Looking for a place full of culture, delicious food, and history? Well look no further than San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio is located in the middle of the state of Texas and about 3 hours from the Mexico border. Getting to San Antonio can be simple given it's location and the airport. San Antonio has it's own international airport which services different cities across the country with direct flights. Sometimes it can be cheaper to fly into Austin, TX(the capital of Texas) which is located about an hour away. There are Amtrak trains that connect the two cities. For this trip, we flew into the San Antonio airport. While on the smaller side, it has everything you need from souvenir stores to different places to eat. There was even a Starbucks! If you are an elite member for the United Airlines there is a United Club in terminal B. Getting around the city of San Antonio can be a little tricky, as the city is very spread out. There is a public bus that services the city, or you can rent a car. There were plenty of parking lots around the city, and most of them were free.
Upon arriving, the first stop we went to was the historic Pearl. The Pearl features restaurants, shopping, apartments, and even a hotel. While there we went to Local Coffee. This trendy coffee shop has multiple types of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. If you go to the Pearl on Saturday or Sunday you can visit the farmer's market. There were multiple stands selling items such as dog treats, juices, and even empanadas! We tried out the empanadas and they were very good. Try the Chicken mole one!
After visiting the stores and drinking our beverages, we headed to downtown San Antonio. Driving through downtown you can see the Torch of Friendship and Tower of the Americas. The Torch of Friendship was a large red sculpture, and the Tower of the Americas is a big observation deck that has a restaurant. The Tower does cost money, so we decided to skip it. Instead, we walked over to the Alamo! One of the missions, the Alamo is historically famous for the battle that occurred when Texas was trying to gain its freedom from Mexico. You can buy tickets to go inside the mission, and learn more about the history, but we decided to just admire it from the outside. Next to the Alamo is a monument dedicated to those who lost their life in the battle.
Across from the Alamo there are plenty of tourist shops, a Ripley's Believe it or Not, and other attractions. It looks like the sights you might see at a beach boardwalk! We went into a couple of the shops and they were definitely filled with Texas garb! From cowboy boots, hats, and lots of Texan accessories fit for any home. There were plenty of magnets, keychains, and t-shirts in these stores to help you remember your time in San Antonio if you like souvenirs. Even if you don't like buying small trinkets, it can be fun to go in and look around.
If the stores across from the Alamo aren't enough for you, then be sure to check out La Villita. This unique setting features shops, art galleries, and some restaurants. La Villita also has festivals for the city of San Antonio. While we were there they were advertising for a Coffee Festival. La Villita had a small outdoor theater set up on the River Walk, which has different plays for patrons to enjoy. While we were there no shows were being offered, but this could be a fun option when the weather is nice!
One of the best parts of San Antonio is that the river connects most of the city, and is a great way for pedestrians to get around. The River Walk has multiple restaurants, bars, and shops too. Walk along to see the historic district, as well as all the Missions. The total distance is almost 15 miles, but all of the major attractions are featured! Some parts of the River Walk looked like a normal park, and others were incredibly touristy. The locals use this path as a great running and biking path, so be sure to be aware of your surroundings. The River Walk was a fun attraction to see, and a great part of San Antonio.
There are other unique sights in the San Antonio area. Looking for the largest gas station in the world? Try going to Buc-ee's in New Braunfels! This Texan convenience store chain is much more than your average 7-11 or Exxon station. The store has Buc-ee's merchandise, Texas clothing and decorations, hunting supplies, every snack you can imagine, and many different types of drinks and sodas..including Big Red! This soda is based out of San Antonio and has a distinctive bubble gum taste. There is also the largest cowboy boots in the world located in San Antonio. This huge sight can be seen at North Star Mall.
There are tons of great food options in San Antonio..including the world's largest pizza! Big Lou's pizzeria has your normal pizza sizes, but then offers a 37 inch pizza and a 42 inch pizza! When you go into the restaurant you order what you want, and they put you at a table based off what you order. Since we ordered a 37 inch pizza we were placed at a large table. The pizza was the biggest thing we had ever seen, and this wasn't even the largest size they offered!
Looking for other food options while in San Antonio? Why not try Tito's for great Mexican food. The salsa was a little spicy, but the food was good. If you want a more Mediterranean style meal, go to Pasha's. San Antonio has lots of options for great meals, so there is no reason to go hungry there.
There were lots of other attractions in San Antonio that we were hoping to see, but due to time we couldn't get to them all. What did we miss that you would have seen? What's your favorite restaurant in San Antonio? We are hoping to go back and get some more pictures of this city. The map below shows the sights that we saw, as well as some places that we wish we could have gotten too.
We are currently looking for new places to travel to for the new year, and
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K&L
