Don't mess with Texas

Winters can be unbearably long in Minnesota. This particular winter was a doozy, a real hanger-on. We didn't know that when my mom, sister and I booked a long weekend trip to San Antonio for February, but it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. 

The Alamo at night

My aunt and uncle have lived in San Antonio for decades. We don't visit them often enough which is ridiculous because it's an easy weekend trip and it's almost always warmer than home. So with a snowstorm looming in the Twin Cities, we boarded our plane and happily traded in our heavy winter jackets and boots for spring coats and tennis shoes. Even though everyone in San Antonio - my aunt and uncle included - was wearing wool sweaters like it was still Christmas, Texas felt positively tropical to us. 

Located one story below the street,
boat tours run constantly
along the River Walk

We got off the plane and headed right for Schilo's Delicatessen. Schilo's is an institution in downtown San Antonio and it has some of the best German food you'll find anywhere. I could spend all day downing frosty mugs of their root beer and noshing on juicy polish sausages tucked into toasted buns.

Although we didn't plan to spend much time in our hotel room, my mom was insistent that we find something with a balcony on the city's famed River Walk. That turned out to be a tall order. While there are plenty of River Walk-adjacent hotels, few of them take full advantage of their location with balconies off the guest rooms. Thanks to the fabulous Drury Hotel staff, we managed to snag one of their rare rooms with a balcony view of the River Walk. It was just what my mom was looking for (at a reasonable rate to boot).

One of the coolest things about San Antonio is that it's oozing with history, from the Market Square (a shopping center that dates back to the 1820s) to the San Fernando Cathedral (the oldest continuously functioning religious community in Texas) to the Alamo. You can learn a lot about the area's history on one of the River Walk boat tours. We didn't hop on one this time around, but have in the past and recommend it to first-timers. It will save your poor feet a lot of walking.

It would be easy to spend all your time in downtown San Antonio and never leave - that portion of the River Walk alone could keep you more than occupied with its collection of shops and restaurants - but there are plenty of other things to be seen in the area. In the past, we've wandered through the missions or hit up the art museums. This time, my aunt and uncle introduced us to The Pearl - a defunct brewery that is being redeveloped with shops, restaurants, condos and a farmer's market. We happily ate our way through the farmer's market - sampling crepes and coffee with the masses.

Later that day, we trekked to Dough for some gourmet pizza. Despite its strip mall locale, it's a super popular place. Hustle to get there before 5 p.m. and you just might get a table with no wait. The pizza is pretty good. They also make their own mozzarella and it's delicious, so don't pass it up.

One of the stately homes
in the King William District

For me, no trip to San Antonio is complete without brunch at the Guenther House. Sure, it's swarming with tourists and the wait will be close to unbearable, but the food is very good, the service is impeccable and the atmosphere - a restored home once inhabited by the Pioneer Flour Mills family that dates back to 1860 - is positively charming. If you're dealt a long wait, take the opportunity to walk the adjacent neighborhoods in the King William District. The homes are stunning and diverse.


Don't miss: The rest of the River Walk. Most tourists get their fill of the downtown portion, but the entire River Walk goes on for miles and miles, past museums, neighborhoods and parks. It's all beautiful.