{"id":119979,"date":"2025-08-05T04:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T04:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/119979\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T04:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T04:42:10","slug":"11-texas-getaway-ideas-in-august-before-going-back-to-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/119979\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Texas getaway ideas in August before going back to school"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back-to-school is just around the corner, and there’s still time to plan a last-minute summer escape. From a one-day-only flash sale at a popular water park resort, to a pur-fect traveling cat expo in Austin, there are plenty of ways to plan a fun-filled August getaway. North Texans can “escape” closer to home in Dallas by visiting a newly opened glow-in-the-dark immersive experience, or beat the heat with a fun ice cream cone in hand.<\/p>\n

Here are our top picks for summer travel events, hotel deals, and more in August.<\/p>\n

Throughout Texas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Great Wolf Lodge<\/strong>, which has resorts in Dallas<\/a> and Houston<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>is gearing up for the biggest sale of the year for one day only on Monday, August 4. The annual flash sale offers discounted stays starting at $84 per night<\/strong> for the first two guests, and additional guests will only cost $24 extra per person. The promo code “84DEGREES” will be valid for single- and multi-night stays booked through December 18, 2025. Sale prices include resort fees and unlimited access to the indoor water park.<\/p>\n

History buffs who want to immerse themselves in Texas lore will find a home among these six bed and breakfasts<\/a>. Among the legendary lodgings are Elvis’ “home away from home” in Waco, Georgia O\u2019Keeffe\u2019s favorite hangout in the Panhandle, and Ulysses S. Grant\u2019s East Texas escape. Find even more storied stays through the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Overnights<\/strong><\/a> program, which helps guests discover details about historic places and experience history in an immersive way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Elvis\u00a0Elvis became friends with the radio DJ who owned this Waco home in the 1950s.\u00a0 Photo courtesy of The Elvis House \u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas thrill seekers who purchase or renew Six Flags Entertainment Gold ($95) or Prestige Passes ($170) from now until September 1, 2025 will receive unlimit<\/strong>ed access<\/strong> to every Six Flags park in North America<\/a>, which includes six Texas properties<\/strong>. Season passes are currently available for purchase for Schlitterbahn Galveston, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, and Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. Season passes for Hurricane Harbor Arlington and Hurricane Harbor Splashtown go on sale on Monday, August 4.<\/p>\n

The Hill Country<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wine trade association Texas Hill Country Wineries (THCW)<\/strong> has partnered with the educators at Wine Folly to develop a free<\/strong> online <\/strong>g<\/strong>u<\/strong>id<\/strong>e<\/strong> exploring the Hill Country region’s<\/a> many vineyards and tasting rooms. The guide<\/a> serves as a one-of-a-kind database for the area, with six main topic pages spanning wines, wineries, terroir (growing conditions), history, region, and travel. It also includes overviews<\/a> of 62 local wineries to help visitors make an itinerary for their next journey to the Hill Country.<\/p>\n

Austin<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Stephen F. Austin Royal Sonesta <\/strong>Hotel<\/strong> is celebrating Austin Pride Month with the unveiling of its new Rainbow Room and a “Rainbow Room Experience Package” from August 5-31. The hotel<\/a> collaborated with local LGBTQIA+ artists Bode Robinson and Hailey Gearo to create themed decor and original artwork for the room. The experience package includes a waived destination fee, two complimentary Pride-themed cocktails, breakfast for two at Caf\u00e9 Fuller, and late checkout. The hotel will additionally donate a portion of proceeds from each Rainbow Room booking in August to Central Texas LGBTQIA+ nonprofit Out Youth.<\/p>\n

Domesticated cats are taking over Austin’s Palmer Event<\/strong> Center<\/strong> from August 16-17. Pop Cats<\/strong>, a touring annual expo<\/a> for cat-lovers, will feature several cat-themed activities including cat cosplaying, making cat toys, and more. Attendees can bring their own cats, but must follow guidelines<\/a> to keep everyone safe. Tickets (starting at $25 for adults and $15 for children) are available at popcats.co<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Cat\u00a0This cat got to experience the expo firsthand…or firstpaw.\u00a0 POP Cats\/Facebook \u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/strong>Downright Austin <\/strong>hotel restaurant Swim Club<\/a><\/strong> is helping visitors prepare for back-to-school season with its free Dive-In Movie Series <\/strong>during the first three Thursdays in August. Screenings will include Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off (Aug. 7), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Aug. 14), and Clueless (Aug. 21). Guests can arrive as early as 7 pm and order movie-themed cocktails, and screenings will begin at 8:30 pm.<\/p>\n

San Antonio<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the Hill Country continues to recover from the devastating July floods, The Westin Riverwalk Hotel<\/strong> is supporting the community by extending its “Visit San Antonio<\/a>” discount on standard king and double rooms for anyone affected by the floods or helping with recovery efforts. Guests can use promo code “T4973” to receive 30 percent off stays<\/strong> from now through August 31. Room rates with the discount begin at $132 per night.<\/p>\n

Several Pearl<\/strong> retailers will host a “Sidewalk Sale” event<\/a> from August 14-15 to help visitors prepare for back-to-school season. Participating shops include clothing stores Niche<\/strong>, Adelante<\/strong>, and Dos Carolinas<\/strong>; footwear and accessory shop LeeLee<\/strong>; jewelry and gem store Ruby Road Gems<\/strong>; home goods sellers The Tiny Finch <\/strong>and Rancho Diaz<\/strong>; gift shop Feliz Modern Pop<\/strong>, and The Twig Bookshop<\/strong>. The sale will run from 10 am to 5 pm both days.<\/p>\n

Dallas-Fort Worth
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Glow or Go<\/strong>, a recently-opened glow-in-the-dark immersive experience<\/a> in Dallas’ Design District<\/strong>, offers visitors the opportunity to bond over several team-based challenges such as obstacle courses, reflex games, and coordination tests, all set in a pulsing, LED-lit environment. Tickets prices depend on your group size, starting at $28 per person for groups of eight, up to $42.80 for groups of three, and are available through the Fever website<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Glow\u00a0Glow or Go in Dallas.\u00a0 Glow or Go \u00a0<\/p>\n

Don’t let heat exhaustion ruin an otherwise nice summer day: CultureMap has rounded up several new and unique things to help North Texans beat the heat<\/a> this month, from a new waterpark attraction<\/strong> to a glacial facial<\/strong> at a lavish spa. There are also affordable ideas on the list, from visiting the UTA Planetarium<\/strong> to cooling off with a “chimney cake”-style ice cream cone at Crispy Cones<\/strong> in North Richland Hills.<\/p>\n

Six Flags Over Texas operates seven “high thrill” rides that require at least one naturally formed hand, but Aquaman Splashdown is not one of them.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Back-to-school is just around the corner, and there’s still time to plan a last-minute summer escape. From a…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":119980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,359,1596,171,7371,70773,18717,17054,4345,53,7202,27247,358,1164,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,10433],"class_list":{"0":"post-119979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-austin","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-fort-worth","13":"tag-great-wolf-lodge","14":"tag-hill-country","15":"tag-hotels","16":"tag-houston","17":"tag-movies","18":"tag-san-antonio","19":"tag-summer-vacation","20":"tag-texas","21":"tag-travel","22":"tag-tx","23":"tag-united-states","24":"tag-united-states-of-america","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","27":"tag-us","28":"tag-usa","29":"tag-wineries"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114974329588122063","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}