This April we continued our Texas travels with a four-day weekend getaway to San Antonio. It was easily one of our favorite trips we have ever taken together! We did plenty of research beforehand to pick out the best sights to see, and we were so glad we did.
If you’re thinking about taking a San Antonio, TX weekend trip sometime soon, we’ll save you some time on your pre-vacation research. Here are a few of our favorite spots from the trip that we recommend to every traveler.
The Natural Bridge Caverns
Our first stop on the way into town from Dallas was The Natural Bridge Caverns. The caverns are actually about 30 minutes north of San Antonio, so stopping on our way there was a perfect way to maximize our time on our feet and out of the car.
We were stunned by how beautiful the caverns were and how much we enjoyed our hike through the caves. It was pretty humid inside, so I recommend wearing shorts and a tank top and some good walking shoes for this experience. (Check out this blog for more tips to know before you go!)
The Natural Bridge Caverns are open daily and are also home to a wildlife ranch where you can go on a drive through safari. We skipped the safari this time since we visited Fossil Rim Wildlife Park on our trip to Granbury last year, but we want to come back and add it to our itinerary for our next San Antonio weekend trip.
The Historic Market Square
You get a taste of Mexican culture when you shop and dine in the downtown Historic Market Square. Our trip fell during the annual Fiesta celebration, so there were lots of extra food vendors and decorations set up all over the streets. Year-round, you can dine on delicious Tex Mex food and shop from over 100 locally owned stores inside El Mercado: The Mexican Market.
After shopping around for the perfect souvenir, I fell in love with this traditional dress and belt from a shop called Mi Pueblito. The shop owner was so kind and helpful, and she had the best prices I saw all day on her merchandise.
One of the most popular restaurants in the market square is Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery. Their claim to fame isn’t just their delicious food or their extensive margarita menu. All of the ceilings inside the gigantic restaurant’s many rooms are decked out with hundreds of banners, pinatas, and string lights. It makes you feel festive with every single bite!
We each ordered a watermelon margarita before lunch. They were extremely delicious and surprisingly strong! We feasted on chicken quesadillas and a traditional veggie soup called caldo casero. The food was inexpensive and tasty, the perfect combo to help fuel our long weekend of upcoming adventures.
The Riverwalk
Floating down the Riverwalk on our boat tour was one of my favorite experiences of our entire San Antonio, TX weekend trip. For just $12 per person, you can hop on one of these iconic boats for 35 minutes and enjoy a narrated cruise down the entire Riverwalk district. Your guide will point out some really interesting landmarks and help you get your bearings in this extensive shopping and dining area. The boat tour was one of the first things we did when we arrived at the Riverwalk, and we were glad to have an idea of where things were for the rest of our time there.
The Riverwalk is home to a massive mall full of retail stores, but we were more interested in the local life. We wandered through the lovely La Villita Historic Arts Village and shopped for painted pottery, stained glass art, and other beautiful handmade creations.
The Riverwalk is even more magical when night falls. All of the river boats light up as they glide across the water. We stayed until our feet were too tired to walk anymore.
The Alamo
Even if you’re not a Texas native, the Alamo is still worth visiting. This historic building dates back to the early 1700s, when it was used as a Spanish mission. It is the site of one of the most important battles in Texas history when the state fought for independence. Outside the Alamo you can learn about life during The Battle of the Alamo from staff dressed in period clothing at the Living History Encampment.
Austin is a huge history nerd, so the Alamo was one of his favorite things we saw in San Antonio! If you’re bringing kids on your trip, it would be an excellent learning opportunity. The best part is, the Alamo is located within walking distance of the Riverwalk and it’s totally free. Keep in mind that you can’t take pictures or wear hats inside the building. But you can everywhere else on the grounds.
Sea World San Antonio
We didn’t originally plan on visiting Sea World this trip, but we found out they were offering a sale on their tickets for the Easter holidays that dropped the price almost 50%! Austin had never been to Sea World before, so we decided to rearrange our schedule. If you want to visit, check the website regularly for discounts to make the tickets a little bit more affordable.
We only spent about half of the day at Sea World, but we still managed to see pretty much every show. Our favorites were One Ocean (a show with beluga whales and dolphins), and Sea Lion High (the comedic sea lion and otter show). We also enjoyed touring the massive aquarium filled with sharks and tropical fish at the front of the park.
Our absolute favorite experience at Sea World was definitely feeding the sea lions! They were so happy to get extra fishy snacks, we were temped to keep tossing them in all day long. One thing that surprised me because I hadn’t visited Sea World since childhood is that you can’t feed the dolphins anymore. After some thorough research (I googled it haha), I discovered that Sea World determined this wasn’t healthy for the dolphins. Even though I missed getting to see them up close, I’m really glad they are doing what is best for the animals!
Sea World has had some really negative PR in recent years, and I know it isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. I do think it is important to scrutinize aquatic parks and make sure animals are treated fairly and aren’t being exploited. But I’ve been going to Sea World since I was a little girl, and the one thing that always stood out to me was how much I learned about creatures that fascinate me. I think Sea World’s conservation and education efforts make the theme park worthwhile. But if Sea World isn’t your thing, skip it! There are still plenty of other fun things to see in San Antonio.
The Pearl Historic District
Back in the 1800s, The Pearl was a famous San Antonio brewing company with a large distillery downtown. After the company shut its doors in 2001, the abandoned buildings once used for manufacturing transformed into a cultural hub filled with unique shops and restaurants. On weekends, vendors fill the 22-acre lawn for a farmers market. You can shop for clothes, books, macarons and more on a daily basis.
The first thing we did when we arrived at The Pearl was grab some sweet treats at Bakery Lorraine. Austin ordered a gigantic cinnamon roll, and I sampled their six flavors of macarons. One of their more creative flavors was margarita!
One of The Pearl’s most distinctive buildings is Hotel Emma. It was originally the brewhouse for The Pearl, but today it is one of the most popular hotels in the city. Filled to the brim with historic furniture and nods to the brewery’s history, Hotel Emma is definitely worth a visit while you’re in The Pearl District.
The Japanese Tea Gardens
Last but certainly not least, we stopped by the Japanese Tea Gardens in Brackenridge Park on the way out of town. We were only expecting to stay for a few minutes and snap some quick pictures, but we were so in awe of this beautiful oasis that we spent over an hour exploring! Admission is 100% free, and the view is stunning.
Plan your own San Antonio, TX weekend getaway!
What are you waiting for? Pack your bags for your own San Antonio, TX weekend. If you’ve never visited this iconic Texas city, we recommend adding it to your bucket list ASAP.
We made so many memories throughout our adventures in San Antonio. We can’t wait to return and explore some more soon! Are you a San Antonio local or a frequent visitor? Let us know if we missed something cool in the comments below. For even more pictures from our trip, follow along on Instagram.
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