San Antonio any one?

My husband attended a convention there a couple years back, and the girls and I tagged along. We really enjoyed it. There was plenty for us to do, and my girls were little then. We were there for 4 days. Of course, they were fascinated with the glass lighted elevator, lol.

The Alamo was a big hit and boat rides, and many other things to see. And the food is great!

 

That's funny. I'll be there around that time next summer for the Southern Baptist Convention.

The last time I was there, we couldn't fit it all in a week. There's the Riverwalk with its restaurants and shops, boat rides, and that leads into a three-level mall. The Alamo is right around the corner from that and all around the Alamo there is stuff to do, including a great Wax Museum. There's Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and Sea World. One of the most interesting museum exhibits I've ever been in is the Institute of Texan Cultures, which is right there by the Tower of the Americas and close to the Riverwalk. And less than an hour away there's the Schlitterbahn, a water park on the Comal River at New Braunfels, all those German shops and restaurants, and the little town of Gruene, which is a whole day in itself.

I've never been there in June. I was there in May for Fiesta and it was pretty blazing hot then, at least as far as I was concerned!

 

Could be hot.

Do you have someone to stay with?

You have more to do than could reasonably done in a week . . .

Everything from the Alamo - look for Robert McKinney.

To fiesta texas.

To the caverns. - I still can't believe they are almost in San Antonio . . . they used to be way out of town.

Of course there is a zoo - really don't remembe where it is.

There are the comanche outlook rocks . . . actually there are a dozen or more books about the 'little known things' around central Texas.

New Braunfels - the original and probably still the best water park - it is a natural water park.

There is a fiesta just a little earlier than june . . .

 

That wasn't hot . . .

 

my wife and I will be there for the convention also. Looking forward to it --- the city not the convention :laugh:

All I have ever heard about San Antonio was that it was a great city.

 

Take one of the architechtural tours of the city. Very interesting if you are into that kind of thing.

 

Riverwalk all the way. Football. The Alamo. Trolleys.

 

It might be kind of hard to keep all the messengers in the convention hall!

 

Trolleys? Buses? http://www.sanantonio.com/attractions/

OK - trolleys on wheels . . . aka 'VIA' bus system - I think.

Just a little note for those of you worried about the heat . . .

San Antonio is the home of the first air conditioned office building . . . and the first air conditioned bus line . . .

and did I say, "Remember the Alamo?"

 

You've had some great suggestions here -- but if you have time after the Alamo, Riverwalk, caverns and the tours, do visit the Botanical Gardens, about lunch time. The restaurant there was outstanding! Of course, that was when our grandson graduated and has been more than a couple of years ago. But its reputation continues.

The Gardens are well worth your time to stroll through, especially the different views of Texas landscapes. Key word - stroll. Truly stop and smell the flowers.

 

:laugh: the last convention in Orlando I spent 2 hours in the hall. Once to hear Ravi Zacharias and the second to hear Billy Graham.

Most SBC-ers go to the hall only when there's going to be a fight. :tonofbricks:

 

You could spend some time travelling in the hill country out Highway 281 and then visit Blanco, Kerrville, and Canyon Lake.

 

Really?

Did we cross another line in the sand that I did not know about?



Yes, traffic is much worse than it was . . . but, since most of the bad traffic is in Austin (warning - do not go through Austin during rush hour - I warned you ).

Other than that S.A. is still just that 'ese' (pronounced S.A.). Although it is a lot bigger!!! There are 2 loops now. The northside is overrun by northerners that do not know how to share the road . . . And the southside is well . . . the southside!

God bless

 

I live is SA and yes the Northside traffic is horrible (and it's soooo true that the northsiders don't know how to share the road!!)...that's why I live on the southside of town.

I will say that the southside is growing quite a bit. I live not too far from Brooks City Base and there's ALOT of business and home construction out that way. I'm excited that I now don't have to go North too often and fight that traffic. :thumbs:

 

When we lived in Houston, I used to love to go to San Antonio. Been a long time now.

 

You could go to Padre Island if you want beach. I am guessing that is probably where you meant, anyway. Corpus is a very crowded place and I don't know that there is much of a beach there, just port. Could be wrong about that. There is Galveston Island which is really just a giant sandbar. Part of Padre Island is closed off for whooping crane refuge. Not really too familiar with that scene. In my estimation it is much more fun to go tubing! (See below.)

San Antonio is my hometown. I would just stay there for three days, there is plenty to do right there, or go to the Hill Country. Coast is 3 hours away, so not a good day trip. It is a bigger state than it looks, believe me. I am a history nut, and San Antonio is long on history:

downtown:

• The Spanish governor's palace, from early 1700s. Supposedly Jim Bowie lived here. Downtown.
• Mexican lunch at Mi Tierra (I'll join you if you don't mind!) nearby shopping at El Mercado, trinkets from Mexico. Fresh fruit maybe on market days.
• San Fernando cathedral. Old place with an interesting history. Very Mexican. Downtown.
• The Alamo. Do some research beforehand into the battle and Texas history to really get the most out of this experience. See IMAX movie Alamo, the Price of Freedom nearby.
• The King William area. San Antonio's 19th century upscale German neighborhood. Amazing preserved neighborhood, some mansions open to public. Still lit by gaslight. Oldest private swimming pool in America (the "natatorium"). Go to Pioneer Flour Mills at the end of King William street for a good lunch. This could and should be an entire morning in itself, really. Should not miss. Walking distance from downtown.
• Menger Hotel. Where Teddy Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders, in the bar (where else?). Stay there if you can afford it. General Lee did! Nice place to get out of the heat. Right next to the Alamo. (Really, if you can afford it, stay in the 5-star La Mansion del Rio Hotel. why not?)
• Buckhorn saloon and museum. Not to be missed collection of Victorian Texana or Texan Victoriana or whatever it is (2-headed snakes, jackalopes, taxidermied steer with the widest horn span of all time. Furniture made entirely of horns and antlers, etc.). Unbelievable. Unforgettable. Downtown.
• I think there is a Madame Tussaud's wax museum nearby now, too.
• The Riverwalk. Nice place, developed. Some good food/music, some mediocre, overpriced like all tourist areas. Still you will want to stroll the Riverwalk. Can take a barge tour. See if there is a show in the little amphitheater on the river.
• La Villita. The little village for mixed Spanish Indian families in colonial days. Now a shopping area. Interesting old neighborhood.
• Little museum I forget the name of downtown with all sorts of circus memorabilia in it. Interesting. Lunch at Schilo's Delicatessen nearby.
• The Tower of the Americas with observation deck and restaurant thatspins around, with terrible food, at top.
• Hemisfair and the Institute of Texan Cultures if you are interested in Texas history. Downtown.

near north side:

• McNay Museum of Art. Lots of Diego Rivera/Frieda Kahlo and other modern art in a 1920s Mission-Improbable style mansion. 4 or 5 miles up Broadway, but not on Broadway. Easy to arrange transportation, I am sure.
• Witte museum - local exhibits, history and paleontology, etc. About 3 or 4 miles up Broadway from downtown.
• Fort Sam Houston. The Quadrangle, where Geronimo was held prisoner. Tame animals. Old fort in the middle of a new military base.
• Really nice Botanical Center. This and the two museums and Fort Sam Houston are nearby each other.
• Zoo in Brackenridge Park. Used to be quite good. Haven't been in a few years. Near the above four attractions off Broadway. Together they make a nice day. Kids can ride the miniature choo-choo which starts near the zoo entrace.

close by on south and west sides:

• Four Spanish missions dating from the early 1700s, oldest aqueduct in America, grist mill. San Jose is the tourist-friendliest, but Conception is the least restored, with original inside paintings etc. A couple miles from downtown. Loads of busses go there. This one's not to miss, either.
• Yturri Edmonds house. I like this little place, but it is off the beaten track. They have done a nice job of putting together a later 19th century household here. Near south side a couple miles from downtown.
• If you are spiritually broad-minded, seek out the little known Chapel of the Miracles. It is one of those places that is sort of vaguely Catholic, but really relates to a 'miraculous' cross believed to have been the original cross of the Alamo. The place is full of all sorts of curandero stuff, plus braces, crutches, etc. Takes some cultural sensitivity to truly appreciate. Near west side, short taxi ride from downtown.
• Loads of caving/spelunking in area if you are interested in this. This oughta be the national sport of Texas, really. You can get in touch with caving society to go to private caves like Robber Baron, or be a chicken and just go to the tourist caves like Natural Bridge, which is further out north of San Antonio.

Things to do in Hill Country:

• Go to Enchanted Rock if you are up for a hike!
• Go to LBJ ranch if you are not.
• Go to Luckenbach in any case. (music!)
• Go tubing! New Braunfels is the biggest location for this, but further up the Guadalupe River is less crowded and more unspoiled. This really beats the coast all to pieces.
• The area around Comfort to Fredericksburg area is especially fascinating for its German history and architecture and culture. Lots of live music under the live oaks in this area. Amazing bat houses built by a very forward-thinking doctor to keep insect-borne diseases at bay. The Treue der Union monument (German settlers who supported Union during War Between the States, massacred while trying to break for Mexico.
• Go to Fredericksburg for wurst and whatever German food, antiques shopping, Nimitz naval museum, German history.

Not in the Hill Country, but west of San Antonio, Castroville is fascinating. Settled by Alsatians in early 1800s. East and southeast of San Antonio are lots of old Polish settlements, Koskiusko, etc. Czech cultural area also available. Shrine of the Black Madonna, etc. Good ethnic food. This all about 1 hour drive.
Also not in Hill Country, but east of S.A. you could go to the Republic of Texas museum in Independence near Brenham. Living history farm nearby. About a 1-1/2 hour drive.
Go to border town in Mexico. This can be a day trip, yes. Hotel can put you in touch with arrangers.
Make a side trip to Austin and see the amazing capitol building and more Mexican freetail bats than you can even conceive of (the sky darkens). If you are interested in sports see what teams are playing while you are in S.A.