San Antonio is our favorite city to visit in Texas. From the city's great food to the number of museums, the riverside walk and, of course, the Alamo and the Misiones, San Antonio has a lot for tourists and conference visitors. San Antonio is a city with a fascinating cultural mosaic. Stop by the Mexican Market Square, where mariachi bars extend to the plaza, or head east to the Carver Community Cultural Center, which was founded in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans.
Nowadays, you can watch concerts or dance performances. About a 30-minute drive from the Alamo, the Natural Bridge Caverns are easy to visit for a half-day trip from downtown San Antonio. Once here, you can stroll through the koi carp ponds, see the enormous waterfall and explore the ornate gardens that are so impressive. It's over 100 years old and totally charming.
Go shopping at La Cantera or spend the day having fun for kids at amusement parks such as Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld San Antonio. It's one of the best things to do in San Antonio if you're already exploring the nearby DoSeum Museum (which is ideal for kids). With mountains to see, a beautiful river walk and the Alamo, San Antonio is one of the most fun cities in the United States that you have to explore. It conjures up a mental image of Texas (big hair, big hats and large amounts of oil, or perhaps a dry, cactus-covered desert landscape) and it probably doesn't look anything like San Antonio.
It's a walking and biking trail that connects the five missions and is one of the best things to do in San Antonio. San Antonio has been designated a City of Gastronomy by UNESCO, recognizing its cultural heritage of cuisine with Spanish, German and Mexican roots. It's worth exploring and is one of the best things to do in San Antonio if you have a few free hours. Although discussions about connecting cities by high-speed rail have not yet materialized, there are still several options for getting from Austin to San Antonio, a journey of only 80 miles (129 km).
This was the first in a nine-mile chain of five Spanish religious missions that stretches deep into the countryside along the languid San Antonio River. Flanking the San Antonio River, the cobblestone Paseo del Río meanders quietly through the city center, full of lush cypresses and oak trees and surrounded by beautiful stone bridges. Rivalries make the world a much more interesting place and, of course, there's no lack of competition between San Antonio and Austin. The Japanese Tea Garden, which is part of Brackenridge Park's larger grounds, is a quiet place in San Antonio that has been lovingly restored.
When planning a visit, don't forget to explore Mission San Jose, Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. Meanwhile, San Antonio is one of the least healthy, poorest, most affordable, and most conservative cities in Texas. The starting point for major cattle raising campaigns after the Civil War, San Antonio firmly claims to be the birthplace of the American cowboy.
