Christmas at The Alamo
by PAuLMA
Even though we are locals we still act like tourists during certain times of the year. During the winter holidays the entire Riverwalk area is decorated. One of the most beautiful sights you will ever see is an open air boat ride down the river at night with a solid canopy of lights twinkling in the trees above you and dancing on the water all around you. Most of the locals we know have NEVER done this. After that we take a horse drawn carriage all through downtown. We look at the city and listen to the "clip clop", especially on the cobblestone areas. We end the evening holding hands and talking beneath the grand Christmas tree in front of The Alamo. Being budget conscious we also love how little it costs for what you get. You are basically just paying for boat fare and carriage fare. Everything is in the open air so you will always be snuggling with your partner. It is always a perfect evening.
p.s. The boat fare is always discounted if you show a local i.d. My fondest memory here is proposing to Alma downtown at the top of the Tower of The Americas. Actually the part where she said "yes" was the best.
La Cantera Area
by BellaMora
This is another away from downtown spot that is my favorite in the city. The Rim is a gorgeous shopping center that has a high-end movie theatre, Jc Pennys, Ross, Cost Plus World Market, and plenty of eateries too. Maggiano's will be there soon along with Lion Rose, and some others. Across the way is La Cantera mall near the Westin Resort. My favorite mall in the city.
Take 10W to La Cantera/Fiesta Texas to the Rim. Its a nice drive from downtown (30mins) but well worth the visit.
Dick's Last Resort
by Ewingjr98
I thought Dick's was a fun place, but I think my companion thought the bartenders were a little too confrontational. Either way, at least they were trying to have fun. While here I learned that San Antonio was the 6th sweatiest city in the US, then we debated for 10 minutes how would anyone measure that? The bartender claimed it was in gallons of sweat, my thought was that it was an estimate based on the average temperature and the mean amount of time people spend outside in the city.
Back to the bar...the paper hats were a little strange (with sayings like "masturbation made me bald" and "I'm easy and legal") luckily I avoided that...! They are gifts from the staff once your reputation is known.
Cool place with lots of beer, and fun-loving staff. Dick's Last Resort is a tiny chain with additional locations in Boston, Myrtle Beach, San Diego, Dallas, and Chicago.
NOTE: After a little research I discovered the sweat survey, but San Antonio ranks only 11th, just ahead of Honolulu (though it was 1st in 2002 and 4th in 2003). According to this site, the study was based on "the average U.S. male/female height/weight and the average high temperature for 2004 in each of the cities during June, July and August. The sweat level was analyzed based on the assumption that an individual was walking for one hour." I still think this is flawed logic as sweat depends also on the amount of time the average person spends outdoors during those months, the average amount of outdoor activity, as well as the relative humidity throughout the year, not just the summer.
Ice Cream on the Riverwalk
by msbrandysue about Mr. Ice Cream
I came to Mr. Ice Cream while walking on the Riverwalk. My friend that I was with was in the mood for some ice cream so we stopped. There were tons of people in here but the kids behind the counter serving ice cream were very nice and personable.
We even found a spot at one of the four tables to stop and eat our ice cream (plus it would have instantly melted in the summer heat!). The other side of the restaurant is the main street and while I was outside there was a homeless person asking for a soda but they weren't pestering.
Overall, great location for an ice cream shop...especially on those HOT summer nights after you've walked around the ultra-crowded Riverwalk.
***Gets very busy so be patient. :) I had a double scoop cone with strawberry and Reece's peanut butter cup ice cream. Lol, my favorite! I love those tastes. The girl behind the counter even commented how funny it was but how funky people's tastes are. At least I fit in. :)
Meh...a "big" Mexican festival
by jinkoe
Perhaps the most overblown location in San Antonio, the Mercado basically sucks.
It's a few Mexican restaurants, a band, a lot of people, lots of cowboy boots, and some souveniers. It's not even worth visiting to be quite honest, and I'm positive that it was created as a tourist trap.
The only good thing is that there was a guy doing some pretty cool magic tricks while I strolled through. He shouldn't be wasting his time in the alley that has, for some strange reason, become an attraction.
Casa Navarro State Historic Site
Description of the bats at the Old Tunnel
river walk
The Alamo and Alamo Place
