THURSDAY 8TH MAY 2025
Still in San Antonio, this was a day when we were free-wheeling, not governed by the stops of the hop on-hop off trolley, rather by what was within comfortable walking distance.
We kicked off with breakfast at Schilo’s. This German influenced restaurant claims to be the first in San Antonio. We liked the atmosphere, menu, food and service. It is only open until 2.30pm otherwise we would have come back for dinner.
Fortified, we headed to the Tower of the Americas, about a twenty minute walk. Here we ascended 470 feet for a panoramic view of the city, and explanatory panels on Texan history and archival photos. We had a good view of the city and surrounding freeways, and traffic that was surprisingly free-moving.
We were able to spot our hotel, but it took a lot longer to spot a railway line, and eventually, the railway station. One of the things I like about San Antonio is its low profile. High-rise buildings are in the minority – something about a city law stating no new building can overshadow the Alamo site out of respect for those who lost their lives in the Texan Revolution.
The entrance ticket included a 4D Theatre “ride” showing a ten-minute video called “Flags over Texas”. This simulated a helicopter flight to points of interest and culture, with your seat rocking back and forth at dramatic moments, such as when riding a bucking bronco.
If memory serves, we lost each other at bit later, one not knowing the other was strolling outside admiring the landscaping.
Confusion resolved, we left the tower, making our way back toward downtown and the Briscoe Western Art Museum, starting our exploration on the third floor and working down.
There were many exhibitions of items associated with the Mexican/Texan cowboy era. Who knew you could tell where a man came from by the spurs on his boots?
Texas has had a turbulent history. Many of the exhibits were donated by the Guerra family, and one video narrated their family history journey from Spain. Over the ensuing 170 years, the Guerras have lived under six different regimes and flags, being Spain, Mexico, the Texan Republic, the Confederacy and the US twice (once before Confederacy).
The Briscoe was also running an art exhibition and sale. Lots of talent on display!
It was brought home to us that the history we have absorbed in our short stay emphasises Texans as proud and independent.
Eventually we had to drag ourselves away from this fascinating museum. It was a challenge selecting which of the photos we took there to display on this blog post, here in a slideshow. I’ve found a couple of other bloggers who have interesting insights: Grown Up Travels and Travels with Pam. I recommend them both for a quick read, more information, and higher resolution photos.
We needed to head back to our hotel to pick up a “Go Rio” river cruise which had a stop right on our doorstep. During this 30-minute narrated cruise you are taken around the most commercially developed part of the fifteen miles of the river system. It was interesting to pass under the bridges that lead to the streets we had walked earlier.
The riverwalk is scenic and lively, but for simply getting from one place to another we found it quicker and less chance of getting lost by sticking to the streets, so until this cruise we hadn’t seen enough of it. Wouldn’t you know, rain curtailed us a little. 🙂 On occasions, we hid under a Venetian-style bridge while we waited for a squall to pass. But rain or shine, this city section of the river is unmissable.
We were back at our hotel in time for happy hour, only to find the bar and lounge closed for a private function!
That turned out to be a good thing as we found a nearby bar with reasonable prices and a very pleasant and helpful bar attendant. Her shift had finished but she stayed on to chat to us a bit and recommended a diner which turned out to be fabulous. Tokyo Cowboy Whisky Diner if you are ever in town. We had a table for two overlooking the river and shared a prawn and noodle starter, followed by a crispy pork dish. Delicious. And my T.C. Martini cocktail (or was it the Old Fashioned? – photo looks like it) went down smoothly also.
The business of finishing each day with a cocktail had emerged early in this trip. In Australia, a cocktail typically costs twice as much as a glass of wine. But in USA, they were almost on a par. So, why not indulge in the decadent sophistication of a relaxing cocktail? And on this occasion, either choice was half the usual cost we’d been paying. I think we might have been on an early dining price offering.
Finally in our room after a satisfying day, we readied ourselves for an early morning departure to New Orleans.
Our three full days in San Antonio have been a great experience, and we are leaving with warm memories of our time there.
Update: May 2026. Although we didn’t know it then, with the benefit of hindsight, San Antonio would turn out to be one of THE favourite places of our 7-Week American tour. Definitely a highlight. It was hard to choose a selection for this post. I’ve taken the time to label each one, so it beats me why that information is not showing up. Anyway, I’m sure you all get the idea 🙂
GWEN WILSON, Author, aka The Reluctant Retiree 