santa loves sunshine

Austin heats up as 4th best warm destination for U.S. winter travel

Austinites love visiting the Trail of Lights every year during the winter holidays.

Trail of Lights Austin

Mariah Carey isn't the only one defrosting in preparation for the winter season: Austin has warmed up as one of WalletHub's top five best warm weather travel destinations for 2024.

Every year, WalletHub's analysts divide nearly 70 of the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas into two categories: the top "warm" and "cold" weather destinations. The study evaluated every metro based on 37 factors, including travel costs, local costs, weather predictions, and safety.

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown earned a score of 67.84 out of 100 possible points to claim the sunny No. 4 spot nationally in 2024. The metro slipped one spot from its previous 2023 ranking, allowing Dallas-Fort Worth to move into the No. 3 spot this year. Austin previously ranked No. 1 in 2021 and No. 2 in 2022.

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (No. 1), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California (No. 2), and Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona rounded out the top five best warm-weather winter destinations.

The Central Texas metro ranked No. 3 in the national "travel costs and hassles" categories, showing major favorability towards the busy yet efficient Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin's near year-round sunshine earned it No. 6 in the "weather" ranking out of all 69 U.S. metros.

Here's how Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown performed in the remaining four categories:

No. 10 – Attractions rank
No. 12 – Warm weather activities rank
No. 19 – Local costs rank
No. 25 – Safety rank

As in previous years, the highest concentration of top warm weather destinations was in Florida (10 metros), followed by Texas (nine metros), then California (eight metros).

Besides DFW and Austin, the only other Texas metro to earn a spot in the top 10 in 2024 was Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (No. 6). San Antonio-New Braunfels slipped from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 11 this year.

Atlanta, Georgia ranked No. 1 once again on the list of best cold weather destinations for winter vacations, outdoing New York City, New York (No. 2), Washington, D.C. (No. 3), and Chicago, Illinois (No. 4).

"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."

The top 10 best warm weather destinations for winter vacations 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 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California
No. 8 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 9 – Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
No. 10 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida

For the purpose of the study, "cold" weather was determined to be less than or equal to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, while "warm" weather was greater than or equal to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Both guidelines were analyzed based on the 50-year average December temperatures.

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

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enjoy the outdoors

All Texas state parks to offer free admission one day only this fall

McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas

tpwd.texas.gov/

Visitors get free admission to all Texas State Parks, including McKinney Falls, on November 3.

Calling all outdoorsy Austinites: Keep an eye the forecast for Sunday, November 3, because you won't want to miss out on free admission to all Texas state parks in celebration of Texas State Parks Day.

The free admission day is a new tradition after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) celebrated its centennial in 2023. In a press release, Texas State Parks director Rodney Franklin said he hopes the event encourages Texans of all ages to explore and enjoy Texas' natural beauty.

"Any day in a Texas State Park is a good day," said Franklin. "[All Texans] are invited to visit a park that is new to you, take a friend and try a new adventure."

McKinney Falls State Park is the closest park for residents of the Austin area. The park has about nine miles of trails for hiking and biking, overnight campsites, fishing opportunities, a bat cave, and more. Visitors are also welcome to swim and fish in Onion Creek.

The Lower Falls at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas The Lower Falls at the park can flood after a healthy rain.tpwd.texas.gov

TPWD lauds McKinney Falls for its "rugged beauty" and calls the park "Austin's backyard" due to its location 13 miles from the State Capitol.

"The upper and lower falls on Onion Creek are scenic and rugged attractions," the website says. "After a good rain upstream, water pours over the limestone ledges of the lower falls."

For Austinites who are keen on a weekend road trip to take advantage of the free admission day, two parks should be at the top of the list: Garner State Park (170 miles southwest of Austin) and Palo Duro Canyon State Park (about 485 miles northwest of Austin). The two popular parks recently appeared among the top 10 best state parks in the nation, according to the 2024 HomeToGo State Park Index.

But if traveling long distances isn't in the cards for that weekend, there's always one of the many nearby state parks around Austin and Central Texas, such as:

Pedernales Falls State Park, Johnson City
Blanco State Park
Inks Lake State Park, Burnet
Longhorn Cavern State Park, Burnet
Lockhart State Park
Buescher State Park, Smithville
Bastrop State Park

A full list of parks and a map of the closest nearby can be found on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website.

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