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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).

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lets go camping

Llama ranch near Dallas roams onto America's 50 favorite camping spots

Courtesy of Hipcamp

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A family-owned, llama roaming ranch just an hour outside Dallas was just declared one of America's 50 favorite camping spots in 2026.

The field guide was compiled by online marketplace Hipcamp following a review of campsite ratings from users, regional trends, cultural relevance, and a "spirited debate" of Hipcamp experts. Campgrounds were chosen from 35 different states and organized into seven regions: the Pacific Northwest; California and Hawaii; the Southwest; the Mountain West; the Great Plains and Midwest; the Northeast; and the Southeast.

Llama Land Ranch in Tool, Texas was one of nine total campgrounds featured in the Southwest region. The ranch is the perfect place for families to go on core memory-making excursions like meeting the free roaming llamas or watching out for other wildlife like wild boars. The ranch spans 101 acres, and a 50-foot deep creek also flows along the property lines for fishing and swimming.

"The llamas will come to greet you and so will many more things in this wonderful place," the ranch's listing says. "We are conveniently located in a secluded area, but just a short drive from many local conveniences."

The listing also specifies that the pastures are only mowed three times a year and some of the property is on rough terrain, so campers are welcome to bring their own machetes if they want to explore the area thoroughly.

There are 14 sites available for guests to set up camp, with a mix of tent-only, RV/tent, and RV-only sites. The ranch is also very affordable; sites can be booked for as little as $15 per night.

Many reviewers enjoy getting out into the country to reconnect with nature, and many also praise the ranch's owner, Judy, who says the ranch has been in her family since 1987.

"I went with a group of women for an overnight camp at the pond," one reviewer wrote. "It was so beautiful and a much needed break from city life. The host was wonderful and kind. She was also very accommodating to our group."

A second Dallas-Fort Worth-area campground tucked away in Texas' newest state park was also highlighted in the report. Warbler Ridge Campground, located in Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, was the only other Texas representative on the list.

The pet-friendly campground's listing doesn't offer many details, but it says there are 22 RV and tent campsites for visitors, as well as showers, toilets, potable water, and picnic tables. There are activities galore for visitors, including a 68-acre lake for swimming, fishing, and boating, and over 16 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says campsites at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park start at $13 per night (plus a daily entrance fee) for hike-in primitive sites. Walk-in campsites with water are $15 per night and campsites with electricity are $30 per night.

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