Marlene,

What a great idea.  When my son was younger, we played a game on the road,
measuring each state by the time we took to cross it.  We shot his picture
at the entry sign for each state--which was tricky on the bridge over the
Mississippi River.  He learned to become a very efficient map reader.

Please don't miss Waco.  While it has been featured in the national news
the past few years due to events no one could control, it is a spectacular
place for tourists.  We have fourteen museums in the Museum Association of
Waco, including the new natural habitat zoo, historic houses, the oldest
Museum in Texas (the Strecker, at Baylor University), the Texas Ranger
Hall of Fame (the lawmen, not the baseball team), the Texas Sports Hall of
Fame, The Taylor Museum of Waco History, and my institution, the Dr Pepper
Museum--which is dedicated to the entire soft drink industry.  Nine of the
institutions charge admission, the rest are free.   The nine that do
charge are combined on a co-ticket that costs $15,00 per adult, $6.00 for
students.  Allow three days.
For more information, contact me.

The best kept secret in Texas or the Southwest for the interpretation of
Spanish Colonial culture is Goliad, Texas.  The Texas coast offers
inexpensive camping the beach.

Also, I highly recommend that you spend your time in Arkansas and Texas
enjoying the State Parks.  Though not free, they are inexpensive and have
amenities not found on the side of the road.  Arkansas has one of the best
park interpreter systems in the country, and Texas has interpreters and
great exhibits, so the parks are very educational to boot.

Good Luck.

Joe Cavanaugh
Dr Pepper Museum