Weekend in San Antonio, TX

I decided a weekend in San Antonio TX would do me some good and for a $2 Greyhound bus ride from Dallas it would not break the bank for a vacation. The Riverwalk is a favorite place for early morning joggers and walkers and was a walkable distance away from downtown entertainment so I decided to forgo the all day $10 Rio taxi and took a walk from the Riverwalk's Crown Plaza north end to the downtown southend Rivercenter Mall. Passing through was the La Vita area including miscelleanous shops but wasn't open until 10 am. There were many restaurants and a few hotels along the Riverwalk.

 

Very picturesque. Great for photo taking.

 

 At the downtown far west end was the Rivercenter Mall and adjacent to the Mall was the Alamo Plaza which was a popular area for tourists. Horse carriage rides and tourist buses could be seen in this area . Also convenient was the trolley stop in front of the Alamo Plaza, for about $1.50 fare to take you around the downtown area. After I finished my tour of the historic Alamo and its museum, gift shop and its gardens, I went right across the street to the assorted Ripley's museums and attractions. I tried Ripley's Odditorium and Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum- not enough likeness for me . Next time, I would love to try Ripley's 4D Moving theatre ride or Ripley's Haunted Adventure. Overall, my visit to San Antonio was a worthwhile experience that everyone should try at least once in their lifetime.

 

 

 

Gaylord Texan Resort & Grapevine (Dallas) TX

Just a short distance north of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Resort in Grapevine TX. Its proximity to other entertainment such as  Lake Grapevine and Grapevine shopping center makes it a must visit area in DFW. My day started with a visit to this grand hotel, the Gaylord Texan. Afterwards, a visit to Bass pro Shops made it a memorable day.
The Gaylord Texan combines a rustic Texan style, with elements of San Antonio and natural elements of Arizona with it's canyons and plants.
The hotel is a must see and is the most spectacular hotel in DFW. From its opulent lobby opening up to a large courtyard atrium with acres of garden and natural elements, it's winding artificial river streams and facade of the Alamo is reminiscent of San Antonio TX. The stone cliffs and cactus adds elements of Arizona. Water fall and water spout shoots up in the air. With plenty of sitting areas to relax and enjoy the natural elements,plenty of shopping, and various restaurants, I could spend the whole day here. I hear that the Christmas season is a great time to visit, the place is nicely decked up and ice sculptures abounds Even though parking was quite expensive ( $12+taxes for parking up to 4 hours and $17 over), it was a worthwhile visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Faux Riverwalk replica

 

My next stop up the intersection was the Bass Pro Shops, from its rustic huge sized building and touted as the largest outdoor sporting equipment store in the southwest, so I had to see. It was almost as impressive as the Gaylord Texan, from its grand rustic lobby, I was in awe and had to take a picture of everything. Some animal rights persons opposed to hunting for sport might be deterred to going to such a place as realistic looking animal trophy heads and full size animals -bears, deers, tigers, etc. abounded on the walls and aisles. It also had an artificial waterfall and indoor aquarium , food/snack area with artificial river stream. It had every activity from food sample tasting, bass fish indoor aquarium feeding, an outdoor Koi fish event, to carrying everything from boats, outdoor gear, food/snacks and clothing. Where else can you go and sit on a +$25K boat and dream that you could perhaps own one. Perfect start for my labor day weekend.