trg2u

Mrs trg2u & I will be visiting the San Antonio /San Marcos area for 5 days in late Oct.(Travelling over from New Zealand) Doing a bit of travel planning at the moment.
What are the essential things we should do?As well as doing the major tourist spots in the city,we like to get 'out of town' and see local life and communities/farming/etc.
Is the Hill Country area a must?
Fredricksburg?

wil

I lived in Austin TX for 10 years and always enjoyed visiting Fredericksburg.

They have a fun Octoberfest (9/30 - 10/2) and a Food & Wine Festival (10/22).

I would recommend it just for the drive through the Hill Country.

For more information on events, check out: http://www.tex-fest.com/

TahitiBoy

Fredericksburg is MUCH more scenic and interesting than San Marcos. The only thing of interest in SM is the outlet mall. The former is actually quite scenic and historic. The Hill Country is the pride of Texas.

If you can make time, head over to Llano for Cooper's Barbecue. It was made famous as being where LBJ went exclusively for barbecue and had them cater a state dinner at the White House. You won't ever find any better.

RoyalFlush

As an alternate to Fred, try Bandera. Excellent, small Texas town in the Hill Country. I believe most weekends they have a rodeo of sorts. I lived in SAT for 2 years and still consider it one of the most ‘livable’ towns in the US.

trg2u

Thanks everyone for the prompt & exc. advice.It is a great forum when one can seek and get such good advice even though we live 7000miles away. Very much apprec.
Will try do all suggested!!
(Visiting San Marcos is necessary as daughter plays college volleyball & has games in SAT & SM the weekend we arrive).
The SM outlet malls have been noted by Mrs trg2u ....

ken4304

Have you visited San Antonio before? My roots are there as a full-time and part-time resident for over 50 years. I will email info about the Spanish colonial missions there. I would probably be available to be guide you (free, of course) if you would like.

Abidjan

I think you have your answer... ...but let me throw my strong support as well for the Hill Country. Have a safe trip ^

John Galt

Great call on the missions...certainly unlike anything you'd see in NZ. The Alamo is a given although it doesn't give you the flavor of some of the other missions, since it's in the middle of the city. Which mission would you recommend? Espada, with the 250-year old working aqueducts? Rancho de las Cabras?

Just down the street from the Alamo, have a drink in the bar at the Menger Hotel! It's one of the older surviving hotels in SAT. The claim to fame is, it's where (future President) Teddy Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders during the Spanish American War of 1898.

Fredericksburg is great also. It's suprising how much German influence there was in Texas. Until the 50s, you'd be as likely to hear German spoken in church as English. There are a couple of good microbreweries for good German beer and, of course, wonderful sausages. I've never been to the wineries, but I hear they're a pleasant afternoon.

Next time you come, if you have a week, the Big Bend area (500 miles from SAT) is also beautiful for camping, rock climbing, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting, and you can also head over to Juarez (across from ELP) for a bullfight or a trip to Copper Canyon. Copper Canyon (in Mexico) is said to be more impressive than the Grand Canyon in AZ. Southwest flys between SAT and ELP; tickets should be about US$150 rountrip.

I hope you enjoy Texas, and thank you for visiting us. The part you're headed to, Austin, SAT, and the Hill Counrty, is really the part I'd recommend as leaving the most favorable impression to visitors.

trg2u

Many thanks Ken4304,Abidjan & John Galt.
Yes,this is our first visit to SAT.We travelled thru much of east TX/Louisianna & Natchez Ms area last visit - loved the history of Natchez & New Orleans
Our daughter really enjoyed the beauty of the SAT area so we look fwd to visiting.
You -are what we really enjoy- your hospitality and kindness always add to our holidays.

ahcmlayne

If you want to see the real Texas, Fredricksburg is a MUST! Just getting there from San Antone is a pleasure. But once you are in Fredricksburg, it is wonderful. The restaurants are fabulous. This is a German settlement in the heart of Texas, and the the food is as good if not better than Frankfurt or Munich.

But the BEST OF ALL - go east for about 5 miles and follow the signs to Luckenbach. This is the most awsome place in the world. Made famous by Waylon and Willie, it is a couple of buildings in a field with a stream running by. One building is the Dance Hall and the other is the Post Office. The Post Office is also the local bar and there is usually a cowboy with a guitar out back singing west Texas songs about long days in the saddle and short nights in town. Sounds corny but it is really cool!

MikeL
Lynchburg, VA

GadgetFreak

In addition to what has been mentioned I found the LBJ ranch near Fredricksberg to be very interesting. Even more interesting is the small museums (one in an old hotel and one outdoors) dedicated to Chester Nimitz. Yes, the one the aircraft carrier is named after. It shows how he went from a boy working in his parents or grandparents hotel (cant remember which it was now) to commanding the US Pacific fleet in WWII. Also a lot of things about him in the war. At the outdoor museum there are planes and stuff but I found a Japanese sand or gravel peace garden very nice. It was given to Nimitz after the war by a Japanese group as a token of peace.

buffy888

If you happen to swing by Kerrville (about 40 miles from Fredericksburg) and if your anyone in the family likes silver jewelry, you can visit the James Avery headquarters. They have a visitor's center. (They make gold jewelry, too, but growing up in San Antonio all of my friends and I wore his silver stuff - still do - so I automatically think of silver jewelry when I think of James Avery). http://secure.jamesavery.com/store-l.../kerrville.jsp
Just a thought.

The whole area is beautiful - hope you enjoy the trip.

BMWcouple

I assume that your daughter's volleyball match will be in Strahan coliseum by campus. Take your swim trunks and a snorkeling mask and jump into the clear San Marcos river right next to Strahan, or a little further south down the river you can rent tubes from the Lion's club and float and make it back to the next game.

saknott1

West of San Marcos! Go to Wimberley. Great little town with great little shops. The Blanco River runs through it. It is a beautiful drive from San Marcos. Go Ranch Road 12 West. ^

skye1

Any ideas on San Antonio? How far away is the "Hill Country"?

I've done the Riverwalk, and the Alamo. Might take in one of the other Missions,'tho, as I hear they're less "touristy", possibly Mission San Jose (tip from a friend says to catch the "mariahci mass" at Sunday noon). I'll likely have a car avail, if needed.