Summer Road Trip: Three Days in San Antonio

What’s your family’s vacation personality? Are you a thrills and chills family who likes theme parks? Perhaps your family enjoys “touristy” locations, nature, history, or culture – or maybe even a little bit of all of it all. With an impressive blend of history, theme park fun, and culture, San Antonio is a destination your family won't soon forget.

Here was our three-day itinerary:

Technically, we spent three nights and four days in the city. However, we arrived late the first night, so we didn’t do much in the way of site-seeing. We had dinner and strolled along the San Antonio Riverwalk, which is particularly striking at night.

We began our San Antonio excursion with a visit to the The Alamo, the site of the well-known Battle of the Alamo. A short walking tour details the complete history of the mission. This is a must-see, even if you only snap a picture in front of the building’s façade.

Our family then hopped on a City Sightseeing Tour double-decker bus.  From this point, we toured the city from atop a double-decker bus, taking in the sights as described by our knowledgeable tour guide. And what’s a tour without on/off privileges? We were able to utilize this feature to hop off the bus (and, subsequently, back on…), to enjoy more of the city’s sites.

(A bit about tour buses - they seem "touristy", but offer an overall view of a new city from the perspective of the tour narrator, with the ability to stop and explore further. I find them to be extremely beneficial in taking in all of a city.)

We spent some time at Hemisfair Park, home of the Tower of the Americas. The Tower offers a stunning view of the city from 750 feet in the air. After some coaxing for my daughter, we all made the trip up the Tower – and, without regret, enjoyed the view.

The next stop was a visit to Louis Tussaud’s Wax Works and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The children were particularly intrigued by Ripley’s, much to this mom’s amazement. They truly enjoyed oddities on display, eventually naming this as one of the highlights of the trip. If you're short on time, I'd recommend Ripley's over the Wax Works, but combo tickets can be purchased for both at a significant discount on line.

We devoted this entire day to visiting Sea World San Antonio and, for the first time, its waterpark property, Aquatica (opened in 2012). To say that my children had a blast would be an understatement. We spent the majority of the time at Aquatica, having already visited Sea World. Aquatica offers a bit of everything - water adventures for thrill-seekers, and more laid-back experiences. It also has sandy beaches, and opportunities for up-close animal experiences. It's large, but I didn't feel overwhelmed by the size of it. My children had an amazing time here. Tip: If your family intends to go to both parks, break up the day if you can. For instance, we went to Aquatica first. Then, we left the grounds to get some food and refuel. Then we returned to Sea World. This was a great decision for us, as it allowed us to rest a bit before Sea World.

Day Three
On the third day, which was also hotel-checkout day, we returned to the Riverwalk for a Rio San Antonio Cruise, which is an informative boat tour of the San Antonio Riverwalk. I had a great time with this, as it provided some inside information about the Riverwalk that I wouldn't have known otherwise. Tip: Ride this boat in the morning or in the evening. It was HOT when we road, and being on the water made the boat ride exceptionally steamy.

There is so much more to San Antonio to experience. I certainly would have loved to have visited the Witte Museum of Natural History, Natural Bridge Caverns, and Fiesta Texas.

And, newsflash, it's hot in many parts of Texas in summer. San Antonio is no exception - it was super hot and humid during our late-summer visit. If you travel there in summer, prepare accordingly.

Accomodations
Our hotel was the wonderful Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort. This hotel played a major role in this being such an enjoyable vacation for our family. My kids loved the pool (really - they played there even after sunset) and made friends with several other young resort guests. They also enjoyed the movies under the stars. There were other activities that made this hotel welcoming to kids, such as bounce houses and a full activities guide. And, of course, s'mores at dusk were a hit for all guests. 


In all, our three days in San Antonio were memorable, and we had an extraordinary time - so much so that my children would love for San Antonio to be an annual tradition for this family.

The author received complimentary passes to all attractions and tours for the purpose of facilitating this review. Opnions expressed are that of the author - no compnsation was received.

Additionally, the author received a complimentary 3-night stay at the Westin La Cantera as the result of winning a contest. Again, opinios expressed are that of the author. No monetary compensation was received.