santa loves sunshine

Dallas-Fort Worth heats up as 3rd best winter travel location in U.S.

Christmas Fort Worth Stockyards, Cowboy Santa, Fort Worth Herd

Locals love spending the holidays at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Facebook/Visit Fort Worth

Mariah Carey isn't the only one defrosting in preparation for the winter season: Dallas-Fort Worth has warmed up as one of WalletHub's top three best warm weather travel destinations for 2024.

Every year, WalletHub's analysts divide nearly 70 of the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas into two categories: the top "warm" and "cold" weather destinations. The study evaluated every metro based on 37 factors, including travel costs, local costs, weather predictions, and safety.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington earned a score of 68.08 out of 100 possible points to claim the sunny No. 3 spot nationally, finally breaking a three-year stronghold as No. 4, which began in 2021.

DFW landed right behind Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (No. 1), and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California (No. 2), and overtook Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown (No. 4). Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona rounded out the top five.

The North Texas metro ranked No. 2 in the national "weather" and "travel costs and hassles" categories, showing major favorability towards DFW Airport and the region's almost year-round sunshine. The metro's relative affordability earned it No. 8 in the "local costs" ranking out of all 69 U.S. metros.

Here's how Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington performed in the remaining three categories:

No. 12 – Attractions rank
No. 13 – Warm weather activities rank
No. 28 – Safety rank

As in previous years, the highest concentration of top warm weather destinations was in Florida (10 metros), followed by Texas (nine metros), then California (eight metros).

Besides DFW and Austin, the only other Texas metro to earn a spot in the top 10 in 2024 was Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (No. 6), as San Antonio-New Braunfels slipped from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 11 this year.

Atlanta, Georgia ranked No. 1 once again on the list of best cold weather destinations for winter vacations, outdoing New York City, New York (No. 2), Washington, D.C. (No. 3), and Chicago, Illinois (No. 4).

"Whether you love to have a chill in your bones during the winter travel season or prefer to escape to somewhere sunny, the top travel destinations can cost as little as $200-$300 to reach by plane from major U.S. cities, with no connections," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the top cities also have an abundance of attractions that fit their weather patterns, along with high-quality restaurants and relatively low crime rates."

The top 10 best warm weather destinations for winter vacations are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
No. 2 – San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 6 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California
No. 8 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 9 – Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
No. 10 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida

For the purpose of the study, "cold" weather was determined to be less than or equal to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, while "warm" weather was greater than or equal to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Both guidelines were analyzed based on the 50-year average December temperatures.

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

reports wallethub dallas fort worth arlington vacations destinations

Train News

Fort Worth's Trinity Metro TEXRail beefs up service during the day

Trinity Metro

Beginning Sunday, November 3, Trinity Metro TEXRail is beefing up its schedule. According to a release, the transportation agency will increase the frequency of trains running during midday service to every 30 minutes. It's currently hourly.

This service improvement will provide consistent half-hour frequency for the majority of service hours.

“We’ve studied ridership patterns and noticed a surge in passengers in the middle of the day,” says Vice President of Rail Reed Lanham in a statement. “With more customers traveling at the time, we chose to adapt the schedule to meet customer demand and provide greater convenience and to accommodate commuters.”

For passengers traveling from Fort Worth T&P Station to DFW Airport Terminal B Station, the first trip will be at 4:13 am, and the 30-minute frequency will continue through the 6:43 p.m. departure.

At that point, they'll move to a night train schedule, which will be hourly. The last train will leave at 10:43 pm.

Travelers heading west from the airport will enjoy the benefits of 30-minute frequency beginning at 5:10 am and continuing through 7:40 pm. At that point, it will switch to night-time service of once-an-hour, with the last full-route train leaving DFW Airport Terminal B Station at 11:40 pm.

An additional train from the airport leaves at 12:30 am and travels to Mercantile Center Station.

“The enhanced schedule makes it easier and more convenient for Trinity Metro TEXRail riders to travel,” Lanham says. “Customers won’t need to wonder when the next train is arriving because our new schedule will be consistent and easy to use.”

Trinity Metro TEXRail, which runs between Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, operates on the same schedule every day throughout the year. Its nine stations are located in Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, and Grapevine.

traffic transportation