Thoughts on going from Houston to somewhere else during the eclipse on April 8?

I live in Houston but want to see the full eclipse on April 8 (granted I heard Houston will be like 90% occluded so maybe it's not worth it?). I believe Austin and Dallas are covered, but I was wondering if anyone here had advice for

1) best/closest spot to go to, and

2) thoughts on traffic the day of / night before (I can only imagine what it's gonna be like… would hate to leave at like 6am on the 8th and somehow miss it…)

Are there any groups or events going on in any Texas cities that I should check out? Also, would you advise driving up the night before? Would prefer to not pay for a hotel but if the traffic is too crazy it might be worth it…