klphoto

San Antonio itinerary

Arrive Jan 4th for 8 nights…………………That’s it so far.


We are coming to town to escape the frigid weather in Chicago. We got an awesome deal on airfare and a house rental.
Any and all legal suggestions welcome. We are a young at heart mid to late 40’s husband and wife.
We know we will go to the Missions, and probably Sea World. Any must see places? Food, fun or photo’s?
We are prepared to drive a ways to get a great experience or photo.
Of course I can google a lot of stuff, but this is our first trip to the Lone Star state and were looking for some of that famous hospitality from real people not search engines.
BTW. When they say the River Walk will be drained for maintenance does that mean completely, as in seeing beer cans and dead bodies sticking out of the mud??

Keith

travelcrew

San Antonio can be an interesting and fun city to visit, weather may be unpredictable that time of year, just check before you go.
King William district is good if you like architecture. Shopping is fabulous throughout the city, checkout the new Bass Pro Shop, or the upscale shops at La Canterra. Boutiques prevail along Broadway, and the Quarry has good shops and restaurants.
The riverwalk is fun for an afternoon walk and dinner, and downtown San Antonio has great dining choices.
Wonderful day trips abound, to Fredericksburg (check out the Hilltop Cafe for offbeat, to die for, food), and the town has lovely B&B's and endless adorable shops. Enchanted rock is nearby for a day of easy hiking.
Another day should be spent in New Braunfels and Gruene. Shopping and dining in this quaint German community will not disappoint. For fabulous steaks hit Myron's, for more varied options, Yuisache Grill will fill the bill. Gruene is chock full of darling shops and antiques and is also home to the oldest dance hall in Texas. For active play, check out Texas Ski Ranch with a cable tow system to wakeboard on. Call for hours or to set up a private lesson behind a boat, they are open daily but the cable only runs on weekends in the winter. (they have wetsuits for rent if it is cold.)
Golf courses are plentiful in the area, La Canterra is great, or check out the Quarry. The Bandit near New Braunfels is also beautiful and challenging.
You could visit the missions, or check out the art scene. San Antonio is a great city for a week of adventure!

klphoto

Thanks Travelcrew. This is the type of detailed local info we were looking for.
Plenty of wonderful suggestions. Shops,hiking,steaks,antiques, Bass Pro and dancing.
All words that are dear to are hearts.

thanks again.
keith

ChristieP

Yes on the Riverwalk. They call it the "Mud Festival" when it is drained. (No dead bodies, though!)

If you're looking for shopping, be sure and visit Fredericksburg and Beorne. They both have Main Streets that are full of cute shops, and the towns are lots of fun. Plus, the drive to both is easy and pretty! Also, Bandera is the "Cowboy Capital of Texas" and it lots of fun. I'm sure you can find a good steak there, too! Oh, and the outlet mall at San Marcos (north of San Antonio) is GREAT! It will take you a whole day to see!

You might also take a day trip to Austin. The State Capitol building is gorgeous (bigger than the US Capitol, and ours is made from Texas pink granite.)

For dancing, many of the Hill Country towns have dance halls. The one in Gruene (Gruene Hall) is legendary. It gets really crowded on weekends, so plan to be there a little early.

AustinTraveler

Eight nights is a long time in San Antonio so I would definitely visit Austin and stay overnight. Lots of things to see and do in Austin. Just do a search here or click on my name for previous posts about things to do, restaurants, etc.

I hope you get good weather!! You just never know in January.

OO

Sea World will be closed while you are here, unfortunately. It is open for weekends through Dec 31, then closes for the winter.

I've only seen the river drained once (we moved here a year ago). At that time I was surprised as I thought there would be no water at all. Instead it reminded me of a tidal estuary when the tide has gone out. There is some water in the middle and it was interesting to see. I was surprised at how very shallow the river actually is, full or not--probably no more than 3.5 feet in any area.

I agree with the King William recommendation. It's one of my favorite areas of the city (I walk there each weekend to break the monotony of walking in my neighborhood. ) Walk the length of King William St, top to bottom, and possibly Madison as well. King William district was originally a wealthy area of San Antonio, built up in the mid 1800's, beautiful homes, but then slowly, slowly, they and the area began to deteriorate, until it reached the point no tourist would ever dream of setting foot there. Then it turned around again, the houses were bought up and restored and the area is again gorgeous. (And safe!) You can pick up a brochure that describes the history of the majority of the homes on King William from a box on the fence at the top of King William St, by St Mary's St, making your tour of that area even more interesting.

At the bottom of King William St, where it meets Guenther, make a right onto Guenther. You'll see the Pioneer Flour Mill on the left. The Guenther House, with delicious breakfasts and lunches, is within this complex...a little stone house, you'll be able to see it from the street. You can't make reservations in advance and there is often a line, but worth the wait. If it's a nice day you can dine outside in their patio area.

Ditto the missions recommendation as well. Be sure to see the fabulous film giving the history of the missions at the Mission San Jose visitor's center. I'd been to the mission many times, but just saw the film on our last trip and it was so moving! Mission San Jose has a mariachi mass on Sundays at noon which is still on my list of "things to do" that we have yet to get to. I hear it's wonderful. This is also the most photogenic (IMHO) of all the missions, especially in the late afternoon, when the shadows and the arches make some fabulous photos, even if you have zero talent, as I have!

Although Fredericksburg is interesting to see, I've fallen out of love with it in recent years as it's just too touristy and shopping has deteriorated drastically. Boerne, not as pretty, but still old timey town, is the rising star for unique shopping. We were there yesterday along with seemingly 1/4 of San Antonio for a start in unique items for Christmas gifts. My favorite shops there are Calamity Jane's for upscale western accent pieces for the home and fabulous candles, Cielo for beautiful nightgowns, pjs and robes as well as boutique soaps and linens, Viva Rouge (I think) for MacKenzie Childs--all these on Main St. On one of the side streets there is a new wonderful kitchen store, Kiss the Cook for terrific anythings for the kitchen.

We are headed to Gruene today for more shopping, then end the afternoon at Gruene Hall listening to whomever is playing. Gruene Hall has a website, www.gruenehall.com where you can see who is playing any day, and whether or not it will be free. Sundays groups usually are, but we've heard some fantastic music then. They've had people such as the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Bo Diddley. We've seen Leon Russell and Aaron Neville this year. There are a lot of pictures on that website where you can get a better idea of what the place is like. It's a nice way to pass a Sunday, and all the shops are open then as well.

trippinkpj

I second the Gruene suggestion. And the Grist Mill is a lovely place for lunch or dinner. We got some great pastries at a bakery near there in New Braunfels. We stayeded at the Westin La Canterra, and enjoyed the shops near there. Most are upscale, but I actually found some deals at the Macy's. It's very pretty up there.

AustinTraveler

I completely agree with OO about Fredericksburg. I honestly would not waste my time there.

enjoylife

Defintely spend at least a day and evening in Austin -- good music and good food. You can check the Austin Chronicle on line for what music is going on. Also, if you like to discount shop, there is an outlet mall on the way to Austin.

dorkforcemom

Not only would I take in Gruene & Boerne, but I would visit Comfort for its antique shopping. Eat chicken fried steak at the Grist Mill in Gruene. Browse antiques in Gruene - Hampe House among others. Personally, I'd skip the outlet shopping north of San Antonio as it's no different from what you can experience at Gurnee Mills north of Chicago. Definitely go to the missions around San Antonio. Do you like sports? Perhaps a Spurs game if basketball is your thing? While I agree that Fredericksburg has many tourists, in January it might not be as crowded. We love the German restaurant on the west side of town (what is the name of it? big pinkish building across from the Holiday Inn Express?) Have a wonderful trip and hope this helps...

TexasGirlTravels

Definitely check out the shops on Broadway. Cheever's Books is great. They specialize in used and rare books, and I almost always find something there. Right next to it is a great antiques shop. Some very expensive stuff, but it's fun to look, and sometimes you can find a great deal. Behind both of those buildings is a mystery book shop, if you're in to that. Just down the way is the Witte Museum. It's not just fun for kids! It's got a lot of great exhibits, and there are several restaurants nearby for lunch and dinner before and/or after the museum. It's a fun area. Check out Central Market (also on Broadway) if you have a chance.

If you skip the River Walk...you're not missing much. I know it's popular, but it's a complete tourist trap, and the food is mediocre and overpriced. You're much better off traveling through the city and the surrounding areas to get a better idea of what San Antonio is really like.

Some of my favorite restaurants:

*Bistro Time-always uses fresh, seasonal produce; I have never had anything bad here
*L'Etoille-the best French restaurant (although La Reve is a close competitor)
*La Fogata or Cha Cha's for Mexican
*Grissini-amazing, authentic Italian-it looks like nothing on the outside, but it's very romantic inside; the fish and pasta dishes are amazing; also try the antipasto platter if you have a chance
*India Oven-hands down the best Indian food I've ever had anywhere-don't bother with the buffet if you go at lunch, just order off the menu


If you have time, you could see a play or musical at the Majestic Theatre downtown. Downtown SA is a lot of fun, and there are a lot of trendy bars (not just for young people) in the area. Bohannan's across from the Majestic is very, very nice, but can be overpriced. The food is great, though. Also across the street is the Gunter Hotel. It's an hold, elegant hotel with a nice bar inside-might be nice before or after dinner. The hotel is supposedly haunted, and there are supposed to be original bullet holes in the bar from back in the day.

I hope you have a great time in San Antonio!