vacation plans

One Texas property makes the cut on Vrbo's best vacation rentals of 2024

Vrbo, the online marketplace for vacation rentals, has unveiled its top 10 list for 2024, and one home in Texas made the cut: The list, called 2024 U.S. Vacation Rentals of the Year, showcases the 10 best vacation rentals in North America, based on factors such as guest reviews and amenities.

The list includes properties in famous getaway locales ranging from Sedona to Big Sky to Cabo San Lucas.

The Texas entry is Toro Canyon in Austin, a tranquil retreat tucked away in the hilly Westlake neighborhood, six miles west of downtown. Designed by renowned Austin architect Michael Hsu, the home offers "timeless modernity" and "high quality craftsmanship," according to its listing. Stays begin at $2,015 per night.

The two-story home features five bedrooms and five bathrooms that overlook a luscious green backyard, temperature-controlled pool, and hot tub. The home sits on a one-acre lot, surrounded by mature trees for the ultimate privacy for guests.

Toro Canyon, Vrbo Vacation Rentals of the Year, Austin vacation home Toro Canyon is your own private retreat.Photo courtesy of Vrbo

There is ample space for relaxation and lounging outside, with a stone landing, two covered pavilions (one with an outdoor kitchen), and a second-floor balcony. Guests who want to stay active while on vacation can make use of the partial basketball court or in-ground trampoline, or they can set up a net over the pool and play volleyball.

An outdoor shower at one of the pavilions is available for guests to rinse off before heading back inside to enjoy the rest of the home.

The home accommodates up to 15 guests, with three out of five bedrooms boasting two queen- or king-sized beds each. The remaining rooms each contain a single king-sized bed.

Natural light floods every room to provide the perfect ambiance on a nice sunny day, and each bedroom blends modern features with elegant details through its wall art, decor, and bed linens.

Toro Canyon, Vrbo Vacation Rentals of the Year, Austin vacation home Only two of the five total bedrooms at Toro Canyon contain a single king-sized bed.Photo courtesy of Vrbo

For guests who want to take advantage of the home's location in the city, it's a five minute drive to Lake Austin, or a 10-15 minute drive to downtown. Popular hiking and nature destinations like Mount Bonnell, Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt are all 15 minutes away.

Other vacation rentals highlighted in Vrbo's 2024 U.S. Vacation Rentals of the Year list include:

"Palatial Paradise Estate" in Sedona Arizona
"Fire Lookout Towers" in Big Sky, Montana
"Pardise Found" in Inlet Beach, Florida
"Villa Montebella" in Glen Ellen, California
"Sandy Lakehouse" in Sand Lake, Michigan
"Miracle Creek Retreat" in Epworth, Georgia
"Copley's Lakefront Cottage" in Winchendon, Massachusetts
"Villa Cin Cin" in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
"Casa Acantilado" in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

The most expensive rental on the list is Villa Montebella, an exclusive wine-country villa in Sonoma Valley that costs $4,750 per night. On the low end, the lodge home in Big Sky, Montana is a relative bargain at $770 per night.

This is the third year vrbo has published such a ranking. A Hill Country home made the list in 2023.

The full list of winners can be found on vrbo.com.

Toro Canyon, Vrbo Vacation Rentals of the Year, Austin vacation home

Photo courtesy of Vrbo

The pool is climate-controlled for guests' convenience.

austin westlake hills vacations vacation rentals vrbo awards

DART News

DART receives $7 million federal grant for new low-emission buses

Gillig

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has received a grant to update its fleet of buses. According to a release, the agency was awarded a $7.094 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support the purchase of new buses as the agency phases out its fleet of older model vehicles.

The grant awarded to DART is one of 165 transit projects across the U.S. funded with more than $2 billion in federal grants.

In February, DART purchased 476 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses from Gillig, a California-based manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, to fulfill their goal to modernize their transit system over the next decade — particularly via new buses and light-rail vehicles to replace the oldest units in their aging fleet.

The phase-in of those new vehicles is expected to be executed through 2027.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses are a near-zero emission option, which was a key component in DART qualifying for the federal grant. Gillig has already delivered the first buses ahead of a Spring 2026 timeline — meaning that DART riders will get to start riding the upgraded buses on routes by the end of December 2025.

In a statement, DART President & CEO Nadine Lee says the timing is perfect.

“The timing of this grant couldn’t be better as we begin to receive early delivery of new, state-of-the-art vehicles from Gillig and as we move ahead with preparations to provide service to the massive crowds we expect next year with the FIFA World Cup," Lee says. "We are grateful to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, FTA Administrator Marcus Molinaro, and our entire congressional delegation for valuing their strong federal partnership with DART, recognizing the need to find additional funding to support transit programs in one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation."

This new grant is in addition to $103 million initial federal grants, bringing the total federal support for DART’s purchase of new buses to more than $110 million – reducing the overall cost to DART and member cities.

U.S. Congressional delegates, representing communities across Texas, were instrumental in securing the funding for the grant. The purchase of 476 buses is one part of DART’s Transform, a $2.5 billion 10-year plan to modernize and upgrade the DART system.

transportation