Austin and San Antonio - favorite attractions?

[georgina]

So DH and I are thinking of visiting Texas, probably in October. I know about the Alamo and San Antonio Riverwalk, I am looking for suggestions of other highlights we should do/see. Thanks for any help!

 

[barb969]

Buckhorn’s Saloon in San Antonio. You can have lunch and tour the museum. They have some fascinating displays.

 

[CynBeth]

Sea World, Zoo, Tower of the Americas, taking a horse drawn carriage at night, and seeing the various missions. Near the Alamo they have a Ripley’s and other things like that. At the Riverwalk be sure to go on one of the boats.

 

[sk!mom]

Farmer's Market at Pearl Brewery. Texas Wine Road and Fredericksburg is a fun side trip. Or if it's early October check out Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg.

 

[OhhBother]

In Austin, you have to watch the bats come out from under the bridge at sunset. We went out on a boat tour and were on the water as the bats came out. Mother Nature is amazing!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Austin is just lots of traffic and noise. It was much nicer and smaller in the early 70's.

 

[Planogirl]

I recommend the mission trail if you have a car. The old missions on this trail are way more interesting and less crowded than the Alamo.

I would also try to go to Market Square and eat at Mi Tierra. It's a tradition for many people.

 

[Pugsly]

In Austin, climb Mt. Bonnell for beautiful views, eat at Hula Hut for great Tex Mex and a fun atmosphere on the lake, visit the Bob Bullock (Texas History) Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library is in Austin as well.

In San Antonio, if you’re up for a show (concert or play), check out The Majestic.

 

[georgina]

Thanks for all the ideas, it's a good start. I will be looking them up online. Didn't know they made wine in Texas. Octoberfest in Fredericksburg looks fun, and bats at sunset sounds interesting also. I have seen some missions in California, so we may try seeing some Texas ones.

 

[tcufrog]

Hula Hut is on the lake and is a delicious mash-up of Polynesian and Tex Mex food. It's super fun. I also like The Oasis at sunset. It's a huge restaurant on the lake and has beautiful sunset views. I highly recommend reservations. If kids are coming on the trip go to Phil's Ice House. It's a fun burger joint with an ice cream stand in it. There's a shaded playground in the back so you can relax and enjoy your beer while your kid plays. If you go to the Bob Bullock Museum make sure you see the film Star of Destiny. It's a look at Texas history complete with physical effects. My favorite thing to do though is to go to the huge independent bookstore Bookpeople and then walk over to the flagship Whole Foods or a bite to eat. If you want to see the bats I recommend the sunset bat cruise.

San Antonio for me is about my home's state's Hispanic heritage. I like to go to El Mercado (Market Square) for shopping and to eat at the institution Mi Tierra. They're open 24 hours and a known for their Mexican pastries and mariachi band.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Natural Bridge Caverns between San Antonio and San Marcos is pretty popular. Tubing is also super popular in the New Braunfels area. It's not my thing, but there are a number of options and the weather is still usually warm enough to do this in October. You'll also be before Wurstfest but after summer crowds, so it shouldn't be too crazy either. Alternately, there's the original Schlitterbahn, where about half of the park uses water from the Comal River. If you want to see the bats in Austin, you might look into some of the dining or cruise options since the crowds and parking can be madness. Beyond that, it's fun to walk around UT and get that Keep Austin Weird vibe along with all of the UT stuff (since school will be in session at that time for fall semester). Oh...and if you're a Chuy's fan, you can dine at the original Chuy's on Barton Springs Rd. Speaking of, if you're into popular food places...there are all kinds of options between both cities (too many to mention them all), but Lulu's bakery in SA for the giant cinnamon roll and getting in line at the crack of dawn to get BBQ at Franklin BBQ (Austin). Oh, I also like walking into the Menger Hotel in SA to get that old SA vibe when visiting (and hope we don't spot any ghosts LOL). Another vote for the Buckhorn in SA. Oh, and it's kind of cheesy, but for whatever reason...we get a kick out of going to the Magic Time Machine restaurant in SA.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

We just visited that area earlier in May! Loved Fredericksburg and all the wineries and German food. San Antonio was OK....really enjoyed the Alamo, the Missions and Riverwalk, but otherwise not a fan of vacationing in big noisy cities.

 

[georgina]

Thanks! No kids, just a couple of old people of Irish/Norwegian heritage (I don't even know what Chuy's is!) We do like historical places, a couple of people mentioned Mi Tierra and Buckhorn, so I'll add them to the list. Bullock Museum sounds interesting also. Guess we'll have to try some BBQ somewhere also.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Get to the Alamo early before the crowds start building. We got right in, but when we came out there was quite a line of people waiting. It doesn't take very long to walk around inside and tour the garden area. We walked over to the Tower of the Americas, took the elevator to the top and did their ride simulator. We also took the Riverwalk Boat tour, which was fun and interesting. There's a nice Drury Inn right on the Riverwalk with a good free breakfast and a light dinner in the evenings. Any time of day, you can get coffee, tea or soda and popcorn. We only stayed one night, but we really enjoyed the location and the amenities.