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Houston soars in Forbes’ top 10 best cities for summer travel

We're as surprised as you are.

Looks like people from all over the country will be flocking to Houston this summer — at least according to a new report by Forbes Advisor.

The report listed the best and worst cities for summer travel and Dallas fared surprisingly well, coming in as the No. 10 best summer travel destination in the nation.

The study, published June 1, compared 43 of the most populous U.S. cities across 16 metrics in three major categories: City experience, air travel experience, and driving experience.

Houston earned an overall score of 36.57 out of a total 100 possible points. That puts the Bayou City between No. 9 Chicago (36.04 points) and No. 11 Baltimore (36.86 points) in the rankings. Jacksonville, Florida earned a perfect (and dreadful) score of 100 points to solidify itself as the No. 1 worst vacation destination for summer travel.

This is how Forbes breaks down Houston's' ranking across the three key dimensions:

18.16 – City experience score
44.73 – Air travel experience score
43.84 – Driving experience score

"Visitors to Houston enjoy the lowest median hotel price during the summer ($122.33 per night) and the city’s two major airports reimburse the second highest percentage of summer property loss and damage claims in full (52.4 percent on average)," the report said.

Bad news for Big D

Sadly, our neighbors to the north didn't fare as well. Dallas came in as the No. 13 worst summer travel destination in the nation with an overall score of 57.20 points.

Major factors that brought down Dallas' scores include the city's extreme weather (AKA, the unforgiving Texas heat) combined with a higher-than-normal number of damage claims at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport, according to the report.

"Dallas’ two major airports have the sixth highest number of property loss and damage claims during the summer (1.3 per 100,000 domestic passengers)," the report said. "The city also has the seventh highest number of extreme temperature days in the summer (76 on average)."

San Antonio (No. 20) and Austin (No. 24) also fared better than Dallas in the overall rankings, showing that Central Texas is a far better place to be during the summer when it comes to statewide vacations.

Texas travelers may want to consider going out of state to places like Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was ranked the No. 1 best summer travel destination in the U.S.

The top 10 best U.S. summer travel destinations are:

No. 1 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
No. 2 – Long Beach, California
No. 3 – Washington, D.C.
No. 4 – Seattle, Washington
No. 5 – Omaha, Nebraska
No. 6 – San Diego, California
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Columbus, Ohio
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – Houston, Texas

Forbes Advisor determined each city's ranking based on travel experience data from Expedia, Tripadvisor, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AAA, The U.S. Census Bureau, and more. Metrics included a city's crime rate; median hotel prices during the summer season; the percentage of delayed, canceled, or diverted flights during the summer; among others.

The full report can be found on forbes.com.

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New Parks

54,000-acre Hill Country ranch to become Texas' 2nd largest state park

Photo from property listing by Icon Global

Silver Lake Ranch adds 54,000 acres to Texas' public lands.

Texans will soon have a massive new state park to explore, second only to Big Bend Ranch State Park in size. Silver Lake Ranch, the 54,000-acre plot of land spanning Edwards and Kinney counties, was owned by the Moody Foundation, and now, largely thanks to a major philanthropic gift, it's headed into public hands.

The Moody Foundation gifted its 87.5 percent ownership interest in the ranch to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), with TPWD purchasing the remaining interest for $11.85 million. The funds come from the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund and Sporting Goods Sales Tax — both approved by Texas voters.

“The Moody Foundation is proud to help preserve this remarkable stretch of Texas Hill Country and make it accessible for generations to come,” said Ross Moody in a press release. “Silver Lake Ranch represents the natural beauty, history, and spirit of our state, and we are honored to make this gift to Texas Parks and Wildlife to ensure it remains protected and enjoyed by all Texans for years ahead.”

The property will officially become Silver Lake State Park, named for the spring-fed 30-acre lake at its heart. Sitting roughly 350 miles west of Houston, nestled between Rocksprings and Uvalde, the land is home to some beautiful hill country wildlife and nature at a Texas manageable drive of about two hours from San Antonio.

Currently the park is in its most rugged and undeveloped form: steep limestone canyons drop into rolling hills lined with live oaks and juniper trees, with miles of river frontage tracing the West Nueces River. Several creeks wind through the property, including Sycamore Creek, Lost Creek, and North Spring Creek, along with Blue Waterhole and Dutch Waterhole.

Caves and other landmarks dot the landscape, and wildlife includes white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina, and dove. Portions of the property have even been identified as a potential habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.

According to the press release, this land, previously used for sheep and cattle ranching, will be developed in phases over the next several years, also using the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund. Initially, access to the park might look like guided tours and limited day-use opportunities while planning and infrastructure are underway. Later, trails and basic visitor facilities will be added, and ultimately, the park will include expanded recreational amenities like camping and paddling access.

Now that the acquisition is complete, TPWD staff and private contractors plan to gather feedback from the public and surrounding communities to help map out recreational opportunities. This may take "many months to complete," says the press release. TPWD will communicate any upcoming milestones, including a potential opening date, at TexasStateParks.org

"This is an exciting addition to our state park system, and we are grateful to our partners at the Moody Foundation for their philanthropy and for bringing this slice of the hill country to the people of Texas," TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz says in the press release.

And as folks are pointing out on TPDW's reel announcing the new park: it's "Better than any subdivision."

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