Magpies

Hi everyone,
we are still working out our plans for January ( post cruise FL ) but are considering going to some of the above places as suggested in another post.
We need to fly back to LA.
What are your suggestions for must sees / dos / hotels etc.?
We like modern, clean hotels with a view if possible. We also enjoy nice B&B 's which are unique.
It is just my husband and I and we enjoy sight seeing, learning about the local areas, shopping, eating out, enjoying a drink at a nice spot etc.
Look forward to your ideas and suggestions
Donna
Australia

abram

In San Antonio, there's the Riverwalk and the Alamo.
Our favorite sights are our four little granddaughters, so we don't really do any tourist sightseeing.

volcanogirl

In San Antonio, we like the Marriott Rivercenter right on the river walk. There are also a lot of cute B&Bs in the King William District. Boudro's is a nice place to eat right on the river. Definitely do the little river cruise tour, and visit the Alamo. The Guenther House is a good spot for breakfast or lunch. Austin has a lot of live, local music. We always go to the Oasis out on the lake for dinner and drinks. Beautiful sunset views there. Nice views from Mt. Bonnell too. You can also do boat tours on Town Lake and in season, you can see all the bats fly out from under the Congress Ave. bridge. There's a great botanical garden in town, although if there's been a freeze, it probably wouldn't look its best in January. You can do a tour of the Capitol as well. Just outside Austin, we love to go to the Salt Lick for barbecue.

longhorn55

I'd recommend going to Fredericksburg, Texas (80 miles west of Austin or 70 miles northwest of San Antonio) and stay in a B&B there. It's located in a very scenic area of Texas called the Texas Hill Country. Fredericksburg is a cute town and you would enjoy shopping (or window shopping) along Main Street. Be sure to stop in Rustlin' Rob's for free samples of all their delicious Texas sauces, jams, dips, etc. There's lots of great restaurants and German food is a specialty since the town was founded by German immigrants. One place I can definitely recommend for food is Cabernet Grill. If you are there on a weekend, plan to get tickets for the show at Rockbox. Finally, if you enjoy history, you'll love Fredericksburg as it's the location for the excellent National Museum of the Pacific War and the LBJ Ranch National Historic Site is a short drive away.

http://www.rustlinrobs.com/

http://www.cottonginlodging.com/restaurant.html

http://www.rockboxtheater.com/

http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/

http://www.nps.gov/lyjo/planyourvisit/visitlbjranch.htm

Magpies

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
Volcanogirl I will I will check out your hotel, restaurant and sightseeing ideas.
We realise it is not the best time of the year to visit but will make the most of it.
Longhorn55, I will check out Fredericksburg as it sounds like there is a bit to see and do there and the town will be good to check out.
Abram it sounds like you enjoy catching up with your family . Maybe you have some restaurant ideas?
Thanks again everyone
Will check out all your ideas in the near future
Donna

volcanogirl

Gruene is another really cute little historic area, lots of little shops and restaurants right on the river. We like to eat at the Grist Mill; sometimes they have live music. The Gruene Apple is a cute B&B there. They also have Texas oldest dance hall, live music there too, antiquing, etc.

Austin

In Austin the hotels I recc are the Hotel San Jose, the Driskill, the Four Seasons.

Unlike others, I'm not a cheerleader for Fredricksburg (except maybe a day trip after stopping at wineries on the way-or on the way back) or Gruene, unless for music and only a day trip. Both are quaint and IF you have plenty of time, go. Otherwise I think SA and Austin more worth your time.

Agree with volcano girl on Boudros to eat on the Riverwalk. Personally I like the Hotel Contessa. Great rooms, great price and location.

January is off season so you will get GREAT rates.

jayne1973

Galveston is also very historic and signficant in Texas history. If weather is decent, take a walk along the seawall...there's not another one like it on any Texas shore. Gaido's is famous for seafood, and I am sure there are other great places, too.

In Austin, the Driskell is famous for being haunted and I have heard first hand accounts. Another good downtown hotel is Hampton Inn and Suites. I was surprised at how nice the rooms were, and it is a short walk to Sixth Street, which is really a "must see" in Austin. There's a neat comedy review called Esther's Follies down there if you happen to be there on a weekend. Otherwise, just do a little bar-hopping and check out some of Austin's famous music scene. "Keep Austin Weird" is kind of the town motto, but Australia might be just as weird for all I know! haha

Magpies

Hi again,
thanks again Volcanogirl, Austin and Jayne1973 for all of your great accommodation, restaurant, bar, sights suggestions and must sees. I do appreciate it!
I am in the middle of school reports ( teacher ) and can't wait to check out all of your ideas!!!
I'm sure my husband will enjoy the bar hopping!
Yes we have some weird places too!!
Thanks again
Donna

volcanogirl

Barton Creek Resort is a nice hotel in Austin. In Galveston, we like the San Luis. Definitely check out Moody Gardens in Galveston if you have time. There are lots of beautiful historic homes there like Bishop's Palace that you can tour. Go shopping on The Strand. The Spot is a great place to grab a good burger; Mosquito Cafe also has good food.

Barblab

Have you considered, or been to New Orleans? With ten days I would fly to New Orleans and spend a couple nights, then fly to either Austin or San Antonio area for a big loop for the balance of your time. I would bypass Galveston for Corpus, as it is closer to the hill country and makes more since to include it in your loop. That and the fact that you are coming from Australia and have spent a considerable amount of time in California, Florida, and sounds like the Caribbean, I think Galveston would be a major let down.

If you like driving you could fly into New Orleans and out of Austin or SA for LA. You would incur a drop charge but with the exchange rate probably no big deal for you.

Magpies

Hi Barblab,
yes we have been to New Orleans before.
We have been to the US quite a few times and try to go somewhere new if we can. We have not been to Texas at all so thought it might be a possibility.
Thanks for your suggestion. we are open to all ideas.
Thanks again Volcangirl you have given me so much to research. Will have a good look in the coming days.
Will check out Barton resort. The old homes sound lovely.
Lots of good food suggestions. That is all you seem to do on holiday - eat and drink too much!
Thanks Donna

volcanogirl

Mag, I don't know if it interests you, but NASA/Johnson Space Center isn't too far from Galveston if it interests you. There's an area called Kemah where you can eat lunch on the water.

http://www.galveston.com/default.asp is a good link for Galveston.

We did a segway tour in San Antonio that was lots of fun; it went through the King William district that I mentioned above. At Boudro's we love the tableside guacamole and the prickly pear margaritas.

volcanogirl

Oh, I forgot one. I really like La King's Confectionery in Galveston. It's an old-fashioned soda fountain with ice cream, candy, etc. They make the candy right in front of you. It's a cute spot, has been there since I was a kid.

Magpies

Thanks again Volcangirl the space centre would be of interest. I will check out the Galveston link too. You have given me a lot to research.
Thanks again for your help.
Do you live in one of these areas?
You are very knowledgeable.
Thanks again

Austin

I would avoid 6th Street (the one east of Congress). It is not like it used to be. It's creepy and dangerous late at night. Lots of drunk college kids, homeless.

WEST 6th Street - West of Congress Ave - is nicer. Warehouse District, and 2nd Street district are the nicer go-to places. South Congress Ave is cool too.

jayne1973

I was just on Sixth Street two weekends ago and it was fun and did not feel unsafe. But it was a Sunday night and maybe more mellow.

moldyhotelsaregross

Popping in with just a quick post and will add more tomorrow.

For now, I wanted to add that Boudro's in San Antonio is always a great pick. The prickly pear margaritas have inspired many road trips!

happytrailstoyou

I thought 6th Street in Austin was amazing. I can't imagine anybody suggesting you avoid it.

Pay particular attention to the hotel suggestions for Galveston. We had two bad experiences there at places not mentioned here.

We recently stayed in the Riverwalk area of San Antonio and absolutely hated it except for a couple really good Mexican meals.

HTtY

volcanogirl

Mag, we've been to all of those areas many times with the exception of Corpus Christi. For some reason that one never appealed to me much, although they have an aquarium and an aircraft carrier that we toured. It's been years since I've been there though.

Here's the Space Center link for you.
http://spacecenter.org/attractions/

http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/dining.asp shows the Kemah restaurants that are fairly close to NASA.

http://gruenetexas.com/ is the link for Gruene. http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/ is the link for the restaurant there that we like.