Big Bend, McDonald Observatory, San Antonio and Austin in January
 

Planning trip for first of Jan., 2017. Two 67 year olds in good shape, 35 yo and 27 yo. Enjoy moderate hikes, nature, science, food, and art/culture. Staying in Big Bend 3 nights. Any suggestions, including where to stay in Austin, will be appreciated.

In San Antonio, go to the River Walk, tour the Alamo. We also did a Segway tour that was really fun. It goes through the historic King William District. Boudro's is a good spot to grab lunch on the River Walk; they serve tableside guacamole and good prickly pear margaritas. The barge tour on the river is also fun and gives you a nice overview. Guenther House is good for breakfast.

https://www.guentherhouse.com/
http://boudros.com/

If you find yourselves near Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock is a great hike.

In Austin, head up to Mt. Bonnell for some gorgeous views. Also fun to grab lunch or dinner and drinks at The Oasis out by the lake - beautiful sunset views too.

http://oasis-austin.com/

If the weather is nice, we like the botanical gardens, and you can take boat cruises on the lake.

You can also tour the capitol building and visit the LBJ library.

Are you staying at the national park lodge inside Big Bend?

Where to stay in Austin depends on what kind of hotel you like and what you like to do. Austin has the usual chains and also some new boutique hotels.There are also some STRs, but the city is really cracking down on these. If you choose to stay downtown, you are close to Lady Bird Lake, the hike and bike trail, the Capitol and not too far from the University of Texas where the LBJ library is located.

Another area that is popular is around South Congress. There are a few boutique hotels located there. The South Congress Hotel is the newest and has a couple of good restaurants and 1 incredibly expensive sushi restaurant. The Hotel San Jose is also a favorite. They have a wonderful courtyard and next door is Jo's Coffee which is very good and has some of the best "people watching" around. The 3rd hotel is much more expensive, but is delightful called Saint Cecilia. It's located a block off of South Congress in a neighborhood. The bar area and outdoor courtyard are reserved just for hotel guests. So, if you need a bit of refuge from the noise of the city, this is a great place plus all the mattresses are Hasten which are really comfortable. To me, downtown Austin could almost be any large city now; South Congress still has many elements of the way Austin used to be. You are within walking distance of Lady Bird Lake and many really good restaurants.

FYI: Lady Bird Lake is the divide between downtown and South Congress.

East Austin has also started to really bloom with some boutique hotels and many new restaurants as the rent is cheaper over there. To me, it's not as walkable as the other areas, but you should check it out. Interstate 35 divides this area from the rest of Austin.

I agree with volcanogirl about Mt. Bonnell, but do not leave your purse or anything valuable in your car cause there's a chance it won't be there when you get back!

Stay away from 6th Street. It has turned into a really dirty place and sometimes not very safe. The city is working on making some changes, but for now, stay away! Although, the one thing that is legendary on 6th Street is Ester's Follies which is always fun. Go to the early show!

Check out the Long Center for entertainment. ACL for music if you are interested. One World Theater for a small venue for music. The Continental Club often has some great music (located on South Congress) and for a taste of one of the remaining old Austin dancehalls, go to The Broken Spoke.

I meant to ask how long are you staying? Big Bend to Austin/San Antonio area is quite a drive.

Thanks for all of your great thoughts. We come 1/1 and are staying 3 nights in the park and fly out of Austin 1/8. We wanted to go to the McDonald Observatory if possible.

Are you driving to Big Bend? It will probably be cold at the first of the year. As long as you are in the area, you should check out the "Marfa Lights". You do understand that the drive from Austin to Fort Davis is 6-7 hours, so 2 days of your 7 day visit will be in the car.

Bundle up good if you go to the Marfa Lights observatory area. It can be wicked cold at night at that time of year.

Bundle up good if you go to the Marfa Lights observatory area. It can be wicked cold at night at that time of year.

Big Bend is huge. You are best off to divide it into 3 main sections and explore each for one day.

Chisos Mountains area - do the Lost Mine trail (at least up to the 1 mile point), hike the Windows trail all the way to the pouroff, get dinner and watch the sunset through the Window. If you have more time during the day, hike to Balanced Rock as well.

Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive area - hike Santa Elena Canyon, walk up to the Dorgan-Sublett house ruins, stop in at the Castolon ranger station and check out the historical displays, hike either Mule Ears trail to the spring or Lower Burro Mesa trail to the pouroff. Stop in at Sam Nail Ranch and/or Homer Wilson ranch. That sounds like a lot but most are relatively short hikes. You can buy food at the general store at Castolon (or pack a lunch). You do not want to waste time driving back to the Chisos or over to Terlingua/Study Butte to eat and then drive back, it is just too far and not a good use of time.

Rio Grande area (east side of park) - stop at the fossil exhibit, drive down to the Rio Grande Village area (stop at Dugout Wells maybe?), drive to Ernst Tinaja if you have suitable vehicle, hike the Rio Grande Village nature trail (located at the back of the campground), go to the Hot Springs, cross the border into Mexico and visit Boquillas. Again, the store at Rio Grande Village will have food (or eat in Boquillas if you go visit). You'll need a passport with a chip as they scan it remotely (but check on that to verify as I've not been able to visit since the border re-opened).

The Chisos lodging area is not well-lit at night so take a flashlight/headlamp if you plan on walking around to dinner or a ranger program. And it will be chilly in the mountains, possibly freezing there or in the desert as well - although it could also be warm and beautiful.

Highly recommend a ranger program or two, as well as driving out of the Basin at least one night and sitting out in the desert looking up at the stars. Absolutely amazing night skies and you will see more stars than you have ever seen before.

Fort Davis is a boring town to stay in overnight, but a great place to visit the state park, national historic site, and the observatory. Alpine and Marfa have a lot of art galleries but different vibes for each town. Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine is great.

Fill up on gas each day - gas stations in the park at Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village. Panther Junction will be most convenient for you as it's closest to the Chisos.

Your suggestions are so very helpful and thoughtful. We will definitely use them. In terms of driving time, we have taken heed already. We are not going to the observatory this trip, as we would be there on a non-stargazing night. We are flying into Midland and out of Austin, so one-way travel. In the process of finding one night stay in San Antonio and three in Austin. This forum has helped us plan so many trips. We are grateful for all help!

I always stay at The Gunter Hotel in San Antonio. It just feels like history plus you are close to everything downtown.

Why are you spending only 1 night in SA and 3 in Austin? Both cities have so much to see and do. Maybe because I live in Austin, San Antonio has more interesting sites to me.

Thanks, just made a reservation at the Gunter. Will consider 2 nights. next, will look for somewhere to stay in Austin.

Check out South Congress Hotel and also Hotel San Jose. They are both in an interesting part of town that still feels like Austin plus it's easy to get downtown if you are interested. Lots of good restaurants within walking distance, both ones on South Congress and those on South 1st street.

again, all this information is so helpful. the hotels in Austin are a little pricier than we expected and, with 4 adults, by the time we get to Austin, an apartment from VRBO or Airbnb may be preferable. If anyone has any suggestions along those lines, we would welcome them.