Editor's note: At the end of 2024, we're looking back at the stories that shaped San Antonio this year. When it came to the hot topic of travel, our readers explored stunning Texas hotels, family-friendly getaways, and Hill Country happenings. Here are CultureMap San Antonio's top 10 travel stories of 2024.

1. Great Wolf Lodge to open new waterpark-resort in Texas this summer. The new attraction in Houston features 532 rooms, a 92,000-square-foot indoor water park, and a 61,000-square-foot family entertainment complex with an indoor rope course.

2. San Antonio resort will put the Grinch on ice for 2024 holiday season. Artisans from Harbin, China, sculpted over two million pounds of ice into whimsical scenes and characters from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

3. See a weekend of country music + 8 more Texas travel tips in November. Some travel tips for November included the Fort Worth Stockyards' annual Texas Country Music Weekend, an exhibit featuring the works of Paul Gauguin at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts, and more.

4. Stunning Hill Country hotel featuring famed Texas chef to open in 2025. Located right on the main street of charming Fredericksburg, the Albert Hotel drummed up excitement since it was first announced in 2021. The first stays start January 3, 2025.

A Fredericksburg hotel may sound quaint, but the Albert Hotel is both rustic and bold.Photo by Alison Marlborough

5. New Hill Country treehouses + 11 more Texas travel ideas for October. The month's travel tips saw the opening of Onera in Wimberley, which comprises 28 treehouse and "earth home-style units" with panoramic views of the beautiful Hill Country landscape.

6. World's largest Buc-ee's to open outside San Antonio in June. Texas travelers heading east from San Antonio have a new must-see pit stop. The new Luling store beats the largest existing Buc-ee's stores — which are out-of-state — by about 1,000 square feet.

7. 2 Hill Country towns crowned among Forbes' best places to travel in 2024. The Gruene Historic District in New Braunfels was selected among Forbes' top places to travel in the South, alongside the ever-popular town of Fredericksburg.

Let's go dancing, Texas.forbes.com

8. New San Antonio hotel with 4 bar and dining concepts opens downtown. The highly anticipated InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk is now open. Previously the Wyndham San Antonio River Walk, this hotel was sold and dramatically updated over at least three years.

9. Central Texas wildflower pro says this season will be great for bluebonnets. Lee Clippard, the executive director at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, said 2024 would be a fantastic year – but not for reason you might think.

10. San Antonio ranks 11th on list of best warm winter travel destinations. San Antonio ranked No. 7 in the national "travel costs and hassles" categories, and its near year-round sunshine earned it No. 12 in the "weather" ranking out of all 69 U.S. metros.