Kuma so that the three of us could enjoy the day shopping together. The entire complex is super Instagrammable and there were plenty of places to sit outside and relax when we needed a break.

We are fans of Joanna’s design aesthtics, so we went inside every store that was open. We both purchased lip tints at Vie Bien Aimee, an adorable hat at Tried & True, and bought a handful of home goods from Magnolia Market.

We grabbed lunch at the Club Sandwich food truck and also got some more cupcakes at Silo’s Baking Co. Our absolute favorite cupcake was their seasonal flavor, Cup O’ Jo. The chocolate cake topped with espresso buttercream icing was heavenly.

After a full day of shopping and dining, we heading back to our hotel and were in bed by 8 PM.  

DAY 6 - DRIVE TO MOBILE

Once again, we woke up early and started our drive before sunrise. This was our longest drive on the road trip at 9.5 hours, so we wanted to get on the road as early as possible.

While on the road, we had an early lunch at Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A. Kuma got her favorite pup cup (basically a cup of whip cream from Starbucks) and we had chicken sandwiches.

Unfortunately, we got stuck in some heavy traffic which added even more time to our long day. Google Maps gave us alternative routes, but it didn’t really help much with avoiding traffic so we ended up on the road for about 11 hours.

Once we reached Alabama, we saw a humungous full moon amongst the sunset and it was such a beautiful sight. We enjoyed the last hour of driving through downtown Mobile and reached our final destination in Daphne at the Hilton Garden Inn in the evening.

There was a strip mall and other shops right next to the hotel, so we had plenty of food options for dinner. Crystal ordered Five Guys and Candy had a sandwich from Firehouse Subs. Shortly after eating, we passed out.

DAY 7 - DRIVE TO TAMPA

This was our last day on the road and Crystal woke up around 3:30 AM, so we decided to go ahead and hit the road. Our first stop was to fill up on gas at Buc-ee’s. Most of the Buc-ee’s locations are in Texas, but there is one location in Alabama on I-10 at exit 49.

Buc-ee’s is one of our favorite rest stops to get gas and to grab some food, drinks, and even souvenirs. They actually hold a record for the largest convenience store and longest car wash in the world.

The last day of driving was pretty uneventful besides Buc-ee’s. Driving in Florida is generally boring except for the one bridge we cross in Pensacola. At least it was a smooth drive and there was no traffic.

It’s always bittersweet when our road trips come to an end. We had such a great time in Tombstone and really enjoyed our day shopping at Magnolia Market. We’re not sure when our next road trip will be, but we’ve been thinking about a road trip along the east coast for a change. 

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