south for winter

United Airlines boosts travel options from Houston to hot Mexico destinations

United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner, September 2017

United is expanding travel to Mexico.

Courtesy photo

One of the many perks of living in Houston is the short distance to sunny and exotic destinations. Now, an airline with a major hub in Houston has announced a major expansion to areas south of the border for the perfect getaway.

United Airlines has increased service to Mexico in time for holiday travel. For travelers looking for calm beaches during a winter break, United has restarted service between Houston and Mazatlán (effective December 19). That means a quick jaunt to beaches such as Playa Sabalo in the north end of Mexico’s Golden Zone - Zona Dorada, considered one of the best beaches in the area.

The airline announced that it has increased service to several other hot destinations in Mexico. The added trips include:

Houston to Acapulco
Houston to Cancun
Houston to Cozumel
Houston to San Jose del Cabo
Houston Puerto Vallarta
Houston to Zihuatanejo

The new flight additions are on top of the more than 30 daily international destinations United flies to from George Bush Intercontinental. International jaunts include Guatemala City, Guatemala; Bogota, Columbia; San Jose, Costa Rica; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; San Salvador, El Salvador, as well as other routes.

Meanwhile, another major airline is making a play for travelers who utilize IAH. As CultureMap previously reported, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines announced on October 12 that it plans to return to the airport by next year. The addition will complement the airline’s already substantial operation of Houston Hobby and no doubt challenge United for IAH supremacy.

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Enchanted Expansion

Iconic Texas state park Enchanted Rock adds 630 acres to its domain

Photo courtesy of KVUE

This was a lucky purchase after staff spotted a "for sale" sign.

A popular Central Texas hiking and camping destination is getting even bigger.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area will add an extra 630 acres of land in Gillespie County. The payment was approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in August during a meeting in Austin, though the exact cost of the transaction is unclear.

"We are so excited that we were able to acquire this property and that we will be able to give the hundreds of thousands of Enchanted Rock patrons new opportunities to recreate in this part of the state," said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. "This addition is the latest win for Texas State Parks as we work towards enhancing some of our existing sites and continuing our gold medal-winning stewardship to the people of Texas."

In a release Tuesday morning, TPWD said it was first made aware of the available land when local park staff alerted the department about a "for sale" sign. TPWD then engaged its official nonprofit partner, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, to help secure the property from Comanche Rock Acquisitions, LLC.

"This land purchase would not have been possible without the help of our partners and the people of Texas," Franklin said. "By passing Proposition 5 in 2019, TPWD was able to use Sporting Goods Sales Tax funding made available for strategic land acquisitions in conjunction with federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars to conserve this property for public use."

Enchanted Rock currently sits at roughly 1,644 acres and includes almost 11 miles of trails, with a maximum elevation of 1,825 feet.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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