Essential San Antonio: five things you need to do in the Texan frontier town

Tying in with the launch of the Texas Grande burger from our sponsors McDonald’s, we take a look at San Antonio - the most popular tourist destination in the Lone Star State, and an American city that wears its proximity to the Mexican border on its sleeve.

By Nick Bradshaw

Texas is a big place with a lot of variety. Within the Lone Star State you’ve got urban giants Houston and Dallas but you’ve also got cool and funky Austin. There are wide open plains but there are also deep verdant forests and wetlands.

Texas is the all-American state of cowboys and George W Bush. But Texas is a state that borders Mexico and the Tex-Mex tradition is nowhere more accessible than in San Antonio.

San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the US and the second biggest metropolis in Texas (after Houston). It’s the Texan city that attracts the most visitors, and with good reason since, unlike many other US cities, many of its attractions are within walking distance of each other.

If you fancy a foray into this most friendly of frontier towns, our quick guide of things to do should whet your appetite.

1. Visit the Alamo

Back in 1836, the Alamo Mission was where a small band of around 200 Texan defenders including Davy Crockett put up a courageous fight against more than 1,000 of General Santa Ana’s Mexican troops. They managed to hold on for 13 days before all but two were killed.

Santa Ana’s perceived cruelty during the battle was seen as pivotal in motivating thousands of Texans to rise up and join the battle to rid Texas of its Mexican invaders.

These days the site of the Alamo Mission is the biggest tourist attraction in Texas and houses a museum and a gift shop. There’s no excuse not to go in and have a look around as admission is free.

2. Embrace the bizarre at the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum

It may not win the award for most polished tourist destination in Texas, but the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum gets the nod for ‘only in Texas’ oddness.

Basically, the Saloon and Museum houses an eerie collection of mounted animal heads and entire stuffed animals including a two-headed calf and PT Barnum’s Fijian mermaid. There are waxworks too, which are an equally weird mismatch that look as if they’ve been picked up on the cheap from the leftovers of other wax museums.

It’s kitsch, and all the better for that.

3. Saunter along the River Walk

The River Walk, or Paseo del Rio, is a network of busy tree-lined walkways along the San Antonio River and is crammed with bars, restaurants and clubs.

The fact that the river is a good few metres down from street level adds to the sense that you’re entering a different world, with riverboats replacing the cars of the city.

There’s something almost Venetian about the River Walk – only without all the Italians and the dodgy smell when it gets hot (emanating from the canals not the Italians, by the way).

4. Visit the world’s largest marine-life theme park

Set in 250 acres, SeaWorld just outside San Antonio is the largest of the three American SeaWorlds, making it the biggest of marine-life theme park in the world.

As well as the killer whales, dolphins, sharks, seals and belugas there’s plenty of opportunity to ride on a variety of roller-coasters and thrill rides.

5. Join the party

Come nightfall, you’re hardly going to stay in your hotel room and as you’d expect for a big US city, there’s a lot of variety on offer

San Antonio’s young cool set head skywards to the IVY Rooftop, a stylish lounge where you can behave like you’re in Los Angeles, but only have to pay the much more reasonable Texan prices for a drink.

Bonham’s Exchange is a mega-club with three dance floors and four bars that’s housed in a building that dates back more than a century.

For something typically south Texan,  you can always try the John T Floore Country Store which bills itself as a Texas tradition since the 1940s, playing host to the likes of Elvis Presley. Country stars such as Willie Nelson occasionally play here, though not as often as one old sign outside would have you believe (i.e. every Saturday). There’s also John T’s Old Fashioned Pit BBQ if you get a bit peckish.

Where to stay:

Situated right next to the River Walk, the Hotel Valencia is a classy place to rest your head that won’t break the bank.

The rooms are big and plush, with leather chairs and vast comfy beds. The bathrooms are fitted out in white marble, each room comes with a 42” flatscreen TV and wireless internet, and there’s a well-appointed fitness centre for hotel guest’s use.

Downstairs is the Vbar – a sleek bar and lounge serving a wide range of drinks and tapas.

Where to eat:

For a taste of Mexico, head to Mi Tierra Café which started life as a three-table Mexican café serving local farmers in 1941, and is now a San Antonio institution. It’s open day and night, still run by the children and grandchildren of the original owners and now seats over 500 locals and tourists.

If you hanker for some German beer and pumpernickel bread (you never know...) then Schillo’s German Delicatessen has been serving up food and drink on the same site since 1917.