Driving from Dallas to Carlsbad Caverns ?

My husband and I want to drive to Carlsbad Caverns from Dallas for a weekend. We want to drive on friday, spend Saturday and half of Sunday in the Caverns and then drive back to Dallas. Is this a crazy plan? We are adventurous people and don%26#39;t mind the drive or stress.

We want to do it this weekend. Please give some advice on hotels and food. We are vegetarians!!!

And is December a bad time to go to there? Please advise!!

Driving from Dallas to Carlsbad Caverns ?

It%26#39;s not a crazy plan, but it will take you about 8 hours of driving each way. I don%26#39;t have specific suggestions as to food and lodging, except to mention that the Caverns themselves are about a 20-30 min. drive from the town of Carlsbad (where the majority of food and lodging options can be found).

Driving from Dallas to Carlsbad Caverns ?

December should be a good time to go, we went in January one year and were totally alone inside the caverns for at least 1/2 hour. Hike in the Natural Entrance, great way to enter the caverns.

Not too many vegetarian type restaurants in the area. There is a Chili%26#39;s, quite a few Mexican restaurants and fast food chains. I have not dined there in many years, so can%26#39;t help more than that.

Best Western Stevens Inn used to be good, also there is a new HI Express. We stayed at the motel in White%26#39;s City, just outside of the national park. Simple lodging, but great for us.

Visit www.nps.gov for info on the caverns.

Carlsbad Caverns is great any time of the year. You could probably take it all in in one day, to make your drive times a little shorter.

The Best Western Stevens was our favorite for many years, but reviews (including here on TripAdvisor.com) seem to be coming down recently. IMHO, there is such a demand in this tourist town, that many places don%26#39;t seem to care that much...there is always someone else coming to see the caverns. The two highest rated motel/hotels for Carlsbad are the Holiday Inn Express, and the Super 8 Motel. I stayed at the Super 8 two summers ago, and it was fine, and relatively economical.

If there is a vegetarian restaurant in Carlsbad, I%26#39;d be surprised. Albeit, pleasantly surprised. Restaurants are rather run of the mill for the most part. Here is TripAdvisor.com%26#39;s listing, and ratings by former patrons. I will not make any recommendations, as I%26#39;ve never eaten at any that I would recommend.

tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60761-Carlsbad_鈥?/a>

Enjoy your trip. The caverns are always an adventure.

We stayed several times at BW Stevens Inn and rooms are still good (ask for the upgraded ones) but staff seems to be less interested and that%26#39;s a pity. Also its restaurant is good but unfortunately nothing vegetarian. BW and Days Inn are at the southern side of Carlsbad and closest to Carlsbad Caverns, the new Holiday Inn is at the northern side (with lots of traffic lights in between). If you want to have a nice cup of coffee and sandwiches for your trip to the Caverns, try Blue House Bakery and Cafe. Other places worth a visit in Carlsbad are a short riverwalk and a visit to Living Desert SP north of Carlsbad.

Tet

Personally, I think your trip plan is a bit ambitious. It%26#39;s a really long drive for what will be, essentially, a full day. If it were me, I%26#39;d do something in Texas, closer to home. Lost Maples should still be nice this time of the year.

The HI Express is arguably the nicest hotel in town, but it%26#39;s all the way at the north end of the city, which is already a 30-minute drive from the Caverns. The Best Western at White%26#39;s City is, by far, the closest hotel to the Caverns.

Per the food, Carlsbad is more like Midland than Santa Fe, so I really doubt that you%26#39;ll find anything catering solely to vegetarians. There used to be a pasta place, but that has closed, and what%26#39;s left in town is either Mexican, Chinese-American, diners, fast food or cafeterias. Whenever I go there, I never eat well.

Afa I know the Whites City Best Western lost their membership Colin so it%26#39;s no longer a Best Western Hotel imo.

Thank you all.

We are planning to go to the Caverns in January/February 2009. We thought we%26#39;d take a day off and go there for 3 days.

How is the weather in January and February? Is it really cold out there?

%26gt; How is the weather in January and February? Is it really cold out there?

Yes, cold and windy. Likely below freezing some nights. But the Caverns are a constant 56 degrees.

We loved visiting Carlsbad Caverns in January. Few people and for at least 1/2 hour we were walking alone inside the cavern!! Wonderful!

You will love the Caverns. Make sure you reserve places for the Queen and King chambers. These are closed to the general public, and are guided tours. They are probably the most beautiful parts of the caverns.

As to lodging, we have stayed at several places in Carlsbad, and found almost all of them quite bad. Don%26#39;t know about the HI, as we haven%26#39;t been there since it opened. White City was recently sold, but the one time we stayed there it was reasonably clean. A real lack of good restaurants anywhere in Carlsbad. You might want to pack a cooler of food to take with you. Have fun!