Spring Vacation: Day One

San Antonio Texas:  We got up at zero dark thirty to kick off our Spring Break vacation to Texas.  For this week long vacation we will be departing Tampa International Airport and visiting San Antonio and Austin.  This trip marks our first trip to Texas as well as our farthest west adventure so far.

Our trip got started early with a trip north to Tampa and our 6:30 flight on Southwest Airlines.  We were flying on Southwest Flight 1226 non-stop to Austin.  We got to the airport early and breezed through TSA screening.  While we waited for our flight to board, we ate breakfast at Burger 21 on Airside C.

We boarded our 5-year old Boeing 737-800 for our on-time departure west to Texas.  The early morning pre-dawn flight had the sunrise chasing us across the Gulf of Mexico.  The flight to Austin was smooth until we reach east Texas and strong cold front.  The turbulence was fun and despite almost zero visibility we landed safely at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.  

After grabbing our luggage, we headed to the rental car center to pick-up our rental car from Avis.  This was our first time using Avis and I was unimpressed.  They wanted to nickel and dime everything at the pick-up and when we got our car, it was barely detailed from the last user.  There was trash in the center console, the floors and seats were dirty and the outside of the car was muddy like it was just wet down and not washed.  The car was probably the worst looking car we have rented but rather then go back to the rental counter in the pouring rain, we just decided to continue with our adventures.

Because of the rain, we modified our plans for the day a bit.  Our originally plans was to visit the Texas State Museum later in the week when we returned to Austin, but since it was raining today it was a perfect way to avoid the rain. But it wasn't open yet so we headed to brunch at Phoebe's Diner. The diner was busy and the food was delicious!  I had biscuits and gravy and my wife had the flapjacks.  

After eating we headed to the Bullock Texas State History Museum.  The three story museum just blocks from the state capitol tells the story of Texas.  From its roots from Mexico through the oil boom and beyond, the museum introduces you to the events and people that shaped the great state of Texas.  Having never been to Texas, it was interesting learning about the history and culture of the state.

 When we left the museum, we were going to walk around the capitol but the rain got heavier so we headed south to San Antonio.  There was another museum there we had on the itinerary which would make for a good rainy day escape.  On the way south, we left the rain in Austin.  So we made a quick detour for a drive through of the historic town of Gruene. 

The weather continued to get better as we got closer to San Antonio so we put the Witte Museum back on the schedule for later in trip and got started with some of our touring of the city.  Our first adventure was the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The collection of missions are a look into the catholic missions that spanned the river.  There are a total of five missions preserved as part of the park.  We visited four of the five today and are saving the most popular of them, the Alamo, until later in the trip.

When we finished the missions, we headed downtown to check into our hotel.  We are staying at the Drury Inn and Suites on the Riverwalk.  We checked in and settled into our room with a balcony overlooking the riverwalk.  But we didn't stay long as we headed out to stroll along the riverwalk.

As we were strolling the Riverwalk, we saw the boat tours and decided to take one of them.  We boarded our electric boat with our tour guide Bob and took a leisurely trip along the canals and listened to the history of the riverwalk and the businesses that line this popular area.  As we journeyed along, the St Patrick's Day celebrations were in full swing and the place was alive with activity.  

After we docked back and got back on the Riverwalk, we headed to dinner.  We browsed a few menus along the Riverwalk and settled at Saltgrass Steak House.  They get their name from the saltgrass trail, a migration of the Texas Longhorn cattle to winter feeding on the lush salt grasses of the Gulf Coast.  My wife chose the ribeye and I had the bacon wrapped filet and shrimp.  The steak was one of the best steaks I ever ate!

We then headed back to the hotel for the night.  On the way back, we found ourselves in the middle of the St Patrick's Day boat parade along the Riverwalk.  The celebration was like Mardi Gras meets a boat parade and was a lot of fun.  Decorated boats, music and a green-dyed river was the highlight of the evening on the river.

After the parade we finished the walk back to the hotel for the night.  Tomorrow's adventures include a trip on the Old Town Trolley and whatever else we find to enjoy.

Be sure to check back later for more from the trip.