First Time Visitor’s Guide to San Antonio
I’ve lived in the South my entire life, but until recently I’d never been to Texas. Hard to believe, right? My first stop was San Antonio and boy was it a good one! I’ve heard lots of good things about the city, and I have wanted to visit for some time now.
I visited over Thanksgiving weekend, and I was so impressed by all of the history, food, and things to do in our country’s 7th most-populous city. Everyone was so friendly, too. I would definitely visit again!
Since I often travel with my 12-year-old daughter, I try to incorporate as many activities as I can that have something for everyone to enjoy. In San Antonio, that was easy because there are so many kid-friendly things to do.
Because of the time of year, we didn’t visit the theme parks like Six Flags Fiesta Texas, SeaWorld San Antonio, or Morgan’s Wonderland. I guess that just gives us a reason to go back!
A great way to get started, is to take a guided tour of the city.
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The Alamo The Alamo is easily the most recognized attraction in San Antonio and a definite “must do.” I was surprised that the site is in the middle of downtown. You should plan to spend a couple of hours here at least because there is so much to see — the church, the Davy Crockett statue, the Rallston’s Collection Center.
Being herded through the roped off line to enter felt a bit like a Disney ride, but the line moved quickly. I recommend buying tickets ahead of time online to save time. I would also recommend coming back to The Alamo at night to see it lit up because it’s hauntingly beautiful.
Mission San Jose Until I started planning our trip, I didn’t realize that the Spanish missions are the only world UNESCO site in Texas. There are five Spanish missions in San Antonio, including the Alamo (Mission San Antonio Valero).
Because we were short on time, we didn’t have time to visit them all, but we chose to visit Mission San Jose because it has park rangers on site to tell the history behind the missions.
Go Rio river cruise The river cruise was our first thing to do when we got to San Antonio. As first time visitors, it was a great way to get a “lay of the land” so to speak, of the Riverwalk area, and our guide was both entertaining and informative.
San Antonio Zoo I tell Peyton all the time that as many zoos that we have visited, we should be zoo experts. The San Antonio Zoo was another great one, with a lot of Texas animals and one of the largest bird collections in the world.
Witte Museum My daughter Peyton has always loved museums, and this one didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Texas history or dinosaur fossils. The Black Cowboys exhibit is a story in itself, too. They specialize in everything Texas, and will have a Fiesta exhibit for May.
Hopscotch I’ll be honest. I had no idea what to expect from, or what even an immersive art experience was, before visiting Hopscotch. The best way that I can describe it is kind of like a combination of a fun house, and art exhibit, with lots of hands-on interactives.
Diving into the pit of glowing balls was very cool! (But a bit hard to get out of!)
Japanese Tea Garden I have to admit, I didn’t expect a Japanese Tea Garden in the middle of Texas, (and I certainly didn’t expect to enjoy it so much), but there it was! I would definitely say this is a hidden gem in San Antonio, but worth the visit.
The beautiful, urban oasis was created in a former limestone quarry pit and people can visit free of charge. It’s a popular spot for proposals and weddings.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center If your kid loves all things legos, then this place is worth a stop. I found that it was a geared for a bit younger kids than my twelve-year old. One tip- we had a difficult time finding it using GPS because it is inside the mall, so you won’t see it from the street.
The DoSeum The DoSeum is also geared towards younger children, but it is one of the premiere children’s museums in the country. My daughter did enoy the interactive spy exhibit, but a couple of years ago she would have had a ball there.
Where to Eat
La Panaderia We had breakfast at La Panaderia, an amazing family-owned bakery started by brothers José and David Cáceres in 2014. Everything looked great, but I went with the tequila almond croissant (featured on Food Network with Guy Fieri,) and it was delicious!
As of now, there are four locations in the city and we ate at the one on Broadway.
Los Barrios Los Barrios Tex-Mex restaurant has been a San Antonio staple since 1979. The owner is Diana Barrios Trevino, and it was started by her mother, Viola Barrios, in a former Dairy Queen building. (The original door frame is still there.)
Diana is also the author of the cookbook Los Barrios Family Cookbook. Diana even has a weekly cooking show, In the Kitchen with Diana. It’s a little off the beaten path, and definitely a local favorite, with lots of regulars. Be sure to try the puffy tacos!
The Pearl The former brewery is now a thriving community of restaurants and shops with an open-air grocery. We enjoyed some wood-fired pizzas at Fife & Farro.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Thompson San Antonio- Riverwalk, a new 20-story luxury hotel. I loved the location because it is right on the Riverwalk. All we had to do was walk out the door, and the sidewalk was right there. We also were lucky to be visiting on the weekend of the Christmas flotilla.
Since we stayed at The Thompson, we had complimentary seats to watch the parade float by on the Riverwalk, and we didn’t have to worry about parking or driving when it was over.
When to Visit
Being in the heart of Texas, San Antonio has a long tourist season because it typically doesn’t get extremely cold. We spent two and a half days there at Thanksgiving, and could have easily spent two more, especially if the weather was warm. This shoulder season trip meant that the crowds were lower.
One of the most popular times to visit San Antonio is in mid-late April when they celebrate Fiesta, a ten day cultural and history celebration. Another popular time is when they celebrate Day of the Dead (dia de los muertos) November 1 and 2. San Antonio has the largest Day of the Dead celebrations in the country.