Date of trip: February 2010

I’ve always been fascinated with Texas. I’ve visited many other states in the south, but I knew Texas was different; different accent, different style, different attitude. It’s also the largest state in the U.S. after Alaska. With only a few days for our trip, deciding what part to visit was a tough decision for Will and me. We settled on San Antonio because it seemed to have so many interesting attractions, especially historical sites.

Highlights:

-In the 18th century, the Catholic church set up a series of mission complexes in San Antonio where Native Americans were fed, protected and educated in exchange for their conversion to Christianity. The first, and the most famous, was the Alamo. Today it is the most well known landmark in Texas because it was the location of a pivotal battle against Mexico for control of the state. On February 23, 1836 the Mexican army made a surprise attack on the Alamo and, though they were far outnumbered, the Americans famously defended the fortress for 13 days. Legend has it that the Colonel drew a line in the sand asking all the men willing to die for their country to step across it and all but one did. Although they were eventually defeated, the Alamo came to symbolize those that would lay down their lives to fight for America and memorialized by the famous phrase “Remember the Alamo”.

-In addition to the Alamo, there were four other missions in San Antonio: Mission San José, Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada. Some have been better preserved than others, but all are worth visiting since they each offer a different view of early American life in Texas.

-One of the most unique places to visit in the city is the River Walk, a 2 1/2 mile paved pedestrian walkway that winds along the San Antonio River passing restaurants, shops and hotels. If you don’t feel like walking it, there are also boat rides that will take you on a tour or taxi you to various stops.

-Will and I have always loved exploring underground caves, so we were excited to check out the Natural Bridge Caverns. There are a lot of different tours offered, depending on the weather conditions. We took the Discovery Tour which lasts 75 minutes and takes you through the most popular areas. It was pretty spectacular and I really liked seeing the fried egg formations at the end of the tour because I had never seen them anywhere else.

I definitely think San Antonio is an underrated city and was really happy that we stayed there on our first visit to Texas. The people were so friendly and laid back and we never ran out of things to see and do.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

San Antonio Links:
San Antonio Official Site
The Alamo
San Antonio Missions
River Walk
Natural Bridge Caverns