Where to go from San Antonio
 

We will be in San Antonio mid-October for a few days. Any suggestions on possible places to visit from there for a long weekend would be appreciated.

Austin makes an interesting destination. Depending on where you are in San Antonio, it is only about 1.5-2 hours away and has several interesting museums, the Texas State Capitol, and lots of great places to eat.

You could also stop in Gruene (pronounced "Green") on the way from SA to Austin if you wanted. It used to be a separate town but is now part of New Braunfels. It is on the Guadalupe River, boasts Gruene Hall ("The oldest dance hall in Texas") and several shops, and is fun to walk around. Market Days are the third weekend of the month.

No question about it: Austin! Great music venues, great food (huge servings), friendly people. Ummmm, mid-October too late for the bats under the bridge on Congress??

Besides the good choice of Austin, there's of course the Hill Country north and northwest of SA. Oct is usually a great month to visit. Also Natural Bridge Caverns is about 10 mi north just off I35 and is certainly worthwhile.

We were in San Antonio for a long weekend last year. We spent 1 full day in San Antonio itelf (Riverwalk, King William District, which is lovely -- stop for a snack at the Mad Hatter Tea House -- the Alamo, the central market (can't remember the name of it, the one with the enormous Mexican-handicrafts market), the one day we drove up to Austin, stopping in Gruene for a few hours on the way (very enjoyable, but that's "our thing" -- poking around little local shops). We didn't have that much time in Austin (we were actually going to meet our nephew and niece for dinner), but we got to wander around the Capitol (amazing) and downtown, saw part of a UT-Stanford baseball game,, and had dinner at the Salt Lick. Breakfast the next day back in San Antonio at Guenther House. Then Natural Caverns (spectacular) before leaving. In other words, all the usual stuff -- but I posted just to say that you can pack it all into a few long days!!

I also agree to be sure to visit Natural Bridge Caverns while you're there. Definitely worthwhile.

One of my favorite places near San Antonio is Fredericksburg. It is about 45 minutes north of San Antonio on I10. Fredericksburg is a really cute town that has wine tasting, cute shops, and in the summer peach picking. Near the town is Enchanted Rock, one of the Texas state parks that is neat to go see. (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...nchanted_rock/) Enchanted Rock is really beautiful.

Do see the Mission Trail in San Antonio. http://www.nps.gov/saan/ There are 6 historic missions, but most visitors only see the Alamo. San Jose has the visitors' center and its award-winning film.

Thanks everyone. Austin and Gruene sound great. Any suggestions for where to stay? Best location and best hotels?

The best location and best hotel is the 4 Seasons. Usually can find some pretty good rates on their web site.

PS - I assume your question was about Austin.

I also think Fredericksburg is a fabulous day trip out of SA, and especially in October. This, because it is a German settlement and you know how those Germans love Oktoberfest!

They have wonderful shops, wineries, historical sites and Enchanted Rock. You don't have to skip Austin, but you shouldn't skip Fredericksburg, IMHO.

http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/

They have hundreds of great B&B's in Fredericksburg, too. Here is one my daughter spent her honeymoon in:

http://www.absolutecharm.com/CatsMeow_CatnipMain.html

Have fun!

Another vote for the chain of missions. There are very close to San Antonio and it takes just a half day to visit them.

And also another vote for Gruene. Gruene is very atmospheric, but it is tiny - practically nothing but the music hall, a historic general store and a rustic restaurant in a former gristmill. Be sure to be there in the evening when there is live music. Check their schedule:

http://www.gruenehall.com/

<<<Gruene is very atmospheric, but it is tiny - practically nothing but the music hall, a historic general store and a rustic restaurant in a former gristmill>>>

Not so -- there are lots of small stores in addition to the general store. I have two pair of silver earrings that I got in one of them. It's small, yes, but there's plenty of browsing to be done!!

Austin and Gruene would be my picks. In Austin, go eat and have drinks at the Oasis to enjoy beautiful sunset views of the lake; they have live music sometimes too - very fun. Go see the bats come out of the Congress Ave. bridge if they're still in season. We also really enjoyed the botanical gardens.

In Gruene, eat at the Grist Mill right on the water; we love the Gruene Apple Inn there - very cute place. Lots of cute little shops to browse, and you can get a Blue Bell ice cream cone. My husband thinks they need a sports bar here!

Ditto suggestion to see the other Missions on the trail. Check out the acaquia (aquaduct) near one of them--oldest east of California or something?

Also ditto that Austin and Gruene and Fredericksburg are way-cool. The bat emergence from under the Congress Street bridge can be spectacular. Not sure when that will be or what drought is doing to bat population but check it out when you get nearer to the actual time. The fall can be a good time to see them.

On a whole different tack--you might go south about 150 miles to where I am--Corpus Christi. Which can be beautiful (if we can get some rain soon!) in October. There's a beach (not pristine white but still--), a nice aquarium, a great aircraft carrier museum, a marvelous art museum, good bbq and seafood, a decent botanical garden. Other "beachy" artsy communities within an hour of Corpus Christi depending on how long you have.