Top 10 Events for the Day-Tripper

The annular eclipse passed over Texas on Oct. 14, giving us a reason to look up. The Great North American Eclipse passes over Texas on April 8, 2024.

A "heat dome" parked over Texas in July and August. The 45-day streak of triple-digit temperatures shattered records, and the record-breaking heat worsened a drought that closed swimming holes around the state.

Battleship Texas found a home in Galveston. When repairs to the last World War I-era Dreadnought are completed it will cross the harbor to Pier 20.

Texas State Parks celebrated its 100th anniversary. There are 88 state parks encompassing 640,000 acres with nearly 10 million visitors annually.

Fairfield Lake State Park lost its lease and closed on Feb. 28.

Voters overwhelmingly supported Proposition 14 to create the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund.

The Santa Fe-based immersive art collective Meow Wolf came to Grapevine. Another portal comes to Houston in 2024.

The Texas wine industry lost two pioneers: Ed Auler, founder of Fall Creek Vineyards, died Oct. 14, and Gary Gilstrap of Texas Hills Vineyards died Sept. 21.

And with a heavy heart we said goodbye to Wade Goodwyn on June 8. The Dallas-based NPR reporter's sonorous voice brought us home no matter how far afield we day-tripped.

1,682nd in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.