I WILL GO TO TEXAS:The latest from the Lone Star State

Debra Bustos, Texas Travel

Davy Crockett – he of Alamo infamy – reportedly once opined, “You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.” I’m pretty sure that Debra Bustos doesn’t wish the former sentiment on anyone, but the Austin-based international marketing executive for Travel Texas certainly does hope that Canadians follow the latter directive.

“Texas remains committed to Canada, and the travel trade,” Bustos told Travel Industry Today during a recent visit to Toronto, noting that this country is the state’s second largest international market (after Mexico), sending nearly 500,000 visitors in 2018. Significantly, Canadians also spend an average of 15.9 nights when visiting, she adds, with top activities being shopping, sightseeing, and nightlife.

Channeling her inner Crockett, Rosalyn Hunter of Vox International, who, with Lorenzo Campos, serves as the Texas tourist board’s Canadian representatives, points out that it’s easy for Canadians to get to Texas, either driving or by air with 16 air routes from five Canadian cities.

Once there, Hunter advises, “Rent a car and do hub and spoke tours – from Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio… Go to hill country. All the cities are very different. That’s what makes it very exciting and enticing and easy to experience so many different things.”

Bustos says that’s the idea behind the state’s new “Let’s Texas” tourism branding, which underpins a new international visitor’s guide. “We want to try to inspire, with great images, and show visitors what they can come and see.”

Here’s a look at what’s new and notable this winter and beyond in some of the state’s cities and seven regions:

FREDERICKSBURG

An hour’s drive north of San Antonio and an hour west of Austin, Fredericksburg is an “an authentic small town a lot of people haven’t heard of,” and an ideal location to explore the Texas Hill Country, says the city’s director of tourism, Karyn Mayo. Highlights of the destination include a charming, small town atmosphere and architecture dating to the town’s founding by German settlers; historic 10-block main street – which has been called “America’s Most Beautiful – with 150 shops, restaurants and galleries; three museums; significant culinary and wine culture (including 50 wineries within two-hour drive); and a chocolate factory. Beyond the town borders is Texas “hill country,” which is a “wildflower hub” in Spring and spoiled for hiking opportunities year- round, including to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which is a dark star park and home to the largest pink granite monolith is the U.S. “[The area] is very vibrant, colourful and green,” says Mayo. “And for a small town, we have a lot.”

LEAGUE CITY

League City is part of Houston’s burgeoning bay area and has a growing tourism profile, reports Bryan Roller of the League City Convention & Visitors Bureau. Ideally situated between the city and nearby Galveston on the coast (about 30 minutes to each), it generally has cheaper room rates than both and is also close to the Space Centre Houston and the Kemah Boardwalk theme park, as well as great Galveston Bay-area bird watching and nature activities. Accommodation options include the South Harbour Resort and a new Aloft is on the way. “And,” says Roller, “the nightlife scene is exploding.”

HOUSTON

• A first-of-its-kind combined water and adventure theme park for Houston will open in the spring, boasting the city’s biggest lazy river (the Rio GRAND River) and the largest inflatable obstacle course in Texas (Wild Isle.) Part of the Grand Texas development in New Caney, the parks offer plenty of kid-friendly attractions, including a 300-component interactive play structure called Gator Splash, petting zoo, pony rides, massive maze, catch-and-release fishing, gem mining and more. The Grand Texas development will also include a racing park, RV resort, shopping and dining district, several hotels and a 4,000-person amphitheatre.

• HOTEL: Cambria Hotel, a brand of Choice Hotels, has arrived in Houston with the redevelopment of the art deco-style Great Southwest Building. The 20-storey, 226-room Cambria Hotel, Downtown Houston Convention Center is located at 1314 Texas Ave. It is decorated with cool grey tones and upscale fixtures and rooms are outfitted with smart TVs, Bluetooth enabled mirrors, easy access plugs and high-speed internet. Amenities include a fitness centre, meeting spaces and ballroom, restaurant and bar.

SAN ANTONIO

• San Antonio will show off its culinary chops with return of CULINARA Restaurant Weeks Jan. 20 through Feb. 1. Participating restaurants in the city and neighbouring counties will offer special three-course prix-fixe menus for US$15 for lunch, and $35/$45 for dinner. The 11th annual event “presents the ultimate opportunity for local residents and visitors to discover new culinary delights,” says event president Suzanne Taranto-Etheredge. Full details on participating restaurants and menus can be found at www.culinariasa.org. Reservations are not required, but are encouraged.

• Three major upcoming exhibitions will highlight visits to the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) in 2020: “Texas Women: A New History of Abstract Art” (Feb. 7– May 3); “America’s Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution” (June 12–Sept. 6); and “Everett Spruce: Texas Reimagined” (Oct. 9, 2020–Jan. 3, 2021).

DALLAS-ARLINGTON-FORT WORTH

• In 2018 the AT&T broke ground on the $100-million AT&T Discovery District, a new shopping, dining and entertainment hub in the heart of Downtown Dallas. The district is slowly coming to life and when complete, will feature a wide array of shops, outdoor event space, restaurants, beer garden and more than 300 scheduled events and activities throughout the year.

• A new home for the Texas Rangers – Globe Life Field – is in the cards for 2020. Next door to Texas Live! in Arlington, the stadium will feature a first for baseball: a roof made of a transparent material that will give fans the ambiance of an outdoor game with the comfort of A/C — and when the weather is nice, the roof can retract in a matter of minutes.

• More Texan charm is in store for Fort Worth Stockyards as new shops and restaurants are planned to pop up along Mule Alley, including Second Rodeo Brewing Co., a “brewpub meets live music hall,” and a new concept from Chef Marcus Paslay, featuring smoked meats and BBQ in an open kitchen setting. The new four-star Hotel Drover is set also to open in the Spring.

• HOTEL: Virgin Hotels is the newest entry on the Dallas hotel scene. The 200-room hotel in the city’s hip Design District is an US$80-million lifestyle property aimed at “the new, savvy traveller,” with such amenities as free Wi-Fi, cancellation and late checkout and a complimentary social hour for guests. The hotel has three dining venues, including the Funny Library Coffee Shop with communal workspace.

• Setting the stage for “the next 50 years,” Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) and American Airlines will develop a sixth terminal at the airport, providing a long-term commitment from the airline to the facility and city. Plans call for DFW to invest up to $3.5 billion in terminal improvements, including the construction of Terminal F and enhancements to Terminal C.

AUSTIN

• HOTEL: A new Moxy Hotel – Marriott’s “cool, experience-driven brand” – is slated to open in the Texas capital in late 2020. The Moxy Austin will have 162 rooms, the food-truck inspired Zombie Taco experience, and table games.

• HOTEL: Cozied on the corner of East Sixth and Waller Street in the thriving East Austin neighborhood – less than a mile from downtown, the Austin Convention Center, and the Texas Capitol – the East Austin Hotel features 75 rooms, including: Poolside Rooms, Poolside Suites, The Waller Wing, and Cabins, in addition to a lush courtyard pool. There are also three F&B beverage options onsite.