{"id":13531,"date":"2010-05-25T08:57:41","date_gmt":"2010-05-25T13:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/momstraveltales.com\/?p=362"},"modified":"2010-05-25T08:57:41","modified_gmt":"2010-05-25T13:57:41","slug":"destination-snapshot-san-antonio-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/destination-snapshot-san-antonio-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Destination Snapshot: San Antonio, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Want a quick mom\u2019s eye view on a destination? MomsTravelTales.com has you covered with our new collection of Mom-servations on destinations across the globe.<\/p>\n

San Antonio is always sizzling with excitement with lots of fun family destinations and festivals. My friend Lisa recently moved from San Antonio, so I thought I would ask her to share some of her favorite tourist spots and insider secrets. I am so thankful she agreed to share…<\/p>\n

City or town name: <\/strong><\/p>\n

San Antonio<\/p>\n

Is there an airport there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes the airport is called San Antonio Intercontinental Airport. \u00a0Easy access.<\/p>\n

Is this a place you have visited more than once? If so, what keeps you coming back?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our family use to live in San Antonio for many years. \u00a0We miss the hill country, and all the fun things to do that aren’t too far away. \u00a0I have lived in various cities and personally I liked the way San Antonio felt like a large city (in regards to entertainment and shopping), however had a small town feel.<\/p>\n

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What makes this place great for families to visit?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In San Antonio you can be entertained by the River Walk<\/a>, the beauty of the Hill Country, Sea World<\/a>, and most certainly the food. \u00a0It appeals to singles, couples, and families of all ages. \u00a0San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo<\/a> is in Febuary. \u00a0The festivals: \u00a0Fiesta<\/a>, held in April each year has so many events to choose from. \u00a0Parades, Concerts, food events (my personal favorite ).<\/p>\n

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How long should a family plan to stay to hit the highlights?<\/strong><\/p>\n

3-5 days would be enough time to see some of the sites. \u00a0You won’t be able to cover them all, but that’s what brings people back!<\/p>\n

What are some of the fun things to do? What were your favorites? Why? What ages would these spots appeal to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It hard to pick a favorite, and the most of what we have done with the family, however I think All ages would appreciate it.<\/p>\n

One of the most famous destinations is the San Antonio Riverwalk. \u00a0It is a beautiful picturesque river that is lined with HUGE Cypress trees. \u00a0The river is dotted with hotels, restaurants, bars, IMAX and shopping. \u00a0My 4th grader just finished a report on San Antonio, and one thing I learned was that years ago they almost paved over the river to build. \u00a0Thank goodness that plan was scraped!<\/p>\n

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All year the Riverwalk is filled with locals and tourists, however my favorite time to go is end of November- early January. \u00a0The trees are adorn with Christmas lights, and they will have choir barges that serenade you. \u00a0The lights bounce of the water, and there is a feeling of festive energy!<\/p>\n

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The Alamo<\/a> is next to the river walk, and this would appeal to any history buff. \u00a0However, young and old would appreciate the sacrifice that was made from these early Texans. \u00a0The history that was preserved is neat to witness. \u00a0Also you can watch a neat film, located by the infirmary. \u00a0If you are needing \u00a0a Davy Crockett coon hat or a Jim Bowie “Knife” make sure to go into the large gift shop. \u00a0In the gift shop, there are more artifacts to view, and a neat scale of the Alamo back in the day. \u00a0I like to take pictures, and some of the best pictures are in and by the Alamo. \u00a0Look for the HUGE tree that has supports to hold up its branches, water well (wishing well to the kids) the large cactus, and the hall way of arches- makes for good pictures!<\/p>\n

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For the animal lover, and children of all ages try the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch.<\/a> It is a drive thru safari on a ranch in the Texas hill country. \u00a0At the entrance you have a choice of buying animal food..Do it! \u00a0Great pictures..however watch out for the emu’s! \u00a0Their long necks can come in and grab the whole bag of food- quickly!<\/p>\n

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Down the road is the Natural Bridge Caverns<\/a>– this an amazing cavern far below the earths suffice. \u00a0It is a lovely site to behold, and can feed your spiritually from the awe of precision, creation, and beauty. \u00a0This is a GREAT attraction in the heat of the summer because the caverns are very cool. \u00a0Ahhhhh….<\/p>\n

Brackenridge Park and Train<\/a>–<\/p>\n

Take the train at Brackenridge Park, it can drop you off at various locations: one being Witte Museum. \u00a0The Tree House at the Witte is fun to run around in. \u00a0The Train Station is located across the road from the San Antonio Zoo. \u00a0This is a nice zoo, that seems to get better every time I hear about it. \u00a0I believe the latest attraction at the zoo is an aquarium!<\/p>\n

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What family-friendly places to eat would you recommend? Anything special about them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ll let you in on a secret- usually this is a local spot. \u00a0This is a family friendly place called Scenic Loop Cafe<\/a>. \u00a0The kids love it because of the great play area, most nights they have bands playing outside. \u00a0It’s a great place to unwind, let the kids play and reconnect with family or friends.<\/p>\n

Another local spot is Burger Boy<\/a>. \u00a0I have to admit, my family does own it- however it is GOOD! \u00a0They have been in the hamburger business for a couple of generations. \u00a0Most of their business was bought out by a large food business. \u00a0However, one remained. \u00a0At lunch time the little place is packed with downtown business people. Hint: \u00a0I would get there early or after the rush.<\/p>\n

Award winning Burger Boy is downtown and close to Brackenridge park and the Zoo. \u00a0Lots of time we have picked up our food and have taken it to the park and by the zoo- like a pseudo picnic. ;) \u00a0Tell Grandma Hi!<\/p>\n

How can you not go to San Antonio and not have Mexican Food? \u00a0This is a family staple for us. I can’t pick a favorite place, but I will throw out some names. \u00a0La Fogata<\/a>– good food and drink, and has a nice patio area! \u00a0Jacala’s<\/a> has been around for centuries…kidding, been there a long time. \u00a0Many generations of families still go there. \u00a0La Maragrita Restaurant and Oyster Bar<\/a> is a fun and festive place. \u00a0It is located in Market Square surrounding by Mexican art shops and restaurants. \u00a0If you go there- get the Salsa Preferda…slurp! \u00a0So good…great, now I’m hungry!<\/p>\n

What hotels or other places to stay can you recommend?<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the Riverwalk try Marriott<\/a>, Hilton<\/a>, or Westin<\/a>. \u00a0There are a few cute boutique hotels as well Emily Morgan<\/a>, Crockett Hotel<\/a>, and the famous Menger Hotel<\/a>. \u00a0I also heard good things about Arbor House<\/a>, which is a B&B. \u00a0So if your lucky enough to have a romantic get-a-way- look there!<\/p>\n

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The Westin La Cantera <\/a>is great for families, golfers, and convient to Six Flags Fiesta Texas<\/a>. \u00a0They have the Westin Kids Club, so at check-in your kids get a bag, hat and lots of fun things!In the summer, you’ll get a firework display at 9pm. \u00a0I love to watch it from the Westin. \u00a0The pool is fun for all age kids, or they have an adult pool ( I think I got to walk by it!) \u00a0Also picture taking is fun there. \u00a0Look for the semi circle that has multiple arches. \u00a0Yes! \u00a0I like arches. \u00a0However the Texas Hill Country is behind it; \u00a0just beautiful! \u00a0Another bonus to Westin is the kids can go to camp, or to the Club at night. \u00a0That means mom and dad have a date night! \u00a0Whoo-hoo! \u00a0Franceska’s (on site) has wonderful food, and I would try to go around sunset time. \u00a0The mile long bar is fun too- they have games to play, or you can sit on the rocking chairs outside, on the balcony. \u00a0If you come at Christmas, they have “snow”.<\/p>\n

Hyatt Hill Country<\/a>– this is located by SeaWorld. \u00a0(funny, some one was really smart when planning hotels). \u00a0This place is neat. \u00a0Very rustic country, and family friendly. \u00a0My kids LOVE the lazy river, the nightly summer movies, having s’mores by the fire, the play area, renting bikes, etc..Mom loves the Wildflower spa..ahh. \u00a0Dad loves the golf. \u00a0I don’t believe they have a camp for kids, but if you get a date night, try the Antler’s Lodge. \u00a0Nice upscale dining.<\/p>\n

If adults can fit in a date night without the kids while there, what would you suggest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Did someone say romance? \u00a0I will give you a tried but true place, that everyone goes to. \u00a0It’s back in the hills, and by the time you get there- you’re famished! \u00a0Kidding, it just seemed like that the first time we went there. \u00a0It’s called Grey Moss Inn<\/a>. \u00a0Very cute and quaint. \u00a0My memory is stretching, however it seems to me the the squash side was suberb! \u00a0Don’t get me started on dessert…yum!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want a quick mom\u2019s eye view on a destination? MomsTravelTales.com has you covered with our new collection of Mom-servations on destinations across the globe. San Antonio is always sizzling with excitement with lots of fun family destinations and festivals. My friend Lisa recently moved from San Antonio, so I thought I would ask her to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[451,455],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-destination-snaphots","category-texas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13531\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}