My family and I are considering visiting San Antonio next summer although I hear alot of great things about the Riverwalk honestly I am not sure exactly what it is, is it just hotels, bars and restaurants on the river? Excuse my ignorance, I really couldn%26#39;t find alot of info on the web about it, anyways any information and recommendations of great hotels/resorts would be great, thanks!!
Need info on Riverwalkis summer the only time you can visit? summers down here are just terribly hot and miserable. right now we%26#39;re averaging 100 degrees every day and it%26#39;s rained (at my house) about once in the past year. the BEST time to visit San Antonio is anytime from November through March. January is usually perfect down here - highs around 70 and lows in the 40%26#39;s. (although they drain the riverwalk during this time!) but, i digress.
The riverwalk is just like you said.....hotels, bars, restaurants, shops......with a man-made river going through the middle with small boats/barges that carry people around (for an extra fee)..... it%26#39;s fun, but to me it%26#39;s only fun for a few hours....(like an afternoon or evening).....nearby is the Alamo (worthy of about 30 minutes to see some history)....just read some of the posts in this forum and you%26#39;ll get more opinions about downtown...the riverwalk...and other things to do in this part of the country......
Need info on RiverwalkI just returned from the San Antonio Riverwalk and here is what I suggest.
Stay only a couple days on the Riverwalk since in my opinion there isn%26#39;t that much to see that%26#39;s worth while. I recommend you stay at the Drury Inn Hotel. They give you alot of extras like free breakfast, 3 free drinks per person everyday between 5:30 pm and 7pm. free popcorn and sodas for the kids. Free High Speed and Wireless internet. Pillow-top beds, etc.. Take the SATRAN shuttle or a Taxi to your hotel, I think a taxi would be cheaper in your case, around $22-$25 dollars. You can rent downtown probably alot cheaper than at the airport.
While on the Riverwalk eat at County Line BBQ.
Have a drink and their tortilla soup and taco combo at the Guadalajara Grill (lavillita.com/guadalajara/index.htm) and pick up the coupon books inside near their front entrance for discounts on other riverwalk places.
Rent a car at the Hertz inside the downtown Marriot at bowie street via Orbitz. I only paid $55 for 2 days using Orbitz. Drive up to New Braunfels area and stay at the closest Drury Inn to that place. While near New Braunfels go river tubing at the Comal river (texastubes, if not there then their are other tubing outfitters in the area). You can take your kids to the Schlitterbahn water park also in that same area. Then have a picnic over at the Landra Park also in that area.
Also check out the Guadalupe River tubing. It%26#39;s not as good as Comal river but it%26#39;s more natural. Comal river is where most people go due to the drought conditions in the area.
You can also go hike around the Natural Bridge Caverns also in the New Braunsfel area (naturalbridgecaverns).
Taco Cabanas (a taco chain) is also a good cheap place to eat. I also had a BBQ Pork sandwich at Daisy Duke%26#39;s near the Guadalupe River tubing places that was pretty good. I ate at Barnacle Bills fish place but didn%26#39;t think much of it.
I would also drive up to Austin/ San Marcos area for a few days to check out their rivers (www.78666.com/river/), (pecanpark) for more info and ideas.
Hope this helps.
My husband and I go at least annually and we%26#39;ve taken our 3 kids once as well. We usually priceline a 4 star or higher Riverwalk location hotel and land something in the $100/night range. We typically get the Hyatt although we once got the Fairmont and both are great. We will generally stay for a few nights and enjoy the restaurants, relaxing walks along the riverwalk, and nightlife. We like to eat at Paesanos which is near the Starbucks. First timers must do the riverboat tour which gives you a tour and history on how the riverwalk came to be, and this is a great family ride. You can even book a dinner tour on the boats. There is one mall right on the riverwalk and another one one block off it downtown. Next you can tour surrounding San Antonio by taking the trolley. It is very inexpensive (I think around $1 for an all day pass) and it stops all over town. The Alamo is one easy walking block from the Riverwalk and is great to take the kids to, and along the way there are more shops and things to browse. The Trolley will also take you the to the Farmers market which is a few blocks down, but too far to walk, from the Riverwalk. Lots of great Mexican and Texan crafts and wares are for sale here, and there a lot of great restaurants, especially Mexican, to dine at. At night it is all lit up and makes for a nice stroll with lots of other people and mariachis around. The year we took our 3 kids (11, 5, 3) we stayed on the walk at night and went to Six Flags and Sea World by day, both of which are short 20 min drives from there. We did that in mid-June and it was pretty hot then. I%26#39;d go early June as possible and avoid July/Aug. However, both Sea World and Six Flags have nice waterparks contained within them as part of normal admission if you go that route.
thanks, news! great info! i%26#39;m glad you posted that. i guess since i work downtown i take the riverwalk for granted sometimes, and i needed to think about what it%26#39;s like for first-time tourists....and it is all that you said and a bag of tortillas fritas. i%26#39;m just so tired of this heat and drought we%26#39;re having that it%26#39;s making me insane.....any other SA locals feel the same? : - )
early june is not bad as the summer is tolerable then (by mid-july and especially now (Aug.22nd), it is like stepping on to the surface of the sun when you walk outside in the afternoons). but early june is good.
I hear ya TexasHam. It%26#39;s making us crazy too, and we moved here from the southwest coast of Florida where there%26#39;s serious heat AND serious humidity months of every year! We whine every weekend recently that it%26#39;s too hot to even go out now. And our poor yards...dying of thirst. Walking across our unsprinkled backyard sounds like we are walking across a field of potato chips! Crunch crunch crunch. When will it end?
It is nice to go back to the Riverwalk with fresh eyes. We hadn%26#39;t seen it in a while when we were transferred back here and I was so surprised that it appeared to be so romantic, especially in the early evening. It really is nice to stroll and just look and people watch. Sit at one of the outside cafes, have a drink and watch the world walk by. Along the way there%26#39;s some neat shops to explore in La Villita. I walk the river weekends, going in with my husband as he works a half day Saturday, and Saturday morning they were having canoe races in the spur that heads off toward the Marriott. It was hysterical...obvious non-canoers and more than a few ended up in the drink. I watched with baited breath as canoe after canoe unintentionally T-boned another as they made their turn by the Marriott to head back to the finish line. Fun for us and them. Occasionally there%26#39;ll be mariachis along the river too. Whatever, without any doubt, it is the best people watching I%26#39;ve ever had...all walks of life represented. All manner of dress...ooo la! And all this under a canopy of big old trees overhanging the narrow river banks and pretty little bridges.
Although the river is a pretty sight and fun to stroll, there is more to San Antonio than that. Head out to the outlying missions. 4 (I believe?) others aside from the Alamo. San Jose is especially beautiful. Walk a few of the streets in the historic King William district with beautiful homes dating from the mid 19th century. El Mercado...the market mentioned above is always interesting. Further afield...New Braunfels and historic Gruene with Gruene Hall, a live music venue with some terrific music. We sat Sunday afternoon in the 100 degree heat in Gruene Hall, the 15 fans whirring overhead, screened windows and had an unbelievably good time listening to the group playing. They were fantastic...it was very tolerable in the hall with the fans, the other people watching were such fun...as much fun to people watch there as it is on the river, with everyone from locals, cowboys, people in from Austin, and lots of tourists! We left there renewed, feeling very happy to have the good fortune of living in this part of Texas. Now that%26#39;s something of a miracle after all this extreme heat and what it has done to our moods!!
If you are interested in a resort you%26#39;ll be staying out from the river, but no so far out that you can%26#39;t get in to enjoy it. Hyatt Hill Country is especially nice and fun for the entire family with it%26#39;s lazy river and assorted pools. Walking/jogging path, golf, horseshoes, bikes, beautiful grounds. Disclaimer...my husband works for Hyatt, but not that one, and I have no interest in filling their rooms. :%26gt; It really is a fun spot for a family! Westin also has a resort out in the northwest side and in all honesty, it%26#39;s a beautiful hotel with some terrific restaurants, but they don%26#39;t have the river that kids and adults love, giving Hyatt the edge, IMHO.
There are any number of places to chose from on the river, from smaller more intimate and elegant...La Mansion and it%26#39;s sister hotel, the Watermark which has a terrific spa and a terrific restaurant, Pesca, as well, whether or not you are staying at that hotel, down through 2 Marriotts, Westin, Hyatt, Hilton etc, and on to suites hotels La Contessa, brand new, Ameirsuites etc. Or choose something historic such as the Menger. There is something for everyone. Come on down!
Planning to visit the area in February or March next year to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
During this time period are there certain ';tourist'; places closed for the season? Would it be warm enough to do the tube ride down the river then?
Has anyone stayed at the Hotel Valencia? Comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated as I need to make reservations soon and am not sure where to stay. WeI don%26#39;t want to stay in the riverwalk area the entire week. Thought about Hill Country Inn %26amp; Suites (now Salado Creek Villas?) or Wynnwood townhomes after 2 nights on the riverwalk. We have flexible timeshare options so I%26#39;m hoping to use them for the trip.
Also, when is spring break in this area? I noticed some of the hotels have no vacancy in early March.
Thanks!
Lafawnduh, most tourist places will be open except for Seaworld and Fiesta Texas - both of which are open for the week of spring break, which is usually the 2nd or 3rd week of March. (San Antonio gets pretty crowded on spring break, so avoid those two weeks in March.) It%26#39;s still a little chilly to be tubing down the river at this time (but i%26#39;ve seen some March weather when you could tube as it was around 90 outside...but that%26#39;s not typical). You might consider coming in April - it%26#39;s usually warm enough to tube down the river, and the theme parks will be open on the weekends. Also, if you come in late April, you can experience Fiesta: http://www.fiesta-sa.org/
I would also drive up to Austin/ San Marcos area for a few days to check out their rivers (www.sanmarcos180.com), (pecanpark) for more info and ideas.
there%26#39;s lots to see and do in San Antonio besides the Riverwalk, if your there in the summer and have kids consider 2 days at SeaWorld and a day at Feista Texas. Definely try Rudy%26#39;s BBQ, Buckhorn Saloon, Boudro%26#39;s on the Riverwalk, or Mi Tierra.
There%26#39;s the tower for a view of San Antonio, the Alamo, Botancial Gardens, Governors House. I%26#39;m not sure which Mission we go to but it has a marraci band doing mass on Sunday morning and welcome center w/a nice presentation about the missions. There%26#39;s a couple of silly but fun things for kids a clown museum, World Records museum. We go to San Antonio a couple of times a year, we really love it. It%26#39;s got a great history and very family friendly.
The Riverwalk is mostly a tourist shopping center- it does have a comedy club, movie theater, and IMAX and lots of bars and nightlife. There%26#39;s a good bit of live music day and night.
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