I knew I would be in for some serious southern hospitality in San Antonio when the person at least 20 steps in front of me deliberately waited and held the door open for me! I really had no expectations for San Antonio when I booked my trip to attend my cousin’s wedding. San Antonio, in a nutshell, is charming, has a lot of character and is perfect for foodies.
Here’s the perfect San Antonio itinerary for 2 days:
Day 1
The Alamo
Don’t expect The Alamo to be isolated in a desert far away – it’s located right in the heart of the Riverwalk. The Alamo is well-known as the pivotal site in the defense of Texas during the Texas Revolution in the 1800s. Admission is free to visit the sites.
Mexican Craft Market
This is a landmark shopping area with shops and stalls offering crafts, souvenirs, and food.
Tex-Mex Lunch
Choose any one of the restaurants along the Riverwalk to sit back and people-watch over a cold beer. I recommend Rio Rio Cantina and Boudro’s, which makes mouthwatering table-side guacamole.
RiverWalk
The Riverwalk is a planned walking path along the banks of the San Antonio River, sunken one level below street level. Restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels line the banks of the river and is perfect for sitting back and people watching from the patios.
Rio San Antonio Cruises
I highly recommend taking a water taxi or the river cruise. The ride is about 30 minutes and gives you a good lay of the land. The ride does get crowded with passengers sitting directly across from you touching knees, which was a little too close for me!
Witte Museum and Brackenridge Park
My cousin’s wedding reception was held on the beautiful grounds of the Witte Museum, a museum featuring scientific and historical exhibits. While at the Witte, visit other notable attractions housed within Brackenridge Park, including the San Antonio Zoo, Japanese Tea Gardens, and the Eagle Train Ride.
Texas BBQ
No trip to Texas is complete without some good ol’fashioned Texan BBQ. I went to Augie’s BBQ Smokehouse and tried the brisket, with all the sides.
Day 2
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
This park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserving four missions in San Antonio. The missions were set up in the Spanish Southwest in the 1700’s to spread Christianity to the Natives. We visited the San Jose Mission where my cousin’s wedding ceremony was held.
Brunch
There are a few good places for brunch in San Antonio including Supper and Bakery Lorraine, both at the Pearl, Cappy’s, Guenther Haus and Magnolia Pancakes. Some restaurants are located further out of the downtown core, so plan your route accordingly!
Pearl Brewery
This is a commercial complex housed within historic brewery buildings with hip cafes, restaurants, shops, and industrial chic decor. Be sure to have a pastry snack at Bakery Lorraine.
My fave memory was sitting at Local Coffee and chatting with my mom…and seeing Kevin Durant outside of Hotel Emma!
Burger Snack
If you’re craving a burger, visit In-N-Out Burger – it’s primarily located in the Pacific Coast and Whataburger, a Southwest burger chain based in San Antonio.
Natural Bridge Caverns
If you’ve been to other caves before, this one will not disappoint. There are different types of tours and on-site activities, such as a giant outdoor maze and zip lining. The basic Discovery Group Tour with a guide is 75 minutes.
The Cavern is located 40 minutes from downtown. It’s super easy to take a Uber there, but Ubers were hard to come by on the way back so we ended up calling a taxi instead with a $40 minimum ride.
Quarry Market
For some retail therapy, this box store shopping area has some notable stores including Nordstrom Rack, JCrew and a Whole Foods Market.
Transportation
San Antonio doesn’t have a subway system, but public buses can take you almost everywhere you need to go on $1.30, the airport included. I relied primarily on Uber to get around, which was super convenient if you have a data roaming package on your phone to order the Uber. In the downtown Riverwalk area, all attractions and restaurants are accessible on foot.
There’s plenty to do in San Antonio, which is why it’s such a great city for your next weekend getaway.
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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WanderMum says
A really interesting overview of San Antonio. The caves would be fantastic to explore and I’d love to look around the historical buildings. I have never been to Texas but it’s definitely on the list – and a trip to San Antonio is on it too now! Thanks for linking to #citytripping
Deb Che says
Thanks again for hosting #citytripping! Texas is such a huge state, I’d like to visit other cities there as well. I hope you’ll get to visit SA in the near future 🙂
MummyTravels says
It’s great to read a bit more about Texas – i’ve never visited and a lot of what i’ve read or know is the big cities. San Antonio sounds lovely for a visit. Thanks for joining up with #citytripping
Ruth says
I haven’t been to San Antonio for a long time. I forgot how pretty it is. Friends move recently tot he city. That is the perfect excuse to go back.