San Antonio tips?

5 years ago

We are planning a trip to San Antonio later this month. Our sons will go to the games convention while DH and I play tourist. I visited a few times during my college years but that was 30+ years ago. I loved the Riverwalk and visited the missions (went to a mariachi mass at one with an Irish priest, so great). Just looking at the map it sure has grown!

Is the Rivewalk still fun? Anything else good to see? Interesting restaurants But not too pricey? DH loves history so besides the Alamo (always surprised me to see it surrounded by modern buildings), what will satisfy that?

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bpath
Original Author

5 years ago

Lars, the Briscoe was the perfect places to spend some time on a misty morning. Bonuses: it used to be he library and a handsome one at that, and the stairs are surfaced in buffalo hide! And caught the end of an exhibit on old San Antonio via stereoscope images! Loved that. also amused by the display of Lawren Harris notecards. Canadian artist. Now I have to look up if he had a Texas connection?

Sharon, I wandered King William after lunch with DH at a cute cafe in LaVillita, the houses are such a variety, and I toured one, so cool.

And Lyfia, I DID bump into Guenther House and wandered. The restaurant was closed by then but I decided to take DH there for breakfast in the morning. We can get there almost all the way via the river, so another bonus.

Lars, we are heading to Bourbon Street for dinner.

You guys are the best.

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Comments (14)

mtnrdredux_gw
5 years ago
We went maybe 4-5 yrs ago. We rented bikes (several place around town to do this). Do not ride them on the Riverwalk (we saw someone do this and mistakenly copied them, duh)/ They have a great art museum, and right near it some excellent food trucks. Riverwalk is still picturesque but that doesn't take that long. The Alamo of course; after that I am out of ideas.

Maybe these will help. I like Thrillist.

San Antonio: 3 Days, 3 Ways - Southern Living

https://www.southernliving.com › Travel › South-west

People love San Antonio. It's hard not to. This is a city bursting with Texas history and Hispanic culture, as well as good ole, rip-roarin' Lone Star fun. Whether ...

Spending Two Perfect Days In San Antonio – Forbes Travel Guide ...

https://stories.forbestravelguide.com/spending-two-perfect-days-in-san-antonio

May 7, 2013 - You'll see locals sitting, jogging and cycling along the three-mile downtown stretch. On this first day, call Rio San Antonio Cruises for a riverboat ...

3 Days and 2 Nights in San Antonio - Thrillist

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/three-days-two-nights-in-san-antonio

May 25, 2017 - A firsthand video of three packed days in San Antonio, Texas.

Suggested Itineraries in San Antonio | Frommer's

https://www.frommers.com/destinations/san-antonio/suggested-itineraries

The following itineraries are merely suggestions for how to see San Antonio if your time is limited. The first itinerary is structured for people with only 1 day.
czarinalex
5 years ago
My dh and I were in San Antonio in early November for an evening and the following day. We visited the Alamo in the morning and spent about 2 hours there. We spent the rest of the day at the Riverwalk. We walked way beyond the general area of restaurants and hotels. Visited the old town market area.. not much to see. A few interesting shops. We did take the river boat tour. It lasted about 40 minutes and cost about $12 each. For dinner, we ate at Boudro's on the Riverwalk. I'd highly recommend it. Delicious and fairly priced. Another option is to combine dinner with the river cruise. Several restaurants offered this. The boat docks at the restaurant for part of the dinner and then cruises while you eat.

They were stringing their Christmas lights while we there. The river must look amazing lit up. I'm not sure how long the lights stay up.
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Lars
5 years ago
My brother and I went to Texas in March 2017 to visit family in Texas, and our sister took us to San Antonio for a day because she had business there. We went to the Brisco Art Museum

on the River Walk

and had lunch at Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen

which I highly recommend, also on the River Walk. While downtown, we went to the Buckhorn Saloon

, which is also worth a visit. Most of the afternoon we spent at the sunken gardens
The zoo is possibly the best in Texas, if you like zoos, and is adjacent to the sunken gardens.
bpath
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Czarinalex, thank you for the recommendation to Boudro's, it was very good! Our server was just-right dramatic in his explanations and made good recommendations. The prickly pear cactus margarita was not so remarkable but it was quite pretty. And of course, so delightful to dine riverside.

Loved taking my my guys strolling along the river walk, except for the soul-less "mall" end.

Mtnrd, not only do they have bikes, but scooters now, too! And we have seen more scooters in use than bikes this afternoon and evening, by all ages.

Lars, I think it is supposed to rain tomorrow and DH has phone meetings, so I think I'll go to the Brisco Western Art Museum. If it clears up maybe I'll scooter over to the Sunken Gardens.

Thanks for for all the recommendations, you all are swell! I'll let you know what else we come up with. Oh, and we are staying at a boutique hotel with a balcony! Haven't had a balcony in a while, looking forward to my morning coffee there. Its an old building so while the bathroom is nice it has an odd drywalled duct going up the middle and the door hits the toilet so doesn't open all the way, but the claw foot tub makes up for it. At least, until I try to use it in the morning. Our sons' bath has a handsome little sign exhorting guests to keep the shower curtain inside the tub lest water and soapy water get on to floor and you could slip because they make the floor slippery and you could slip and fall and...you get the picture.
Sharon Perkins
5 years ago
Another Vote for Boudros! There are a number of smaller towns within an hour or two drive of San Antonio that have a German flavor, like Braunfels and Fredericksburg. The river walk gets so crowded at night that it’s very difficult to just meander along and sightsee, especially in the weekend. Go through the King William area, some beautiful old homes and there used to be tours you could take through there.
bpath
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks, Sharon. We were trying to remember why there is such a strong German presence in central Texas. Sadly it's not quite the season for tubing on the Guadelupe, I did that twice with friends and a cooler strapped to one tube, so much fun. I will check out King William, maybe I can scooter through it lol. The river walk did get more crowded as the evening went on. Between the PaxSouth and another conference there were plenty of people. I think I'm glad we went on the weeknight. The weekend will surely be crazy down there at night. But I could stroll it all day, it's so pretty. Oh, and I'll take the guys on a cruise, too.
lyfia
5 years ago
Eat at the Guenther house at the end of King Williams District Only open for breakfast and lunch. Closes early afternoon. We really enjoyed our breakfast there. Warning that it can be a long wait. Mostly old houses to gawk at in that area. Some have historical plaques so you can get some info on them. We usually stay at a B&B in that area when we visit. So far we've done 3 different ones since they seem to change and come and go. Always love walking around looking at the houses.
jrb451
5 years ago
I recommend the Blanco Café on St. Mary's if you want a good Tex-Mex blue plate meal that won't hurt the pocketbook.
Lars
5 years ago
I didn't know about the buffalo hide on the stairs - I wonder how I missed that! I think you'll enjoy Bourbon Street for dinner. If it is not raining, you might be able to sit outside, but there is plenty of seating indoors. They have outdoor heaters, and the river is nice at night.
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
5 years ago
We visited San Antonio in March last year with BIL and his wife. We stayed on the north end, and when we went to the Alamo and the Riverwalk we used alternate transportation rather than drive. The highways were WAY too congested for any of us to try to drive in. All four of us went to the Alamo and the Riverwalk - it was OK. We went on the guided bus tour that originates at the Alamo - I forget what exactly it was called - which was nice but quite pricey, we thought, for what you get. I think it was $125+ for the four of us.

BIL thought we should walk to the old city market from the Riverwalk. Do not do this. We went partway and turned around and came back. It was midafternoon but we were approached by several persons with questionable motives. A bit scary for us smalltown folks.

DH and I played golf one day which was fun, and BIL and his wife went to the zoo. They said it was great.
czarinalex
5 years ago
bpath.. Glad you enjoyed Boudro's. I also had the cactus margarita! It was indeed pretty!
bpath
Original Author
5 years ago
Lars, I think I may have gone to a different Bourbon Street location than you did! We were way up on 9th street where there is nothin' going on, but the dinner was indeed delicious. We all had seafood, I told DH to taste my sauce and memorize it so he could make it at home. He is pretty good at analyzing so I look forward to some Trout Pierre one day. I did see that Bourbon Street has another location more towards the active district, but I don't know why I chose the one further north. Anyway, we had a lovely (and long) stroll back along the river, got to chat up our sons on Pax (they went to a session on game localization, a subject that fascinates me).

We have no car, that's what I like about San Antonio, you don't need one as a tourist, if you like to walk (and I do). Apparently you can even use the Jump Bikes to go to the missions further south! I don't think we will be doing that, maybe next time. DH wants to take the bus to the farmers market Saturday, we'll see. I want to hit more historical sites with him, but he wants fresh pecans.
bpath
Original Author
5 years ago
Wanted to visit the missions today, but the info buildings are closed due to the govt shutdown (and of course the NPS websites don't reflect it because they, too, have no one to update them ). We visited one and went back to town. Had a lovely evening at Zinc restaurant! I thought a couple of menu items looke familiar, and sure enough it's related to Boudro's. Not on the river walk but we dined in the courtyard with heaters and blankets and it was just lovely.

Hoping to have breakfast at Guenther's in the morning, but it will be in the 30s so we will probably uber to it and walk back before heading to the airport.

San Antonio tips?

bpath
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