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    Texas Travel

    5 relaxing couples' getaways an easy road trip away from Houston

    Celestina Blok
    May 25, 2020 | 2:00 pm

    Whether couples have had to spend their quarantines apart, or Mom and Dad desperately need time away from the kids, a getaway-for-two is looking pretty good right now.

    As Texas continues to reopen businesses and loosen restrictions, the local travel industry is ready to ramp up business. Hotels and resorts are implementing new precautionary protocols like reduced occupancies, enhanced sanitation efforts, and contactless check-in and room service. Boutique retreats somewhat off the grid are even more sought-after as travelers look to avoid large crowds.

    Here are five Texas destinations perfect for a quick couple’s getaway, all offering vacation-caliber amenities with enhanced safety precautions. The best part: all are just an easy road trip away from Houston.

    The JL Bar & Ranch, Resort & Spa, Sonora
    With just 32 accommodations sitting upon 13,000 acres, this luxe ranch and resort (about 364 miles west of Houston) provides plenty of opportunity for social distancing. The property just celebrated its grand reopening on May 20 and is taking all the necessary COVID-19 precautions such as increased cleaning and sanitation. Guests can choose from one of 16 luxury cabins or 16 spacious suites, each combining rustic elegance with modern indulgences like custom-made furniture, lavish linens, and contactless room service. (There is a main dining room with a bar and lounge on site for those who wish to venture out.) Located on the outer edges of the Texas Hill Country about an hour south of San Angelo, the property has also just unveiled Archer’s Nest Villa, a six-bedroom private home that comes with butler service, a private swimming pool, home theater, and outdoor barbecue pavilion with outdoor kitchen. Activities range from horseback riding and shooting lessons to spa services and sunset cocktails. The standard rate is $599 per night, which includes breakfast. But now through July 8, 2020 visitors can book three nights at $399 and get a complimentary fourth night.

    Lucky Arrow Retreat, Dripping Springs
    Contactless hotel check-in is just one precautionary perk at this Dripping Springs getaway, which features cabins, porch houses, and luxury yurts — those cute little circular tents that take “glamping” to a new level. Most of the 36 accommodations at this retreat on the outskirts of Austin are charmingly small, ranging from 200 to nearly 400 square feet with cozy and modern furnishings. The four-bedroom, three-bath Ranch House provides plenty of space for those who prefer more room to spread out. Outdoor activity is encouraged, with porch sitting overlooking the woodsy terrain at the top of the list. Guests can also take a three-minute walk to Lucky Arrow’s neighboring Bell Springs Winery and Bell Springs Brewing Company, both now open Fridays through Sundays. Rates vary based on day of the week, but start $109 a night for yurts and $149 a night for cabins.

    La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio
    Set to reopen June 3 with enhanced sanitation initiatives, San Antonio's La Cantera Resort & Spa is ready to welcome back guests looking for a retreat from reality. Overnight occupancy will be limited to 50 percent, and capacity will be limited in all restaurants, lobby areas, and pools. This includes the tranquil adults-only infinity pool that offers private cabanas and expansive views of wooded bluffs. The Loma de Vida spa and wellness sanctuary will open June 1 for hair and nail appointments, to start. Note that the resort has temporarily suspended daily in-room housekeeping, but sanitation amenities will be included in guest welcome packets and in rooms. The La Cantera Resort & Spa app (coming soon) will allow for contact-free check-in and food and drink ordering throughout the property. Rates start at $199 per night.

    Sage Hill Inn & Spa, Kyle
    Take the long and winding road to peaceful seclusion at this Central Texas hideaway located about three hours from Houston. Each stay includes sweeping views, opulent amenities, and a three-course dinner and breakfast in bed delivered to your cottage or suite. There are 16 accommodations here, including one 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom ranch house with a private fire pit and hot tub. Sage Hill’s on-site “Garden Spa” is named for the property’s towering garden, which blooms with giant zinnias and morning glories along with fragrant herbs and hearty vegetables. The pool is also open for a quick dip. Note that the property is typically adults only, but Sage Hill Inn is allowing family stays now through June 15. Rates range from around $320 to $640 per night for weeknight stays, including tax.

    Sunflower Beach, Port Aransas
    The new resort and residences development is just a short golf cart ride from the center of Port Aransas, now revitalized after Hurricane Harvey’s wrath swept through nearly three years ago. Pastel-colored homes and townhouses are available for vacation rentals, along with cute luxury beach cabins in a section called The Camp. Each cabin offers a private yard and indoor fireplace. Guests get access to two private pools (one is adults-only and both are at reduced capacity right now) and a regularly raked private beach area with a concierge that provides towels, sunscreen and water, and umbrella and chairs for rent. A bike or golf cart ride on the beach is easy with on-site rentals. Guests can stay nourished at Turtle’s Poolside Grill, a seasonal poolside café located at the property’s Beach Club. Cabins start at $250 to $300 per night and homes start at $375 per night.

    Order up a private picnic for two at the JL Bar & Ranch, Resort & Spa.

    JL Bar Resort
    Photo courtesy of JL Bar & Ranch
    Order up a private picnic for two at the JL Bar & Ranch, Resort & Spa.
    texashealthvacation
    news/travel

    Preservation efforts

    South Texas mission makes list of America’s most endangered historic places

    Associated Press
    May 21, 2026 | 4:00 pm
    Ruidosa Church
    Facebook/Friends of the Ruidosa Church
    El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus in Ruidosa, Texas is considered an endangered place.

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A historic South Texas mission joins the Stonewall National Monument, the President's House Site, and the Women's Rights National Historic Park among 11 sites on this year's annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

    The 2026 list, announced Wednesday, May 20, marks America's 250th anniversary with the foundational principle that everyone is created equal as the theme, said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. The 11 sites offer examples of how, over time, Americans have fought against injustice and for equality, she said.

    “We wanted to think about those ideas, especially this notion that all human beings are created equal and find places, sometimes unsung places ... that not all Americans routinely think about," Quillen told The Associated Press.

    The sites are spread across the United States — from New York and California on the East and West Coasts, to Alabama and Texas in the South, to Michigan in the Midwest and the Four Corners of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West.

    At least three of the sites — Stonewall, the El Corazon church in Texas, and President's House in Philadelphia — have been endangered by Trump administration actions.

    “We want to save these places," Quillen said, “not just because the bricks and mortar is important but because the stories these places hold are important."

    For the first time since the list debuted in 1988, each site on the 2026 list will receive a one-time $25,000 grant to help highlight their connections to the principle that all people are created equal and address the threats they face.

    The 11 sites are:

    Ruidosa, Texas: El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus
    The more than century-old adobe church served as a refuge and place of worship for Mexican and Mexican American farming communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River. Vacant since the 1950s, the structure has benefited from continued restoration provided by the nonprofit Friends of the Ruidosa Church but remains threatened by proposed construction of a U.S. border wall that could come within a few hundred yards of the property. (The nonprofit has posted an official statement and more information about the border wall here.) Ruidosa is in far west Texas, roughly 35 miles northwest of Presidio and 46 miles southwest of Marfa, near the rugged Chinati Mountains.

    El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus A historic photograph of El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus.Facebook/Friends of the Ruidosa Church

    Montgomery, Alabama: Ben Moore Hotel
    The hotel was a refuge for Black people living under laws that enforced racial separation in the South. Prolonged vacancy has caused structural deterioration and the historic Centennial Hill neighborhood surrounding it faces pressure from development. The hotel housed key players from the Civil Rights Movement, including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. The Conservation Fund announced in November that it would help preserve the hotel.

    Modoc County, California: Tule Lake Segregation Center
    Initially known as the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, it was set up as a camp but later became a segregation center where Japanese Americans who were thought to be disloyal to the United States were imprisoned. The site is now a national monument managed by the National Park Service. Only 37 acres of the 1,100-acre site is protected. Most of it is at risk of permanent alteration from a proposed nearby construction project.

    California: Angel Island Immigration Station
    It was the largest immigration port on the West Coast between 1910 and 1940, particularly for immigrants from Asia and the Pacific. Hundreds of thousands were processed, detained and/or interrogated there because of their race. The station currently is threatened by physical, environmental, political and economic factors. Additional funding is needed for structural repairs and programming to increase awareness.

    Somerset, Massachusetts: Swansea Friends Meeting House
    Recognized as the oldest surviving Quaker meeting house in the state, it was built in 1701 to serve as a refuge by a congregation fleeing religious persecution and looking for a safe place to worship. The building has been closed for years and needs significant rehabilitation.

    Michigan: Detroit Association of Women's Clubs
    Founded in 1921, the association was one of the first Black organizations in Detroit to own their headquarters building, which was purchased in 1941. But the building has been closed since 2024, when water pipes burst and damaged the interior. Money is needed to help the association reopen the building.

    New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah: Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape
    The landscape is an ancestral homeland sustained for over a millennium by the Pueblo and Hopi people, but is threatened by changes to federal land policy that could open up significant portions to oil and gas development. Permanent protections and tribal consultation are needed to protect its cultural integrity.

    Seneca Falls, New York: Women's Rights National Historical Park
    The park tells the story of the first Women's Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls, in July 1848. It faces a deferred maintenance backlog of over $10 million. Additional funding and support are needed to help preserve the park as a place to teach visitors about the history of women's rights.

    New York: Stonewall National Monument
    The first and only U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history was the subject of administration actions that saw the rainbow Pride flag removed from its flagpole earlier this year before it was restored. The National Park Service had removed the flag in February, citing federal guidance that limited the agency to displaying only the American, Interior Department and POW/MIA flags. But the administration reversed course in April as it agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by advocacy and historic preservation groups that sought to block the flag's removal at the Manhattan site.

    After Trump returned to office, he ended diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and many references to transgender people were excised from the Stonewall monument’s website and materials. The Republican administration similarly has put national parks, museums and landmarks under a messaging microscope, aiming to remove or alter materials that it says are “divisive or partisan” or “inappropriately disparage Americans.”

    Philadelphia: The President's House Site
    The administration abruptly removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president, who lived there when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. The exhibits were taken down as part of a broad effort by the administration to remove from federal properties information it deems “disparaging” to Americans. The issue is currently the subject of litigation between the city and federal government.

    Heath Springs, South Carolina: Hanging Rock Revolutionary War Battlefield
    The Battle of Hanging Rock was a key battle in the Southern Campaigns of the Revolutionary War and is considered a Patriot victory that helped boost morale and ultimately weaken British control in South Carolina. Only portions of the core battlefield are protected and open to the public, with the area anticipating population growth and increasing development pressures.

    news/travel
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