Bring on the tourists

Travel + Leisure heralds North Texas city a top place to visit in 2021

Mule Alley rendering, Fort Worth Stockyards

The Fort Worth Stockyards gets a tip of the hat from the magazine.

Rendering courtesy of Stockyards Heritage Development Co.

None of us has a travel crystal ball, so we don’t know when it’ll be safe to take getaways without giving much thought to our health. But a national travel magazine has just proclaimed what residents of Fort Worth know to be true — that the city will be a pretty great place to visit in 2021.

Travel + Leisure magazine on December 18 released its annual, unranked list of the 50 best U.S. places to visit in the coming year. Fort Worth is the only major Texas city to make the list.

"In honor of our revived appreciation for the discoveries to be made in our own backyards, this year’s list features 50 dynamic, of-the-moment destinations — all right here in the United States," the magazine says.

Although Fort Worth appears as No. 15, the list is presented alphabetically and not by ranking, they emphasize.

Travel + Leisure unpacks an array of reasons for visitors to hang their hats in Cowtown. Among them, the publication cites the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, which “captures the celebrated legacy of Texas’ bustling livestock industry with rodeos, a history museum, and the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive.”

It also gives a nod to the recently renovated Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the nonprofit Art Tooth gallery, and the Blackland Distillery lounge and tasting room (named Bar of the Year in CultureMap's prestigious 2020 Tastemaker Awards).

When it comes to resting at night after an eventful day in Fort Worth, Travel + Leisure recommends two soon-to-open accommodations: Hotel Drover, a Marriott Autograph Collection property opening in early 2021 in the Stockyards’ Mule Alley; and Hotel Dryce, a boutique hotel coming to the Cultural District from local entrepreneur and Magnolia Network star Jonathan Morris.

"A walloping dose of Texas heritage — with some luxe, modern updates — is drawing visitors to hit the city where the West begins," the magazine says.

Travel + Leisure’s only other Texas pick for 2021 seems slightly more obvious yet no less desirable: the Texas Hill Country.

A favorite getaway for Fort Worth travelers, the 31,000-square-mile region that's west of Austin and north of San Antonio is about a three-hour drive out of the DFW Metroplex. Well-known Hill Country communities include Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Johnson City, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Driftwood, Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls, New Braunfels, and Canyon Lake.

Travel + Leisure praises the Hill Country for “an inimitable charm that those outside of the state just seem to be catching onto.”

In its profile of the Hill Country, the magazine concentrates on a pocket of the sprawling region southwest of Austin. Travel + Leisure toasts Fall Creek Vineyards and the Duchman Family Winery, both in Driftwood, and the Dripping Springs Distillery District, including Treaty Oak Distilling and Deep Eddy Vodka.

As for where to kick up your feet in the Hill Country, Travel + Leisure highlights the rustic-chic Getaway cabins in Wimberley and the luxurious 289-acre Camp Lucy resort and event venue in Dripping Springs.

Where are the absolute best places to visit out of state next year? Fort Worth and the Hill Country keep good company with the likes of: Alaska's Coast; Astoria, Oregon; The Berkshires; Big Sky, Montana; Birmingham, Alabama; The Black Hills of South Dakota; Buffalo, New York; Burlington, Vermont; Cape May, New Jersey; and The Catskills. The full list can be found here.

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Opportunity Knox

Opulent new $1,000-per-night hotel has opened for bookings in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Auberge

The Drawing Room at The Knox, Auberge Collection.

A new luxury hotel near Dallas' Katy Trail is one step closer to welcoming its first guests: The Knox, Auberge Collection has opened reservations for stays beginning January 29, 2027.

A night there won't come cheap. Rates will start at $1,000 per night for a standard room and $15,000 per night for the 3,000-square-foot Manse Suite, making it Dallas' most expensive hotel, edging out The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas and The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. (To wit: A Google search for "The most expensive hotel in Dallas" already brings up the not-yet-opened The Knox as the top result.)

Having broken ground in 2023, the hotel at 4555 Travis St. is part of the buzzy Knox Street development, a mixed-use project reshaping the neighborhood near Knox-Henderson with new retail, residences, restaurants, and gathering spaces.

The Knox-Auberge Collection The Knox will have 140 "character-rich" guest rooms and suites.Photo courtesy of Auberge

The property is intended to serve as the development's hospitality centerpiece, bringing a luxury hotel, multiple restaurants, a wellness center, and event venues to one of Dallas' established shopping and dining districts, the release notes.

“The Knox marks an exciting new chapter in Auberge Collection’s growth as we bring our distinctive approach to hospitality to the world’s most dynamic cities,” said Christian Clerc, president and CEO of Auberge Collection, in a statement.

The Knox will have 140 "character-rich" guest rooms and suites and 48 private residences, the release says. Interiors are designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, with Chad Dorsey Design handling the adjoining private residences.

Guest rooms will feature custom furnishings, curated art, and marble bathrooms. The largest suite, The Manse, will have a private fitness area, wellness room, bar, media room, and separate living and dining areas.

Another signature suite, the Promenade Suite, will feature a 2,100-square-foot terrace with dining and lounge areas, an indoor bar, and a large living room. Guests also will be able to request skincare and recovery devices for in-room use.

The hotel will offer two- and three-bedroom residences designed for longer stays, with kitchens and indoor-outdoor living areas. Options include the two-bedroom Abbott House and Hester House and the three-bedroom Hyland House.

The Knox, Auberge Collection Drink and dine in luxury.Photo courtesy of Auberge

Dining will include a signature restaurant serving American classics, a European-style restaurant and salon with indoor and outdoor seating, an evening cocktail lounge, and poolside dining with lighter fare. A private dining room called the Trophy Room will be tucked inside the signature restaurant.

The hotel's Wellbeing by Auberge spa will offer skin treatments, advanced therapies, and thermal bathing experiences. The property also will have event spaces for weddings, meetings, and private gatherings, including the Colonnade Room, a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and a wraparound terrace.

Additional event spaces on the third floor will include the Waldon Room, a lounge for smaller gatherings; Margay and Barlow, two meeting rooms with private terraces; and the Kestrel Room, which will have tented ceilings.

The hotel's location along the Katy Trail gives guests direct access to the 3.5-mile walking, running, and biking path, the release notes. Knox Street's restaurants, boutiques, and other neighborhood businesses are also nearby.

The Knox is being developed through a partnership involving BDT & MSD Partners, Trammell Crow Company, the owners of Highland Park Village, and The Retail Connection. It joins Auberge Collection, which operates 39 hotels, resorts, safaris, and residences.

“From the beginning, our vision for The Knox was to create a place that feels distinctly Dallas and becomes a meaningful part of the Knox Street neighborhood,” says Sabrina Gleizer of BDT & MSD Partners in the release. “Auberge has been an incredible partner in bringing that vision to life, with a shared commitment to thoughtful design, highly personal hospitality and a strong sense of place."

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