San Antonio

[Pooh's Pixie]

My DH has a conference in San Antonio in May and we are thinking about taking the family. It seems like it could be a great place to spend a few days. My kids will be 9, 7 and 4. I am looking for any recommendations on hotels, attractions, etc. I think the RiverWalk area is where we would prefer since it is also near the convention center. I thought maybe visiting the zoo, Sea World and maybe the water park (Schlitterbahn?), unless my kids are too young?
Any info you want to share would be appreciated as I start planning for a non-Disney trip!

 

[honeymom]

I used to do business in San Antonio a lot about 14 years ago (a little out of date I know so check tripadvisor for recent hotel reviews). I liked to stay on the Riverwalk. Have stayed at the Hyatt and the Hilton. I think both were nice, but I preferred the Hyatt a little more. The Hilton might have been closer to the convention hall (I know that I stayed at the Hilton when I went to conventions).

There is also a six flags (or six flags like) amusement park in San Antonio that you can go to.

The riverwalk had some great restaurants on it and was fun to walk around. Don't forget the Alamo. It's in San Antonio and very convenient to the Riverwalk/convention area. While the kids might not be that into it yet, it is very convenient/pretty small so it doesn't take that long (I went into it on a break between meetings).

There is a bar/restaurant called Dirty Dick's. I don't know if people take their kids there since it is a bar, however it's the sort of bar/restaurant that might be okay. Anyway, it's a bit of a funny place - kind of like a more sedate Whispering Canyon Cafe - they give you forks with bent tines, etc.

 

[jimmiej]

The SA Zoo & SW are great. Schlitterbahn is about 30 miles north in New Braunfels (where I live ). Depending on the dates in May, Schlitterbahn is only open on weekends until school is out in late May.

http://www.schlitterbahn.com/nb/

If you decide to come to New Braunfels, check out Gruene, a small bedroom community with good restaurants & shopping.

If you do stay downtown in SA, be sure to visit the Alamo & only a few blocks away, El Mercado.

http://marketsquaresa.com/?res=1024&ver=true

Also, you might enjoy a riverboat ride on the SA River. Gives you a nice overall view of the Riverwalk area. The Rivercenter Mall is one block away from the Convention Center & has a regular movie theater & an IMAX.

The Zoo is in Brackenridge Park which is nice & has a train ride your kids would enjoy.

SA also has a Six Flags park, Fiesta Texas. If you're like me though, no theme park measures up to WDW. On the other hand, Fiesta Texas is not bad for a Six Flags, much better than the one in Dallas.

SA's Majestic Theater is a great place to see a Broadway-type show. It's just a few blocks from downtown.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I haven't been yet...but I do want to go.

If you do want to go make sure you book early. They have alot of festivals that are very popular. "Feista" is in April so you are good there. That is the "biggie".

Here is the site I use to dream of vacationing....you may not need to know about hotels but it also has a ton of great info.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60956-San_Antonio_Texas-Hotels.html

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We used to live in Texas. Just want to say even at that time of year it is hot compared to the NE, we are in NY now so be prepared. My kids love the zoo too and the train ride like the others have posted. We have stayed at the Holiday Inn and were not impressed, I think it was the one on St. Marys. We usually stay at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort, Its more by Sea World. Sea World is nice but there is lots of black top around the place. Fiesta Texas is fun too but its built into the side of a rock quarry. At the Riverwalk Area we have taken the Kids to the Alamo, they must understand ahead of time they cannot talk inside as it is a shrine etc. Prepare them for that. We have taken them to the Rivercenter Mall to see the Imax show and also have done the boat cruise. There is a Ripleys Believe it or Not museum and a 3 d like alamo show near by and another museum called The Buckhorn, warning about that one, unless your kids wont freak out about lots of dead stuffed real animals, think hunting lodge overload then dont go there. We have been to the mercado too. Its a great place to visit. We have also went to a cave nearby, sorry I cant think of the name of that one. The ds really loved it. There is also a museum close to the zoo, the Witte I think.

 

[dngrmys]

We love San Antonio and try to visit at least twice a year.

Hotels on the Riverwalk that I recommend: Hyatt Regency, Hotel Contessa (new), Marriott (there are two on the Riverwalk and both are decent), Hilton and Westin.

There are many other great hotels on the Riverwalk, but the ones listed above were booked through Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" and I them got for around $60 to $90 a night. I liked the Hyatt the most because it's on a spot on the Riverwalk where all the action is...and the rooms are great, too.

Restaurants on the Riverwalk that I recommend: Casa Rio, Boudro's and Zuni. There are a few fun places for kids like Rainforest Cafe, Joe's Crabshack, and maybe Dick's Last Resort.

There are a ton of attractions: SeaWorld, Six Flags, Alamo, shopping (huge outlet mall is about 45 min away), historic Missions, Zoo, Botanical Gardens....

You'll have a great time!

 

[ahutton]

We used to visit SA when we lived in Austin. If you go to Hotwire and select the Riverwalk area you can get great hotel deals. We got the Westin for $99 in the spring and it was wonderful. If the kids are into swimming make sure you look for the pool logo, space is a premium there and not all hotels have them downtown. The boat cruise was a huge hit with my group, it gave us a chance to check out a lot of areas and we picked a place for dinner that we later walked to.

As for water parks, Schlitterbahn is huge, but both Sea World and Fiesta have them too, and the admission can be quite reasonable as you can do multiday tickets and visit the park and the water park.

 

[FloraFauna]

We were in San Antonio last July. We stayed at the Hyatt which was an excellent location. It is right across the street from the Alamo and right on the Riverwalk. We would walk the Riverwalk everyday, it is so pretty and lots of stuff going on. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe (which is just a few doors down from the Hyatt) and it was a lot of fun and the food was really good. My kids had a blast at Fiesta Texas!

 

[DisneyDotty]

San Antonio is a great place for a family vacation! We were there last year during Spring Break--others are right--it gets very warm there!
We visited the Alamo and the other missions around SA, Ripley's museum (kids wanted to do it!), the Mercado, Salt Lick Barbecue (an hour's drive, but worth it!), neighboring German towns and wineries, and more. There is no shortage of things to do!
When we were there several years ago in the summer, we took the kids (then ages 4 and up) to Schlitterbahn. They loved it. Plan on a whole day there--it's a big place!
The kids also went to Six Flags with their dad (I'm not a fan) and enjoyed themselves.
You'll love staying at a hotel on the Riverwalk--lovely views, lots of shopping, great walking area. Do take a boat ride. And enjoy a margarita at one of the restaurants on the Riverwalk.
Have a great time!

 

[RadioNate]

I live in SA. I disagree that May is miserably hot. Yes it is warmer than Mass but not unbearable...Aug is unbearable.

The riverwalk is pretty much just restaurants and nice for an evening stroll but not something to spend all day at. Plan on a few lunches and dinners there.

Definately check out the Alamo. You can talk inside, you just need to be respectful. Think art museaum....library.

Fiesta Texas and Sea World are both fun and both have water parks. They can be pretty reasonablly priced if you take advantage of both. Like jimmiej pointed out, check hours....depending on when in May all the big attractions including Schlitterbahn may still be in weekend only hours.

There is a children's museaum across from the Alamo. I'd skip the Whitte, I think it is really boring. My DS is 5 and all he likes is the HEB treehouse.

Everyone else has given great suggestions and there really isn't anything else I can add. There are a few other people from SA here so I'm sure you'll get lots of responses.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Thanks to everyone so far. Funny how the DIS is one of my first trip-planning sites, even for non-Disney trips! Sounds like it would make sense to stay in the Riverwalk area for the convention access and ability to stroll around...I will check into the hotels that you mentioned but I am wondering how easy is it to get a room large enough for a family of 5? I run into this all the time, it's my new pet peeve! It's why we joined DVC! Anyone know?

 

[Jpgirl]

I love San Antonio just got back. We always stay at the Holiday Inn Express on St. Mary's-it's a suite hotel with a bedroom w/a king ro 2 queens and a sofa bed in the "living room". 2 TVs which is nice for the kids. It's catty corner from La Villita which is on the Riverwalk. It's like a 3 minute walk to the convention center. This hotel is also accross the street from the Amerisuites which I discovered this trip is on the Riverwalk and will take you to King William historic district. There's a nice brew pub there that's very family friendly with really good food-called Blue Star. I get tired of eating on the Riverwalk-the food is so so and expensive. They did open up a Rainforest Cafe which kids like. The Alamo is a must and there's also a Seaworld up there. I didn't care for the zoo-definitely not the one I remember as a child, but the have a wonderful Flamingo population. Of course I am spoiled by the Cincinnati Zoo where we used to live. The city is pretty easy to navigate-I used the car all week to do some exploring. Oh yeah there's a Huge outlet mall(s) in San Marcos about 45 minutes north. There is literally tons to keep you and your family busy. It can be hot in May or nice. It's a good month to go as far as crowds-the summer tourist season isn't under way yet. You will have so much fun. The one place I would stay away from with the family is the Menger Hotel accross from the Alamo. It's a historic hotel and the rooms are filled with antiques. Cool to go through the lobby. Dh's associates had a ton of problems there when we were up there-no heat and hot water was iffy. Rooms were small and not condusive to do business. I've heard it's a neat place for couple and those who want the history. Have fun-the people are so nice and friendly as are all us Texans.

 

[DisneyDotty]

We stayed at the Homewood Suites on the Riverwalk--plenty of room for 5 there. Plus they have a nifty teeny tiny pool on the roof, and manager's reception/breakfast.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I live in SA. I disagree that May is miserably hot. Yes it is warmer than Mass but not unbearable...Aug is unbearable.

I live in SA as well and ITA with you. May is a walk in the park compared to August

Anyway, the previous posters have pretty much covered all the biggies. As far as the theme parks go, I personally enjoy Sea World much more than Fiesta Texas. But that's mostly because I'm not much of a thrill ride type person and that is mostly what Fiesta Texas is. Plus, I like the employees and atmosphere better. But my younger sister loves Fiesta Texas so it's really all a matter of personal preference

If you like shopping try La Cantera shopping center. It's right next to Fiesta Texas actually. It has a LOT of nice stores. It's an outdoor place but even though it will be warm all the stores themselves are air conditioned as well as the food court.

The Riverwalk is definitely a great place to go. There's plenty of restaurants down there to eat at if that's what you'd like to do. Although if you want Mexican food, don't eat at the Riverwalk. They overcharge for food that's not worth it. The Alamo is really neat and if you have time, the missions of San Antonio are interesting as well.

Food wise, there's a ton to choose from. If you like Mexican food I would recommend Pappasito's, Las Margaritas (downtown), Panchito's, or Los Barrios. You can use MapQuest (although I prefer Yahoo!maps) to find directions to any of these places. It's not hard to get around San Antonio at all. We have some great sushi places if you like that. There's a place called Sushi Zushi that my family really likes. And if you have non-sushi eaters they have a regular menu as well. Just a suggestion If you like seafood, Pappadeaux is great. Lots of cajun themed food there. For Italian we have the basic run of the mill stuff like Macaroni Grill and Johnny Carino's. But there's a small place called Little Italy where we get our pizza from that has really good regular food as well. Like I said, there's a lot to choose from here.

Oh, and if you're into art at all the San Antonio Museum of Art and the McNay Art Museum (my personal favorite) are both really awesome. The Institute of Texan Cultures is cool too. It's basically a museum but they always have cool exhibits there.

Hmmm...as far as hotels go, I really can't help you there. I've never had a need to stay at a hotel here. But I've heard good things about the Hyatt Hill Country Resort and the Marriott downtown. I've also heard the Valencia is nice. But I'm sure those can get pretty pricey and I don't know what your budget is.

Anyway, I'll wrap this up now. I talk a lot even on the internet apparently Hope that helped a little, have a great trip