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San Antonio Questions

S

siki

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
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Location
Delanco, NJ
Hello all,

My husband and I are looking into going to San Antonio this September. We would stay at the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch. We have never been to Texas. What is there to do in this area? I know we will go to The Alamo, Seaworld, and Riverwalk. What other must sees are there? We like hiking. Are there any places to go hiking? Would a trip to Corpus Christi be worth it?

Thanks for any help.
Michelle:)
 
siki said:
Hello all,

My husband and I are looking into going to San Antonio this September. We would stay at the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch. We have never been to Texas. What is there to do in this area? I know we will go to The Alamo, Seaworld, and Riverwalk. What other must sees are there? We like hiking. Are there any places to go hiking? Would a trip to Corpus Christi
Michelle:)
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There are several historic missions in San Antonio, besides the Alamo, that would be worth a visit. The Hemisfair Tower downtown gives great views of the surrounding area. Breckinridge Park just north of downtown has a great zoo and a train that runs through the park, which is great fun, particularly for kids. If you can get on post, Fort Sam Houston is very historic and has some interesting museums. There are several good art museums in town, such as the Witte.

North and west of San Antonio is the Hill Country. A day trip to Fredricksburg is well worth it. Many wineries in the area. The Admiral Nimitz Museum and National Museum of the War in the Pacific is something all history buffs should see.

Directly north of SA about 20 miles is New Braunfels, an area settled by Germans (as was Fredricksburg), that has several good German restaurants. There are great Mexican restaurants in SA, but the city is very diverse, with every type of dining one could imagine.

That ought to occupy a few days. San Antonio and the surrounding area are full of neat things to do. One of the truly unique cities in the US.
 
I'd skip corpus Cristi. It's a dirty looking beach--the way the water comes in always stirs up all the mud/dirt, so it's not ever clear, and is usually too cold for swimming, very rough waves, with a quick/deep drop off, etc. I haven't been in several years, and it's always interesting to see a beach, but it's not a "good" typical touristy beach by any stretch.

6 flags Fiesta Texas is there, along with Hurrican Harbor, the attached water park (I believe 1 entrance fee with get you into both places). There's another indoor water park about 1 hour outside of San Antionio. Never been to it, so can't say if it's worth it. Lots of places to go shopping....
 
The water-park mentioned above is the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels. Calling it a water-park does not do it justice, as it is the Disney of Waterparks. They develop and sell the technology used in many of the best waterparks.

In terms of hiking, the Government Canyon State Park is close to San Antonio and is a good choice. Also there is the Mission Reach Bike/Hike Trail which expands the traditional Riverwalk area to a bike/hike trail to connect the San Antonio Missions National Park.

Schlitterbahn Waterpark
Government Canyon
Mission Reach
San Antonio Missions NPS
 
Whatever you do, don't waste time going to Corpus Christi.

My husband, who is a beach bum, cut our San Antonio trip short because he couldn't wait to drive out to the Gulf. What a waste of time! Even he admitted he'd rather be in the pretty Hill Country.

I enjoyed walking through the historic King William neighborhood a short trolley ride out of downtown.
 
If you are over 60, you can get a senior bus pass. It is free and allows you to ride the SA buses for 25 cents. That's what DH and I did and we had a blast. We had intended to rent a car but we did not need one.
 
There is a drive thru animal park across from the Natural Bridge. It's a hoot!! There is also a Sea World. shaggy
 
We did everything Terden said when we were there, and more. Here's some more unfo. The elevator to the top of the Hemisfair Tower has a fee, but if you take it up to the restaurant (one level down) it's free. The restaurant is round and revolvs giving you a full circle of the views. The busses can take you all the way down the Mission Trail
 
Corpus

I wouldnt rush to judgment on Corpus Christi based upon what was said here. The poster above didnt say WHERE in the Corpus area they went. Corpus has the Lexington aircraft carrier, the state aquarium and several other nice spots. Corpus per se is not the best beach in the world (the bay) but if you go over to Port Aransas on the island, then I think you will find it can be very nice. If you go over the causeway you end up at Padre Island National Seashore. I will tell you this. Last week it was almost impossible to get a room in Corpus including at the 500 room Omni. It is very popular with Texans.
 
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Just to clarify: we went to Corpus Christi to see the beach; I like natural settings, not aquariums and tourist attractions. I have been to beaches all over the U.S., Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean. I would rate Corpus Christi's at the bottom. We did go over to Padre National Seashore. Not impressed.
 
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beach

Well I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I admit Corpus is no Ipanema or Boracay or Cancun. In fact, I havent found any beach in this hemisphere to compare to Boracay or some of the Thailand beaches, but it is ok. The area near Port Royal by the Sea is nice- I prefer it the Outer Banks too. It also depends what time of year you are there. At least you don't get tar balls washing up since it was not effected by the BP disaster. Something I regard to be an unpunished capital offense. Certainly the beaches of Kaui and Maui are much better. Personally, I am not impressed by the beaches on Oahu but that is because they are overused.

It is interesting though because last year I was on Bali expecting to see nice beaches but was disappointed except for the one in front of the Intercontinental which was quite plush. It had the old Asia feel with many attendants seeing to your needs. It all depends on what you are looking for I guess.
 
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I actually think the beaches around Orange Beach AL and a few miles on the Florida side are some of the most beautiful anywhere, and it's relatively undiscovered. I don't find Hawaii beaches really all that beautiful because of the darker sand, although I love Hawaii.
 
Jimster said:
I admit Corpus is no Ipanema or Boracay or Cancun. In fact, I havent found any beach in this hemisphere to compare to Boracay or some of the Thailand beaches, but it is ok.
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Sorry, I have nothing new to contribute than what was already said. I just wanted to holler that our white beaches of Boracay are being noticed internationally :)
 
Boracay

Boracay is generally ranked in the top 5 beaches in the world and I might add that it is deservedly so. The addition of the Shangra la hotel hopefully will not impact it negatively.
 
If you want to hike, go to Government Canyon. It's very close to where you'll be staying (less than 5 miles). If you venture up I-10 to Fredericksburg, be sure to visit Enchanted Rock. In San Antonio, do the Mission trails on the riverwalk.
 
I know you said the riverwalk, I just wanted to add that I enjoyed walking the riverwalk and just looking around. beautiful
 
A hignlight of our trip to San Antonio a few yesrs ago was a tour of the new Toyoto Tundra truck plant. An amazing facility.
 
I'm considering a somewhat last minute trip to San Antonio in November or early December.

I've read about the Christmas Lights on Riverwalk (starting the Friday after Thanksgiving). Other than that, is there any reason in particular to choose one month over the other? Oh yeah, I know it's about 10F cooler in December than November.

Thanks much!
 
Meow said:
A hignlight of our trip to San Antonio a few yesrs ago was a tour of the new Toyoto Tundra truck plant. An amazing facility.
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Thank you for the great idea. Going to San Antonio for spring break (staying at Hyatt Wild Oak). My teenager son and his friend will enjoy the tour and it is free!
 
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Meow said:
A hignlight of our trip to San Antonio a few yesrs ago was a tour of the new Toyoto Tundra truck plant. An amazing facility.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this suggestion.

With my initial trip framed out, I had some space to add some activities and this is one I was able to get a reservation for that fits into my schedule.
 
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