San Antionio??

[katie111]

I think we are going to head to SA for spring break in April. We are going to fly into Houston (flights are much cheaper) and drive over.

Would love to get some ideas on what to do there and where to stay. We are a family of 5 with kids ages 8, 12 & 13. We definitely want to go to the Riverwalk, Six Flags, the Alamo, Sea World, and the Natural Bridge Caverns. Maybe Schlitterbahn and river tubing. But the theme and water parks are only open on weekends so we'll probably have to pick 2 out of the 3. Would love some other ideas on things to do (esp budget friendly) and places to eat.

We'll have at least 6 full days & 2 days of driving to/from Houston.

 

[jeeperwy]

If you want to stay on the Riverwalk then I would suggest the Drury Inn & Suites. It's the only hotel we've found "on" the Riverwalk that's reasonable for a family. There are some other beautiful hotels but maybe better when you don't have 5 people. If you want to stay closer to six flags you'll have lots to choose from but again I like the Drury. They have breakfast and snacks in the afternoon (including alcohol if I am remembering correctly!). We usually eat at different places on the Riverwalk because we visit family and there is a good variety and then they don't have to drive far! I'll try to remember some of the names, the only one I can remember tonight is Dicks!

 

[thornton0511]

San Antonio is fantastic! There are some really great hotels on the Riverwalk if you want that experience. trying googling SAVE San Antonio for a site that has coupons and discounts on lodging, food, and activities. Also if you go a little north Hill Country is absolutely breathtaking and has some great resort type lodging, and not too far from the riverwalk. Right next door to the Natural Bridge Caverns is a wildlife safari type drive thru experience, that I think you can purchase a duel ticket to do both that and the caverns maybe? Also the San Antonio Zoo is close to the riverwalk area and it is an amazing zoo, and not expensive. In that same area is the Japanese Tea Garden (or Sunken Garden) and it's free to walk around and has some great photo opts. Also along with the Alamo there are several other missions that are full of history that you can visit. You can get a map and I want to say there used to be a thing where you could rent a bike and follow a trail to all of the missions? Definitely a lot to do that is cost friendly. Oh they have a Rainforest Cafe on the Riverwalk that is really cool, and also check out Casa Rio for mexican fare and the iconic having dinner by the river experience. They are not very expensive. Closer to Six Flags and Sea World is Maggianos and it is one our favorites! Don't forget to take a boat tour on the riverwalk too, those are fun and very interesting to hear about the history of things!

 

[Tigerlulu]

It may be too cold for Schlitterbahn at spring break. The park uses river water and even in the summer it is FREEZING!

 

[Shanti]

I think we are going to head to SA for spring break in April. We are going to fly into Houston (flights are much cheaper) and drive over.

Would love to get some ideas on what to do there and where to stay. We are a family of 5 with kids ages 8, 12 & 13. We definitely want to go to the Riverwalk, Six Flags, the Alamo, Sea World, and the Natural Bridge Caverns. Maybe Schlitterbahn and river tubing. But the theme and water parks are only open on weekends so we'll probably have to pick 2 out of the 3. Would love some other ideas on things to do (esp budget friendly) and places to eat.

We'll have at least 6 full days & 2 days of driving to/from Houston.

Yikes- Houston to S.A. is a long drive to save money. Our hometown of Austin is only about an hour away. Are you sure there are no cheap flights there?

But, to answer your questions:

Eisenhower Park for woods hike & panoramic views from the top of the hill.

San Jose Mission is a much more intact mission than the Alamo (you can see sleeping quarters, the mill, etc.) and has some lovely architecture. Easy parking, too, as it isn't downtown.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens are lovely & relaxing (though it is undergoing some construction now)

Witte Museum (science/historical) can be interesting.

DoSeum children's museum can be fun.

Favorite S.A. restaurant is Cappy's. Good (not cheap) American food with very nice ambiance.

Riverwalk is a tourist trap, but some people love it.

Natural Bridge Caverns is worth a trip.

Glass bottom boat tour of the Edwards Aquifer in San Marcos is interesting- it's run by Texas State University & very easy to go to.

Schlitterbahn is much more unique & fun than 6 Flags, but spring break crowds/lines can be problematic there. We don't think Schlitterbahn is too cold in springtime. The air will be hot, the water cold- that's ideal to us.

 

[sk!mom]

My favorite Texas city! I visit often.

It's only a 3 hour drive from Houston so not a whole day and not too far. Make a pit stop at Buckee's on your way.

I love the Riverwalk and staying downtown with the ability to walk everywhere and I really dislike trying to park downtown if staying elsewhere. Given that, I would stay downtown at least for the time that I would be visiting that area. We have stayed at just about every hotel ON the River and like them all. If you don't want to pay the higher prices for your whole trip consider moving to one of the resorts with lazy river or one of the many hotels in the La Canterra/Fiesta Texas area.

If you aren't too familiar with Texas history, the Rivercenter IMAX is always showing the Alamo movie and is a good stop before visiting the mission. I like Fiesta Texas. It seems like a nice sized park to me. Be sure and get some TexMex at Chuys when you're in the Fiesta Texas area.

I would mention that Texas Spring Breaks are in March and San Antonio will be literally heaving with people then but April should be calmer. If you look at the Fiesta Texas calendar, you'll see the two weeks in March that it's open daily- those are the Spring Break weeks around here.

 

[lovemygoofy]

What about splitting your trip between Houston and San Antonio? Or you can go out into the hill country with some super nice hotels out on the lakes. I stayed at a wonderful JW Marriott out in the area.

In San Antonio I'm not certain your hotel budget but there is a Residence Inn that has a kitchenette and room for 5 and easy to walk to everything on the River Walk and the Alamo. The Drury Inn as mentioned above is also very close and within walking distance. We enjoyed going to the top of San Antonio and the Imax movie was decent as well at the Tower of Americas. We did a very nice trolley tour that went all over SA including out to the missions.

Tons and tons of choices of places to eat on the riverwalk but the places have their menus out so you can check it out. The mall that is on the riverwalk has a huge food court as well. Don't forget to do a boat tour of the riverwalk if you like that but be prepared to wait a looooong time.

 

[MomoMama]

I can definitely see the point on saving money on flights for a family of 5. There really nothing much between Houston and San Antonio to see. But I enjoy driving spring time, because we get to see the wildflowers. But the Texas state flower bluebonnet season may be over by the time you are here.

Have you checked Visit San Antonio website? They have event listings, so you can check for your spring break week.

Last spring we went to San Antonio, they had Fiesta going on. It was tourist-y, but the market square had music and vendors out, and we enjoyed it. We dined at the 24-hour Tex-Mex restaurant there, and we liked the food and service.

We like to stay on the Riverwalk, so we can enjoy margarita by the river and not worry about driving back to the hotel. Some hotels may say they are "on the river" and their claims are true, but they could be located far from the main area (Alamo area).
I would consider staying close to the theme/water parks on those days you will be visiting those. last time we visited Sea World, we stayed at Courtyard and took advantage of their shuttle.

 

[HollyL]

I live in Houston. It's not that bad of a drive, and you MUST stop at Buccee's in Luling. It will be crowded, but Buccees should not be missed, especially if you have never been to one!

Check Groupon for San Antonio before you go. They often offer this thing called "Book of Free" and they pair it up with Six Flags tix, and it's a really good deal.

I would definitely recommend staying on the River Walk. We have been to San Antonio numerous times and we never get sick of the Riverwalk.

We've been to Six Flags, the Caverns, the Alamo, the Safari Park and other various places (for personal reasons, we don't do SeaWorld).

Also, look up a restaurant called "The Magic Time Machine". It's weird and kitchy, but the kids will love it. We went last year and the kids really enjoyed it.

Also, look up Lulu's café and their 5 lb. cinnamon roll.

Have fun, San Antonio is a really fun city.

 

[HollyL]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that Houston has it's annual rodeo going on from the end of February until about the 3rd week of March. So if your dates coincide, it's a pretty cool thing to experience.

 

[HollyL]

Oh, just saw you're going in April, so you'll miss the rodeo. Spring Break in Houston is the 2nd/3rd week in March (depending on school district), so at least San Antonio won't be over run by all of the Houstonians on Spring Break!

 

[texasroni75]

Oh, just saw you're going in April, so you'll miss the rodeo. Spring Break in Houston is the 2nd/3rd week in March (depending on school district), so at least San Antonio won't be over run by all of the Houstonians on Spring Break!

Exactly what I was thinking - too bad you'll miss Rodeo Austin. We live just outside Austin, and visit SanAntonio once or twice a year. Riverwalk is cool, great photo opportunities, lots of cute little shops, but stay away from things like the Ripley's Museum (rip-off!). We like to eat at the Rainforest Cafe there, though (it's a tradition since we moved here). As for hotels, I wouldn't stay too far from the hotels immediately within downtown because honestly the areas just a few blocks away are NOT nice - depressed areas with higher crime. Alamo is of course a MUST SEE.

Like previous posters mentioned, you might want to spend some time in Houston if you like Museums and such. Look up the Houston CityPass - a great way to see the most while you're there, without spending a ton of $$.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Agree with Drury Inn and Suites on the Riverwalk. Great location, great value. For a great breakfast, check out the Guenther House. Best waffles we've ever had. Go online to the tourism website and print out the attraction coupons. There are MANY, and they make the attractions really affordable. Mi Tierra in Market Square was a very affordable place to eat. Awesome bakery too. Schillo's (deli) is fairly close to the Alamo and is a great lunch stop. They have awesome root beer.

Check out the San Antonio Zoo. VERY impressive, and, more affordable than most zoos. The Japanese Tea Garden is near the zoo, is free, and is very cool to walk around. The Witte Museum is also near the zoo, and has a great variety of exhibits. Do the river cruise on the Riverwalk. Do this your first day in the Riverwalk area. We had coupons for virtually all of these when we went two years ago, from the tourism website.

If you're there in April, check to see if your dates coincide with Fiesta. There are lots of cool events as part of that celebration. We were able to see the river parade while we were there (we bought tickets ahead of time). It was pretty neat.

 

[katie111]

Just wanted to say thank you for all of these great suggestions! I just bought our plane tickets today & now I am getting super excited!

 

[NinaBella]

My husband is from San Antonio. The Riverwalk is okay for adults, not much to do for kids on the actual Riverwalk area. I like the boat tour. The streets surrounding the Riverwalk there are typical tourist things like Ripleys. Every time we go to San Antonio, we go to Market Square (they have an underground shopping area that is really inexpensive items... it's flea market style shopping). We go to Market Square because my two favorite place to eat is Los Margaritas and Mi Terra Cafe.

Personally, I wouldn't bother eating at the tourist chains like Rainforest Cafe (Dicks, Margaritaville, and the others as well). We think the food is just slightly below average (the chain in general) and over priced. On the riverwalk Casa Rios would be the place I would choose.

You can do the Riverwalk and the Alamo together in about half a day. My husband's old house is near the missions and he says it's a rough area now (his ex has the house so I have never been there). Based on what he has told me, I would not be riding bikes with my kids in that area.

 

[clarkgriswold]

On the Riverwalk costs more, but has it's advantages. You should check for possible deals. We've seen the Hilton as low as 109.00 for a room that will accommodate 5. (Ask for an upper floor facing River. You can take the elevator directly to the Riverwalk.)

Whether staying there, or near there, two places to get good, inexpensive food pretty much right up the stairs from the Riverwalk are Schilo's Deli ( sit down) and Whattaburger (better than average fast-food counter-service)

 

[Chim Chiminy]

We live in a suburb of SA.
If we have visitors, Casa Rio is the only riverwalk restaurant we will take them too. Mi Tierra at Market Square is fun too, though there are much better Tex Mex places around.
The Mission Trail is nice, much more enjoyable than simply visiting the Alamo.
Most of the museums here to a free night, so check the websites. San Antonio Museum of Art, Witte Museum, McNay Museum.
In the zoo area, which is a nice zoo, very affordable and they have some new exhibits, in that area of Broadway a couple of fun places to eat are Good Time Charlies and Cheesy Janes. I love Cheesy Janes for their burgers and pbandj milkshake.
There's a BBQ joint right near the zoo also, has a big pink pig outside. Can't miss it. Tea Gardens is by the zoo also.
I've heard good things about the Doseum, but we haven't been yet.
Groupon has some good local attractions up. We did a bus tour with visiting family a couple of years ago using a groupon, and had a fun time.