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Día de los Muertos tops the 12 best Texas travel ideas for October

October is full of vibrant events happening all over Texas. From popular music festivals like Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Texas Jazz Festival in Corpus Christi, to new museum exhibitions in Arlington and San Antonio, there is a wide variety of events to check out this month.

Dallas travelers can explore dozens of Hill Country wineries with a Texas Wine Month passport, or stay local with a luxurious staycation at a newly renovated downtown Dallas hotel. Plus, locals can plan ahead for the holiday season by booking their Holiday Tea experience at The Adolphus early.

Here are our top 12 picks for summer Texas travel events, hotel news, and more in October.

Austin

The far-flung Austin suburb of Georgetown is getting a bold makeover with the development of a new 18,000-square-foot mural at the city's new parking garage located at 502 S. Main St., just steps away from the iconic downtown square. Graffiti artist and muralist ARCY designed the large-scale piece to honor the legacy of Georgetown's historic Chisholm Trail. The new mural comes as the city prepares for its Month of the Arts celebration from October 16-18. Festivities include a sculpture tour, the Autumn Art Stroll, and the fourth annual South Main Arts Festival. All events are family friendly and free to the public.

Austin visitors who aren't coming to town for the Austin City Limits Music Festival or the Formula 1 weekend can instead take in two laid back, self-guided home tours taking place in October. The first is the Austin Landscape Artistry Showcase & Residential Garden Tour, which will allow visitors to explore some of Austin’s most stunning private landscapes for one day only on October 18. The second tour, the 39th annual AIA Austin Homes Tour, is an October 25-26 weekend tour showcasing 10 custom-designed homes throughout the Austin area. Tickets for the Austin Landscape Artistry Showcase are $23.17 per person, and tickets for the AIA Austin Homes Tour range from $16.82-$132.87.

The stops on these Austin home tours combine avant garde ideas with practical elements, bringing art home. Vista Lane by Cuppett Kilpatrick Architects, via AIA Austin/aiaaustin.org

Muertos Fest/Facebook

A tribute to Flaco Jiménez headlines the 2025 Muertos Fest in San Antonio.

In the Hill Country

October is known as Texas Wine Month, and nonprofit trade organization Texas Hill Country Wineries is celebrating with its month-long Texas Wine Month Passport event. The passport provides complimentary tastings at more than 45 participating Hill Country wineries, as well as exclusive discounts on bottles of wine to take home. Passport holders can visit up to four wineries each day in October, with a limit of visiting each winery once during the event. Texas Wine Month Passports are $85 for individuals and $120 for couples, and can be purchased online.

The Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival is returning from October 21-26, and there are still tickets available for various food tasting events, including the Grand Tasting Event at Marktplatz on Oct. 25. The annual festival showcases over 75 Texas wineries, breweries, distilleries, and culinary partners, and features live music performances, live demonstrations, and more. Ticket prices vary, and can be purchased online.

San Antonio

The Briscoe Western Art Museum will unveil its new historic exhibition, Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps on Friday, October 3. Curated by Texas businessman and philanthropist Marty Davis and his wife Yana Davis from their personal collection, the exhibit includes 64 maps showcasing the evolution of Texas' landscape and history. Maps date as far back as 1548 and as recent as 2006. The exhibit will be on view through January 19, 2026. Non-member admission prices range from $8-$16 per person, and admission for children 12 and under is free.

Yana and Marty Davis Map Collection An 1853 map shows a very large Bexar County. MuseumOfTheBigBend.com

San Antonio's Día de Muertos celebrations kick off as early as October 5 with boat cruises to explore the alebrije (spirit guide) sculptures decorating the River Walk, plus the annual Day of the Dead River Parade on October 24. Muertos Fest will take place the same weekend as the parade and will include a musical tribute to Grammy-winning conjunto legend Flaco Jiménez.

Houston

The Blossom Hotel Houston has officially rebranded and joined the Curio Collection by Hilton, beginning a new chapter for the four-year-old hotel. The 16-story property contains 267 rooms, the renowned Total You Medical Spa, all-day restaurant Blossom Reserve, and the Plum Skybar & Lounge. From October 2025 to March 2026, hotel guests will receive 1,000 Hilton Honors bonus points per night when they book their stays. Nightly rates begin at $167 in October.

Travelers needing a refreshing autumn-themed spa day can try one of the new fall treatment specials at the Thompson Houston hotel spa, which includes a pumpkin enzyme renewal facial and a "Drift into Light" massage. The new treatments are part of the Thompson Spa's "Tailored Touch" collection, which are personalized for each individual guest. Prices for the autumn spa specials range from $205-$445.

Along the Gulf Coast

The 64th annual Texas Jazz Festival, known as the longest continuously running free jazz festival in the world, is returning to Heritage Park in Corpus Christi from October 17-19. Three stages will be constructed for live performances from musicians from all over the U.S. Visitors can expect plenty of entertainment in between sets, such as local vendor markets, food booths, and more. The full act lineup and performance schedule can be found on the festival's website.

Texas Jazz Festival in Corpus Christi Get ready to swing and dance at the Texas Jazz Festival.Photo courtesy of Visit Corpus Christi

At home in Dallas-Fort Worth

The Arlington Museum of Art will debut its highly anticipated Game of Thrones exhibition on Saturday, October 4, featuring more than 60 original costumes, props, and behind-the-scenes images from the popular HBO series. The family-friendly exhibition includes Daenerys Targaryen’s regal dragon-scale gowns and Jon Snow’s battle-worn Night’s Watch gear, among many others. Non-member tickets are $20 for children and $25 for adults, with additional discounts for military, seniors, and groups. The exhibition will run until April 5, 2026.

It may only be October, but The Adolphus in downtown Dallas is skipping ahead to December with reservations opening for its 2025-26 Holiday Tea season starting on Tuesday, October 7, at 10 am. The hotel's venerated Holiday Tea events – boasting a sumptuous three-course meal, a complimentary glass of bubbly, and an assortment of loose leaf teas – are an iconic part of what makes Dallas so jolly during the festive winter season, and tickets sell out within minutes. Holiday Tea services at The Adolphus are $85 per person, and will begin on Wednesday, November 5, and run through January 11, 2026. Reservations can be made via Resy or by calling The French Room directly at 214-651-3615.

Award-winning interior design firm Tihany Design has completed renovations on 126 West Tower guestrooms at The Joule, a luxury hotel in the heart of downtown Dallas. Tihany Design originally designed the hotel when it opened in 2008, so it's safe to say The Joule's Neo-Gothic aesthetic is still in good hands. In addition to "functional updates," a press release revealed that the West Tower guestrooms now contain contemporary color palettes, European walnut paneling, bespoke furnishings, custom artwork, and much more.

dallas fort worth arlington san antonio houston austin corpus christi austin city limits music festival music festival hotels museums hill country hill country winery spa

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.

camping travel vacations ranches campgrounds