In 2019, a whopping 40 million people visited the Alamo City and we were fortunate to be among them. San Antonio was one of those cities we’ve always wanted to visit so when the company my wife worked for at the time decided to honor her (and many others) at a conference there with the offer to fly us out and put us up, it was a no-brainer.

San Antonio is known for many things, including being the second home of the famed, late singer Selena. In fact, parts of the 1997 movie of the same name was filmed along the banks of perhaps the city’s most popular attraction; the world-famous Riverwalk.

In this article, we’re going to cover five of our favorite attractions that we experienced during our trip. Some of these are uber popular and are what the city is most known for, but there’s also a couple that may surprise you. After the list, we’ll fill you in on where we stayed and sprinkle in a few tips to help you make the best out of your trip.

1) The World Famous Riverwalk

One of the two most famous attractions in the city, the River Walk is 15-miles long and winds through roughly 5-miles of downtown San Antonio. There are multiple entry points along the river and thus, there is no fee to simply walk along the banks and enjoy the scenery.

Dotted along the river are multiple restaurants, hotels, shops, and various attractions that charge their own fees. The most popular being cruising the river itself. We took a cruise with Go Rio Cruises and while it was a bit of a headache to find the launching point, we found the cruise itself to be fun, informative, and relaxing.

We didn’t try many restaurants on the river as we tend to get away from the touristy areas and dine where the locals do, but there is one that we highly recommend and that’s, “Boudro’s on the Riverwalk”. The service was incredible and the shrimp n’ grits was easily the best i’ve ever eaten.

An address you can use for GPS purposes is:

849 East Commerce Street

2) Japanese Tea Garden

We never would have thought to check out a Japanese tea garden in San Antonio but after reading many great reviews and seeing so many beautiful pictures, we decided we would pay it a visit. Admission is free and it isn’t very far from the downtown area, so it’s an easy drive or Uber ride away.

The tea garden is located at Brackenridge Park and is open daily between the hours of 7am - 5pm. As stated above, admission is free but if you’re looking to do a professional photoshoot here, you’ll need to contact them to obtain a permit. Dogs are permitted provided you keep them on a leash.

You could easily spend hours here enjoying the year-round flora, stone walkways and bridges, the 60-foot waterfall, Japanese pavilion, and more. When we were here (mid-day in July) there was literally no crowd. It was peaceful, tranquil, and the perfect way to escape the hoards of tourists at other more popular spots.

The address for the tea garden is:

3853 N. St. Mary’s Street

3) The Alamo

When thinking of going to San Antonio, the Alamo is more than likely going to be what most people put on their “to-do” list and for good reason. The Alamo is a significantly historic building where a lot of people died during the Battle of the Alamo is 1836 (including Davy Crockett).

As with the prior two entries in this list, the Alamo is free to visit (timed reservations now required). One caveat to this is while you can take pictures of the exterior of the building and out in the garden behind it, taking pictures or filming inside the Alamo itself is prohibited. I asked about this and was told it is due to it still being an active mission.

We highly recommend paying a visit and seeing it for yourself. The interior is very small and won’t take long to look through, but you’ll also have the beautiful garden grounds in the back that includes a mini museum, a water fountain dedicated to Davy Crockett, and bronze statues of the most-known individuals who fought here.

The address to the Alamo is:

300 Alamo Plaza

4) Natural Bridge Caverns

The Natural Bridge Caverns gets its name from the 60-foot limestone bridge above it and was discovered in 1960 by four college students. It has since turned into a huge entertainment complex with zip lining, mazes, wall climbing, obstacle courses, restaurants, and shops making up the surface activities.

Under the earth, however, is where the main attraction lies. There are two tours available. The first being the Discovery Tour, which is their most popular. You’re guided 180-feet below the earth’s surface through multiple impressive rooms. For the more adventurous, the Hidden Passages Tour takes you through the natural darkness of the cave and into rooms not seen in the Discovery Tour.

Tickets can be purchased online or on-site (you’re better off with the former) and it seems that prices are determined by which day you want to come. Weekends are higher priced than mid-week. Adult prices range from $23 to $32 with child tickets ranging from $15 to $20. You can check exact prices and dates here. Keep in mind that admission to the surface attractions are additional. Parking is free, though.

The address to the caverns is:

26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Road

5) The Historic Pearl

We discovered the Pearl district by complete accident and it ended up becoming our favorite part of the trip. We were on our way to a great bakery in the area called, “Bakery Lorraine”, and after our brunch, we decided to abandon our plans and stay to explore the area.

The old Pearl Brewery building has since been converted into, “Hotel Emma”, and is a stunningly beautiful hotel. Stunning goth and industrial style decor come together to form the interior. The lobby is open to the public and we highly encourage you check it out. Next time we’re in San Antonio, we’re definitely booking a room here.

On Saturdays the Pearl hosts a famers market, the third campus of the Culinary Institute is here, as well as numerous restaurants, coffee shops, stores, and more! There’s also a small section of the river behind Hotel Emma. This vibrant community is well worth exploring. You could spend a couple hours or all day here.

There’s no exact address but for GPS purposes, you can use Hotel Emma’s address:

136 East Grayson Street

Where We Stayed

JW Marriott

As stated at the beginning of this article, our main purpose coming to San Antonio was because the company my wife worked for at the time was holding a conference there and she was one of the employees being honored for her work and dedication. The company comped both our flight and hotel for the event. The hotel they put us up in is where the event took place; the JW Marriott.

We’re not hotel reviewers, but we very much enjoyed our stay here. They take great care of the property as everywhere you look you’ll find an abundance of lush greenery and flora. The lobby is huge and instead of just a pool, they have an entire water park out back that’s included in the price of your room.

The rooms were clean and well organized while the bedding was incredibly comfortable. The shower was walk-in style and the view from our balcony was amazing. The customer service from the staff was impeccable in every way possible. It’s truly a great property.

The only downside was how far away it was from literally everything in the city. Thankfully, the majority of the event took place on property and transportation was provided to us for activities off property, so it wasn’t a huge issue. For clarity, it is a 30-minute drive from this hotel to the Riverwalk (one-way). Just something to keep in mind if you’re thinking of booking here.

Our Airbnb

Since the event was only going to be a few days, we decided to extend our time in San Antonio by booking an Airbnb that was closer to the action. After searching through all the listings, we decided on the, “Butler’s Attic”. It was located in a quite neighborhood that was just a short walk away from Pearl and a quick Uber ride away from just about everything else.

The owners took great care in designing this one. They managed to make this relatively small space feel roomy and comfortable. The shower is a walk-in and all the amenities such as body wash and shampoo are provided. You can come and go as you please through the side door with coded, keyless entry. The only downside, to me, was the stairwell. Lugging our luggage up that thing wasn’t fun.

Stairs aside, this was one of the best Airbnbs were ever stayed in and would not hesitate to book it again. You can view the full listing here.

Tips For Your Trip

Avoid summer, if possible. We visited San Antonio in July and believe me, that would not have been our first, second, or even third choice. The event we were attending was in July and it was that or nothing, so off we went. Summer is miserably hot, humid, and attractions are insanely crowded. We were told by multiple locals that spring and winter are the best times to visit.

Ride sharing is prevalent. Outside of any sponsored event activities in which transportation was provided to us, we utilized Uber for practically everything except for the Caverns (which was event sponsored). We never had an issue with any drivers and never waited longer than a few minutes for one to show up.

Eat local. San Antonio has many, many great local restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately, a lot of people stick to the ones located along the banks of the Riverwalk. With the exception of Boudro’s, we were told by multiple Uber drivers and locals to avoid the restaurants there as they cater to tourists and don’t have very high standards. A few places we can recommend are Bourdro’s, Bakery Lorraine (Pearl), NOLA, and Smoke Shack BBQ.

Take day trips! There are a few great day trips you could take from San Antonio that I wish we had time for. Some of these include Austin, Fredericksburg, Guadalupe River State Park, New Braunfels, Gruene, and more! Be sure to look into some of these and include 1-2 into your plans.

Conclusion

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