We spend quite a lot of time on hot pool decks watching the children play water polo but sometimes those pools are in new locations so we get to make a city break out of it. This time it was to San Antonio, Texas and with unusual luck my son had a really convenient schedule which allowed us time to explore. Our hotel was out of town, near Sea World, chosen only for its proximity to the Natatorium. This in itself was an impressive pool set up and exciting to see it was used by the USA Swim team as their 2016 Olympic training camp.
We had a few places in mind to see and with the morning free on Friday we drove to downtown to check out the well known San Antonio River Walk. We parked at the quiet Ormsby Lot on St. Mary’s Street – at the time it was $3 a day in the week, $10 for evenings and weekends – and from there we easily accessed the river walk and followed it to the more central busier sections. It was great to be in a city where we could leave the car and just walk around. Plenty of people were taking the boat tours on the river, for the holiday weekend there were craft stalls along the path and many lively cafes, bars and restaurants with lots of live music.
The following day we parked in the same place and took our peaceful path, this time to the Alamo which is right in the town centre. It was Memorial weekend so everywhere was busy and lots of the ticket options for the Alamo were sold out. Booking in advance would have been a good idea but we didn’t know our schedule to do that. Audio tours were still available and walking round independently suited us fine. Muskets were fired in the street, within the grounds were some guides sharing stories and there is an exhibit with artifacts from the time and some welcome air-conditioning.
Close to our hotel we found Rudy’s Barbecue, alongside a petrol station so that felt like the right, authentic place for dinner. Bottled drinks from a long trough filled with ice, greased paper for your plate, brisket, ribs, chicken and beans at outside benches with a view of the forecourt!
For our final evening we wanted to have some Tex Mex food and found Viola’s Ventanas nearby with a huge patio! Then our final agenda item on the whistle stop tour was the evening light and music show projected onto the San Fernando Cathedral at the Main Plaza, called The Saga. A free fun 25 minute show displaying the history of San Antonio, followed by an ice-cream as we walked back to the car, parked in our usual place.
