Texas

The Lone Star state is large and diverse. From quirky dive bars and a lively music scene in Austin to charming small towns in Texas Hill Country, there’s a variety of experiences waiting to welcome any traveler. Oh, and don’t forget to stop for a bit of BBQ along the way.

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Overview

Planning Your Trip

Use these articles, resources, and guides to plan and inspire your next trip to Texas.

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Read Before You Go
Hotels
Architecture, history, and fitness star in these exclusive club hotels that let nonmembers check in.
These women aren’t just breaking barriers. They’re building a more inclusive, dynamic future for hospitality—and your hotel experience will be the better for it.
Not into camping? These hotels near national parks offer upscale luxury and comfort in remote, scenic locations.
Stay in one of these stylish campers across the United States.
If you’re looking for serenity in 2024, check out these top destination spas.
Snag a room at one of these hotels in the path of totality next April—before it’s too late.
These are the best U.S. hotels for watching one of the most spectacular night-sky events of the year.
We’re looking forward to checking in to these 10 new hotels in the new year.
From a two-cell jailhouse to a vintage bowling alley, here are the Lone Star State’s most eccentric stays.
These well-curated hotel shops will give you a sense of place and a lasting memory.
We’re living in the golden age of hotels that have craft cocktails, Instagram-ready design, and in-room turntables. These properties, ranging from West Texan motels to loft-like boutiques in the middle of city noise, are our absolute favorites of the breed.
Resources to help plan your trip
From dim sum steamed buns and down-home grits to champagne toasts and farm-to-table breakfasts, here are a few of Houston’s morning favorites. Rise and shine on patios, in diner booths, and in the dining rooms of fine restaurants.
Trans Pecos is magic, and it happens once a year: a gathering of friends, music, art, camping, sandlot baseball and a night sky full of stars in Marfa, Texas. The festival leaves you plenty of time to explore Marfa and the surrounding high desert. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!
Houston has an overwhelming list of cool stuff to do, including world-class parks, street art, live music, the famous Johnson Space Center, and so many museums the city named a whole neighborhood for them: The Museum District. Finding the heart of a metropolis this big can seem daunting but add these top things to do in the Texas city to your Houston bucket list.
Home to a vibrant music scene, innovative restaurants, incredible green spaces, and events like SXSW, Austin also boasts a number of great hotels, from boutique gems with swimming pools to upscale chains overlooking Lady Bird Lake. Choose something on trendy South Congress Avenue, in the hipster haven of East Austin, or within walking distance of infamous Sixth Street and get ready to experience Texas’s capital of cool.
With a vibrant arts and cultural scene, a wealth of fine dining, and a nightlife among the best in Texas, Dallas is a destination where you’ll never stop discovering new reasons to return.
The sprawling metropolis of Houston is changing its reputation from an oil-and-gas hub to an on-trend city with sports, culture, and terrific bars and restaurants. The city is also home to a host of great hotels, from super-luxe to affordable boutique options. Our favorite ones have a strong Houston accent.
It’ll surprise you out here. French grocery stores, powerful contemporary art collections, creative & communal hotel experiences and two seriously beautiful parks to be explored, all in West Texas? From Alpine to Marathon, to Marfa and Big Bend National Park, you’ll leave swooning over this corner of the Lone Star State. Giddy up.
A trip through Austin’s shops and boutiques will send you home laden down with great vinyl, used and new books, and top-notch vintage western wear, but you may be surprised by local designers, too, showing off their stuff, from fashion to housewares.
San Antonio’s a trip through time—think of top attractions like The Alamo and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Missions Concepcion—and around the world—off to the Japanese Tea Garden you go. But it’s also a wonderful city to walk and wander thanks to the San Antonio River Walk, the wineries of Hill Country, the San Antonio Museum, and so much more.
“Keep Austin weird” has long been the city’s unofficial slogan, which means visitors can expect to find an abundance of fun and unique things to do in the Lone Star capital, even with just three days to spend. Experience Austin like a local: discover where to cool off, find best place to watch the sunset (and the bats), sample delicious craft brews, and listen to the best of the city’s live music scene.
If everything is bigger in Texas, then the hotel scene in Dallas definitely follows suit. Mostly massive, accommodations here come with equally outsized amenities, from 18-hole golf courses to museum-worthy art collections. Find your favorite among properties ranging from the historic and intimate to the luxurious and over-the-top.
Nature, history, art, culture. Dallas offers them all up in, of course, a big way. Some of the city’s top museums include The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, The Dallas Museum of Art, and the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which focuses on the assasination of President John F. Kennedy. Or if you just want to saunter and explore a neighborhood or two, head to the Bishop Arts District, downtown Dallas, or the Dallas Arts District. Want to soak up some sun? Klyde Warren Park is your go-to.
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