The Riverwalk is best done at night- its gorgeous, plan dinner and drinks, there are endless restuarants along the walk- and you can decide where to eat dependant on your price range. The Alamo is a few minutes walk from the Riverwalk and is lit up at nightime but you are not able to go into the grounds. The Alamo is not a huge re-built castle type structure- really only the front entrance stands and the rest of the area is a flowerd-garden you can walk around, entrance is free. I would definately stay somewhere downtown- we actually used hotwire and stayed at the Emily Morgan (a historic hotel that overlooks the Alamo)- its location is second to none, with all those sights you wanted to see within walking distance. We paid $70 for a double room.

Have you considered hiring a car and driving from SA up through San Marcos (biggest discount mall in the South is found there), through Austin (Texas State Capitol, South Congress and the famous 6th Street are points of interest) and on up to Dallas. I think its about a 5 hour drive but in the sunshine with the Texan country music stations on in the car, the drive is enjoyable. carhire3000.com have very reasonable car rentals, often with low one-way fees. (you would leave the car in Dallas i pressume and continue your trip).

Regarding Dallas i am unsure- I visited once and stayed with friends. We visited the JFK Museum which is very interesting- but my knowledge of other points of interest/hotels is limited.

Hope this helps!

In San Antonio, are you planning on doing all those things in one day, the day you arrive in the afternoon? I guess it is possible if you "hit the ground running". If you drop something, I would drop the Institute of Culture. I would definitely add one of the barge tours of the river. It only takes about an hour, covers the majority of the touristy section of the Riverwalk, and gives you a terrific overview of the history of the city. Some of the guides are much better than others, and it's the luck of the draw, but all will offer a decent overview, and the tours are pretty inexpensive.

Also, I think El Mercado is much more interesting and more fun than LaVillita. LaVallita is sort of pretty to walk through, and you can do it in no time at all, plus it's right there on the river, whereas you have to walk or bus a bit (but not that bad) to El Mercado. Both El Mercado and La Villita are just little shopping areas, and El Mercado has the added draw of a couple of fun Mexican Restaurants.

Thanks so much for your replies I did consider driving but was concerned about driving near cities. I'm from a town and haven't driven in a city here let alone on the other side of the road

Yes.. I did plan to do the 3 in one day but I also have the morning of the next day to do one but maybe I could also squeeze in the barge From the guide book I'm under the impression that I can see old western memorabilia at the institute is this correct? I really would not like to waste my time if it is only a small section.

I think you should be able to fit in all 3 attractions if you have an afternoon and a morning.

The Alamo is open from 9am to 5:30 pm and a visit there should take no more than an hour. (Check closer to your arrival if the Alamo will have some late open hours as they did this past summer.)

The shops at La Villita are open from 10am to 6pm. I'm not much of a shopper, but I enjoy walking through 3 or 4 of the shops there and have found many affordable Mexican crafts to buy as gifts. (The painted tin Christmas ornaments are colorful, inexpensive and flat, so they would pack well for your trip back to Australia.) I would allow about 2 hours here.

It has been a long time since I was at the Institute of Texas Cultures, so I am unsure as to the current exhibits (e.g. western memorabilia). Their website recommends a visit of at least 2 hours and I would tend to agree with that. You might want to contact them directly about the western memorabilia and about arranging for a guided tour if that interests you. (Note, the Institute will be closed from June 4 - 7, 2011 in preparation of the Texas Folklife Festival which takes place June 8 - 10, 2012.) Their hours are 9am to 5pm.

Finally, I agree that a boat tour of the river could be quite enjoyable for you. These tours run until 9pm, so you could do this before or after dinner on your one night in SA. See: http://riosanantonio.com/content/publish/tours.shtml

Thank you for your information. Wouldn't you believe it... I'll be in SA on the 5,6 & 7th June 2012. I cant even change my towns around as I wanted to be in Fort Worth for the weekend to see a Rodeo (unless of course you feel the festival would be far better)
Im not much of a shopper but I do like to pick up memorabilias of my trip and it is funny that you mentioned the xmas ornaments as I buy these from the many countries I visit.