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    Summer vacation

    8 family-friendly resorts worth a road trip from Houston this summer

    Celestina Blok
    Jun 13, 2024 | 4:00 pm

    Airfare is through the roof these days, but don’t sweat it: A family-friendly summer getaway is just a road trip away. Here are eight unique resorts worth a visit this season — seven in Texas and one just across the border in Oklahoma. Some boast elaborate amenities like on-site waterparks and floating obstacle courses, and some are completely off the grid amid wildlife and starry skies. All are kid-friendly and ready to welcome families this summer.

    Isla Grand Beach Resort - South Padre Island
    Open since 1959, the island resort is located on 10 beachfront acres featuring lush foliage that provides a truly tropical vibe. There are two resort-style pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, multiple restaurants including a beachfront burger shack, and daily live entertainment during the summer, including fireworks every Thursday night. Also during the summer are daily kids’ activities, including water games, arts and crafts, kids’ night out, sandcastle building, and movie nights. Rates start at $212 through July.

    Omni Barton Creek - Austin
    The Central Texas resort, spa, and golf club has a new emphasis on family amenities, recently debuting its 6,000-square-foot Longhorn Lawn. The greenspace is home to inflatables, lawn games, foam parties, and several scheduled activities. There’s also mini golf (including nightly “glow golf”), family-friendly pools, a splash pad, and nightly complimentary s’mores by the firepit. Make plans for Barton Fest on June 15 featuring animal encounters, face painters, balloon artists, live music, live music, and local cuisine. (Free to attend with $5 parking, open to non-hotel guests.) There’ll also be Independence Day activities July 4-7 with fireworks, live music, pool parties with a DJ, and kids’ activities. Rates start at $399 with promos for longer stays starting from $319.

    Kalahari Resort - Round Rock
    Not only is this African-themed resort home to America’s largest indoor waterpark but it also features multiple outdoor pools and slides, several signature restaurants, a massive arcade, bowling, escape rooms, laser tag, a mirror maze, and more. Grown-ups can plan ahead for Kalahari’s third annual Food & (Not Just) Wine Festival on Sunday, September 22 from 12-4 pm featuring more than 100 food and drink samples along with chef demos and live entertainment. Tickets start at $149 per person. Overnight rates through September 2 start at $195.

    Horseshoe Bay Resort - Horseshoe Bay
    The expansive Hill Country resort, on Lake LBJ near Marble Falls, just debuted its 2,850-square-foot floating pool, touted as the only one in North America and inspired by the Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s floating pool on Lake Como in Italy. Horseshoe Bay Resort is also home to Splash Safari Aqua Park, a floating obstacle course with climbing walls, slides, and balance beams on the lake open to those six and up; and the country's first Mouratoglou Tennis Center. Peruse the resort’s Summer Guide for dozens of daily kids’ activities, from sand bottle art sessions to tortoise and meet-and-greets. Make plans for Breakfast with the Birds on July 6 and September 1. Overnight rates start at $239.

    Villages Resort at Lake Palestine - Flint
    Located just outside Tyler in East Texas is this Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort on Lake Palestine, home to lake activities, 18-hole mini golf, and a year-round indoor waterpark right on-site. Other amenities include sports courts, an arcade, three pools, a splash pad, hot tubs, and a marina restaurant right on the water that provides sunset views. Rates start at $135.

    Oak Ranch Resort - Graham
    For those wanting to get off the grid and avoid big crowds, this ranch-style resort is perfect for a quiet retreat. Located on 57 acres just north of Possum Kingdom Lake, the secluded setting is full of Texas wildlife (turkey, deer, armadillos, and songbirds to name a few) and crystal-clear starry skies. There’s also an on-site pool and fully stocked fishing pond, and the Brazos River is located just minutes away. Options for overnight accommodations include three casitas that sleep from two to eight people and the four-bedroom La Casa Tierra that sleeps up to 12. Make it a family reunion and host dinner catered by the resort’s on-site chef at the newly completed poolside Social House. Rates start at $457, including taxes and fees.

    Great Escapes RV Resorts North Texas - Perrin
    Located about five hours northwest of Houston in the town of Perrin, this family-friendly RV park boasts a water obstacle course, fishing lake, multiple pools, a multi-level splash pad, 18-hole mini golf, laser tag, playgrounds, basketball and volleyball courts, on-site restaurant, ice cream shop, snack bar, and more. There are also themed weekly events, like “Santa’s Summer Surprise” and “Messy Chocolate Craze.” Don’t own an RV? No problem. There are a dozen on-site cabins and cottages, including a swanky barndominium that sleeps up to six. Rates start at $149.

    Kalahari

    Kalahari Resorts - Round Rock/Facebook

    Kalahari in Round Rock has an African theme throughout the resort.

    Choctaw Landing - Hochatown, Oklahoma
    Tucked in the woods amid nearby trout streams in Oklahoma’s Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow Lake, the hotly anticipated 100-room lodge-style resort and casino opened in April. While it is a casino, there are kid-friendly amenities that fall right in line with the Broken Bow area’s identity as a family destination. The resort pool is open to all ages and features a splash pad, cabanas, loungers, and fire pits for evening s’mores. The Cypress Lawn features an amphitheater for live music and events. The hotel also offers an Art Hike highlighting Choctaw culture and history guided by an AI-generated digital version of Choctaw Chief Gary Batton. Make plans for a fireworks show on July 3. Rates start at $169.

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    where to travel right now

    Free Austin music festival + 6 more Texas travel ideas in January

    Amber Heckler
    Jan 7, 2026 | 10:30 am
    J’cuuzi Empire Garage Free Week
    Photo by Renee Dominguez
    Austin's Free Week music festival is a great way to support local artists during the slow season.

    If your New Year's resolution is to travel more in 2026, CultureMap has you covered with seven newly opened hotels, deals, and fun events happening around Texas in January.

    Houston wanderers can enjoy a free music festival in Austin, visit the iconic Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, explore the vast collections at the San Antonio Museum of Art, or stay local by checking in at a newly opened hotel in the Heights.

    Here are our top picks for January Texas travel events, hotel news, and more.

    In Austin

    Donation-based festival Free Week is returning to Austin's famed Red River Cultural District (RRCD) from January 9-10. This year's festivities will include performances from over 80 musicians and bands at 13 different venues across both days. CultureMap has also compiled a list of our must-see artist picks. Local restaurants are also pitching in with food and beverage deals during the festival. Donations and a percentage of food and beverage sales will benefit the cultural district, which will dole out payments to artists who play, grants to the venues, and other assistance and preservation projects throughout the year.

    The Ruby Hotel & Bar in Round Rock is kicking off the new year with a special relaxing deal for January and February stays, via its "Getaway & Decompress" package. Guests who book a two-night stay using the code "GETAWAY" will receive a 15 percent discount, and a "serenity-inducing" Sweet Dreams sleep kit that includes an eye mask, pillow mist, and relaxation balm. Room rates begin at $129 per night, and reservations can be booked online or via phone.

    Room reservations are now available at the Inn at Green Pastures, a recently opened hotel in Austin's Bouldin Creek neighborhood on the same historic property as Southern restaurant Mattie's. The three-story inn features 63 guest rooms (including nine suites), a private pool, lounge, bar, and a brand new restaurant called Henry's Nite & Day. Nightly rates at the Inn at Green Pastures start at $395.

    At home in Houston

    Houston is starting the new year with a brand new hotel: Hotel Daphne recently opened in the Heights, boasting 49 guest rooms across a five-story building. It also features an all-day, Italian-inspired restaurant called Hypsi, a vine-wrapped courtyard and patio, jewel-box library, lobby retail shop, and an impressive art collection. But the most magnificent features of the property are the numerous mature Live Oak trees that have remained undisturbed during the hotel's construction. Rates at Hotel Daphne begin at $359 per night.

    Hotel Daphne lobby Hotel Daphne introduces sophisticated vintage flair to The Heights. Photo by Julie Soefer

    In San Antonio

    Nine historic artifacts housed at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) have recently been promised for a return to their rightful homes in Italy. One has departed already, but there's still plenty of time to admire the remaining eight pieces before they, too, are returned to the Italian government in 2030. The museum also features art from all over the world, including pieces from pre-1500s America. Admission is free for SAMA members and for children aged 12 and under, and tickets are $24 for adults with additional discounts for seniors (65-plus), military, and students.

    In Dallas-Fort Worth

    The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is gearing up for its 2026 extravaganza on January 16, with 23 days full of action-packed livestock and horse shows, live music, a carnival, shopping opportunities, and so much more. The main events are the daily rodeos at Dickies Arena, including the Best of the West Ranch Rodeo, Best of Mexico Celebración, Cowboys of Color Rodeo, and Bulls Night Out Extreme Bull Riding. Rodeo ticket prices vary by event and date, but there are many ways to get discounts for the Stock Show.

    Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo It's nearly time to don your best cowboy hat and boots and ride up to Fort Worth. Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

    The Arlington Museum of Art is celebrating beloved author Jane Austen's 250th birthday with a special exhibition featuring costumes and jewelry from film adaptations of two of Austen's most iconic works: Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Emma (2020). The exhibit, Dressed for the Drawing Room: Fashion in Jane Austen’s World, will run from January 9 to March 22. Unlike the ticketed Game of Thrones exhibit, which is also on view at the museum, Dressed for the Drawing Room is free to visit. Attendees only need to pay for parking ($10 per car).

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