Texas in December

We have vacationed Texas last winter - exactly within the same timeframe that you will have next winter.

To make it short: We loved Texas which was completely different from common prejudices here in Europe. Here is what we did:

- Fort Worth-Stockyards. The Stockyards is a tiny area with historic brick buildings, corrals, a train station and lots and lots of rustic BBQ restaurants, bars and Western shops where you can buy Stetson hats, snake leather boots or stuffed armadillos with beer bottles in their hands. It is fun to spend an evening there.

- Austin. Visit the stately Capitol building, the art museum, stroll along Lake Austin, and enjoy blues music in 6th street or, better, at Antone's Club. The city's motto is "Keep Austin weird!" and that says a lot.

- Texas Hill Country. We especially enjoyed the tiny historical towns Gruene (and regretted that we did not have the opportunity to spend the evening there to listen to the live music in Gruene Hall) and Luckenbach. Especially the latter will show you some typical atmosphere of Texas (weird people playing their guitars).

- San Antonio. This city is spectacularly beautiful - with the riverwalk, the Spanish Governor's Palace, the Mexican Market and the German King William District.

- We also enjoyed Big Bend Natl. Park and the Ghost town Terlingua west of the park (we stayed at a nice hotel in Lajitas) with spectacular scenery.

Temperatures were really nice. In Big Bend, temps went up to 30°C, in San Antonio it was about 25°C. The other places were a bit cooler, around 20°C.

Big Bend area is a "fur piece" as we say here in Texas from the other spots on your itinerary. Not as far afield is the Hill Country. This is an area to the west of Austin that encompasses beautiful hilly terrain, big ranches, pretty streams full of ancient cyprus trees and interesting towns like Fredericksburg, Comfort, Boerne etc. I particularly like Comfort for its unspoiled architecture, tree lined streams and small town charm. If horses and cowboys are of interest, see what's happening in Bandera. Also of great interest are the "painted churches." These are strung along the roads east of Austin and San Antonio, and driving to see them takes you to some of the towns that figured in Texas history. Your teenagers may find the San Antonio Riverwalk - which is touristy to the max - the huge (and I do mean HUGE)outlet mall between Austin and San Antonio (it will be packed that week), and Austin more interesting. Teens might also like the winter activities at Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, and at Sea World in San Antonio.

In Austin, go for a stroll around the south Congress Avenue shops and restaurants - and if the weather isn't optimal, go to the Bob Bullock museum of Texas History, with its IMAX theaters. In the evening, you can take in another movie at the Alamo Drafthouse - a unique concept where you have dinner/snacks/drinks while watching the show - or go to Ester's Follies on 6th street - a comedy review that has been in operation for years. Although the University of Texas will not be in session, the basketball team may be playing - and you can get tickets pretty easily at that time of year.

Eat some chicken fried steak and mexican food. Have fun.

So much great adivce here, most of what I would suggest has already been said.

In San Antonio the Riverwalk is gorgeous with the Christmas decorations. It is indeed touristy but only because it's so nice. Be sure to take a boat ride on the river. Across from the Hyatt Hotel on the Riverwalk is the Alamo, also well worth a visit. Nearby you will also find the wax museum and Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. I thought it was a bit on the cheesy side but still fun, however my teen nephew loved it.

Big Bend is quite a long drive, I wouldn't try it in the time you have.

A few other interesting towns in the Hill Country are Johnson City and Fredericksburg. Johnson City has the LBJ Ranch which is an interesting place to visit, regardless of your opinion of LBJ. Fredericksburg is a German town just a little further west of Johnson City. It has preserved it's German look and feel, and you'll find lots of great German food there. If the weather is nice you might go for a climb on nearby Enchanted Rock.

Thank you for your interest in Texas, you are very welcome here. If you have any other questions I will be happy to answer if I can.

"Across from the Hyatt Hotel on the Riverwalk is the Alamo"

Let me re-state this. If you are on the Riverwalk you can go from the Riverwalk through the Hyatt Hotel and just across the street is the Alamo.

Miramar just posted a great trip report for Austin. You can find lots of good Austin information by reading older posts here.

The Alamo is a famous site in Texas history that has been preserved as a museum. It is worth the visit to absorb some state history and take a break from the Riverwalk.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. It is much appreciated.
For New Year's eve, where would you recommend us to stay?
Is there any food or restaurants that we should not miss out on? Are there any specific shows we should see?

Thanks again.

For New Year's Eve, you have many options:

Austin's 6th Street would be cool, and also San Antonio. For a very special New Year's Eve with authentic Texas flair, you might also consider Gruene Hall.

http://www.yapclub.com/austin/new-years-eve.aspx
http://www.yapclub.com/sanantonio/new-years-eve.aspx
www.gruenehall.com

For upscale dining with live music in Austin, I recommend Eddie V's Edgewater Grille:

http://www.eddiev.com/

When you are in San Antonio, do not miss the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum. It is a very special experience. Inexpensive food.

http://www.buckhornmuseum.com/

Besides the Alamo, I recommend the other missions in San Antonio. With a car, you can easily visit them within two or three hours. http://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm

Boudro's on the River Walk in San Antonio is a fun spot to eat; we love their tableside guacamole and prickly pear margaritas. I'd stay on the River Walk. We like the Marriott Rivercenter, but there are lots of good spots. Definitely do the boat tour. We did a Segway tour that was also fun.

In Gruene, we love to eat at the Grist Mill on the river. The Gruene Apple is a cute place to stay for a night.

In Austin, we love to go out to the Oasis for dinner and drinks to enjoy the view of Lake Travis.

In addition to the above excellent suggestions and comments, note that there are 5 missions in San Antonio dating from 1718. The Alamo is the most famous, but the others are quite different and interesting, and well worth a visit.

All of them can be seen in less than a day. You can see them on your own or tours are offered by some companies.

For overall info see www.nps.gov/saan

You have been given great advice from above. In addition to the Stockyards in Fort Worth, if your family has an interest in art at all, or if the weather is lousy, the Modern Art Museum and, especially, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth are excellent venues. As a matter of fact, the Kimbell recently acquired Michelangelo's first painting, which is on display. The Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth has wonderful entertainment and the building is magnificent. Downtown Fort Worth is a happening place in the evenings - area called Sundance. Eat barbeque (Angelo's or Railhead) and tex-mex food (Joe T. Garcia's) near the Stockyards. Hope this helps...

>>>if your family has an interest in art at all, or if the weather is lousy<<<

I like the way you put it into words. Great!

We've been for just a long weekend to San Antonio and Austin (with a stop in Gruene in between), so just want to add a couple of things:

1. For downscale dining in Austin, don't miss the Salt Lick (barbecue, really really good). It's a ways outside of town. Very limited menu, but a super-fun place. It's "bring your own beer".

2. It was at volcanogirl's suggestion that we ate at Boudro's and we really enjoyed it. The Riverwalk is indeed lovely (and it wasn't Xmastime when we were there), the food is good, the margaritas are great!

3. We enjoyed poking around Gruene, because poking around unique shops is what we love to do. You can spend 2 hours or all day! Most of it is bric-a-brac, but I found a terrific jewelry store (earrings are "my thing") - the Gallerie at Gruene.

4. Lastly, the King William District in San Antonio was perhaps my favorite part of town. Old mansions, some in the throes of being renovated, from a time when German immigrants populated the area. Stop and have a rest/snack at the Mad Hatter Tea House.

sf, we think alike; we loved the Salt Lick in Driftwood too - great Texas vibe!

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it above, but the Guenther House in the King William District of S.A. is a cute spot for brunch or lunch.

Many thanks again for all responses, suggestions and advices. Much appreciated. Is there any cowboy show or Texas specific show that you can recommend to us? Could anyone give us advices about choosing the hotel with a moderate price in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin please?

San Antonio hosts the Alamo Bowl, a large college football bowl game. I think it's held on January 2nd (but please confirm). We've been to SA in the days leading up to the Alamo Bowl and it gets crazy crowded, plus hotels will fill up. I'd advise you to do the San Antonio part of your trip first, then get out of town before the college football crowd arrives.

Be sure to check the weather forecast right before you come. It would be 25 degrees or it could be 85 degrees. You're likely to have nice weather but you never know.

There are two huge outlet malls in San Marcos (between Austin and San Antonio)- quite popular for shopping. They have a lot of shoppers from Mexico and they make it very easy for them to fill out the forms to get a refund of their sales tax, so no reason why someone from Canada couldn't take advantage of that, too.

In the Dallas area, look up the Sixth Floor Museum (Kennedy stuff). If you are going to be in downtown Dallas on a non-holiday weekday, you might want to consider lunch at the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus.

Not really "Texan" but the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular will be in the Dallas area nightly through the 30th (except the 25th).

Here are the essential food groups:

1. Tex-Mex

2. Barbeque

3. Home-cookin' (chicken fried steak; pie)

You might also venture into German food if you visit New Braunfels. Of course, there are loads of upscale restaurants, ethnic restaurants, etc. As your plans firm up, let us know what type of restaurants you're looking for in what city and we'll give recommendations.

If you stay in Fort Worth, try the Ashton Hotel downtown. It can be expensive but maybe they will have specials that week. We stayed there last year and it was very clean, good linens and well decorated rooms. In Dallas, the Melrose hotel is nice, as is Hotel Zaza. Fort Worth is great for culture. World class museums (even a cowgirl museum), a zoo & botanic garden as well as great restaurants. I think that Billy Bob's might have a rodeo event many nights of the week. Dallas is more focused on shopping and eating. Lots of restaurants and shopping malls.

I am sooo grateful to receive lots of great advices and suggestions from each of you. Thank you soo much.
We booked our ticket to Dallas on Dec 25th and returning on Jan 2nd. Missypie is right, the Alamo Bowl is on Jan 2nd, and yeess, we love shopping. I will go to the outlet mall in San Marcos for sure. Based on the advices that I received so far, what do you think about the below itinerary:

Dec 25 - Arrive in Dallas
Dec 26 - San Antonio
Dec 27 - San Antonio
Dec 28 - San Antonio
Dec 29 - Austin
Dec 30 - Houston
Dec 31 - Dallas
Jan 1 - Dallas
jan 2 - Returning back to Toronto

I will need to book my hotels soon, hope to get a moderate price. Thanks again ...

I live in Houston, and although I love living here, I would have to say I would skip it on the trip. I would add another day to Austin. There is so much more to do there. Unless you want to see NASA, Kemah, the Galleria(you said you like shopping), and the museums in the Houston area. I enjoy going to the Austin area, the San Antonio area, and the Hill Country more. In fact we are planning a weekend trip to see the Christmas lights in Johnson City. They are really nice and I think are up through January 2nd. You could tour LBJ's Ranch then too.

Just curious - how are you getting from Dallas to San Antonio?

Houston is the 4th largest city in the US . . I would either skip it or devote several days ( I live in Hoston also ). If you are interested, NASA is a full day visit and Galveston is close enough you could stay there if you want.

We will be driving from Dallas to any other locations.

I'd skip Houston, too. You're driving too much. Spend the 30th in Austin. And one of the Dallas days should be in Ft Worth (but okay to stay in the same hotel.) If you want to be in between the two, try the Gaylord or Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine.

You haven't asked so maybe you already know, but thought I'd mention that weather in Dec can be very unpredicatable. I've seen it snow in Dallas over Christmas (thought very unusual) and we've also gone swimming. Dallas can be considerably cooler than SA or Austin. So plan on the proverbial layers.

And though I think Houston has a whole lot more to offer than many people know or think about, I'd also skip it on this trip. You've only got a week and you'll have plenty to do with your original itinerary.

I think you are getting good advice to narrow your destinations. The drive from Dallas to San Antonio is long, and pretty dull - you will be on a big interstate highway with a ton of truck traffic. Spend at least 2 nights in Austin so you won't just be on the road all the time. What is your budget for hotels? In all of these cities there is everything from a fabulous Hyatt resort hotel, to a very inexpensive budget motel.

There is entirely too much love here for FW and not enough for Dallas. The Crow Collection, DMA, Nasher Sculpture Center are all excellent. Dallas' arts district is in flux as it adds more venues and museums, so you can get a taste of what's to come. The West Village and Bishop Arts District are the modern and arty, respectively, areas that have great restaurants and shops.

And both the Gaylord and the Great Wolf Lodge should have some additional attractions -- the Gaylord has usually had the ICE! show (indoor ice sculpture and art display), which gets big crowds.

The one place you should strongly consider visiting is Interlocken -- it's a section of Arlington where the homeowners set up huge Xmas light displays.

And yes, Dallas can be cold (no, not to Canadians, but to people who aren't always freezing, ). Just ask two great QBs -- Joe Montana and Dan Marino -- each of whom played in frigid conditions during the Cotton Bowl (1979, 1983).

I go to the ICE! show at the Gaylord just about every year and it is spectacular!! I've always wanted to go to the Ice Festival in Harbin, China but the ICE show in TX is a bit more within reach. Here are a few pics from the last exhibit. Keep in mind that everything you see is made of ice or colored ice:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v416/PamKM/ICE%20Exhibit%202008-09/?albumview=slideshow

I also thought the ICE! show was wonderful. The Gaylord is decorated nicely for the holidays. They also usually have a New Year's Eve celebration that's popular.

Thank you so much for all your great advices! We're not looking for a fancy hotel, a three star hotel will do, just as long as the area is great. In San Antonio we are thinking of finding a hotel in the riverwalk area. Any suggestions on which hotel we should pick? We are still unsure about the hotel location in Austin and Dallas/FW. Any advice are welcome.

For Dallas/FW it really depends on what you plan to do while there. Grapevine is located convenient to both Dallas and Fort Worth and especially the airport (about 10 minutes from it). It is where the Gaylord mentioned above is at. There are several moderately priced hotels in the area. If you stay downtown I enjoyed and recommend the Fairmont. It was walking distance to several attractions, including the 6th floor museum, Dallas Museum of Art and the West End.

Hotels:

San Antonio - Hyatt on Riverwalk
Grand Hyatt Riverwalk
Westin Riverwalk
Marriott Riverwalk
Hilton Palacio del Rio
For 2 historic, classic hotels just a couple of blocks from the Riverwalk with some personality and charm try Sheraton Gunter or The Emily Morgan Hotel

Austin downtown - The Driskill (historic; character)
Hampton Inn
Hyatt Regency
Radisson Hotel Town Lake
[4 Seasons is our favorite. More 4* but definitely worth if you can find some good deals online]

Dallas downtown - The Magnolia (former headquarters for Mobil
Oil; very nicely redone; reasonable)
The Adolphus (classy historic; beautifully
maintained; sometimes great deals online)

Dallas west end - Melrose (boutique; close to entertainment,
restaurants, clubs, etc)

We also like the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio.

In Austin, the Hyatt Regency, the Radisson and the 4 Seasons are located on the river - and therefore have special views if you can get a river view room. I think the other choice would be to stay in the general area of Congress Avenue/6th street, which will allow you to walk around to many of the sites. There is a relatively new Courtyard/Residence Inn pair well located on 4th street as well as a Hampton Inn that would accomplish this. All of these are standard chain hotels - but fairly new, and again, well located.I would personally not choose the Intercontinental or the Driskell - the parking is only by valet and the rooms can be small. The Driskill in particular is historic, however, and is fun to see. Go there to the lobby bar, or eat in the 1886 room for breakfast or lunch.

You had best book your San Antonio hotel ASAP, and may not be able to find something right on the Riverwalk in your price range as this is a very popular time. Not to worry as there are plenty of hotels off the Riverwalk but in the downtown area. There is a big New Year's Eve celebration in downtown San Antonio. Other not to miss places in SA are the McNay Art Museum and the San Antonio Museum of Art. You can get to the SAMA from downtown via barge on the new Riverwalk extension. If you visit the McNay you will be close to La Paloma Blanca, a great Mexican restaurant on Broadway.
Agree that Houston can be a great place to visit - museums are first rate, lots of restaurants and shopping galore. In fact, I'd skip the days in Dallas in favor of Houston. Any way you can change your tickets to fly out of Houston?

I'd skip Houston and spend more time in Austin so you have less time on the road and have a chance to see Austin! There are lots of hotels that are moderately priced. The ones that nancythenice listed above would probably work for you.

Restaurants in Austin to consider include Threadgill's (2 locations) for down-home cooking; Chuy's and Maudie's (several locations each) for Tex-Mex; and Hula Hut (on Lake Austin - or I guess it is Lady Bird Lake now - and owned by the same people as Chuy's. I love their Hawaiian fajitas!).

I am not that big a fan of the barbeque at The Salt Lick (I used to live in Austin), but many of my Austin friends love it, and the setting is fun. They take cash only, so go prepared. Another BBQ place that people like is Stubb's downtown. You can actually buy their BBQ sauce in grocery stores here in the Boston area!

I would skip The Oasis, unless their food has gotten much better than it used to be. The real draw is the view, but I've been told that the drought there has dropped Lake Travis so low that the water level is about down to the river channel (Lake Travis is a man-made lake).

Also, you might try to sample kolaches while you are in Austin or San Antonio. They are Czech pastries that come in both sweet and savory varieties. The town of West is at Exit 353 of I-35 between Austin and Dallas, and there are a number of bakeries there that have them (not sure which ones will be open over the holiday, though). You can get them in Austin as well, and maybe SAn Antonio.

We'll be in Texas ( mom and two teens) for the Holidays as well only a wee bit longer to visit family in Dallas. Any other ideas is appreciated. We're going really cheap on hotels in Dallas and Austin and will try a RiverWalk hotel in San Antonio.

Please kindly give more suggestions. We do not have any set itinerary at this time. Just booking the plain tickets BWI to Dallas then San Antonio to BWI going back.


Dec 20-25 Dallas area
Dec 26-28 Austin area
Dec 29-2 San Antonio area

If the Alamo bowl game is 1/2/10, then I'm not sure you want to be in SA for the 1-2 days before that. I really love SA around the holidays - especially the Riverwalk all lit up, but the crowds there are serious crowds there for the college football game. $$, general rowdiness, and overall crowded feel are not what I enjoy anymore.

For a little Texas history and a nice stop from Dallas to Austin, try the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco (exit 335 I believe). Interesting and a nice break in the 3 hour drive.

I've been traveling to Austin for about ten years since my son moved there. One thing to add is First Night Austin, a great civic celebration that takes place on New Year's Eve. There are music, dance, and art offerings all day long throughout the downtown area, culminating in a fun parade in the evening.

Hotels must be seeing a downturn, as I just saw a post on travelzoo that the downtown Crowne Plaza is running a special rate of $85/night Nov 19 Dec 30

My in-laws all live in Texas--San Antonio and Austin, and we generally spend a couple nights in the hill country too when we are visiting for the holidays.

Something that none of the other posters have mentioned is that both San Antonio and Austin have mega gourmet food stores which are the size of small shopping malls and not to be missed--an excursion in themselves. The flagship Whole Foods store is in downtown Austin, with lots of counters for buying prepared food (everything from pizzas to suishi to raw foods). In San Antonio there is the equally enormous Central Market, a couple miles north of the Riverwalk, which also has prepared food that you can buy for a meal. Both have great carry out for picnics or meals at your hotel.

My DH and I were in Austin last year on Dec 30th and went to a smallish improv club on 6th street and then hung out in the Driskill lobby bar for dessert (sat on a cowhide couch), saw three folk/cowboy different bands play there with no cover, then wandered around the lovely historic ballrooms and out onto a balcony overlooking the city. Magical. Make sure you go there one evening--even your teen girls will like this.

Favorite places in Hill Country--Bandara (eat at Old Spanish Trail for Chicken fried steak--walls are covered in stills from John Wayne movies) http://www.texasbob.com/eats/tbe_ost.html; Fredicksburg got the aforementioned German food; and Enchanted Rock (Native American sacred site--great views of surrounding countryside).

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/enchanted_rock/

My favorite restaurant in San Antonio is Rosario's (because it tends towards Mex, not just the usual TexMex)--has excellent enchaladas with poblano crema, a Kahlua flan to die for, and a fun atmosphere. A short way from the Riverwalk: www.rosariossa.com

Happy Trails!

Sorry for getting back sooo late. Thank you all for the advices and recommendations. In Austin, is it worth it to stay in downtown and pay for parking? Or should we just stay outside of downtown? Thank you.

I have lived in Dallas my entire life.

Last time we went to Austin, we stayed at the Sheraton downtown. It was very nice and an easy walk to to sights downtown. Just be cautious walking back to the hotel late at night. We had no problems but it was pretty early and busy.
I have stayed at many other hotels in the area and it really just depends on what you want. You can stay outside of the city center and save a ton of money. Parking is no problem in Austin, just pay. So it's up to you. It's great either way and easy to navigate.

San Marcos is an all day affair. I LOVE going there and alway find great bargains!
Stop in Kyle and get some pie:
http://www.texaspiecompany.com/

I go every year to the Ice thing at the Gaylord Texan because I am a customer of the hotel. I have also been to the winter events in Ottawa and Montreal. I am never impressed with the Gaylord show. Skip it and do something authentic. If the kids want to swim, Great Wolf is cool, but skip it if swimming isn't a big attraction.

On the way to San Antonio/Austin, stop in West, Texas and grab a kolache. Look on the map, it's not too far out of Dallas and I always fill my tank and grab a few fresh ones.

The Dr Pepper museum is in Waco. It is a Texas institution! Also Blue Bell in Brenham.
Google both for more info.

Have a great time. I hope to go to Ottawa during Winterlude 2010!

IMO it's definitely worth staying downtown. Easy to walk most places (and parking isn't that expensive). The Sheraton mentioned above is a good choice. We particularly like the Radisson on Cesar Chavez St (1st St) [some of the rooms on the lower floors are very large] and the 4 Seasons. Both are right on Town Lake in beautiful settings and within a block of Congress Ave. The 4 Seasons often has specials online and in Dec you're likely to find a good deal.

One of our favorite restaurants is in between the Radisson and 4 Seasons - the Shoreline Grill. Very good regional food and great views from the terrace (although Dec may be a little chilly for that)

Well everyone enjoys different things. While TxTravelPro didn't enjoy the ICE show I certainly did and know many others that have. It was like viewing works of art in our eyes. And art tastes will vary. Forget the remark about authentic, the Gaylord is worth a visit...even for us 100% Texans.

Skip Austin, and spend more time in Dallas and San Antonio. The Alamo and Rivewalk in SA are very interesting.

Skip Dallas, and spend more time in Austin and San Antonio. The Alamo and Riverwalk in SA are very interesting. Historic Fort Worth is worth a visit. Dallas, IMO, is just another one of those modern, cookie cutter large cities.

I recommend skipping Houston too. I lived there for 3 years and it's just a big ugly city with nothing much to offer.

bookmarking

I'm surprised someone would say to skip Austin and spend time in Dallas instead. To me, Dallas and Houston are both nice places to live, but as a tourist, I'd rather go the Austin and SA route.

Volcano... as someone born and raised in Dallas I wholeheartedly agree. I love my city and there are a few noteworthy things to do, but there are SOOOO many reasons to get the heck down to Austin, the Hill Country, San Antonio.
I could spend a month in that area and not run out of things to do!