Along with the nationally-known attractions of the Alamo and the River Walk downtown, San Antonio is home to a SeaWorld and to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Some of the more local attractions include quite a collection of great restaurants and food trucks, several museums around the city, the San Antonio Zoo, the Japanese Tea Garden and the Botanical Gardens, and the revitalized north-end of the River Walk at Pearl. San Antonio is also home to the NBA San Antonio Spurs, and minor league teams in baseball and hockey. For any history buffs, there are beautiful missions and historic sites throughout the city that you can tour.
Because of San Antonio’s diverse culture and history, you can usually find some festival or community event at any point throughout the year. Bigger events include Fiesta in the spring, and Oktoberfest and Wurstfest in the fall. Smaller-scale festivals range widely in type and include the Tamale Festival in December and the Institute of Texan Culture’s Chinese New Year Festival. Farmer’s markets can be found in various places in San Antonio throughout the week and local businesses near the historic King William neighborhood come together for First Friday’s every month.
While it does reach high temperatures here in San Antonio, that stops no one from enjoying what the Texas Hill Country has to offer. Throughout the city, you can find large swaths of trails and parks geared towards running and biking, as well as dog parks for any furry friends. There are also several state parks around, including Government Canyon, Hamilton Pool, and Natural Bridge Caverns. When it gets too hot in the dead of summer, a great way to relax and stay cool is to “float” the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers. There are also multiple water parks nearby that serve as a great get-away on a hot summer day.
The city of Austin, along with being the capital of Texas, also offers a lot to do and see, from music, to sports, to art and dining. Austin is a little over an hour north of San Antonio.