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Top 10 Dallas travel stories of 2022 escape to a tiny house, grand castle, and surfers' paradise

Editor's note: As we look back at the most-read travel stories of 2022, we can see that readers were eager to overcome high gas prices and airport headaches and escape for some fun. Our most popular stories featured a surprising new hot spot northeast of Dallas; easy one-tank getaways; news for fans of surfing and spa-ing; a getaway to a tiny house in East Texas; and a peek behind fixed-up castle walls in Waco.

1. Surprising place northeast of Dallas could be ‘the next Austin,’ says Bloomberg. For years, cities around the country have competed for the banner of “the next Austin.” In hopes of replicating Austin’s astounding success as a much-admired economic hub, fans have touted their cities as the next incarnation of Austin. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Conor Sen made the case for the mountainous Northwest Arkansas region to be the Austin-in-waiting.

2. 7 spectacular surprises inside Chip and Joanna Gaines' new Fixer Upper castle in Waco. For the first time ever, Texas’ king and queen of renovation, Chip and Joanna Gaines, unlocked the doors and let the public into one of their famed fixer-uppers before it was featured on their Magnolia Network show. We went to Waco for a tour and discovered seven surprises behind the castle walls.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

The Waco castle went on tour before it was featured on a special season of Fixer Upper - Welcome Home.

3. American Airlines introduces new way to breeze through security at DFW Airport. As airports experienced a crush of travel delays over the summer, American Airlines made it easier to get through security checkpoints at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. American rolled out its new Mobile ID feature at DFW. Anyone with a mobile phone, TSA PreCheck membership, AAdvantage number, and either a driver’s license or U.S. passport could now verify their identity with facial recognition at DFW’s security checkpoints.

4. Rad new surfing lagoon paradise rides into Texas promising ocean-perfect waves and beachy fun. A new, world-class surf destination is coming to Houston. HTX Sur f will ride into Generation Park in fall of 2024, per an announcement by creators Beach Street Development, the company that pushes the barefoot life with its man-made surfing lagoons.

5. New Omni PGA Frisco Resort hotel aims to be biggest golf destination ever. The city of Frisco is due to get a new Omni with a big dose of golf on the side: Called Omni PGA Frisco Resort, it's slated to open in spring 2023, at 4341 PGA Pkwy., at the southeast corner of the Dallas North Tollway and University Drive. Described as the country's largest resort currently in development, it's aiming to be "the cutting-edge home of American golf" with a host of golf-related features

6. Fuss-free hop-on jet service JSX launches new nonstop flights from Dallas to Destin. With summer vacation on the horizon, Dallas-based JSX relaunched its popular seasonal hop-on jet service to a favorite Florida beach destination — Destin. Nonstop flights from Dallas Love Field to Destin Executive Airport ran May 12-October 31.

7. Texas legends Willie Nelson and ZZ Top team up for concert at iconic Hill Country venue. "Shotgun Willie" may sit around in his underwear, but next April, he'll be a "Sharp Dressed Man." Taking the iconic stage at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, Willie Nelson and ZZ Top will perform together on April 14 and 15, 2023.

8. 5 fantastic summer escapes from Dallas-Fort Worth on one tank of gas. High gas prices, expensive airfare, airport headaches, and pricey car rental fees made travel planning a little more difficult last summer. But a postcard-worthy family vacation was just one gas tank away thanks to picturesque resorts and parks located within a short road trip from Dallas-Fort Worth.

9. 2 happy campers unplug to recharge at a tiny cabin Getaway in East Texas' Piney Woods. Getaway Outposts are “resorts” of about 40 trendy tiny homes that let city folk escape into nature in a slightly upscale way — to turn off digital devices, relax, and recharge internal batteries — “rustic without having to rough it,” they advertise. One city couple drove an hour-and-a-half east of Dallas into the Piney Woods to check it out.

10. Texas' dreamiest destination spa unwraps exclusive $1,000 Swiss facial for 25th anniversary. When the Lake Austin Spa Resort went shopping for a 25th-anniversary gift for guests, it aimed higher than traditional silver and picked treatments that incorporated gold, diamonds, and caviar. As a result, the dreamy destination introduced some of the most opulent, exclusive, and — at upwards of $1,000 — most expensive facials in the world.

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These 2 haunted Texas hotels promise a spirited overnight stay

The Emily Morgan Hotel/ Facebook

The Emily Morgan is steps away from the Alamo.

If you hear something knocking during a vacation in San Antonio, it might not be housekeeping. Two of the city's downtown landmark hotels — the Gunter and the Emily Morgan — have been named among the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 25 most haunted hotels in the U.S.

Each year, the nonprofit’s Historic Hotels of America program recognizes iconic properties where things are said to go bump in the night. It’s a playful way to highlight the organization’s work to preserve the nation’s diverse historic buildings and neighborhoods, whether one believes in the supernatural or not. The San Antonio pair were the only Texas properties to earn the hair-raising honors.

“The list invites heritage and cultural travelers to discover historic hotels where lore and legends make for memorable stays,” explained the trust in a release. “For believers and skeptics alike, these one-of-a-kind hotels preserve tales of guests who never want to leave and staff who never stopped helping.”

The Emily Morgan returned to the list after a year’s reprieve (maybe someone forgot this year’s blessing). The trust noted that the 102-year-old building is considered one of North America’s most active paranormal sites, owing to its original use as a medical building. Carved grotesques on the facade writhe from tooth pain and stomachaches. Inside, spectral nurses are said to be still providing care.

“On the fourteenth floor, guests have reported a hospital-like smell and, on rare occasions, visions of a hospital scene rather than their guestroom when they open the door from the hallway,” wrote Historic Hotels. “On the twelfth floor, guests have reported bathroom doors opening and closing on their own, lights flashing, and apparitions of nurses pushing rickety gurneys down the corridor before vanishing.”

Gunter Hotel Not pictured: Gunter's resident shadowy figure.Photo by Daniel Kelleghan Photography

Although medical manifestations are unsettling enough, the other San Antonio hotel on the list has a more gruesome claim to fame. Built in 1909, the Gunter Hotel boasts a room that is only slightly less notorious than The Shining’s Room 237. Room 636 was the site of one of Alamo City’s most famous murders.

In 1965, a housekeeper found ex-con Walter Emerick standing beside a blood-soaked bed. Police found empty wine bottles, bloody footprints, strands of blonde hair, and women’s clothing, but never found the body. Emerick left a psychic stain all over downtown, booking it to the St. Anthony’s room 536 (he reportedly asked to stay in 636 again), where he offed himself before arrest. The Gunter never quite recovered from his brief stay.

“Since the 1960s, guests and staff have reported unsettling phenomena, including unexplained cold spots, flickering lights, and faint whispers or footsteps when no one is present,” said Historic Hotels. “Some claim to have seen a shadowy figure lingering near the doorway or caught the faint scent of cigar smoke despite the hotel’s smoking prohibition.”

Still, the dark specters have not kept the Gunter from receiving another honor this year. Historic Hotels recently named it the Best City Center Historic Hotel, given to the property that “best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.”

Both of San Antonio’s haunted hotels have largely embraced their eerie reputations. The Emily Morgan proudly touts its mysterious occurrences on one of its webpages. The Gunter glosses over some of the more grisly details of room 636 on its own page, and assures guests the room has since been remodeled.

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