driving from Austin to San Antonio
 

I am wondering about driving from Austin to San Antonio and back on I-35 to visit Sea World, Zoo ans Botanical Garden. Is it a very busy intense freeway? I am from a small city and not used to driving speedy freeways...Should I consider a longer drive on US- 290 and US -281? Also how is the traffic in San Antonio? I 'd like to rent a car, but driving in a big city makes me nervous. Would we better off using public transportation if there is such an option?
Please advise....

I-35 from Austin to SA can be a very busy, intense freeway. Lots of trucks combined with 75mph speeds. It's never bothered me as I'm used to freeway driving. US290/281 is a longer drive but definitely not as busy.

Traffic around SA during rush hour can be busy, but other than that it's not a big deal. Sea World is about 10 miles outside town, so getting there you would be taking freeway all the way.

I really think if you can stay in your RIGHT lane and not be a left lane driver you will be okay. Surely you have driven an interstate before.

If you are truly a nervous driver in busy highway traffic, I'd stay off I-35 in Austin. US290/281 are more scenic and less highly traveled.

I agree - stay right and you will be fine, just PLEASE don't be the person that is driving below the speed limit, forcing everyone to go around you. The trick on 35 is to always stay with the flow of traffic, no matter what the speed limit is.

Sea World, the botanical gardens, the zoo, and of course you need to see the Alamo (!) will take longer than a day trip. I don't know what you trip plans are but I think you need to consider spending at least one night, preferably two, in San Antonio. Avoid rush hour on 35 and the two ciites and be sure you have a navigator or a GPS to guide you. Have fun!

I agree with saige if you are concerned stick with US290/281 I have made both drives the congestion that can happen on 35 around Austin can burn any time you may save driving it. Besides save it for San Antonio it's not a difficult drive but the less of a headache the better! Do see the Alamo and Riverwalk if you can:)

I agree--Sea World, alone would take a full day. You certainly need to spend some time down on the River Walk in downtown S.A. It's the heart of the city and the number one tourist attraction. If you spent the night you could do that in the evening. The Alamo is in the same area.

There is an express bus line that goes from downtown to Sea World.

If you have time for only one day, stick to places you can't see anywhere else--River Walk, Alamo, Menger Hotel, Mercado (Mexican Market), etc. You can see Sea World several other places.

Thanks for your input. I plan on staying for about a week so no need to jam all of it in one day. We have visited Sea world in San Diego and Florida, so we know it takes the whole day. My daughter loves it so we want to visit the last one on the list:-)
One more question...What part of town do we want to be to be centrally located to all of these attractions? River walk is in downtown...Is it a good location to stay? Is there any public transportation in town? I have read several posts on citydata.com and they make me even more nervous about driving since it talks about aggressive tailgating etc.

If you have a week then you could stay at the Hill Country Hyatt for a few days. It's right near SeaWorld, and a wonderful family friendly resort.

In town, I like to stay right on or near the Riverwalk - plenty of hotels.

I will say again, agressive tailgating usually happens when you are in the LEFT lane, and going the speed limit. It is not your job to enforce the speed limit. Stay in the right lane except to pass and you will not find "aggressive tailgating".

Thanks everyone! Switching the subject... What is the weather like at the end of May- beginning of June? Is it too hot and humid? We are from a colder climate and are not big fans of humidity.

The weather might be nice, or it might be really hot and somewhat humid. So far this spring has been cooler than typical, but there is no guarantee the nice weather will continue.

Thanks maryanntex,
I know it's Texas and it is hotter than Alaska:-) The question is how hot and humid? It is tolerable to be outside, or is it really bad so that you have to stay inside with a/c?
We do not want to spend a vacation inside, we do it most of the year here in AK.

needsun, check wunderground.com for weather history. Normally by May our a/c was on for the season but it's not as hot as it will be come July and August. While May and June may have been tolerable for us you're coming from AK so I don't know what's tolerable for you.

If I were you I would stay downtown--it's an easy drive to Sea World from there (I-37, to Hwy 90, to 151--there are signs for Sea World at 151). There is a lot of construction in that NW area, and a lot of congestion so I think for that reason alone you are better off downtown.

There was a time we had season passes to SW--there is one thing you can almost always count on, a breeze. Unlike Fiesta Texas, SW is perched at an elevation and there always seemed to be a breeze. Avoid sitting in the sunny side of any stadium--always look for shade. You may notice people sitting in the sun, fanning themselves profusely, then moving. You can always cool off at one of the water rides or features--I was a fan of the wave pool. :-)

Thank you, AnnMarie,
Great weather site to get an idea how hot it usually is. Any other attractions that are worth attention? we will definitely do SW, Zoo, Botanical garden, Alamo. Anything else that deserves attention and would appeal to a 16 yo girl?

I think the Missions are pretty special and my teenage niece / nephew enjoyed seeing them when they came to visit,

http://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm

There is a beautiful outdoor shopping center on the far north side, off I-10 and 1604, called La Cantera. It's adjacent to Fiesta Texas. Both are easy to get to from downtown via I-10.

http://www.theshopsatlacantera.com/

http://www.sixflags.com/fiestatexas/index.aspx

I think another poster already mentioned El Mercado downtown--that is a fun place to poke around. The restaurant Mi Tierra has an amazing bakery.

http://www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/mark...=1366&ver=true

Also worthwhile downtown stops,

San Fernando Cathedral,
http://www.sfcathedral.org/

La Villita,
http://lavillita.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage

Hope this helps!

I wouldn't rank the SA zoo and botanical gardens high on my list, alone or w/ teenagers.

Higher on my list would be (not necessarily in this order)
a) Natural Bridge Caverns - enroute from Austin to SA, about 30min outside SA.
b) Schlitterbahn water park, New Braunfels.
c) Toobing on the Guadalupe or Comal rivers - out of Gruene.
d) Drive through the Natural Bridges wildlife park, next to (above?) the cavern.

My teenagers would rate a day at Schlitterbahn 1st, toobing 2nd, and caverns 3rd, wildlife park 4th.

They'd actually rate hanging out on the lazy river at Hyatt Hill Country near SW as #1, #2, & #3., then the order I gave above.

There's also a Ripleys or a Wax Museum (or maybe both) right next to the Alamo. Ripleys is very hokey, but worth a giggle or 2 if you want to pay for admission.

It'll be in the 80s (MINIMUM) when you're coming, which to you will mean hot and to everyone who lives in the great State of Texas means it's just a nice day. No one else can tell what tolerable or "too hot" will mean. We play golf and tennis in July and August down here even if the mercury level won't dip below 100.

AnnMarie and J62,
Thank you for great ideas! Schlitterbahn water park is definitely something that we would want to be doing on a hot day. I know it's going to be too hot for us since we are not used to this kind of weather.
Zoo and botanical garden will stay on the list. We are nature and animal lovers. Thanks again.