San Antonio, Texas
I was thoroughly, albeit unexpectedly, impressed with San Antonio. About an hour from Austin and on the outskirts of Texas hill country, this city has a little bit of everything and a truly unique vibe. For outdoor lovers, you have a 17 mile river path that follows the San Antonio river connecting many of the old missions, then extends into the city to sync with the famous Riverwalk, or ‘Venice of America.’ I ran a few miles of the path outside the city and loved it. It winds through numerous parks and lush, green scenery. There are lots of places to put-in a kayak and historical markers for points of interest. The Riverwalk in the city is gorgeous. Although the bars and restaurants along it are a bit of a tourist trap, they aren’t too over-priced, and the scenery and friendly ducks make it worth spending a few afternoons there.
For history / culture buffs, there’s a lot to see in San Antonio – from The Alamo and the other missions, to some of the oldest bars in the US. We checked out Menger Bar, which was a haunt of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, and is said to be where he formed the gang. He and the Rough Riders also liked to frequent Buckthorn Saloon. Both bars date back to the mid-1800s.
There are tons and tons of breweries in San Antonio. We weren’t able to visit any because they weren’t open the days we were there, but we were able to try some of their beer at other venues. Other than breweries, we checked out Viva Tacoland, which was a really cool spot, and the St. Mary’s strip, which is an area of trendy, grungy, music-forward bars with an underground speakeasy vibe.
I wish we had more time in San Antonio. It’s high on my list of places I want to go back to.
