Remember the Alamo! There’s a lot that our boys will remember from our adventures in San Antonio. We experienced some small town Texas charm, a big city, and a look back into history. On our Texas to-do list was the Alamo, River Walk, and a rodeo, but we came upon some other great activities and things to see during our weeklong stay.
The Alamo / River Walk / Market Square
This is the first of many posts that will include the importance of preplanning and researching where you’re going. During the pandemic and possibly even after things begin to return to normal some places may decide to keep timed entry requirements. For the Alamo we had to register in advance for a time to enter the church. We saw many people walk away in disappointment that day after finding out the tickets were already given out. Maybe the ability to just walk in places will return, but for now do your research and plan ahead! At the Alamo you can walk the outdoor without the timed entry ticket.
The Alamo is a visit that kids could find boring. I highly recommend teaching in advance of these types of visits. This was like a school field trip for us, the older boys were aware and had already learned a lot about it! We read together “What Was the Alamo?” ahead of our visit. I highly recommend these books for teaching history to kids, they’re great! The boys eagerly wanted to know where Davey Crockett, William Travis, and James Bowie were when they stood for Texas independence.
After visiting the Alamo you can walk right over the see the River Walk. We were there the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day and during Texas Spring Break so it was green and busy. We walked for a little bit to see and experience it, but did not eat there due to the crowd size and adult atmosphere.
We drove over to the Historic Market Square in search of the restaurant Mi Tierra, which was recommended to us. This area was just as busy, but really cool area to walk around. The pop-up Mercado (Market) was full of venders selling Mexican themed goods. There was even a mechanical bull for the kids! Mi Tierra was so busy they were no longer even taking names (thats a first for us), so they recommended their sister restaurant La Margarita, also in the square. After a lengthy weight we got a great spot on the patio there, and enjoyed some awesome Tex-Mex. One important lesson here, Texas Spring Break is no joke, it was busy!
Tejas Rodeo
We were pleasantly surprised to discover The Tejas Rodeo going on right in the same town as our Airbnb, Bulverde, TX. During a pandemic many rodeos were postponed or cancelled, so we were thrilled to find they were moving forward with theirs and that it was so close to us! As an added bonus, they also offered riding lessons! It was great that all three boys could do this together. Emily did their lessons and she was so laid back and patient with them. She literally handed Drew a lead with his horse and had him walk his horse to the arena! This made my Mama heart skip a beat, but he did it without fear and hopped right on that horse when they got into the arena. That’s what traveling is all about, trying new things! They learned techniques as they were riding, and they loved the freedom of controlling their horse and trotting!
This experience was especially cool and exciting for the boys because we got to return for the rodeo on Saturday night! It was a small town rodeo, but they put on a good show. The boys loved their first real rodeo and will for sure be asking to see another one!
New Braunfels / Gruene
We enjoyed Twisted Trails at Natural Bridge Caverns. This rope and zipline course was huge, and a little intimidating for the boys. Only Josh has ever done one, and it was the little one inside Main Event, nothing like this! The best thing about this experience was that there was something for all ages! The older two could go up on the big course with Dad while the little brother could do the Twisted Tykes course! He actually got geared up too and his course was on the bottom level of the structure, it even included a zipline! He was thrilled! All ages were welcome to try the climbing walls at the end!
After braving the ziplines we headed over the the cute town of Gruene for dinner at Gristmill, right next to Gruene Hall. This was a really cool restaurant in the ruins of an old cotton mill along the Guadalupe River. We sat outside on the multilevel deck overlooking the river.
Best time to visit:
I would definitely recommend visiting in the Winter, Spring, or Fall. It was 70-80 degrees in March, I think the summers can be pretty HOT! Avoid Spring Break if possible!
Where we stayed:
We enjoyed our Airbnb in Bulverde, TX. We were 45 minutes north of San Antonio and the Alamo which was ok with us. We enjoyed the space in the Texas hill country! We had a big driveway, yard, and a basketball hoop for the boys to enjoy! We enjoyed cool evenings around the fire pit, looking for deer, and the spacious interior of this home.
Other things to do:
You can also do a cavern tour at the Natural Bridge Caverns north of San Antonio.
For a unique dining experience the Tejas Rodeo also has a steakhouse you can before the rodeo.
