DRIVIN' FOR MILES

Texas accelerates to No. 1 on list of best states for road trips this summer

Siri, take me to Texas.

Photo by Getty Images

Summer's just getting started in the Lone Star State, and so is the summer travel season. Good news for in-state adventurers — especially those who prefer not to fly: Texas is the No. 1 state for a summer road trip, according to the latest report by personal finance website WalletHub.

With a total score of 60.33, Texas sped into the top spot in 2023 after ranking third in WalletHub's 2022 report (score: 56.63). New York, which ranked first last year, slipped into second place in the new report, while Maine fell all the way down into No. 10 after ranking second-best in 2022.

The analysis takes 32 different metrics into consideration to determine the rankings for the 2023 edition of the "Best and Worst States for Summer Road Trips". One factor is the price of gas, which currently is more than $3.50 per gallon nationally but about $3.21 in Texas, according to AAA. Only two other states in the WalletHub report – Louisiana and Mississippi – had lower costs to fill up the tank.

Other factors include camping costs, road safety, number of recreational activities, and more. And travelers can't forget about one major monetary inconvenience: inflation.

Texas earned a respectable No. 7 ranking for costs, and did even better in the category of activities, coming in at No. 5.

Texans already know how fun their home state is, with activities ranging from exploring some of the state's best parks, to trying out urban treasure hunting, to visiting world-class local museums. It's no surprise WalletHub agreed.

In terms of safety, Texas ranked a less desirable No. 38. The top five safest states for road trips, in order, are Maine (No. 10 overall), Vermont (No. 27 overall), New Hampshire (No. 34 overall), Iowa (No. 21 overall) and Wyoming (No. 8 overall).

The top 10 best summer road trip destinations are:

No. 1 – Texas
No. 2 – New York
No. 3 – North Carolina
No. 4 – Ohio
No. 5 – Idaho
No. 6 – Louisiana
No. 7 – Florida
No. 8 – Wyoming
No. 9 – Minnesota
No. 10 – Maine

The worst summer road trip destinations, as decided by WalletHub, are Montana (No. 46), Hawaii (No. 47), Connecticut (No. 48), Delaware (No. 49), and Rhode Island (No. 50).

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

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Turkey Day news

San Antonio eats up top-10 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie at Kona Grill in San Antonio

Photo courtesy of Kona Grill

San Antonio is one of the best place to celebrate Thanksgiving in Texas in 2024.

San Antonio is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

San Antonio ranked No. 7 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a big leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 14, and remains the second highest-ranked city in Texas.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The categories that San Antonio ranked the highest in were the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 2), and affordability (No. 11), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 90). Other categories that determined San Antonio's overall ranking were the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 14), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 75).

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, San Antonio will be fully decked for the December holidays. San Antonians who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. The home of the Alamo certainly goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked two spots above San Antonio as the fifth best city for Thanksgiving. Houston ranked No. 23, while Austin only came in at No. 39.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

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