48 Hours: San Antonio, Texas

Two months ago I started working my dream job and I’ve been enjoying every minute of finally having my hard work pay off. But, things have been busy and sadly I’ve had to put Toast and Travel on hold for a few months. The good news is, I haven’t stopped traveling or exploring! In fact, I’ve been fully vaccinated, which has given me the ability to start flying comfortably again and has continued to open up so many new places for me. I have so many trips lined up to share with y’all on Toast and Travel- starting with San Antonio! I went on my first solo trip in a long time 3 hours north of Houston to San Antonio during my few days of unemployment and had a blast exploring this historical Texas city.

Things to Do

Spanish Governor’s Palace

This tiny white building houses some interesting history regarding San Antonio’s past and the people that resided in the governor’s home. Fun fact- it wasn’t just governors! Admission costs $5 and must be purchased online. The entire home (its not a palace!) takes about 30 minutes to walk through. Don’t miss out on the gorgeous garden out back!

San Antonio Museum of Art

The SAMA houses an eclectic collection art from around the world- it is the perfect place to wander around and spend a rainy afternoon. I loved the temporary movies exhibit that housed the Transformer robots and even the Batmobile! Museum entrance is $20 and takes about 2 hours to explore. I also really enjoyed walking the river behind the Museum and getting some fresh air after exploring indoors.

San Antonio Botanical Garden

Pleasantly surprised at how amazing the Botanical Garden was here. There was even a cool origami sculpture exhibit that was ongoing on the time. I loved walking around the many gardens and pathways and searching for the unique origami sculptures.

McNay Museum

McNay is another art museum in SA, but completely different from the San Antonio Museum of Art. The artwork is located in a mansion renovated museum and is simply breathtaking. One of the best exhibits are the biblical tapestries used in many old Hollywood movies. But, the true highlight of the museum is the building its located in and the surrounding gardens- everything is so beautiful.

Japanese Tea Garden

The Tea Garden was my favorite thing to do in San Antonio! I arrived early in the morning before there were other people and honestly, that was one of the best decisions I made. I was able to wander and enjoy the garden in peace. The path around the garden is narrow so having the whole place to myself was a big plus. There is a cafe located inside the entrance area and serves a variety of bubble teas and snacks. The garden is free to visit and open to everyone!

Joyride Cycling

One thing I love to do when traveling is trying out the workout studio scene and taking a class. This trip I chose to spin at Joyride Cycling, which had been recommended to me by a friend in Connecticut. While Joyride isn’t beat based, it was still a great workout, complete with silent headphones. The best part? The spin class is held in a open covered bay with plenty of social distancing and clean bikes. Its the perfect Covid friendly workout!

San Antonio Riverwalk Kayaking

Being able to kayak the San Antonio Riverwalk was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The Riverwalk only recently opened to kayaks on the weekends and tickets have been selling out so fast. Thankfully, I was able to get a Friday morning ticket and spent the early morning hours (kayaking starts at 8am) rowing peacefully through the still waters. It’s not cheap to kayak along the Riverwalk (tickets run up to $50), but completely worth it. The River is empty aside from a few cleanup barges, meaning that the typical tourist boats aren’t crowding up the waters.

Food

Mi Tierra Cafe

Located in Market Square (a historic Mexican square with a large market), Mi Tierra Cafe is a quintessential lunch spot serving up delicious authentic Mexican food and pastries. There is plenty of seating in the highly decorated space and diners are treated to mini mariachi band performances. Don’t miss the delicious bakery items in the entrance area of the restaurant!

Lustea

I never go on any trip without trying the local bubble tea and San Antonio was no different. The Asian influence in San Antonio isn’t huge so there aren’t too many locally owned bubble tea shops, so I headed to the Park North Shopping Center to try Lustea milk tea. It was pretty expensive for the size of the drink, but I’m glad I was able to support an Asian business.

Pete’s Tako House

San Antonio’s Hispanic population is large so while I had eaten Mexican food at Mi Tierra already, I couldn’t leave the city without also trying their take on Tex Mex. Pete’s Tako House came highly recommended to me and has equally great Yelp ratings so I stopped by to try their queso and tacos.

Smoke Shack BBQ

Smoke Shack is toted as San Antonio’s best barbecue and it lived up to the hype. I loved everything I ordered here and wished my stomach was bigger so I could have eaten even more! Pro tip- order online to avoid the wait.

Press Coffee

Press Coffee’s beautiful glass building is often the main draw for visitors, but their coffee shouldn’t be missed out on either. The airy coffee shop is located near the Japanese Tea Garden and is the perfect start to any day.

The Art of Donut

I came across the Art of Donut on Instagram and was instantly drawn to their colorful array of donuts. On top of that, my mouth was watering! Their donuts looked so delicious and unique! The hand crafted donut shop is located near the Japanese Tea Garden so I picked up a couple of donuts and headed to the Garden to enjoy them.

Bakery Lorraine

Located at the Pearl District, a super trendy outdoor area near downtown, Bakery Lorraine is not only smells delicious upon entry, but also is filled with a huge variety of pastries. I love handmade pop tarts and couldn’t wait to eat the heart shaped strawberry pop tart. It was so flaky and made my sweet tooth very content!

Local Coffee

Local Coffee is also located at Pearl District (which by the way has free garage parking) and is amongst the many boutique stores around the campus. Local Coffee is owned by a husband and wife team and specializes in freshly roasted coffee.

I haven’t been to San Antonio as a tourist since I was a kid and it sure has changed. I couldn’t believe how different everything was! Just goes to show that revisiting places is always a good idea.