fbpx
x
Travel

Day Trip: San Antonio

Celebrate the city's tricentennial with hundreds of events this summer

In May 1718 the Mission San Antonio de Valero (later better known as the Alamo) and Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, a garrison to protect the mission, were built on the San Antonio River. Now the seventh-largest city in the United States, San Antonio is celebrating its tricentennial with hundreds of events, large and small, throughout this year. If you’ve somehow never visited the Alamo or the sites that comprise San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, you should. But during our recent day in SA we were as interested in enjoying the city’s modern, cosmopolitan flavor as in honoring its storied past.

Distance from Austin: 80 miles


9 a.m.

Get an early start with breakfast at NOLA Brunch & Beignets. Operating out of a cute converted house just off the North St. Mary’s Strip—an entertainment district just north of downtown—the New Orleans–inspired restaurant specializes in Southern classics like fried oysters, shrimp and grits, and fried green tomatoes. You’ll also find eggs done every which way and the divinely inspired pleasure that is praline bacon. Yet the stars of the show are the gorgeously fluffy beignets, topped simply with powdered sugar or with fillings of lemon curd or chicory-and-coffee (opt for a plate of four to try them all).

10 a.m. 

The Witte Museum completed a $100 million renovation last year, including a grand new entry foyer that serves as an inviting gateway to the 90-year-old institution’s collections of South Texas natural history and cultural artifacts. A special tricentennial exhibit, Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History, highlights the city’s role as a crossroads of Anglo, Spanish, and Native American cultures. Bring your earbuds and download the exhibit’s smartphone app, or rent an iPad at the ticket desk, to view an interactive “augmented reality” retelling of the Battle of the Alamo.

11 a.m.

Having recently completed its own $22 million, 8-acre expansion, the San Antonio Botanical Garden boasts an impressive new entryway of its own, plus a restaurant with full-service bar, as well as a Family Adventure Garden (read: playground) that makes it an even better place to spend a lovely spring day with the kids. If you’re short on time, or looking for a free alternative, the Japanese Tea Garden on the west side of Brackenridge Park is a tranquil spot.

2:30 p.m.

A perfect manifestation of both San Antonio’s past and the metropolis it’s become, the historic Pearl Brewery, which dates from 1883, has justifiably become a draw for visitors and locals alike since being made over as a retail and restaurant hub bit by bit over the last decade. Catch the end of the Pearl Weekend Market (ends at 1 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays) to buy artisanal foods from local vendors who set up tents in the complex’s central plaza. Live music fosters a party-like atmosphere. Lunch in the Bottling Department, a food hall that opened last summer with a bar and five stalls serving a range of options, from ramen and avocado toast to burgers and doughnuts. Spend time browsing the Pearl’s shops, and be sure to take a look inside the bar of the remarkable Hotel Emma, where old distilling tanks have been repurposed into unique seating for patrons.

3 p.m.

A relatively quiet stretch (called the Museum Reach) of the city’s famed River Walk runs alongside the Pearl. Walk south along the west bank of the river about 10 minutes to the San Antonio Museum of Art. Through May 13, a special exhibit coinciding with the tricentennial, San Antonio 1718: Art from Viceregal Mexico, displays 18th- and 19th-century artwork depicting life in Spain and Mexico.

5 p.m.

Catch a Go Rio shuttle south from the museum’s dock (boats leave every 60 minutes, including at 5:10 p.m. daily) to cruise farther into downtown. Disembark at the landing beside the IBC Bank Plaza and the Hotel Valencia, then walk about a block to Rosella at the Rand for a pre-dinner cocktail.

7 p.m.

Dine at Range, one of San Antonio Magazine’s best new restaurants of 2017, inside the Embassy Suites by Hilton Riverwalk hotel. The latest restaurant from chef (and former Iron Chef Gauntlet contestant) Jason Dady serves steakhouse classics as well as dishes like Korean-style short ribs, wagyu beef shabu shabu, and lobster potpie. We give it extra points for the tableside preparation of the Caesar salad (it’s like getting a free show with your dinner) and the quirky choice to send patrons complimentary blue cotton candy along with their bill.

9 p.m.

Projected onto the façade of historic San Fernando Cathedral, view “San Antonio–The Saga,” a 24-minute visual journey (shown three times nightly, Tuesdays and Fridays–Sundays only) through the history of San Antonio, the perfect way to end a day of reflecting on this vibrant city’s past while indulging in all it now offers.


IF YOU DECIDE TO STAY THE NIGHT
Hotel Emma at the Pearl is worth the splurge. Don’t forget to duck into its library, a bibliophile’s dream.

INSTAGRAM-WORTHY SPOT
When the flowers are blooming, it’s hard to beat the San Antonio Botanical Garden.

DON’T MISS
May 1-6 is Tricentennial Commemorative Week, with educational, artistic, and entertainment events throughout the city.