Hi all. We're going to be in San Antonio for 3 days in a few weeks. Our nephew and his wife live in Austin. Since we only have 3 full days, would it make sense for us to drive to Austin (and if so, should we take an entire day?), or, after reading another thread, would it make more sense to have them meet us for dinner in Gruene (or earlier than dinner - time to poke around)? Or neither - since they live there, have them come to San Antonio?

Austin's certainly worth a visit, but a day trip really doesn't do it justice. If you've never been to SA, there's more than enough to see there and I'd suggest meeting them in Gruen or New Braunfels (both very different from SA or Austin). Having said that, I wouldn't strongly argue with anyone that thought a day in Austin was worth it.

Now, have I been any help at all????

Now, have I been any help at all????

sorta maybe LOL! (I hope others chime in -- Ann Marie? Volcanogirl?)

My answer would be "it depends"

Where in Austin do they live? do they work? how willing are they to drive?

South or Southwest Austin is a quite a bit closer to SA than far North or Northwest. Asking them to drive to NB or Gruene after work would make for a long day.

If it were I, I would invite them to join you in San Antonio for a day/dinner. Gruene is a pleasant, little town, with little being an operative word. To me it's worth a mosey before or after toobing on the river, but not really a go-out-of-your-way destination. San Antonio, on the other hand, is always a fun destination.

Thanks J62. That's very helpful. P.S. We'd only ask them to come on Saturday, not after work. I don't know what part of Austin they live in. We'll see.

Hi dmlove,

Certainly, Austin has a lot to offer and your newphew would be a great resource in showing you around.

The Congress Street Bridge bat season begins mid-March...we've had a mild winter this year which makes me wonder if the season will begin a tad sooner, in time for your visit--what an experience that is.

I also love the idea of meeting in Gruene--coming from downtown San Antonio, it would be an easy drive and give you a taste of small town Texas. Precious, imo.

You could do as we did for the GTG, meet at the Grist Mill for lunch. Afterwards, you could head next door to historic Gruene Hall to listen to some live music. For me, that would afford the greatest opportunity to visit, relax and catch-up as well as experience a small part of what makes Texas so unique and special.

Really, can't go wrong either way, imo.

I like Austin much more than San Antonio - of course I'm biased...So I say yes, come here. It's only about 1 1/2 hour drive - but of course, ask them if they have a preference.

I have to disagree a bit on the bats... The females DO come to Austin in March, but they don't have their babies till June. And that's when they leave the COngress Ave bridge, en mass, to find food (bugs/mosquitos) for their babies. So there isn't much to see regarding the bats until June and later.

Thanks, Austin, for the info / factoid on the bats--I didn't know.

I'm still learning Anna Marie, and I've been here 25 years. I learned that because this past summer was SO wet and rainy, the bats didn't have to fly very far because of the abundance of mosquitos, so the "shows" weren't very good.

Ah...maybe that explains why we didn't see them last summer. We live near Bracken Cave, the largest nursery colony in the US? World? Universe? LOL and normally we get fly overs, but none that we saw last summer. We've even joined Bat Conservation International and hope to get a first hand look at an emergence. OK...just checked my facts...largest maternity colony in the world. Believe it or not, the story of the bats and Bracken Cave really is interesting! http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v10n3-1.html