Travel Tips - Austin/San Antonio

[BigDPW]

Gonna be looking to visit Austin/San Antonio Area over spring break this year with the family (me/wife/16yo son/14 yo son). We are from North Carolina.

I have been to El Paso Texas as a teenager but our family has no other experience traveling to Texas.

Anyone here have any suggestions on things we should check out while we are there? Planning to do the RiverWalk, Alamo, Missions in San Antonio and check out some good food in both cities. Hoping to check out some of the rural areas in between and around the area also.

Kids are interested in typical teenage boy things with the additions of tech stuff, farming, airsoft, fishing... Wife and I are interested in whatever makes the kids happy plus some history, good food, beautiful natural scenery, etc...

[QuikSand]

A must: Bat Watching in Austin | The Best Time and Place for Viewing

[HerRealName]

cartman will have more info but if you want scenery and nice small town to explore, Bandera is worth a visit. The Hill Country Natural Area is an awesome place for a hike. It's rugged but has well defined trails with great views. You could combine with a trip to Fredericksburg to explore for a full day.

[bryce]

I lived in Austin for five years and go back regularly, so I'll add to this as I think of stuff, but:

Load up on Tex-Mex in San Antone; BBQ in Austin. Franklin's is pretty famous in Austin, though even I have never been because I don't relish the idea of standing in line all morning for lunch.

The Riverwalk and Alamo are walking distance in downtown San Antonio. The Alamo is a must.

Fredericksburg is a cool German town about 90 minutes west of Austin. Enchanted Rock is a state park for hiking. You could make a day trip out of this with all the eats and drinks in town also. Lot of wineries to boot.

Austin has a TON of natural beauty, lakes, greenery, etc. Lady Bird Lake runs through downtown Austin; I think you can paddleboard around here. Other spots a bit farther out of town you can swim and boat. You can also rent bikes and cruise around the lake, stop at funky coffee shops or restaurant patios, etc. (Austin is a very active city FYI.)

Barton Springs is a natural spring in downtown that is also a swimming hole.

Mount Bonnell is in the heart of Austin and allows for some amazing panoramic views as it sits on an urban peak in Hill Country. Park your car, get out and walk a bit (some treacherous footing so wear sneakers), take in the views all around.

There are lots of places to eat right on the water also. The Oasis is about half an hour out on the lake that has amazing sunset views - it has a multi-level outdoor patio deck, and they ring a bell when the sun crests the lake on the horizon. (I proposed to my wife here.) Salt Lick is a cool BBQ spot in a country setting (again about half an hour out of downtown). Both get crowded though, so plan ahead.

Hula Hut is another restaurant right on the water I usually hit when in town (lots of people get here by boat and dock right at the restaurant; there is ample car parking, too, though). The food is fine, not great (but load up on the jalapeno ranch & tortilla chips), but the vibes make it worthwhile. It's close to downtown to boot.

Be aware that historically SXSW (South by Southwest, or South by as the kids call it now) has been that Spring Break week (at least TX Spring Break week). Downtown could get crowded on the downside, but tons of live music options on the upside.

Even without SXSW, there are always live music options around town.

The flagship campus of UT is in Austin if you want to check out the campus.

This is quirky, but I love driving the Capital of TX Highway (aka 360) just south of Highway 183. It's built right through some huge limestone hilltops. Start north from 183 (which is not far from downtown, maybe 10-15 minutes), go south for a bit. Even better, start at Spicewood Springs Road (which is close to 183) and go west to pick up 360, then go south. There's a HUGE drop off that's like a roller coaster on Spicewood Springs.

The Formula 1 track is outside of town a bit as well. I haven't been there and have no idea if they do tours or anything, though.

6th Street is widely known as the heart of the entertainment district. Think Bourbon Street in Austin. It's not as safe as it once was, though, but then again I doubt y'all would be out at 2am when bars are letting out. Normal hours are fine.

To be continued as stuff crosses my mind...

[sterlingice]

Going to piggyback on this.

I haven't been up there in a few years, but one of the protips with Franklins was to get it to go. You had to pick a time and there was a minimum purchase of like $100. As long as you made the pre-order like a couple of weeks in advance, you'd be able to get it.

Or just go to one of the big three in Lockhart, a little bit of a detour on your way between San Antonio and Austin (maybe a half hour). I'm a big fan of Black's, though Kreuz is also good. I haven't been to Smitty's, but its reputation is also good.

Ms. Pearl: The Giant Squirrel Statue in Texas
If you want something kitschy about 15 minutes east of Austin - there's Berdoll Pecan's - one of those fun roadside shops. They have a vending machine outside that has all sorts of pecan things including full sized pecan pies (get the chocolate chip and pecan pie - the sour from the dark chocolate offsets the sweet of the pecan pie). Oh, and they have a 14' tall squirrel statue.

Echoing that the Alamo and Riverwalk area in San Antonio is a must. It's a pretty little lively area and the reason why San Antonio is on the convention and sports scene.

If you're into history, there are actually six historical missions around San Antonio (including the Alamo). I haven't been to the others in years, but if you're a history buff, they could be of interest.

On the west side of San Antonio are two large theme parks. There's Sea World - I think most people know what that is. It's fun and there's only a couple in the country. Might be worth a visit for the teenagers while also be interesting to you.

Further north is Fiesta Texas. It doesn't have any record breaking rides but it still has some nice coasters. The Iron Rattler is a classic RMC steel on wood conversion coaster. I really liked the Superman ride and how it's built into the side of a hill. And if you've been to a Six Flags park, you know what to expect.

Speaking of theme parks, on the way between Austin and San Antonio, if you're there in the summer, Schlitterbahn. People can argue about what's the best amusement park (not credibly, as the answer is Cedar Point - but the arguments happen). No one argues about the best water park in the US - since the Golden Ticket started awarding "Best Water park", it has won all 24 years. It has the "old park", which has some older school rides and does an amazing job incorporating the river into the lazy river and the hills into a couple of the rides. Then there's the "new park", which has the thrill rides of a modern park. Haven't been there in a few years, but it you did have to take a bus between the two, which is a little annoying, but otherwise, it's one heck of a summer day.

Also between Austin and San Antonio is Natural Bridge Wildlife Park. I haven't been since I was a kid, but it was one of those drive through safaris that's popular with families.

One of the things that we like to do is get an airbnb out in that area between the two and do some winery hopping. That's also popular.

I can't speak to the bar or culture scene in Austin - I'm sure someone else has that covered, but it's plentiful. And there seems to be some sort of festival or something like the Grand Prix happening every other weekend there.

For more historical stuff, I've been to the LBJ Presidential Library and State Capitol. Hours and what you can do vary on both, but if you've been to other Presidential libraries or state capitols, you know what to expect.

SI