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Staying at the Super 8 and running the trail: Reasons to visit Austin?

User-generated content travel site TripAdvisor released its Travelers' Choice 2012 Awards for the Top 25 Destinations in the United States.

The first few are expected: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas and Honolulu. Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, San Diego and Orlando follow.

Where is A ustin? Way below San Antonio (13), and beneath Boston and Branson, Mo., falling in at No. 22.

"Despite the growth, Austin has managed to maintain its mellow, small-town appeal," says TripAdvisor. "A perennial 'Best Place to Live' winner, it's also a great place to visit, offering a range of attractions and activities."

We know Austin is awesome, and perhaps we wish listing services like this would ignore us a little more often to keep the crowds down. According to the site, our top-rated hotel is the Travassa, which is a great place. But then TripAdvisor loses all of it's credibility; Travassa is followed by — are you kidding me — the Super 8 Austin Airport, South. Now we have nothing against the Super 8, but seriously, the Four Seasons is fourth?

Top rated things to do? Climbing Enchanted Rock, the Hike and Bike Trail and the Bob Bullock State History Museum — Barton Springs doesn't even make the list.

With a major fail like that, it's not hard to believe that TripAdvisor has Austin even losing to Houston (18) — "increasingly cosmopolitan, with an influx of diverse ethnic groups and a strong emphasis on the arts."

So, seriously TripAdvisor? Have any of your judges actually ever been here? One dip into Barton Springs and an evening in Antones should get the Live Music Captial of the World moved a little higher on the list, unless you really love Branson.

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merry xmas atx!

Austin makes merry as one of the best cities to celebrate Christmas

City of Austin Government - Facebook

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Austinites are right at home when it comes to experiencing the best Christmas in Texas this year. The very merry state capital has jumped into the No. 23 spot on WalletHub's annual list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas in 2024.

The yearly report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Austin previously ranked as the No. 31 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how Austin performed in the five main categories in the study:

No. 19 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 20 – Shopping rank
No. 36 – Costs rank
No. 42 – Generosity rank
No. 72 – Observance rank

Austin gets to cheer itself on as the highest-ranked Texas city in 2024 thanks to its heap of holiday happenings, including numerous delightful light displays throughout town. From local restaurants and bars putting their all into creating festive feasts to-go and delightful cocktail experiences, to locals supporting small businesses at holiday markets, there is plenty to get Austinites in the holiday spirit this year.

Smaller Central Texas towns like Smithville have also transformed into fun, festive escapes for city dwellers this time of year.

Austin households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Austin household is expected to spend about $1,905 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,877 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

In a separate report by home services provider Thumbtack, Austin was crowned the No. 1 most festive U.S. city for the third year in a row.

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include San Antonio (No. 30), Dallas (No. 31), and Houston (No. 41).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

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