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Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
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May 11, 2013

Fun and Sun in San Antonio, TX

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San Antonio just celebrated their 2013 Fiesta San Antonio, an event that has been taking place since 1891 and started as a simple street parade. Now it is put together with the collaboration of various San Antonio businesses, hosting events for an entire week. The funds from the festival serve to assist communities throughout San Antonio.

This is probably what I loved about San Antonio the most. Its sense of community, its ability and desire to hold on to traditions and culture, while at the same time embracing growth and progress.

Because we have family who lives in Austin, we spent most of our time in Texas there. Austin is often referred to as the coolest city in the state. There’s no denying that the art, music, and food scene in Austin is one worth checking out, but when it came time to hang with my family and really feeling like we connected with the place we were visiting, I found the feel of San Antonio to be one we enjoyed more.

San Antonio Girl Gone Travel

Here are a list of things we did during our visit to San Antonio, some of our experiences were courtesy of the San Antonio Tourism board. We found it easy to do a lot in San Antonio because it really isn’t an expensive place to visit and though some activities require extra budgeting just because they can add up quickly when traveling with a family as large as mine (such as a visit to Sea World San Antonio or Six Flags Fiesta Texas), there are many other activities that are free of charge. Someone visiting San Antonio can do and see a lot without breaking the bank.

What We Did

The center of town, or Downtown San Antonio, is the tourist hub of the area. It is home to a lot of the favorites, such as Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Guinness World Records Museum, t-shirts shops, chain restaurants, and malls. But even if you are not into touristy attractions, you definitely want to start your visit with the biggest tourist site of them all: The Alamo.

The Alamo is the perfect place to get a sense of where you are and the significant historical events that took in the city. It’s important to start here because almost every other place you will visit in San Antonio (if not most of Texas) will make reference to The Alamo and all that followed.  Its history in short is that it was first known as the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the city’s first mission, and served as such for 70 years after its establishment in 1718. What transpired that led to the day where 189 defenders fell during battle on March 6, 1836 is why this is such an important museum to walk through. Take a tour or wander through the exhibits of tools, weapons, letters, and records, and in the end you will feel grounded to the city. Admission is free.

The Alamo_SanAntonio_GirlGoneTravel

The Alamo_SanAntonio_GirlGoneTravel

Tower of The Americas – Hemisfair Park, on a nice day, can be an interesting place to walk through. Unfortunately, when we visited the weather was cloudy and chilly. Hemisfair Park was built to host the 1968 World’s Fair. There’s a children’s playground, several fountains, and a few empty buildings that  we don’t know what they were being used for, but had some pretty architecture. The Tower of Americas is a 750-foot tall structure that offers a panoramic view of the city from the top. Even on a cloudy day, the view we thought the view was pretty great. There are other activities as well, such as a 4D theater, a restaurant, art space, and a small museum area which chronicles the history of San Antonio.

Tower of The Americas_San Antonio_GirlGoneTravelTower of The Americas_San Antonio_Girl Gone Travel

Witte Museum was quite possibly the most entertaining, family friendly museum we’ve visited in some time. We were in lucked, because we arrived while the special exhibit Dinosaurs Unearthed was still on display (it will be till September 2, 2013). My kids absolutely loved this interactive and educational journey back to the time of the dinosaurs. The incorporation of the iPads as an interactive tool at each display was right up their alley.

The Witte_San Antonio_Girl Gone Travel

The Witte_San Antonio_Girl Gone Travel

The Witte_San Antonio_GirlGoneTravel

The South Texas Heritage Center, right next door to the main building, hosted reenactments by various personalities that represented the Old West lifestyle, as well as displayed exhibits of the same. The H-E-B science treehouse was also an area where the kids were challenged on their scientific knowledge, while playing and participating in activities. A short drive from Downtown San Antonio and a must-see when visiting.

The Witte_San Antonio_GirlGoneTravel

The Witte_San Antonio_GirlGoneTravel

Of course, no visit to San Antonio is complete without a walk along The River Walk. It was the one place we went to both start our day and end it. We took a walk around, but also took a tour with the Rio San Antonio Cruises, which is the best thing to do if you want to learn about the River Walk’s history, interesting spots, and get a feel for San Antonio’s quirky personality. River Walk_GirlGoneTravel

Riverwalk_girlgonetravelRiverwalk_San Antonio_GirlGoneTravel

Our list of things to see and do (for free) is endless and in our short time there we just didn’t get around to it all. But, I am eager to return. It was a really fun destination.

Where We Stayed

You won’t have a problem finding a hotel in San Antonio. They run the gamut from luxury to budget, right on The River Walk to a bit further away (which is recommended if you want a bit more quite and distance from the evening bar scene in the area).

We were delighted to accept the invitation from Residence Inn San Antonio Downtown/Alamo PLaza  for a complimentary stay with them. I have written about Residence Inn as our hotel of choice when traveling as a family for its space, comfort, service, and friendliness. What guests can expect to find from this San Antonio location is that it is a short walk away from all the fun (we valet parked our car and didn’t need it again till we left and stopped at the Witte). As is the case in all Residence Inn hotels, there’s complimentary breakfast offered daily and these are always a big hit with guests. Their Texas-sized waffles were an extra treat for my East Coast kids. The rooms have kitchens equipped with all the amenities to help reduce costs, and our suite came with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, as well as a fold out sofabed.

Residence Inn San Antonio/Alamo Plaza_GirlGoneTravel Residence Inn San Antonio/Alamo Plaza_GirlGoneTravel

Residence Inn San Antonio Downtown/Alamo Plaza_GirlGoneTravel IMG_7529 IMG_7530 IMG_7531

I highly recommend checking out the San Antonio Tourism website for more information, including all that there is to do.

All photography is property of GirlGoneTravel.com and may not be used without permission of the publisher.

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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3 Comments
  • Travel Guide
    May 6, 2014

    Great Article on San Antonio. Lots of good info

    Reply
    • caincarol
      Travel Guide
      May 9, 2014

      Thank you!

      Reply
  • swimming pool builders austin tx
    March 12, 2017

    nice post you got here!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a des If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a destination for you. This list of good eats were all within close proximity to each other and spots we made time for during our short weekend visit. So definitely note that this doesn’t even begin to cover the tip of the iceberg, but makes a good starter list!

📍@ShortStackEats in the heart of Downtown Madison is clearly a UW favorite. Loved their pancakes! We thought it was a pricey for breakfast, and only offered drip coffee, but the scene was fun, food was good, and service was friendly.
📍@SardineMadison is a waterfront French bistro that has stood the test of time (we’ve been coming here since we lived in Madison!). It can feel very corporate some nights, but their Happy Hour and brunch are definite highlights and it’s a really nice dining experience overall.
📍@EatattheAudrey impressed us! It’s not your usual “hotel restaurant” and I would say it easily stands alone as an eatery worth checking out in Madison. Great breakfast options, cozy vibes, nice bar, and good service!
📍@RamenStation1124 good, affordable ramen.
📍BlindShotSocialClub We really loved this spot for brunch (sorry, was enjoying the company and totally spaced out on capturing food images!). Golf fans will love hitting the putt here (you can reserve a private room too), and what I though was most cool was the delicious and wide selection of non-alcoholic cocktails to choose from. This place is a total vibe!
📍@StringsRamen is a chain, but I have to say it is some of the best ramen I have had in a long time. I especially loved how you can choose your ramen but heat level but also by Japanese region which allowed us to taste a couple of new flavors!
📍@Parthenongyros has been around awhile (hubby recalls coming here during his college years!) and was voted #1 take out in Madison! Though we indulged inside and away from the snow. A delicious, quick bite when strolling around State Street.

And again, this is just a starter list. There is so much more to eat and enjoy in this top foodie city! What other spots would you add to this list?

#madisonwi #foodiegram #foodiedestinations #goodeats @destinationmadison
I love to travel. It has always been important to I love to travel. It has always been important to my family. My parents got my first passport weeks after I was born. They couldn’t afford to travel like I do now, but they understood, as immigrants, the absolute privilege that comes attached to having that shiny blue American booklet and they wanted me to have it.

I was yet again reminded of my privilege when my travel back home on this last trip was delayed over 24 hours. I have a village in place to make sure my kids were ok. Having my own business meant I didn’t have to report in to anyone, and was still able to work remotely so none of my clients were inconvenienced by it. Though the airline covered our hotel and food, we never worried that we couldn’t do it ourselves otherwise. While we were annoyed, we weren’t stressed.

So while I love to travel, and I love sharing my travels with you, I acknowledge that being able to do so, and dealing with the consistent travel disruptions so prevalent today without worries is a privilege…one that started with a little blue booklet that gives me more access to the world than some others do.

And I want us all in this travel space to be reminded of this. Of how lucky we are. Of our privilege to access and time and money.

So let us travel with grace and awareness. Let us remain rooted in reality and perspective. Acknowledging that our escapism isn’t one so easily accessible to others. Understanding that this is also why local stories have as much value as those to exclusive destinations, if not more. And, never forgetting, especially in the travel influencer and media space, that were it not for hosted campaigns and paid-for travel opportunities, most of us wouldn’t be able to afford the lifestyle we so beautifully curate online.

It doesn’t matter how often you travel, or how far. Just that hopefully you will be able to gift yourself the experience of doing so and experiencing something new.

#travel #travelmedia #travelinfluencer #wheretonext
As I work on compiling all the good eats I experie As I work on compiling all the good eats I experienced in Madison, WI, I have to ask: what is your favorite meal of the day, and where did you experience a highlight of the same?

I am a huge fan of breakfast. This beauty was a blueberry pancake order from @shortstackeats. Pancakes are not a big thing for me, but these were pretty perfect. I am craving them still. 🥞♥️

#madisonwi #goodeats #travelingfoodie @destinationmadison
We got back on a plane! Here are scenes from a qui We got back on a plane! Here are scenes from a quick trip to Madison, WI - my first time back in 14 years! Though we were here for family matters, we did take a moment to explore a bit of what used to be a place we called home.

We couldn’t do anything else until we drove around Lake Monona, where we once had a home, and took in the wintery views (there is an epic 13.2-mile trail that loops around the lake that is worth exploring if you visit!). Though our time was limited, we were able to enjoy some of it along State Street exploring the shops, eateries, the FREE @mmocamadison, and the beautiful architecture of the WI State Capitol Building (the Dane County Farmers Market will soon pick up again - Saturdays, April 15 thru November 11, 2023 around the Capitol Building and it is one of the best farmers markets anywhere!). 

We booked a room at the @hiltonmadison Monona Terrace to be within walking distance of all the downtown fun (tip: for a room with a lake view make sure to book at the upper levels above 10th floor for an unobstructed view of Lake Monona). 

Madison, WI is a skip and a hop from the Finger Lakes so this short and sweet visit didn’t feel difficult at all. And we absolutely loved the winter scenery and seeing what has changed (a lot) since we lived here.

Stay tuned for my list of where we ate!

Have you ever been to Madison, WI?

#madisonwi #weekendgetaway #wisconsin @destinationmadison
The joy of that first sip of the day. #randommom The joy of that first sip of the day. 

#randommomentsarethebest
I think my husband enjoys it, but still can’t be I think my husband enjoys it, but still can’t believe how easily I’ve been waking up in the early mornings since our last trip. Not sure how to shake it, or if it’s temporary, but here it is: the rare sighting of me up and moving early in the day. Am I a morning person now? Has travel ever permanently changed any of your habits?

#morningperson #lifeinthecountry #newme <-😂

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