Winter Wonderland

Austin twinkles as one of the top winter travel destinations of 2026

Austin turns into a twinkly lit wonderland during the winter.

City of Austin Government/Facebook

Austin's sunny disposition and affordable holiday happenings make it a hotspot for a winter getaway, and Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown has just been declared the No. 4 best winter destination for warm-weather lovers in 2026.

The ranking comes in WalletHub's new study, "Best Winter Holiday Destinations," which analyzed 69 U.S. metros based on the cost and convenience of traveling and the affordability of local attractions and activities. The rankings were categorized into six key dimensions: travel costs and hassles, local costs, attractions, weather, warm-weather activities, and safety. The results were then broken down by cold weather and warm weather.

Las Vegas, Nevada, leads the nation as the No. 1 best warm-weather winter destination, while Atlanta, Georgia, ranks No. 1 among cold winter wonderlands.

The report found Austin ranks No. 4 nationwide for its travel costs and hassles, and the metro's favorable weather conditions during the winter rank as the 6th best in the U.S. Austin also boasts the seventh-lowest "local costs," which included the cost of a three-star hotel room, the average price for a two-person meal, taxi fares costs, and the cost of living.

With Halloween decorations at their peak, local businesses and resorts are already sharing their more jolly events and specials happening around Austin this holiday season. In the final three categories, Austin ranked 9th nationally for its attractions, and ranked 15th for its warm-weather activities and overall safety.

"Whether you love to have a chill in your bones during the winter travel season or prefer to escape to somewhere sunny, the top travel destinations can cost as little as $200-$300 to reach by plane from major U.S. cities, with no connections," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the top cities also have an abundance of attractions that fit their weather patterns, along with high-quality restaurants and relatively low crime rates."

Texas dominates the 10 best warm-weather winter destinations for 2026 with Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 3), Houston (No. 6), and San Antonio (No. 9) joining Austin. Four other Texas cities earned spots lower on the list: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission (No. 26), Brownsville-Harlingen (No. 31), Corpus Christi (No. 33), and Beaumont-Port Arthur (No. 35).

The top 10 best warm-weather winter destinations for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
No. 2 – San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 6 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 7 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 8 – Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
No. 9 – San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
No. 10 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California

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Voter Verve

Travis County voters break record for early in-person midterm turnout

Photo by KVUE's John Gusky

The unofficial turnout at the time of reporting was 38.3 percent.

A record number of Texas voters have already cast ballots ahead of Tuesday's pivotal midterm election, and that includes voters in Travis County.

Over 365,000 voters have already cast a ballot in Travis County as of Thursday afternoon, according to unofficial numbers from Travis County election officials, breaking the record for a midterm election. There are 952,713 registered voters in Travis County, putting turnout at 38.3 percent unofficially. An additional 1,919 voters have also cast provisional ballots.

Prior to this election, the highest turnout for early voting ahead of a midterm election was in 2018, when 350,218 voters cast in-person early ballots, according to numbers from the Texas Secretary of State's Office. That number grew to 368,048 with the inclusion of mail-in ballots.

Among the races on the ballot this election include the high-profile U.S. Senate race between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Rep. James Talarico, as well as the race for Texas Governor between incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Races for U.S. House, Texas House, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Agriculture Commissioner, Railroad Commissioner and Land Commissioner will also appear on the ballot, as well as races for Texas Senate in some districts.

Early voting, which kicked off on October 19, runs through Friday, October 30.

Read the full story at our news partner KVUE.com.

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