kkukura

I live in Houston, and although I love living here, I would have to say I would skip it on the trip. I would add another day to Austin. There is so much more to do there. Unless you want to see NASA, Kemah, the Galleria(you said you like shopping), and the museums in the Houston area. I enjoy going to the Austin area, the San Antonio area, and the Hill Country more. In fact we are planning a weekend trip to see the Christmas lights in Johnson City. They are really nice and I think are up through January 2nd. You could tour LBJ's Ranch then too.

sf7307

Just curious - how are you getting from Dallas to San Antonio?

Rich

Houston is the 4th largest city in the US . . I would either skip it or devote several days ( I live in Hoston also ). If you are interested, NASA is a full day visit and Galveston is close enough you could stay there if you want.

montyesther

We will be driving from Dallas to any other locations.

missypie

I'd skip Houston, too. You're driving too much. Spend the 30th in Austin. And one of the Dallas days should be in Ft Worth (but okay to stay in the same hotel.) If you want to be in between the two, try the Gaylord or Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine.

dfr4848

You haven't asked so maybe you already know, but thought I'd mention that weather in Dec can be very unpredicatable. I've seen it snow in Dallas over Christmas (thought very unusual) and we've also gone swimming. Dallas can be considerably cooler than SA or Austin. So plan on the proverbial layers.

And though I think Houston has a whole lot more to offer than many people know or think about, I'd also skip it on this trip. You've only got a week and you'll have plenty to do with your original itinerary.

nancythenice

I think you are getting good advice to narrow your destinations. The drive from Dallas to San Antonio is long, and pretty dull - you will be on a big interstate highway with a ton of truck traffic. Spend at least 2 nights in Austin so you won't just be on the road all the time. What is your budget for hotels? In all of these cities there is everything from a fabulous Hyatt resort hotel, to a very inexpensive budget motel.

BigRuss

There is entirely too much love here for FW and not enough for Dallas. The Crow Collection, DMA, Nasher Sculpture Center are all excellent. Dallas' arts district is in flux as it adds more venues and museums, so you can get a taste of what's to come. The West Village and Bishop Arts District are the modern and arty, respectively, areas that have great restaurants and shops.

And both the Gaylord and the Great Wolf Lodge should have some additional attractions -- the Gaylord has usually had the ICE! show (indoor ice sculpture and art display), which gets big crowds.

The one place you should strongly consider visiting is Interlocken -- it's a section of Arlington where the homeowners set up huge Xmas light displays.

And yes, Dallas can be cold (no, not to Canadians, but to people who aren't always freezing, ;-)). Just ask two great QBs -- Joe Montana and Dan Marino -- each of whom played in frigid conditions during the Cotton Bowl (1979, 1983).

P_M

I go to the ICE! show at the Gaylord just about every year and it is spectacular!! I've always wanted to go to the Ice Festival in Harbin, China but the ICE show in TX is a bit more within reach. Here are a few pics from the last exhibit. Keep in mind that everything you see is made of ice or colored ice:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...view=slideshow

travelerfromtx

I also thought the ICE! show was wonderful. The Gaylord is decorated nicely for the holidays. They also usually have a New Year's Eve celebration that's popular.

montyesther

Thank you so much for all your great advices! We're not looking for a fancy hotel, a three star hotel will do, just as long as the area is great. In San Antonio we are thinking of finding a hotel in the riverwalk area. Any suggestions on which hotel we should pick? We are still unsure about the hotel location in Austin and Dallas/FW. Any advice are welcome.

travelerfromtx

For Dallas/FW it really depends on what you plan to do while there. Grapevine is located convenient to both Dallas and Fort Worth and especially the airport (about 10 minutes from it). It is where the Gaylord mentioned above is at. There are several moderately priced hotels in the area. If you stay downtown I enjoyed and recommend the Fairmont. It was walking distance to several attractions, including the 6th floor museum, Dallas Museum of Art and the West End.

dfr4848

Hotels:

San Antonio - Hyatt on Riverwalk
Grand Hyatt Riverwalk
Westin Riverwalk
Marriott Riverwalk
Hilton Palacio del Rio
For 2 historic, classic hotels just a couple of blocks from the Riverwalk with some personality and charm try Sheraton Gunter or The Emily Morgan Hotel

Austin downtown - The Driskill (historic; character)
Hampton Inn
Hyatt Regency
Radisson Hotel Town Lake
[4 Seasons is our favorite. More 4* but definitely worth if you can find some good deals online]

Dallas downtown - The Magnolia (former headquarters for Mobil
Oil; very nicely redone; reasonable)
The Adolphus (classy historic; beautifully
maintained; sometimes great deals online)

Dallas west end - Melrose (boutique; close to entertainment,
restaurants, clubs, etc)

volcanogirl

We also like the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio.

nancythenice

In Austin, the Hyatt Regency, the Radisson and the 4 Seasons are located on the river - and therefore have special views if you can get a river view room. I think the other choice would be to stay in the general area of Congress Avenue/6th street, which will allow you to walk around to many of the sites. There is a relatively new Courtyard/Residence Inn pair well located on 4th street as well as a Hampton Inn that would accomplish this. All of these are standard chain hotels - but fairly new, and again, well located.I would personally not choose the Intercontinental or the Driskell - the parking is only by valet and the rooms can be small. The Driskill in particular is historic, however, and is fun to see. Go there to the lobby bar, or eat in the 1886 room for breakfast or lunch.

Seamus

You had best book your San Antonio hotel ASAP, and may not be able to find something right on the Riverwalk in your price range as this is a very popular time. Not to worry as there are plenty of hotels off the Riverwalk but in the downtown area. There is a big New Year's Eve celebration in downtown San Antonio. Other not to miss places in SA are the McNay Art Museum and the San Antonio Museum of Art. You can get to the SAMA from downtown via barge on the new Riverwalk extension. If you visit the McNay you will be close to La Paloma Blanca, a great Mexican restaurant on Broadway.
Agree that Houston can be a great place to visit - museums are first rate, lots of restaurants and shopping galore. In fact, I'd skip the days in Dallas in favor of Houston. Any way you can change your tickets to fly out of Houston?

saige

I'd skip Houston and spend more time in Austin so you have less time on the road and have a chance to see Austin! There are lots of hotels that are moderately priced. The ones that nancythenice listed above would probably work for you.

Cranachin

Restaurants in Austin to consider include Threadgill's (2 locations) for down-home cooking; Chuy's and Maudie's (several locations each) for Tex-Mex; and Hula Hut (on Lake Austin - or I guess it is Lady Bird Lake now - and owned by the same people as Chuy's. I love their Hawaiian fajitas!).

I am not that big a fan of the barbeque at The Salt Lick (I used to live in Austin), but many of my Austin friends love it, and the setting is fun. They take cash only, so go prepared. Another BBQ place that people like is Stubb's downtown. You can actually buy their BBQ sauce in grocery stores here in the Boston area!

I would skip The Oasis, unless their food has gotten much better than it used to be. The real draw is the view, but I've been told that the drought there has dropped Lake Travis so low that the water level is about down to the river channel (Lake Travis is a man-made lake).

Also, you might try to sample kolaches while you are in Austin or San Antonio. They are Czech pastries that come in both sweet and savory varieties. The town of West is at Exit 353 of I-35 between Austin and Dallas, and there are a number of bakeries there that have them (not sure which ones will be open over the holiday, though). You can get them in Austin as well, and maybe SAn Antonio.

aktravel

We'll be in Texas ( mom and two teens) for the Holidays as well only a wee bit longer to visit family in Dallas. Any other ideas is appreciated. We're going really cheap on hotels in Dallas and Austin and will try a RiverWalk hotel in San Antonio.

Please kindly give more suggestions. We do not have any set itinerary at this time. Just booking the plain tickets BWI to Dallas then San Antonio to BWI going back.


Dec 20-25 Dallas area
Dec 26-28 Austin area
Dec 29-2 San Antonio area

J62

If the Alamo bowl game is 1/2/10, then I'm not sure you want to be in SA for the 1-2 days before that. I really love SA around the holidays - especially the Riverwalk all lit up, but the crowds there are serious crowds there for the college football game. $$, general rowdiness, and overall crowded feel are not what I enjoy anymore.