Say Hello to San Antonio

For several years I have wanted to go to San Antonio. Living only a few hours away, it just did not seem right that we had not been able to make it out there for one reason or another. Well, I finally got the chance to spend a little time out there. For spring break, we decided to go to Corpus Christi and my husband surprised me by stopping downtown on the way to Corpus. Of course, I was very excited. San Antonio has so much history and is a great tourist town to visit. I guess I had been there once when I was really little, but I had not been within the past decade and felt I needed to see things again. San Antonio has tons of great activities for all ages. There is a theme park (Fiesta Texas, which I think is now owned by Six Flags), Sea World, San Antonio Zoo, the Alamo, and the Tower of the Americas. There is also the River Walk, which has tons of restaurants, hotels and shops, little theaters, malls, Market Square, and tons of other things that are great to do and see when on a trip.

Our trip was short here (just a few hours, so I am not an expert an all that San Antonio has to offer.) We did, however, get to visit both the River Walk and Market Square. The days we visited, the weather was slightly overcast and drizzly, so it was not a great experience for what both had to offer. Nevertheless, we had a great time and I got to at least get out and walk around and see a few things.

Quick Tips:

This part should be interesting since we did not stay for too long but I can think of a few things that might be helpful and worth mentioning. Parking in the downtown/River Walk area is a little tricky, there are lots of places to park but the price for just a few hours is pretty high. is the average price for around 4 hours and some for the whole day. This is not too bad if you are going to be there for the whole day, but we were only going to be there for less than two hours. With luck, we found this parking lot that was for 90 minutes, but a minute more and it goes to and then, of course, to for the whole day. So we had to make sure we got a move on, and were back within that hour and a half.

The River Walk is a little bit confusing if you do not know where you are. Make sure to look at a map and try to remember where you are and where you need to go. There are several maps throughout the river walk which must be because it is so confusing.

Having only been to both the River walk and Market Square for a few hours, I would say both are a great adventure and are a must-do. Both have lots of shops, restaurants, and entertainment. Be careful of the crowds in Market Square on the weekends and holidays; it gets kinda crazy.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around the River Walk is by foot. The same with Market Square. The only problem with both places is they are pretty far from each other to walk from one to the other, so you are going to have to drive and pay for parking at both places. You can walk all around the River Walk both at the river level and the street level.

Market Square is a little secluded and cornered-off, so you stay right there and walk around looking at shops, restaurants, and enjoying the entertainment.

I think pretty much anything else is close to the River Walk and you could park and walk all around downtown. Just remember to be careful of the parking lots, look for something not so expensive, especially if you are there only for a short time.

"Mi Tierra is a noisy, good-smelling, visually dizzying place, hung with thousands of Christmas lights and other random decorations. It's also one of the oldest, biggest, and best Tex-Mex restaurants in San Antonio. It is placed in the center of Market Square, which is located in the downtown area. Surrounded by all things Tex-Mex it is a perfect fit in the Tex-Mex Capital of the world. And if that is not good enough, they never close. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all 365 days of the year. In fact, when you come to eat there, you will see a sign that says "we never close".

When you walk into Mi Terra, that is if you can get through the door, you will probably have to wait for a while for a table. My husband says that it is always like this when he comes. That is, very busy and very noisy. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table. Of course, there was something going on that night in Market Square and it was also Spring Break. Once we got to our table, our waitress was very nice. She was patient and helpful with all our questions and accommodating our son. This was very nice to see since it was so chaotic with so many people everywhere. As well as good service, you could also pay a little money to have authentic Mexican music played at your table. If you are lucky, someone close to you will have some played and you too can enjoy it.

I was a little disappointed in our food. It was not as great as my husband made it out to be, and I think he was a little surprised as well. It definitely was good, but I can’t say it was the best I have ever had. It had more of an authentic Mexican taste than many other Tex-Mex places.

Mi Tierra is also know for its endless Mexican desserts. In the front of the restaurant is a bakery-type display set up where you can buy pastries. Many people come here just to buy the sweets, they don't even come to eat the food.

All in all it was a great experience, my only discomfort came because it was so crowded and the wait for a table was very long, especially on an empty stomach.

San Antonio has a few amusement parks that would make tons of fun for the children. I have not been to any of these places, but was amazed by what was available and thought I would share this for future travelers with kids.

For starters, San Antonio has Fiesta Texas. Fiesta Texas is now owned by Six Flags. Fiesta Texas is know for its huge roller coaster called the Rattler. There is also the Superman Krypton coaster, Boomerang, and Scream, all three are thrilling rides. There are plenty of family rides, fun rides, and entertainment throughout the whole park. The park offers shows and live musical performances that are at no extra cost. There are tons places to eat and lots of little stands to refresh yourself while waiting in lines.

Admission to the park is $46.99 and $31.99 for children 48" and under with kids under 2 FREE. Daily parking is $12. The park hours are different throughout the year, so check for your specific visit.

Next is Sea Wold San Antonio. This is also an amusement park with roller coasters and rides. This Sea World has more to offer than San Diego. There is of course the usual Shamu show and plenty of other live animal shows. They have a dolphin show, sea otter and seal show, they also have tons of animal attractions where you can get up-close and personal with the animals. Like Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World offers tons of family fun and entertainment and endless choices of food.

Admission to the park is $44.09 for adults and $35.09 for children. You will also have to check the hours here as they change throughout the year.

The next place worth mentioning is the Tower of the Americas. The tower is 750 feet tall and offers breathtaking views of San Antonio. The tower hosts an observation deck, an upscale eatery, and a 4-D multi-sensory theater. The cost of the observation deck is $5 for adults and $3 for children. The hours are 10am-10pm daily. You can buy passes for multiple attractions, such as the observation deck, the 4-D theater, and also a theater ride. Of course, the restaurants will also have their normal menu prices. The restaurants that are offered are Salt Grass Steak House, Landry's Sea Food, and the Rain forest Cafe.

These are just a few of the places I thought would be worth mentioning as great places to take the kids and would be fun for the whole family. I hope you will have fun and consider these places when choosing San Antonio as a vacation destination.

San Antonio's River Walk is a tourist's paradise. You will find shops, restaurants, and hotels lining the San Antonio River. With sidewalks, stairs to the street level, historic sites to tour, and boats floating lazily down the canals, you will find plenty to enjoy in this area of San Antonio.

On our trip to San Antonio, we stopped here and walked around for a few hours. There is endless stuff to see and do. The first trip we made, we stopped in the early afternoon, late morning, not much was open and not too many people were out. We ended up eating at McDonald’s since is was kind of low-key and not much action going on. The McDonald’s was on a street corner at a great location to view some of downtown and a quick walk across the street from the river walk.

On our way through the second time, we stopped later in the evening when it was dark. The streets of the River Walk were lined with people and every restaurant was packed full. The sights and sounds of the night were enjoyable for the atmosphere. We did not eat here this time either, just walked around again and enjoyed the lights and the activity of the river.

The river has a little place where you can purchase tickets to ride a boat down the river. We never got the opportunity to do this because of the weather but it sure will be something we do next time. The cost is around $5 a person and it takes you through the whole river walk. This is just another option for seeing all the shops, hotels, and restaurants the River Walk has to offer.

The River Walk is a great experience whether busy or slow, light or dark. We sure enjoyed both and hope next time to be able to take a boat ride around the river.

“Mini Mexico”, that’s how I would begin to describe Market Square. With all things Mexico, it is bright, bold, and beautiful. You are sure to find all sorts of unique and authentic treasures from Mexico. Market Square is also filled with shopping, dinning, and entertainment experiences.

Inside the main shopping center are several little shops and food stops. There are all sorts of things like dresses, bags, hats, souvenirs, and many other little knickknacks to the big stuff that you would find on the streets of a border Mexican city. This shopping center actually reminded me a lot of shopping in Tijuana. Also, inside this shopping center is a huge open area with tables and plenty of room to just hang out and eat or enjoy the entertainment. With so much in one place, you could spend the day here.

Outside are several restaurants, hotels, and other little shops. On our trip, there was a stage set up and a band playing music and giving away all sorts of free stuff. After walking around for a while, we worked up an appetite and decided to eat at a little place there in the middle, called Mi Tierra. Getting to this place was a little bit of a challenge with all the people.

I guess with Spring Break, and it being a weekend, it was a little more crowded than normal. There were people everywhere. However, it made the experience just a little bit more fun.

If San Antonio itself is not enough culture and history, then you will love Market Square, it is like a little bit of Mexico right smack in the middle of San Antonio. Parking is a little bit of a problem in this are simply because there is just nowhere to park because of its location. On a busy weekend it is going to be hard. The good thing though is that you should not have to walk far to find something, but once you do and you get there, you will forget about how far the walk was.