San Antonio, Texas, offers a perfect blend of history, culture, and modern attractions! Whether you’re wandering along the picturesque River Walk, exploring historic sites like The Alamo, or enjoying the green spaces and fun-filled activities at Hemisfair, San Antonio provides endless opportunities for adventure.
We spent 24 hours in the city and it was the perfect amount of time to catch a glimpse of all that the city has to offer. Below is a bit more about what we did and learned.
Things To Do
The River Walk – No visit to San Antonio is complete without exploring the famous River Walk. The network of walkways along the San Antonio River is lined with amazing architecture, wonderful landscaping, charming shops, and a variety of restaurants offering everything from Tex-Mex to fine dining.
We had lunch at Casa Rio, the oldest restaurant on the River Walk, which offers classic Tex-Mex food. We decided to sit at a table outside which was probably not the best decision. It was miserably hot with little shade, but the food was good and the views were great!
For an even better perspective of the River Walk, consider taking a boat tour. A private company, Go Rio, has exclusivity to offer narrated cruises and river shuttles. The cruise lasts a little over 30 minutes and leaves from one of their three locations, conveniently located around the main area of the River Walk.
These guided tours offer an engaging way to learn about San Antonio’s history and landmarks while floating down the river. We all enjoyed the experience and our guide had a great sense of humor to provide us with a lot of facts while keeping it fun.
We learned from him that San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the United States with 1.5 million people and is about to eclipse Philadelphia for 6th place. That seemed quite shocking to us as we didn’t expect it to even be in the top 20 so we had to google it to confirm (he was right)!
The Alamo – The Alamo is one of the most iconic historical sites in the United States, and a visit here is a must for any family trip to San Antonio. This former mission is famously known as the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a pivotal event in Texas history. The Alamo offers a chance to step back in time and learn about the courage and sacrifice of those who fought for Texas independence.
Start your visit at the Alamo Church and then continue through the mission’s grounds. You can visit the museum to see artifacts from the battle, and watch an informative film that brings the history to life.
It’s free to visit the Alamo (they also offer guided tours for a fee) but be sure to get a digital ticket from the Alamo website for the day of your planned stop. If you forget, you can try and still get them while you are standing in line to get into the church.
It likely won’t take long to see and do everything at The Alamo, so it can easily be squeezed with other plans you might have for the day.
Hemisfair – Hemisfair is a sprawling urban park that offers a wide range of activities. It was originally developed for the 1968 World’s Fair and has been transformed into a vibrant public space that combines green areas with cultural attractions and modern amenities. Here are a few things you will find there:
- Hemisfair Playground – The Hemisfair playground, also known as Yanaguana Garden, is a very creative play area that features unique climbing structures, swings, interactive water features, and a splash pad. Right nearby they also have wading pools that are perfect for cooling off, especially during the hot Texas summer! Our kids really enjoyed this area and we ended up going back the next morning to spend a bit more time playing there.
- Tower of the Americas – This is one of Hemisfair’s standout features and is a 750-foot observation tower that offers breathtaking panoramic views of the city. You can take the elevator to the top and enjoy the view from the observation deck, or you can even dine at the revolving Chart House Restaurant for a meal with a view. It reminded us of the Space Needle in Seattle (though it’s taller).
- Alamodome – At the far end of Hemisfair is the Alamodome. Though many may not find this as exciting as we did, it is San Antonio’s premier sports and event venue. You might not catch a game during your visit, but the dome’s impressive architecture and its role in hosting major events add to the excitement of the area.
The Pearl – The Pearl District, located just north of downtown, is a former brewery complex that now boasts an array of restaurants, boutique shops, and cultural spaces. Our kids found plenty of open space to run around, as well as a few fountains to cool off in. The district’s unique architecture and public art installations also make it a visually appealing place to explore.
We did find this area to be a bit disappointing. In fairness, we were there around lunchtime on a weekday in the middle of summer, but there were very few people around and it felt mostly dead. They do have a food hall with a few to-go restaurants as well as a local grocery store that seemed to be the attraction for most of the people in the area.
Additional Family-Friendly Attractions To Consider
- San Antonio Zoo – The zoo is just a short drive from downtown and is home to more than 750 species of animals with opportunities to feed giraffes, ride the zoo train, and explore the butterfly garden.
- The DoSeum – This is San Antonio’s children’s museum and it offers hands-on exhibits that encourage learning through play with interactive science exhibits and creative art stations.
- The Witte Museum – This Museum is located near Brackenridge Park and focuses on the natural history and cultural heritage of Texas.
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park – This was on our list to get to on our way out of town, but the timing didn’t quite work so we were unable to make it. This NHP preserves four of the five original Spanish missions: Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. Each mission is distinct, with centuries-old churches that still hold services today.
Where To Stay
We typically don’t spend a lot of time worrying about where we will stay on our road trips, but this particular stay we agonized over it! We knew we wanted to stay along The River Walk but there are so many options and we wanted to pick the right hotel.
After a lot of research, we settled on the Hyatt Regency. Even though we knew it didn’t have balconies, the rooftop pool and excellent location sold us. Having now stayed there, it was a good choice. The hotel is nice, the pool is great, and the location was both good and bad.
The hotel is right in the middle of a lot of the hustle and bustle of the River Walk. This is great if you want to be near all the action but not so great if you don’t as there were plenty of people spilling over from the restaurants and bars onto the walkways right near the hotel.
If we ever make another trip to San Antonio, we will probably stay at the Hilton Palacio del Rio. That hotel is also on the main drag of the Riverwalk but in a bit of a quieter area. Their pool does not appear to be as nice as the Hyatt’s pool, but they do have balconies along the River Walk which the Hyatt does not have.
If you want to stay on the River Walk for access to the walkways, shops, and restaurants, you really can’t go wrong with whichever hotel you pick, they are all relatively close together.
Final Note
Our stay was planned for just 24 hours and though we packed in a lot of things and skipped a few others, it felt like the right amount of time for us. We saw the “main” touristy things in the city and enjoyed our time there, but we were ready to move on to our next adventure after our time there was over.
