• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

    Texas travel

    Quirky and charming shipping-container hotel is Fredericksburg's cutest new escape

    Celestina Blok
    Sep 6, 2021 | 10:30 am

    One of Fredericksburg’s newest overnight accommodations takes the shipping-container building trend next-level.

     

     Odonata Escape, opened by Austin residents and husband-and-wife duo Davis and Mary Susan Gilmer in late 2020, is a secluded vacation compound created from several brightly painted, cargo-worthy shipping containers.

     

    Located on 15 acres just four miles north of Fredericksburg’s busy Main Street, the rooms — eight of them total — come with their own front porch decks, mini kitchens, and cozy window-side nooks for reading or relaxing. They also come with a lot more space compared to the trendy (and tight) one-container accommodations popping up around Texas.

     

    “I wanted big showers and king-size beds,” says Mary Susan, adding that the design process was a lot like building Lego bricks. “We actually went and bought some Legos and spread them around the dining room table. You can’t just willy-nilly put the containers wherever you want. Once you cut the hole for the window or door, there’s no going back.”

     

    It was during the design process that the Gilmers realized the durability of shipping containers.

     

    “They’re low maintenance, which is why people put a bunch of stuff in them and ship them across the ocean every day,” Mary Susan says.

     

    All rooms are made from two-and-a-half containers each and surround a neatly landscaped common area anchored by a large fire pit and Adirondack chairs. A 10-plus acre working hayfield provides a backdrop for nighttime stargazing and firefly shows, and sipping wine by the fire at night is practically a guest requirement.

     

    The name Odonata came from the word’s Latin meaning of “dragonfly.” Davis says he and Mary Susan wanted the accommodations to be colorful, eye-catching, and whimsical — something that would lend itself to repeat business.

     

    “I would stay in a yurt — once. I would stay in an Airstream — once. Those may be really nice but don’t really lend themselves to repeatability,” says Davis.

     

    With names like Happy Boho, Tranquility, Lone Star, and Rosa, each room has a different personality with décor to match. As more folks discover the destination when seeking lodging to explore the Hill Country wine trail, the Gilmers are finding that repeat customers want to stay in a new room with each visit.

     

    In the room Lavender, the bed skirt is made from purple floral drapes Mary Susan bought for her first condo in her twenties. Shangri La is adorned with Asian pottery from Davis’ mother’s travels. Guests will find an homage to midcentury modern in the room Groovy, and Southwestern artwork and Santa Fe vibes in the room Ristra.

     

    “I’m kind of quirky,” says Mary Susan, who admits to being a fabric hoarder. “I have no white walls in any house — nothing against that. And Davis’ mom traveled the world and has so much stuff. It just makes me feel good to use all of this stuff and turn it into something so beautiful.”

     

    Also on the property is an 1880s stone farmhouse the Gilmers have renovated into meeting and dining space for up to 18 people. Called the Porch House, the amenity comes with a full kitchen that serves as a communal meeting spot for large groups.

     

     Three hot new Fredericksburg places to hit
    Regular visitors to the Hill Country's most popular town have their favorite wineries, eateries, and local attractions. But there's always something new brewing (or fermenting, as it were). Here are a new restaurant and new bar to check out, and a fantastic exhibit to view before it ends soon.

     

     Hill & Vine
    Located where the landmark Peach Tree restaurant, tea room, and gift shop formerly sat for 49 years, Hill & Vine opened this summer with bit of skepticism from Fredericksburg locals — could anything good possibly replace the beloved Peach Tree? Owner Jesse Barter has proven “yes.” Wait times for his “farm and ranch show” (the sign above the open kitchen broadcasts the phrase) can be lengthy, as word has spread about the restaurant’s fun, modern vibe and delicious Texas-centric menu. Barter formerly managed Fredericksburg’s 4.0 Cellars (now Texas Wine Collective) for seven years, so he knows the market and Texas wine.

     

    The menu is all Texas, from the Gulf shrimp campechana and watermelon salad to the chicken schnitzel and the “roadside fried pies” made with local peaches. Fun fact: Texas 1015 sweet onions are used for the restaurant’s popular onion rings, and the particular onion is also the official state vegetable of Texas. (Barter’s grandmother help lead a program at Texas A&M to develop the onion variety.) Hill & Vine is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and brunch Saturday and Sunday.

     

     Chase’s Place
    Chase Guthrie and his wife, Tara, opened Chase’s Place in an old corner house in Fredericksburg’s historic district, just one block off busy Main Street — unintentionally right in the middle of 2020’s pandemic. The cozy space for craft cocktails has since become a busy local favorite. It’s easy to envision becoming a regular here, where a dark wood setting and well-stocked shelves of spirits greet guests upon arrival. In addition to martinis, classic cocktails, and Chase’s imaginative drink specialties — like the Story of the Ghost, made with ghost pepper-infused tequila — the bar offers a concise food menu of sharable plates, salads, oysters, shrimp and grits, and weekend chef’s specialties. Cocktail service runs from 4-10 pm and the kitchen is open from 5-9:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

     

     "The Art of Fredericksburg: 175 Years"
    Coinciding with Fredericksburg’s 175th anniversary, a special art exhibit is on display at the George H.W. Bush Gallery inside the National Museum of the Pacific War. Called "The Art of Fredericksburg: 175 Years," the exhibit features more than 50 pieces of original art created by nearly 30 artists from the Fredericksburg area. The artwork spans 175 years from Fredericksburg’s founding to present day. Guests will see a variety of media, including watercolor, sketches, oil paintings, and even a full-size clay sculpture of the posh Lady Bird Johnson sporting a camera, handbag, and her signature smile. The exhibit is on display through September 19 and admission is free.

     

     ---

     

     Odonata Escape, 186 Grasshopper Ln., Fredericksburg, odonataescape.com. Rates range from $127 per night during the week to $231 per night on weekends.

    The Happy Boho and Groovy rooms at Odonata Escape in Fredericksburg.

    Happy Boho and Groovy at Odonata Escape
      
    Photo courtesy of Odonata Escape
    The Happy Boho and Groovy rooms at Odonata Escape in Fredericksburg.
    vacationhotelshill-country
    news/travel

    Island Travel News

    Dallas' Southwest Airlines to add Virgin Islands as a new destination

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 14, 2025 | 9:36 am
    Southwest Airlines
    Southwest
    undefined

    Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is adding a tropical new destination: The Caribbean. According to a release, the carrier intends to add new service at Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) on St. Thomas, in U.S. Virgin Islands, with service expected to begin in early 2026, subject to governmental approvals, and available for purchase soon.

    Southwest Airlines president and CEO Bob Jordan says in a statement that the new service is in response to customer demand.

    "We are listening closely to what our Customers want—from new products and loyalty benefits to new destinations," Jordan says. "We want to make Southwest Airlines the easy and obvious choice every time, and this is another meaningful step in our ongoing transformation."

    About 40 miles east of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands comprise a U.S. territory in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The three islands are St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, where the capital of Charlotte Amalie is located. The U.S. Virgin Islands, which is on Eastern Standard Time, features world-renowned beaches, an international marine industry, European architecture, and a burgeoning restaurant industry.

    Perhaps best of all, no passports are required from U.S. citizens traveling from the U.S. or Puerto Rico.

    There are currently flights to St. Thomas from DFW Airport, flown by American Airlines, Delta, and Spirit. A nonstop flight from DFW to St. Thomas is a little under 5 hours.

    St. Thomas is the first of three new destinations for 2026 the carrier expects to announce this summer. It will be the ninth island destination served by Southwest in the Atlantic Basin – joining Aruba, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

    Southwest also offers international service to Belize, two destinations in Costa Rica, and three destinations in Mexico.

    In addition to offering new destinations, Southwest also is set to begin selling assigned and premium seating in the third quarter of this year and plans to operate with its new fare bundles and a reconfigured fleet, including extra legroom seating, in the first quarter of 2026.

    vacationtransportation
    news/travel
    Loading...