Recently, my family and I return from our annual vacation. This year’s destination was San Antonio, Texas. And if you’re curious, there are a lot of exciting things to see and do in this southwestern city in Texas.
We recently moved to Northern Texas from North Carolina and decided to make this year’s vacation nearby. If you’re not familiar with the geographical location, San Antonio is approximately four hours south of Dallas.
San Antonio is one of those states that, even if you spend a week, you will not be able to partake in all the sights and activities it has to offer. During our trip, we had intentions on visiting many places, however, once we got to the Japanese Tea Gardens, we were in love. This is one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen. Be advised that you’ll do a quite a bit of climbing. That aside, the architecture alone will wet your fancy. The foliage is full and beautiful, the waters are great, and the coy fish are huge! There is even a restaurant on the grounds. We had a great time and didn’t even cover the entire gardens. In case you’re interested, visit The Japanese Tea Garden, and the next time you’re in San Antonio, make sure you stop by. The cost is free.
Next, we visited the San Antonio River Walk. This is another lovely place that includes boat tours through the river, ample shopping, and tons of food. After heavy consideration, we opted for Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. The food was awesome! A few things to keep in mind if you decide to visit this restaurant is that if you sit outside, pigeons have carte blanche over everything! They are everywhere. Even while we ate, many flew over our heads, I was even clipped by the wing of a pigeon. In my opinion, they are horrible. As soon as patrons left their table, the pigeons swooped in for scraps. If you choose to eat inside the restaurant, no video or photos are allowed. As creators, we were a bit bummed, but rules are rules.
This pretty much capped off our vacation. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that on the way down from Dallas, we stopped at Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, Texas, right outside of Austin. It was a recommendation by some friends. Personally, I did not like the food; it was not seasoned, the BBQ sauce was more like the honey mustard sauce you get at McDonald’s, and it just missed me at all marks. The highlight was the cabbage slaw. Now that was delicious.
In my review, I will give it a four, for the atmosphere. You can sit inside or outside. Beware of the flies if you hate bugs like I do. Included at this location is a winery and a beautiful flower garden. I would recommend anyone looking for something to do in Austin to go for the atmosphere, not the food…unless you like unseasoned food. I will say, however, the smoke smell will draw you in and have your mouth watering.
As states, cities and businesses open up, masks are becoming more optional. My family and I wore ours; most people did not have masks. I had my mask on my face but under my chin, as it was hot outside and a bit humid. As our waitress was taking our order, she spit on me, and it landed right on my lip. I panicked and scrubbed my face with hand sanitizer. A little obsessive? Not for me. I have several underlining illnesses, and the last thing I want to hear is that I have COVID. Masks are up to you, as for me and my family, we will wear them until we feel comfortable NOT wearing them.
Overall, we had a great vacation experience and are already planning next year’s vacation. I’m curious, do you and your family take an annual vacation? Do you choose a theme? How far in advance do you plan.
I often hear people say that they cannot afford to go on vacation, but I’m willing to bet that you can find something to do in your state, or the next state over that will cost very little money. I’ve talked to several people during the thirteen years I lived in North Carolina, and I was very surprised when they would reveal that they had never been out of the state. I was even more surprised that many had not even visited destinations in their own state.
Looking for ideas? Try museums, amusement parks, famous restaurants, parks, downtowns, and other sites in your state. You just might be surprised at the fun vacation options you come up with.
