Interesting Things to Do in San Antonio

I recently spent a week in San Antonio, Texas on a business trip. As I was planning my trip an acquaintance of mine insisted that San Antonio would be hot, in the middle of nowhere and basically there would be NOTHING to do other than sit in my hotel room. Boy was that person wrong!

Just because I was going for business didn't mean I wouldn't have some time for myself. Plus, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to add on a couple of extra nights. This allowed me the chance to have 2 full days and nights for exploring and playtime.

First off let me make things very clear. I'm going through my own personal "recession," so I wasn't going to have a lot of spare cash to spend on this trip. While my employer did cover airfare to and from Texas and the hotel while I was on the business portion of the trip, my excursions were not going to be an allowable business expense nor were my two extra nights at the hotel. Those all came out of my pocket.

I did a lot of homework before going to San Antonio, so that I would have my itinerary all made out. I wanted to make sure I was able to visit all the places and attractions I could before coming back home. I also wanted to find things to do that were either free or very close to free.

The acquaintance I mentioned earlier was correct in that it was *very*hot during my trip. I believe the first night I arrived it was over 103 degrees. I decided I would try to find an activity I could do in the evening. I happen to be a fan of the paranormal, so I was delighted to find a walking tour that's offered every night of the week at 9pm. It's called Alamo City Ghost Tours. It's run by a husband and wife who have been involved with the paranormal for over 30 years. This tour is really interesting because not only do you walk all around downtown San Antonio and visit sites that are known to be haunted, but you get special equipment to use during the tour. You're given heat meters that can discern temperature differences in small and large areas, and even dowsing rods are used which end up answering questions at random with amazing accuracy. Overall the tour lasts about 90 minutes and at only $15.00 per person I think is one of the best tours of any kind that I've ever taken.

My next attraction to visit was the Tower of the Americas. This attraction is similar to the Space Needle in Seattle, WA. The Tower of the Americas is 750 feet high, and has a revolving restaurant located right below the observation deck. Normally the fee for taking the elevator up to the observation deck is $10.95 per person. However, if you dine at the Chart House Restaurant you will **not**be charged any fees for going up to the restaurant or after dinner to the observation deck.

The Chart House is a chain restaurant that is normally a pricey restaurant to patron. Entrees alone can run $25.00 or more per person. Right now, they are running a special that's good Monday through Thursday at their Tower of the Americas location that's only $29.99 per person. You get a starter, an entrée and dessert. If you think that normally admission to the tower is usually about $11.00, then it's like you're really getting a 3-course meal for only about $19.00 per person. This is a great deal no matter where you live or visit. As I stated earlier the restaurant revolves. It makes one full revolution approximately every hour, and the views of San Antonio from the restaurant are just breathtaking. It's the best view of the city, and a definite "must do" when you're in San Antonio.

My next adventure was to visit the famed San Antonio River Walk. This is a shopping and dining area that's built along the San Antonio River. It's very lush and almost tropical looking. There are water taxis that take you up and down the river and you can take a narrated river boat cruise. The narrated tours last about 35 to 40 minutes and are reasonably priced at $8.00 per person. It's a nice and relaxing way to see the whole shopping and dining complex, since it measures over 2 miles in length (with plans to extend even further).

The next low-cost attraction I would suggest is the Witte Museum. Normally the admission for adults is $8.00 per person, but if you plan your visit for a Tuesday you can get in from 3pm to 8pm for FREE. Is there much better in life than doing things for free? The free exhibits include wildlife of Texas, dinosaurs, and the history of the Pecos People (an indigenous group of people that vanished from the face of the earth similar to the Mayans). It's a fun and educational way to spend the afternoon/early evening.

I happen to love animals so another great location to visit is the San Antonio Zoo. It's the third largest zoo in the nation. It houses over 3500 animals and 750 different species. The cost to get in is very reasonable, only $10.00 per person, but you can get a coupon to save $1.00 per person at their website

I'm a sucker for anything that's historical or educational, so I was very excited to learn about the King William Historic District located approximately ½ mile from the San Antonio River Walk. This district covers an area of approximately 25 square blocks. You can take a self-guided walking tour of the area to admire all the beautiful historical period homes. The homes were built from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. There's a map you print off from the website of the Conservation Society. Many of the homes in this area have been restored to their original grandeur. A couple of the homes are museums and are open to the public, but most of the homes are just that, private homes. So, please be mindful of the occupants and respect their privacy when visiting this area.

Of course no trip to San Antonio is complete without a trip to The Alamo. This historical site has no admission fees at all. For anyone unfamiliar with The Alamo, there was a famous battle back on February 23, 1836 William B. Travis, Davey Crocket and several other brave men fought to protect The Alamo for 13 days against the army of General Santa Anna. The final assault came on March 6, 1836. Most of the men were killed defending the Alamo, except one and women and children were spared. The Alamo has come to be a symbol of heroic struggle against all odds all to preserve freedom.

As you can see I did a lot of sightseeing while in San Antonio, and I was able to see all of the above attractions and sights for less than $100 in total (and that included a fabulous dinner at The Tower of the Americas). If you forgo the dinner at the TOA you can do everything listed above for well under $50.00 per person. It's a low-cost way to learn a lot about such a beautiful and historical city.