The spring season is just around the corner and it’s prime time to get away and explore Texas and all of its unforgettable #TexasToDos. With non-stop air service, exciting vacation options, celebrations, hidden gem destinations and wide-open spaces for outdoor adventure, a vacation in Texas soothes the soul and lifts the spirit. Below are some noteworthy updates:

New Attractions

Austin - Scheduled to open next month, Moody Center will be a spectacular, state-of-the-art 15,000+ seat, U.S.$338 million premiere venue that will feature some of the biggest and best acts in live entertainment. Upcoming concerts include Bon Jovi (April 23), George Strait (April 29/30), The Who (May 3) and The Eagles (May 19/20). Actor and native Texan, Matthew McConaughey has taken on a consultant role at Moody Center, involved in suite designs, bar placement, and colour schemes. Additionally, McConaughey will cultivate and maintain a symbiotic relationship between the arena, the city, and the university. Moody Center will be one of only two arenas in the United States with a more energy-efficient seat-level air circulation system and the entire project is targeting LEED Gold Certification. 

As the Live Music Capital of the World®, Austin never falls short on places to experience different styles of music. Also new on the scene is Armadillo Den, a two-story neighbourhood bar and entertainment destination that spans three acres. It boasts two bars, an indoor stage, an outdoor entertainment area and fare from beloved Austin food trucks Rach Hand (makers of some of the city’s best tacos) and Pueblo Viejo. Live music is featured seven nights a week.

With vibrant entertainment, art and culture, inspiring cuisine and stunning outdoor experiences, Austin is an ideal getaway vacation destination. In addition to existing non-stop service from Toronto, Air Canada will launch Vancouver to Austin service four times per week starting June 1, making it even easier for Western Canadians to visit.

Galveston – The city’s Historic Seaport recently received a U.S.$2.5 million upgrade that includes Ship To Shore, a new interactive attraction that allows visitors to follow in the footsteps of early immigrants who travelled to Galveston in the 1880’s. Galveston was a major immigration port to the United States, second to New York’s Ellis Island. The attraction brings to life the experiences of real people with raw human stories of survival and challenge that has not been captured before.

Visitors will receive a card that reveals the identity of a passenger on his or her way to America via Galveston Island. They will then see what it’s like to make that voyage, including sights and even smells. Hands-on exercises enhance the experience as well as a digital membership card that personalizes the experience to the participant, giving an authentic and new story each time they visit.

San Antonio – More thrills and chills at Six Flags Fiesta Texas! A world-record-setting, themed roller coaster is part of Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ 30th Anniversary celebration in 2022. Scheduled to open this summer, the “Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger” coaster will have three, 21-passenger trains to lift riders 150 feet in the air, then lock them in a face-first Cliffhanger hold just before dropping them down a 95-degree, beyond-vertical plummet at 60 mph. The machine travels on 2,501 feet of track through an Immelmann inversion, a 270-degree zero-g roll, a 75-foot near-vertical drop, a wild-banked turn, an extreme airtime hill, and a high-speed spiral finale.

Anniversaries & Celebrations

50th Anniversary  – If exploring the great outdoors and star gazing is at the top of your travel to do list, experience Texas’ expansive night skies and spectacular vistas – from mountains and canyons to desert and dunes – at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The canopy of some 11,000 stars and the Milky Way, visible from horizon to horizon on clear nights, makes Guadalupe Mountains National Park one of the best spots in the state to camp, stargaze and seek out constellations, planets and galaxies overhead.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in West Texas and home to the four highest peaks in the state. Celebrating 50 years since its establishment, the park continues to attract travellers, hikers and nature lovers each year with its breathtaking views, the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, diverse display of flora and fauna and rich history. After experiencing the Chihuahuan desert, its steep canyons and crystal-clear skies, visitors can head 90 miles west to El Paso, where cultures and traditions seamlessly blend, or two hours south to Marfa for a world-class art scene and minimalistic desert aesthetics and accommodations.

175-years of Willkommen Spirit – Fredericksburg, one of Texas’ favourite Hill Country destinations popular for its 50 wineries and vineyards, more than 1,500 b&b’s and guest houses and German-Texan heritage, is proudly celebrating its 175th anniversary. Festivities include historic walking tours, speaker series, special exhibits and Grande Finale events taking place May 5-8. The beard growing contest is sure to get hairy as local participants compete for various titles, including “pioneer beard,” “longest beard,” “ugliest beard,” “best groomed”, a “red beard” category and more.

100‐years of animal encounters – Houston Zoo - The  second  most  visited  zoo  in  the U.S. is celebrating this milestone with transformative exhibits, new public amenities and enhanced public spaces. Projects are being completed in a six‐year, multi‐phase plan with the largest  initiative in the campaign, the Galápagos Islands opening in the fall of 2022. The first major exhibit of its kind to showcase the remarkable wildlife of the legendary island chain, the Houston Zoo's Galápagos  Islands  will  immerse  guests  in  an  environment evoking the archipelago’s unique landscapes and oceanic habitats. Set on 55-acre oasis in the heart of the city, the Houston Zoo is home to wildlife from all corners of the globe.

Hotels & Resorts

Dallas - In 2021, Dallas was named one of the top cities for new hotel projects according to Lodging Econometrics and this year promises to be another period of growth. Noteworthy hotel openings in 2022 will be:

• JW Marriott -  15-story hotel set in the heart of the Downtown Arts District. The 283-room hotel will feature a 25,000-square-foot grand ballroom and meeting space, spa, restaurant, lobby bar, fitness center and a rooftop pool deck and bar
• Intercontinental Dallas - Cityplace Tower, in Uptown, featuring iconic design and sweeping panoramic views of the Dallas skyline. Guests will enjoy spacious, high-end rooms and amenities including a rooftop infinity pool and lounge and over 21,000 square feet of event space
• PLÜSH Suites – 12-story, 300-key hotel near the Galleria shopping mall in North Dallas. The project will offer affordable, upscale rooms just steps away from the Galleria Mall and countless dining and entertainment options
• Four Seasons - Scheduled to open in 2025 – a 240-room resort-style hotel in the Turtle Creek neighbourhood.. Plans for the $750 million high-rise include an eye-popping circular glass entry court and rooftop pool and garden space

Fort Worth – New to the historic Stockyards! - Inspired by the pioneering spirit of the West, Hotel Drover delivers true Texas hospitality. Named to honour the legendary cowboys who drove cattle to market across the plains, Hotel Drover is an Autograph Collection® resort, offering a rustic-luxe guest experience. Highlights include live performances from Texas Country Music Association artists at The Backyard, Western glam Lobby Bar with spirited cocktails and eye-catching touch points and curated art throughout the hotel.

Houston 

• La Colombe D’Or - Renovated and re‐opened in 2021, this 32‐room  boutique  hotel  has  400  pieces  of  original  art,  a  restaurant and garden bungalows with balconies or private patios for a more intimate hotel experience
• Blossom Hotel Houston Medical Center  - The 267‐room hotel is the only luxury hotel near NRG Stadium. It  offers  unique  amenities including an ambitious sushi restaurant, karaoke bar and guest services like transport to the Texas Medical Center
• Other hotel openings include the Hilton Garden Inn Houston  - Downtown with 150 rooms (2022) and the Thompson Hotel Houston with 170 rooms along Allen Parkway, in front of Buffalo Bayou Park (2023)

Arts & Culture

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) – The Obama Portraits Tour - Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Barack Obama and Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama will be on exhibit from April 3 – May 30. The two paintings present a striking contrast to the formality of earlier presidential portraits and images of first ladies. Through the presentation of these now-iconic works by Wiley and Sherald, the exhibition contemplates how portraiture has given visual form to ideas of power, identity, status, and legacy throughout history.

McNay Art Museum - San Antonio’s standout contemporary art museum, the McNay Art Museum, spans 25 acres and displays diverse media, from works on paper to paintings and sculptures. This season at the McNay, visitors can enjoy a range of special exhibitions, including Georgia O’Keeffe and American Modernism on view until May 8.

Georgia O’Keeffe and American Modernism is organized with a focus on a wider, more inclusive view of the development of American Modernism, combining key loans from the Whitney Museum of American Art and additional sister institutions with works from the McNay’s renowned collection.

Mural and Art Trail – Corpus Christi – This vibrant art trail offers visitors the chance to take a self-guided tour of unique murals and sculptures created by local artists throughout downtown and Padre Island. Visitors can sign up for free mobile guided experiences and check-in at art-filled locations across the city for a chance to earn prizes. Artwork along eh way includes the postcard-like “Greetings from Corpus Christi” by Jeremy Flores, “Mirador De La Flor” by Wade Buddy Tatus honouring Selena Quintanilla Perez and the colourful “Loteria Mural” at K Space Contemporary.

Paintbrush Alley – San Angelo – Located between two main streets of Downtown San Angelo, Paintbrush Alley is an open-air exhibit of impressive murals and street art. Non-profit organization, Art In Uncommon Places, worked with more than 50 local and regional artists on the alley’s theme. Bright murals and symbols of Texas culture encompass the alley’s theme of the 1956 motion picture “Giant”. Adapted from the novel by Edna Ferber, life in West Texas is detailed in epic, Western drama style. The film features prominent actors like Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean – each of whom are immortalized in this not-so-secret corner of San Angelo.