gvol21

Hi all,

Took advantage of the recent B6 sale from BOS (the price of a barrel of oil - $108 - roundtrip to AUS, IAH, or DFW non-stop) and decided to make my initial foray into Texas! Never been before, and really looking forward to it. My girlfriend and I will be flying into AUS on a Saturday morning, renting a car and driving to San Antonio that day, and then drive back to Austin Sunday night before flying back to Boston on Tuesday evening.

So apart from the greatest hits in both cities that are covered in the all of the 'top 10' lists in the guidebooks (live music in Austin, the Alamo and Riverwalk in SA, etc.), what would you suggest we try to do/see/eat when we're there that might not be listed in a guidebook? Local advice would be much appreciated!

mikelat

I know not everyone will approve, but I really like Rudy's BBQ in SA. They may have a location near Austin as well.

And, if you're driving by it anyways, I love New Braunfel's Smokehouse for great smoked meats and cheeses.

SAT Lawyer

I always recommend Paloma Blanca to those visiting San Antonio.

Rudy's has good barbecue, but I'd suggest a side trip from Austin to Lockhart to visit one or more of the legendary trio of Black's (my favorite), Smitty's, or Kreuz Market.

ahuntertx

Sat.
Drive to SA (Bucees is a legit gas station)
Alamo
Riverwalk and Tex Mex Food

Sun
Hill Country wine tour
Stay somewhere west of Austin

Monday
Drive to Austin
Barton Springs
6th street
Capital
Concert
BBQ

Tuesday
BBQ
512 Brewery
Tex Mex

also great Texas food: kolaches, breakfast burritos, chicken fried steak
A Mexican place is usually good if they serve red and green sauce with chips or ask if you want an egg on your enchiladas

Nanook

Where are you staying in Austin? I always recommend to my friends who are into healthy eating that they go to the Whole Foods flagship store on 6th and Lamar. The first time I went I was in there for well over 2 hours just wandering and admiring their selection of everything. There's free parking underneath the building (to stay out of the hot TX sun) and you can have a good meal there as well.

SeamusSA

In SA - Second the props for Paloma Blanca, one of my favorites in town. More Mex than TexMex. Other eating options include several places at the Pearl - Midtown Arcade a fave but others good, too.

Alamo and Riverwalk - hour or two at most. Avoid the nasty chain restos on the Riverwalk. Alamo will take a brief time. To feel like you have been in a border town with much less chance of bullets, head to El Mercado, the Mexican Market on the western edge of downtown. The market vendors have just about all the tourist trinkets you woudl find in a border town. Do not fall prey to the tourist crap at Mi Tierra, hold out for good food elsewhere. The carts in Market Square do sell some tasty and more or less authentic if overpriced Mexican .

The Missions and also here probably show up in the guidebooks, but worth a visit especially since you will have wheels and can get there without a tour bus.

Museums your thing? San Antonio Museum of Art has a great Matisse exhibit on right now, and houses the Rockefeller collection of Precolumbian art. nearby the McNay is like the sister of the Isabella Stewart Gardner in your 'hood.

EmailKid

I'll be a contrarian and say that Riverwalk is WAY overrated.

I enjoyed visiting missions around San Antonio, so recommend those instead.

John Galt

I agree with this...Riverwalk is way overrated unless you're really into urban planning..it was one of the first riverwalks.

Definitely go to the Alamo, and also go have a drink next door at the bar in the Menger Hotel. It was where Theodore Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders in 1898.

I'm a fan of Rosario's:

http://www.rosariossa.com/homepage.php

In Austin, there's usually something interesting going on at texas university if school is in session. If you're West of town for the wine country tour, the German areas around New Braunfels are very interesting and Greune Hall or Luckenbach are legendary for Texas music. Chester Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg.

dannytaki

Austin: Barton Springs, nuff said.

ND76

In addition to Austin and San Antonio, I would add the LBJ Ranch on US 290 about 60 miles west of Austin; Lockhart, on US 183 about 30 miles south of Austin and 60 miles northeast of San Antonio; and Shiner, about 90 miles east of San Antonio, as recommended destinations. Lockhart is the BBQ capital of Texas (and probably the entire USA); Shiner is the home of Shiner Bock beer.

I saw a mention of Buc-ee's on this thread. This is the largest gas station/convenience store in the world; they also pride themselves on having extraordinarily clean restrooms. You have to see this to believe it. They have locations along the I-35 in New Braunfels (between SA and Austin) and Luling (18 miles south of Lockhart at the I-10).

Here are the galleries:

Texas State Capitol and grounds for starters. This is a really majestic building to be sure; the park in front of the capitol is somewhat politically incorrect, as it forms a memorial to the Confederate States of America, of which Texas was a member.

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...1370&k=tjRjL2w

Downtown Austin:

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...8513&k=3CTd5Hv


Johnson City, Texas and the LBJ Ranch:

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...1130&k=fcvx9KT

The Alamo:

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...8969&k=wJzknqR

San Antonio Riverwalk:

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...6261&k=6snnNtz

San Fernando Cathedral (USA's oldest continuously serving cathedral):

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...8323&k=szB65hf

Lockhart, Texas, BBQ Mecca:

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...7815&k=KSkcGN8

Shiner, Texas, a great small town to Czech out:

http://pangborn76.smugmug.com/Other/...2825&k=X348222