Hi good people. Myself hubby and kids 11,15,17, may be coming to S A for summer vacation. Anything special you'd recommend? Will probably use hotel rewards points for two nights on Riverwalk. We are not fans of amusement parks. We love to explore nature. Will probably drive down to Gulf for part of it.
So anybody feel like selling me?
Anybody want to tell about San Antonio for family vacation?
There is a Hyatt Hill Country Resort that my kids loved. It's close to SeaWorld. It has an aftificial "river" that you can actually go tubing on, as well as two pools and hot tubs, golfing, tennis, bicycle paths, etc. It's been a while since we went, by my teenagers loved it.
Crow
There's always the San Antonio Botanical Gardens to visit and there's also the Antique Rose Emporium on the northeast side of town which is fun to stroll through and get some gardening ideas.
San Antonio Botanical Gardens http://www.sabot.org/
Antique Rose Emporium http://www.sabot.org/
You could also drive up to Austin and visit the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.wildflower.org/
If you're going to be in town for more than just a couple of days, there's lots of neat places to go on day trips.
Here's the Texas State Park Guide. There are a lot of nice parks near San Antonio: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/
If you're interested in history, there's always the Alamo and a driving tour of the various old mission churches around San Antonio.
San Antonio also has a nice zoo.
The Alamo
Beautiful gardens at the Alamo.
Across from The Alamo is Louis Tussaud's Wax Works and Ripley's Believe it or Not, Ripley's Haunted Adventure, Guiness World Record Museum
Tower of the Americas
Canyon Lake is just about an hour out of San Antonio, good for a day trip. You can go tubing the Guadlupe there. There is a nice mild Horseshoe part of the river that is popular. You put in the river, tube the horseshoe and end up back at the road with just a short walk back to the starting point. You can rent tubes right there. The lake itself is beautiful too full of amenities and the scenery is outstanding!
http://www.canyon-lake.net/
http://www.canyonlakeguide.com/
I have loved the little town ever since my first trip there. There is a large Dam on the lake, and a great sign on the main road;
Welcome to Canyon Lake,
Visit our Beautiful Dam
Speed, and visit our Dam Judge.
Gotta love their sense of humor!
View from the Tower.
San Antonio Zoo
El Mercado
Ooooh forgot about the Mercado, that place is great!
Carriage rides. Your can catch one beside The Alamo in the evenings.
River Boat Rides.
Their is an Imax Theater in the River Center Mall by The Alamo.
Chinese Tea Gardens at Breckenridge Park
Many historical building here is San Fernando Catherdral
You didn't say what part of the summer. June is a bit cooler...although it can still be hot for those not used to it. The Guadalupe River State Park is north of San Antonio...some people like to go out there to splash in the water and hike along the river. It's unfortunate that San Antonio doesn't have a real nature center, but there's one in Boerne (north of San Antonio on IH-10), the Cibolo Nature Center.
This message was edited Apr 14, 2008 4:49 PM
There is also the other Spanish Missions, Mission Concepción, Mission San Francisco de la Espada, Mission San José and Mission San Juan Capistrano
I forgot about Natural Bridge Caverns as well. We had a great time there. You can take one of several types of undergound tours, the caverns are just breathtaking!
They have an adventure tour that the kids might like, you can actually do some repelling in the cave.!
You can also take a drive through the Wildlife park. The Zebras and ostriches are very very friendly (and hungry)
http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/
Good idea! That's nature and down in the caverns it's cooler!
Yes, the caverns are amazing. And it would be a bit cooler down there!
If you feel like driving as far as Fredericksburg, you can go to Enchanted Rock State park. We are about 1 hour and 15 minutes north of SA. It's a very famous place because it's supposed to be the largest granite outcropping anywhere I think. It was also a very spiritual place for the indians. From there you can go to the Lady Bird Johnson wildflower park which is west of Austin. There are lots of wineries to explore and a butterfly exhibit but I have to confess I can't remember where they moved it to. It used to be on Main, but they moved to a bigger spot. I think it might have moved in with the Wildseed Farm, just east of Fredericksburg.
Enchanted Rock is a great place. My best friend got married at the top at sunrise. It was pretty neat!
Sally, my dh and I go every year to S.A. for a combined business/pleasure trip. We stay on the Riverwalk, which is interesting enough all by itself for a first trip. Over the years, we've also done all the amusement partks and botanical gardens and historical sites. Some of them are worth going back to, even if those aren't your usual favorite things to do, simply because they are beautiful or unique. The Alamo is a great trip not just for its history, but for its beautiful landscaping.
Another thing we continue to do every single year is visit some of the music sites. I don't think anyone has mentioned that. Gruene is a very quaint community that's a lot of fun to visit, as well as enjoying some of the musical flavor of Texas. And the German food on the way can't be beat! John T. Floore's Country Store out in Helotes is also fun to visit, even if you're there during the daytime when no music is playing.
Hey Sally,
There is some really great advice on here already. I'm always playing tour guide to my family and friends when they come to visit. A visit to some of the Spanish Missions is essential when visiting SA http://www.nps.gov/saan/ . You don't really need to go to all of them, but at least see the Alamo, San Jose and Concepcion. If you visit them in the morning on a weekday you can really experience the quiet awe. It's like being in a different time.
The tower http://www.toweroftheamericas.com/ does have breathtaking views, but be warned the restaurant (seafood) is really expensive. If you don't mind the prices, it's great at sunset. It's at the top of the tower and slowly rotates so you can see the whole city below you. Service is great too. If not, there is an observation deck above the restaurant with a snack bar that's more affordable.
The river boat tours are great and inexpensive. The guides are funny and make it really enjoyable. The IMAX theater at the Rivercenter mall is cool too.
The botanical gardens are amazing and even kids have fun there. Another place worth visiting is the McNay Art Museum http://www.mcnayart.org/ . It is in a huge mansion surrounded by stunning gardens. It is re-opening on June 6th after some major additions. The Witte Museum (Natural History) http://www.wittemuseum.org/ is excellent for kids and adults. They have a 4 story science tree house that's always a hit. The Zoo is great too http://www.sazoo-aq.org/ . Floore's Country Store is great too, plus it's at the base of the Hill Country which makes an amazing drive.
If you are going to visit the Natural Bridge Caverns, you can also visit the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch http://wildliferanchtexas.com/ which is cool too. Really you could spend a month here and still not see all of the best SA has to offer. Let us know if you need more ideas. :)
It all sounds fantastic--Ok we'll sell the house and move there!
Really, thanks for all the tips- I really appreciate the local input- example- the Country Store sounds like the kind of 'attraction' that you won't find on a website but would be so neat anyway. We love the interesting not -main-attraction things- they are usually not too expensive either! Like we decided to skip the CocaCola HQ in Atlanta (15 bucks a head to be advertised to?) and loved their botanical gardens
You know we're going to want to see pictures and a report after your trip, don't you? ^_^
The Chinese Tea Gardens at Brackenridge Park is closed right now. It is being refurbished. A lot of people do not go to the San Antonio Zoo when visiting. It is one of the best zoos in the country and the landscaping is beautiful.
For a look at Texas vegetation at the base of the hill country, Government Canyon State Natural Area is a great place to visit. However, it is still being developed. Most of the nature trails are for the adventuresome and show the vegetation in its natural state. We had a deer lease that backs up to this nature park. The deer lease was only 15 or so minutes from my home. I loved it and we spent most of the time exploring not hunting. There were Indian burial grounds and we also found a lot of Indian artifacts. Unfortunately, it has now turned into a subdivision. I notified the state that this area should be examined by archaeologists and I tried to stop the construction. Nothing could be done which is very sad especially to me because I am of native American heritage. This park is not very far from Sea World.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/government_canyon/
Here is an application for a free San Antonio travel guide if you need one:
http://www.visitsanantonio.com/VisitGuideRequest.aspx
Pictures- you got it!
htop- hey thanks for the park mention and the brochure link- I just signed up. Sea world is great and all, but depending on plans we could very well do that park instead. Love nature and seeing how things are different. Esp when parks are much cheaper than 'attractions'
You are welcome. Sea World is indeed expensive. especially for a family your size.
if you go to the ladybird johnson area you might as well go to luckenbach and write your name on the walls of the old ...what was that?...a firehouse?
antique rose emporium is wonderful. bluebell ice cream is near. guadelupe river run is so fun.
This all reminds me how friendly everybody is in the South. First time I visited my sister in FL panhandle, she was talking to the hostess of the buffet, and I asked her,'so you eat here a lot?" she said. No! Thats just how nice people are in the South LOL
aw, shucks. i guess it's because we were "raised right" as we like to say down here. lol. is millersville near wash. d.c.? if it is you need a whole big heapin' helpin' of niceness when you get down here. hahaha
Yeah we're stuck between Wash DC and Baltimore- no wonder peole are stressed out!
sally, you will love it in san antonio then. people are so nice. i was only kidding about where you live. i visited wash.d.c. a few years ago and people seemed to be afraid to talk to a total stanger. wonder why? lol. esp. one who's loud and just a little too friendly for city folk. that would be me.
Lots of good ideas of places to go and things to see - now how 'bout someplaces to eat?
I think your family would really enjoy Armadillo's on McCullough - burgers, fries, beer, softdrinks - and be sure to order some armadillo eggs - they are nachos that look exactly like sunny side up eggs.
Mama's restaurant (there are 3 in SA) - home style - reasonable prices - good food and service (we always go to the original just off Loop 410 about Nachodoches).
The Barn Door for steaks (without breaking the bank) on N. New Braunfels.
The Magic Time Machine - just east of Broadway @ Loop 410.
And several dozen that don't come to mind right now.
DW & I met and married there - will be 39 years -and we always stay at the Menger (beside the Alamo) every anniversary (late June).
Heck yes Bubba- we gotta eat (hope we can hit a Sonic on the trip so,metime, we don't have them here)
We are staying at Homewood suites by Riverwalk (I think) Hubby has made reservations