San Antonio is a favorite place to visit for most
Texans. I have a couple of friends from
South Dakota who will be visiting Texas in January and want to make a trip to this
colorful and historic city. So I thought
I would write about some of my favorite things to do here.
Of course, there is the Alamo. Caution – this mission is quite small and
many new visitors to San Antonio are underwhelmed by it. It’s still a very important part of Texas
history and worth visiting.
Nearby, in Alamo Square, is this lovely water garden. This is a great place to walk around on a
nice day.
And the most fun and walkable area is the River Walk! During the holidays it is illuminated with luminarias.
These are traditional decorations in
the Southwest and are paper lanterns.
The original were brown paper bags filled with sand to hold a candle upright.
There are many shops and restaurants on the River Walk. However, one of my favorite Mexican
restaurants is in Historic Market Square
– La Margarita Restaurant & Oyster Bar.
Mi Tierra is a very popular restaurant and you can expect a
long wait. This is why I prefer La
Margarita – the wait is usually minimal and it’s owned by the same people as Mi
Tierra!
Wherever you eat, you MUST visit the Mi Tierra bakery! They have fabulous pan dulce – a real treat
that you can get for a midnight snack or for breakfast.
The Market often has events, so check the website before
visiting. There is a parking garage (for
a fee) across the street. The shops have
MUCHO items to buy. It's such a colorful and lively place!
It’s a short walk from Market Square to the Spanish Governor’s Palace. This is only a part of the original Presidio that
was established in the early 1700s to secure Spain’s dominance in the area.
To learn more about the history of San Antonio, particularly
about the native people and Spain’s conquest through missionaries, I recommend
visiting other San Antonio
missions. These are currently
maintained by the National Park Service and offer excellent information and
ranger-led tours. I discussed a visit to
one of these missions in a previous post, but I would like to highlight 2 of my
favorite missions that I visited a few years ago.
Mission Concepción
is the oldest unrestored stone church in America.
Mission
San José
is known as the “Queen of the Missions” and is the largest of the missions in
the San Antonio area.
The San Antonio Botanical
Garden is 38 acres of beautiful gardens and trails. The Conservatory features an Orangerie, Fern
Grotto, Tropical and Desert rooms.
If you enjoy looking at beautiful old mansions, then the King
William Historic District is the place to go!
There is much to see in this area, so if you get hungry,
check out the restaurant in the basement of the Guenther House!
San Antonio is a destination I enjoy returning to time and
again. There are fabulous museums (i.e.
The McNay Art Museum, Witte, San Antonio Museum of Art) and sightseeing
opportunities like a River Walk boat ride and the view from the top of the Tower
of the Americas. And if you want to
learn more history about Texas, the Institute
of Texan Cultures is a must do!
I tell those who ask about visiting Texas that San Antonio
is a must to visit but please DO NOT visit in the summer.
Next week we'll explore the Big Bend Region in far west Texas!
Next week we'll explore the Big Bend Region in far west Texas!
