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Free Austin music festival + 6 more Texas travel ideas in January

Austin's Free Week music festival is a great way to support local artists during the slow season.

Photo by Renee Dominguez

If your New Year's resolution is to travel more in 2026, CultureMap has you covered with seven newly opened hotels, deals, and fun events happening around Texas in January.

North Texas wanderers can explore a free music festival in Austin, check in at a newly opened Houston Heights hotel, or stay local by visiting the iconic Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, or check out a free Jane Austen-themed fashion exhibit at the Arlington Museum of Art.

Here are our top picks for January Texas travel events, hotel news, and more.

In Austin

Donation-based festival Free Week is returning to Austin's famed Red River Cultural District (RRCD) from January 9-10. This year's festivities will include performances from over 80 musicians and bands at 13 different venues across both days. CultureMap has also compiled a list of our must-see artist picks. Local restaurants are also pitching in with food and beverage deals during the festival. Donations and a percentage of food and beverage sales will benefit the cultural district, which will dole out payments to artists who play, grants to the venues, and other assistance and preservation projects throughout the year.

The Ruby Hotel & Bar in Round Rock is kicking off the new year with a special relaxing deal for January and February stays, via its "Getaway & Decompress" package. Guests who book a two-night stay using the code "GETAWAY" will receive a 15 percent discount, and a "serenity-inducing" Sweet Dreams sleep kit that includes an eye mask, pillow mist, and relaxation balm. Room rates begin at $129 per night, and reservations can be booked online or via phone.

Room reservations are now available at the Inn at Green Pastures, a recently opened hotel in Austin's Bouldin Creek neighborhood on the same historic property as Southern restaurant Mattie's. The three-story inn features 63 guest rooms (including nine suites), a private pool, lounge, bar, and a brand new restaurant called Henry's Nite & Day. Nightly rates at the Inn at Green Pastures start at $395.

In Houston

Houston is starting the new year with a brand new hotel: Hotel Daphne recently opened in the Heights, boasting 49 guest rooms across a five-story building. It also features an all-day, Italian-inspired restaurant called Hypsi, a vine-wrapped courtyard and patio, jewel-box library, lobby retail shop, and an impressive art collection. But the most magnificent features of the property are the numerous mature Live Oak trees that have remained undisturbed during the hotel's construction. Rates at Hotel Daphne begin at $359 per night.

Hotel Daphne lobby Hotel Daphne introduces sophisticated vintage flair to The Heights. Photo by Julie Soefer

In San Antonio

Nine historic artifacts housed at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) have recently been promised for a return to their rightful homes in Italy. One has departed already, but there's still plenty of time to admire the remaining eight pieces before they, too, are returned to the Italian government in 2030. The museum also features art from all over the world, including pieces from pre-1500s America. Admission is free for SAMA members and for children aged 12 and under, and tickets are $24 for adults with additional discounts for seniors (65-plus), military, and students.

At home in Dallas-Fort Worth

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is gearing up for its 2026 extravaganza on January 16, with 23 days full of action-packed livestock and horse shows, live music, a carnival, shopping opportunities, and so much more. The main events are the daily rodeos at Dickies Arena, including the Best of the West Ranch Rodeo, Best of Mexico Celebración, Cowboys of Color Rodeo, and Bulls Night Out Extreme Bull Riding. Rodeo ticket prices vary by event and date, but there are many ways to get discounts for the Stock Show.

The Arlington Museum of Art is celebrating beloved author Jane Austen's 250th birthday with a special exhibition featuring costumes and jewelry from film adaptations of two of Austen's most iconic works: Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Emma (2020). The exhibit, Dressed for the Drawing Room: Fashion in Jane Austen’s World, will run from January 9 to March 22. Unlike the ticketed Game of Thrones exhibit, which is also on view at the museum, Dressed for the Drawing Room is free to visit. Attendees only need to pay for parking ($10 per car).

travel vacations music festival austin san antonio dallas houston fort worth

Downtown News

Dallas convention center re-do will shut down DART stop for 3 years

Courtesy photo

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is about to shut down its stop at the Convention Center Station for the next three years.

The agency is being forced to close the station to accommodate the city of Dallas' construction and redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. As part of the project, the station will be closed for the duration of construction, which is currently estimated at three years.

The Convention Center Station is a stop on both the Red and Blue lines, and the shutdown will affect anyone traveling to or from southwest Dallas. North Dallas, Plano, Rowlett, and Carrollton will thankfully be spared.

Rail detours
Riders who previously used the Convention Center Station will be directed to nearby alternative stations at Cedars or EBJ Union. DART has prepared clear signage, rider alerts, and bus connections to support customers and make navigating the closure as easy as possible.

Bus detours
Routes 28 and 106 will maintain regular service outside of downtown. Within downtown, instead of taking Lamar to the Convention Center, the bus will turn left on Young Street, right on Akard Street, right on Marilla Street where the Akard and Marilla bus stop is located (stop number 20685).

Outbound, routes 28 and 106 will turn left on Young Street, right on Lamar Street and then proceed on their regular route.

Layover at Akard and Marilla: Passengers deboard at Cedars Station and take the special South Dallas GoLink to bus stops at Akard and Marilla or to EBJ Union Station.

Route 224 will operate a detour going inbound. Inbound trips will come downtown via Elm and continue to Houston, turn left on Commerce and continue to Harwood. It will then turn left to go to the East Transfer Center where it will layover. Outbound trips will originate from the East Transfer Center and operate a regular route out of downtown.

Layover at East Transfer Center

Passengers arriving by train can deboard at Convention Center Station to board route 224.
Another option for passengers is to deboard at Akard Station, then board 224 at Elm and Akard.

Route 383 East Transfer Center is your final stop. 383 will not continue past this station. This route will be discontinued on February 02, 2026.

DART will implement a new GoLink Zone for Convention Center Station customers that will only provide service for trips originating at EBJ Union Station, Cedars Station, or the substitute bus layover location on Akard and Marilla and terminating at one of those locations.

The service will operate 7 days a week, from 5 am to midnight. Customers using this GoLink Zone may only travel between these three designated points.

All changes will be reflected online and in the GoPass app for the duration of construction.

downtown transportation