Introduction to San Antonio and Texas Most Popular Attractions

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  The Alamo

  The Alamo is the most famous tourist attraction in Texas and one of the most famous in the United States. A 13-day siege began on February 23rd and continued until the penultimate battle on March 6, 1836. Mexican General Santa Anna gave the order of No quarter and had his army kill 100% of the defenders of the Alamo; this was approximately 185 men. The Alamo was a large complex of several buildings including an incomplete mission. This was the third site of the Alamo, dating to 1724. The defenders, known as Texicans or Texians, were revolutionaries trying to overthrow the Mexican government or at least control in this northern frontier and establish an independent nation of Texas. Among the famous people killed here were Davy Crockett, William Barrett Travis, and James Bowie. While at the Alamo, you will see a 15-minute film, artifacts, go through the long barracks, walk through the mission, see a diorama, and timelines, and you will be able to shop at the gift shop.

  1 hour • Admission ticket free
• 2
  San Antonio River Walk

  The River Walk is on the San Antonio River and is the second most popular tourist attraction in Texas and only about 3 blocks from the Alamo. We will walk from the Alamo to it. It has lush tropical plants and dozens of restaurants, gift shops, hotels, bars, and a few theaters along it. It is a beautiful and relaxing place. We might hear a mariachi band playing music. We will have lunch here at a restaurant of your choice. Everyone pays for his/her own meal. You will have the option to pay about $15.00 to go on a 35-minute barge ride on the river. In the movie "Selena," Chris Lopez proposes to Selena at one of the pedestrian bridges over the river.

  1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 3

  The Menger bar is one of the oldest bars in one of the oldest hotels in Texas. The Menger Hotel opened in 1859. It is a classic hotel that is said to be haunted by over 45 ghosts. It is the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi River. It has a center courtyard and a stately foyer. Notables who were here include Theodore Roosevelt who recruited Rough Riders to fight in the Spanish-American War of 1898, baseball great Babe Ruth, actress Mae West, and playwright Oscar Wilde. We will walk through the hotel's first floor and the British style double-decker Menger bar. The bar was modeled after the House of Lords pub in London, in 1887. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4
  St Joseph Catholic Church

  This quaint German Catholic Church dates to 1868. The stained glass is beautiful and has many of the old German donors names in them. Historians believe that this was the first site of the Alamo mission in 1718. The church is sandwiched between other downtown buildings and is easy to miss.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5

  Buc-ee's are a chain of Texas based road-side stops that are the largest and most clean locations to use bathrooms, get gas, buy groceries, souvenirs, and meals. Have you ever heard the adage that everything is bigger in Texas? It has 120 gas pumps. Each bathroom has over 30 stalls with dedicated people to clean them 24/7. Buc-ee's has its own bakery, butcher, tortilla factory, grocery store, souvenir shop, and much more. It has a huge selection of jerkies and chocolates. It's breakfast burritos are huge! We will stop at a Buc-ee's in Katy, Texas about 45 minutes after we depart from downtown Houston. If you buy food, please eat it at Buc-ee's. You can drink all you want in the vehicle, but smoking, vaping, and eating are prohibited. I want to keep the minivan clean for you and future tourists. There is a Texas joke that there are two types of people: those who love Buc-ee's and those who have never been to a Buc-ee's.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• Parents and or guardians need to bring their own infant seats for children 2 and younger.
• The weather in San Antonio may be different than in Houston so check on the current conditions and dress appropriately.
• The drive from downtown Houston to downtown San Antonio is 197 miles/317 kilometers each way. Including 1 stop for gas, a bathroom break, and refreshments, each drive is 3.5 hours. The terrain will evolve from flat Houston into rolling meadows. The climate will change from sub-tropical to semi-arid. The dominant trees will shift from oaks, crepe myrtles, and magnolias in Houston to cedar elm, Texas mountain laurel, and sycamore. We will pass several ghost businesses, homes, and buildings.

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