The Cedar Creek gift shop is the place for all things pecan, from from shelled nuts, chocolate covered ones, pecan bars, and even pecan pie. Find the latter through the store itself or opt for a vending machine pie instead.

Elgin’s known for its sausages, and Meyer’s is the place for smoked versions of the linked meats. Plus there's a breakfast drive-thru with sausage wraps and barbecue tacos, so no one needs to get out of that car.

Stop by the Bastrop restaurant for the breakfast classics in the morning, starting at 7 a.m. for those early bird drivers.

Burgers are a road trip staple and Roadhouse’s take on the patty and buns, with a wide array of options from the over-the-top Destruction Burger to vegetarian-friendly black bean one.

Not to be confused with the one in Luling, the Giddings spot is a meat market in the front and an old school barbecue joint in the back. The meats here are served on butcher paper, just as it should be, and the pickles come whole instead of sliced.

Tacos can make or break a trip, and the ones from Taqueria Rio Verde's bright orange building do just the trick, with giant $3 combinations of the usuals, as well as tortas, gorditas, Tex Mex plates. Saturdays, there are menudo and barbacoa. It's only open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What is mead? It's honey wine. This family-owned and -run meadery is open to visitors Thursday through Sunday, perfect for weekend road trippers on the way to or home from Austin.

For another kolache stop, Find a surprisingly large selection of Czech pastries inside the Chevron gas station, making this an excellent pit stop, with sweet flavors like apple to cream cheese and blueberry to poppy seed. Don't leave without grabbing a couple sausage klobasniky and, if the mood hits, one of the decent burgers, too.

Lunch is the way to experience the Carmine steakhouse. Make it a decadent meal with any of the mesquite-fired steaks and oyster add-ons or indulge in chicken fried steak instead.

Dairy Cone (not to be confused with Queen) is fast food done right, with burgers, corndogs, chalupas, and an array of baked potatoes from chili-topped to barbecue. And yes, there is soft serve, as the name suggests.

This Brenham barbecue spot blew up relatively recently, with its inclusion on Texas Monthly's best barbecue list under pitmaster Leonard Botello IV and a team that includes former La Barbecue pitmaster Dylan Taylor. On deck are the good ol' Texas staples, brisket, beef ribs, sausages, turkey, and a plethora of sides and housemade cakes. Opt for the stuffed potato, which comes with barbecue and be prepared to take a quick nap before hitting the road again.

For easy breakfast and lunches, look to Breakfast Paradise in Hempstead, where the morning plates come with the usual staples: pancakes, waffles, French toast, and tacos.

For seafood cravings, hit up Kathy's Korner for quick and easy po-boys, gumbo, and baskets filled with everything from shrimp to crawfish. Since it’s so close to Houston, take advantage of that drive-thru for a speedier finish.