Travel Texas! Unbelievably Stunning San Antonio Secrets You’ll Want to See!

Travel Texas! How did we end up in San Antonio?

On this episode, we venture south of Austin to San Antonio. This was one of the parts of this trip that I was looking forward to, because I’ve heard a lot about how cool San Antonio is and have always wanted to go see it. It also may not have happened if I had known exactly where we were staying.

Originally, Danny told me the campground, the Leander KOA, that we were staying at was on the southern end of Austin. That was before he looked at a map. So, I decided since we were less than an hour away, we should plan to spend some time in San Antonio. Then, when we got to Texas, Danny realized that the KOA was actually on the northern side of Austin. He tried to convince me to not go to San Antonio, since it was further away and would be more like a two hour drive, but by then I had my heart set on going there. So, we took the drive south to visit the home of the Alamo.

Getting a Late Start

We got a pretty late start and didn’t head out of Austin until after noon. That morning it poured rain for quite a while and as much as I wanted to visit, spending an afternoon outside in the rain didn’t sound like much fun. Thankfully, the rain stopped, the sun came out and we headed south.

Texas Sized Tea Garden

Our first stop, the Japanese Tea Garden, was an unexpected favorite part of our trip. This hidden gem looked like a fairy garden come to life, complete with stone bridges and pathways, water features and lush green foliage. It was absolutely stunning and a must-see if you are in the San Antonio area. This made the long drive to San Antonio completely worth it and was a place that I would have loved to stay longer.

Tommy and Winston also loved this place! There were lots of new friends for them to meet, sniffs to sniff, and places to walk and explore. The fact that dogs are welcome put this beautiful hideaway in San Antonio at the top of our list of places we will visit again when we are back in the area!

It All Went Downhill From There…

Unfortunately, the Japanese Tea Garden was the highlight of our day in San Antonio. If we had known how disappointing the rest of the afternoon/evening would be, we probably would have stayed there longer. But, I wanted to see the Alamo. Being the history buff that I am, it is one of those places that have always wanted to visit. We also wanted to go see the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, which we had heard is a must-see from multiple family members and friends.

The Alamo

I am hoping the construction they are doing will help make the Alamo a more interesting place to visit. It was not what I thought it was and I don’t know if it was because there were lots of people there (definitely a place that you should visit early in the morning if you aren’t a people person), or because there was construction, or because we were there late in the afternoon. Regardless, what I saw did not match what the website says is there.

There were no living history demonstrations, and the mission itself was mostly a big empty room. There were a few placards that told what would have been in that spot during the battle of the Alamo. Otherwise, there really wasn’t much to see. After we got back home, I read an article that said the Alamo was one of the biggest tourist flops in Texas, and I have to agree with them.

Danny had better luck with his adventure. Him not being much of a museum guy, he decided to take a walk down the street with the dogs. In the process he found a Voodoo Donut shop. I must say, their donuts are quite tasty!

Travel Texas: Walkin’ the Riverwalk

After my experience at the Alamo, we decided to try the world famous San Antonio Riverwalk. This is a place that I would like to try to see again. It had hints of being really cool, but the day we were there it fell flat. Part of this was because the dogs were starting to get tired and hungry, and part of this was because there was a huge event going on which closed down several restaurants. Trying to find a restaurant that allowed dogs and didn’t have a 2-hour long wait became a major chore. In the end, we decided to just head back to Austin and get something to eat along the way. We are glad we did because there were some pretty bad storms that night and we were able to miss them.

When we return to the Riverwalk again, one of my bucket list items is to see the light show that is projected on the San Fernando Cathedral on Tuesday-Sunday evenings. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see it this time, but it definitely gives us a reason to come back!

Texas Travel: What’s next?

On our next episode, we explore one of the coolest hidden gems of the trip- the painted churches of Texas. I am so excited to show you this footage because they are amazing! It may take us a bit to get that video out to you as our travel schedule is starting to ramp up, and we have some exciting life changes to share with you all! It shouldn’t be too long, though, so be on the lookout. In the meantime, you can always check out our other blogs and videos. See you next time. Happy Travels!