Taking another spin down memory lane, we are sharing our 3/4 installment of Texas trips to a city just to the south of us, San Antonio.Back in 2012, we decided to take a weekend getaway for our 1st wedding anniversary. Hearing lots of good things about San Antonio, and it being only 90 minutes away, we made plans for a JAM PACKED weekend. We found a great deal on Groupon for a new luxury centered hotel just north of the city called Éilan and decided to book a room. It was a beautiful property with plans to develop more restaurants and boutiques to the commercial areas. When we stayed there, it had only been opened about 3 weeks but the design of the hotel was to create a village-like stay. One property with everything you could want, without needing to drive anywhere. Plus is was conveniently located next door to Six Flags, Sea World, and a large shopping center with more food and stores just on the other side of the highway. Our Groupon deal came with a two night stay, a spa credit (we got mani/pedis), and a private, hour long salsa lesson from Marc Ballas at their newly opened dance studio. We decided to have dinner in their restaurant as well which, to my memory, was enjoyable! Maybe overpriced but when isn't hotel dining? When we left the hotel, it took about 15 minutes to get into downtown San Antonio. Parking was a breeze and we made our way to our first stop, the Alamo. Seeing it in person, it was much smaller than I ever imagined but full of history and a well-kept garden on the backside. It was beautiful to walk around and take in the Mission. Being from Indiana, our knowledge of the Battle of the Alamo was far less than any Texan, but the building itself and the museum/shop (next door after entering) told stories to educate any and all willing to learn. If you get the chance to be in San Antonio, be sure and check it out. It's well worth a walk through. After the Alamo, we headed to the River Walk. Shaped like a U, with the main part of the San Antonio River continuing across the top to connect it, both sides of the river bank are packed with food and entertainment for several miles. Getting to the river walk from the Alamo, we started somewhat in the middle but made our way around, walking on one side, and then crossing a bridge to walk on the other. The River Walk is filled with cafés and restaurants, bars, souvie shops, and of course, hotels that feed in and out of it. Towards the end of our walk, we rounded a corner and found an outdoor theater that was getting ready for a dance show. Having no seating on the same side as the stage, we crossed one of the pedestrian bridges to pop-a-squat on the stadium style seating on the other side and enjoyed some live entertainment. After the show, we decided to head back to the middle of the U to put our name in at Casa Rio, probably the most iconic Tex-Mex restaurant on the River Walk. By pure luck, we were seated along the river after an hour wait and took in the views as the sun set and the ducks came along the sea wall to beg for chips. We watched as dinner barge captains floated down stream entertaining their diners with music and stories. We finished up at Casa Rio and headed to grab drinks at a bar, The Esquire Tavern, which we saw earlier and deemed, looked like fun. It was and the atmosphere was great! The next day, we woke up and drove to the San Antonio Zoo! Austin lacks a good zoo and growing up in a city with one of the best Children's Zoos in the US, we find ourselves on the hunt for a good zoo to check out. San Antonio did not disappoint. After the Zoo, we hit up an Austin staple, Amy's Ice Cream, and headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner there. The next morning was our dance lesson, then we enjoyed the pool for a bit before heading back north to reality. San An is a great city, 7th largest in the US but it somehow manages to have a small town feel. So much history, so much character, so much good Tex-Mex!
Until Next Time, C + D
2 Comments
6/30/2023 11:17:57 am
En iyi gümüşhane ilan sitesi burada. https://gumushane.escorthun.com/
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorChase & Dani here, providing Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|