bugsy running on lone rock beach with the airstream and f-150 in the background

Two days in San Antonio, TX–Winter Warmth trip

We were in San Antonio in January 2021, as part of our Winter Warmth Trip.

Bugsy at Mission San Conceptión
Bugsy is unimpressed with Mission San Conceptión

In all our gallivanting around Texas, we’d never taken the Airstream to San Antonio. We’ve seen Austin and San Antonio as an either/or, can’t stop at both, and we love Austin so much that it has always won. Well, it turns out that logic makes no sense! So after leaving Austin, we spent a couple days exploring San Antonio.

Campground

the Airstream at Traveler's World Campground

We stayed at Traveler’s World RV Resort, the closest campground to downtown, and it’s adjacent to the Riverwalk! It’s also a big, fancy, lovely park. And the Riverwalk is right there!!! We kind of loved the Riverwalk.

Note that we read on a couple different campground ratings sites that you should not follow your GPS directions to the park, as you’ll end up on a road with a steep railroad crossing and a low-clearance bridge. We didn’t investigate, although we questioned the rumor since the campground website sends you to Google when you click the address, and gives no warning about potential danger. The alternate directions are in the confirmation email, so pay attention!

Exploring

the Riverwalk through downtown

The Riverwalk is the coolest thing about San Antonio. The downtown section is crowded and touristy (but still worth checking out) so make sure you explore other parts too. We particularly enjoyed the walk from the San Antonio Museum of Art to Brackenridge Park.

the Riverwalk near our campground

And I already mentioned that the Riverwalk is adjacent (!!!) to the campground. Bring your bikes, or rent some, for a fun way to visit the Missions. We made it to three: the Alamo, Mission San José, and Mission Conceptión.

Bugsy in front of San Fernando Cathedral
Bugsy at San Fernando Cathedral
Bugsy exploring La Villita
La Villita is a charming little commercial district

For an overview of the downtown area, this architecture walk was neat and easy. It includes must-sees like the Alamo, San Fernando Cathedral, and the charming La Villita commercial district.

Eating and Drinking

We visited three breweries: Roadmap, Künstler, and Pearl.

Roadmap beers were ok; we had more fun with the chickenless chicken fingers from the Project Pollo food truck than with the beers. They have a dog-friendly outdoor patio with picnic tables.

Bugsy in the beer garden at Künstler
the beer garden at Künstler

Künstler beers were good, and we liked the scene in their side yard with comfortable seating and lots of dogs!

Bugsy hanging out at Pearl

Now, for Pearl. The brewery itself was stupid. But the Pearl district was awesome! We were targeting the roti restaurant (which was fantastic) and didn’t realize the redeveloped historic brewery housed so many shops, restaurants, and bars. We found a circle in the AstroTurf square, got drinks from the brewery (not their beer though because we didn’t like it) and people watched. It was really fun. The Riverwalk passes Pearl, by the way.

To Do

the Riverwalk near Pearl

For next time! What else should be on our list?

  • Cocktail at Pastiche
  • Rent bikes and explore more of the Riverwalk (and see the two Missions we missed)
  • Find a good riverfront spot to eat and/or drink. Are there any non-cheesy restaurants along the Riverwalk downtown?

Comments

6 responses to “Two days in San Antonio, TX–Winter Warmth trip”

  1. […] San Antonio (food, drink, history) […]

  2. […] some big city fun in Austin and San Antonio, we shot west toward our probably-favorite (but man that’s a hard choice to make) National […]

  3. […] is easy to do, since Tucson is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy (the first in the US! San Antonio is now too!), has around 20 breweries (the list from these travelers puts our beer tourism to […]

  4. […] hiking in Big Bend Ranch State Park. The state park has been on our list for a while, but like our Austin vs San Antonio dilemma, we haven’t wanted to sacrifice time in the national park to visit. Why not hit them […]

  5. […] 2017 was a big year in Tucson, when UNESCO named it the US’s first City of Gastronomy (San Antonio‘s the […]

  6. […] 2017 was a big year in Tucson, when UNESCO named it the US’s first City of Gastronomy (San Antonio‘s the […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *