Sisters in San Antonio
During the Christmas season in 2021, our family had the first annual Newbill girls’ trip to Charleston, South Carolina. This trip started because my mother saw an ad for Illumination Charleston hosted by Southern Living. It was also a great excuse to spend quality time together. There are five girl cousins on this side of the family, and at this point we are all grown and living in different states. We are at the time of our lives we have the flexibility to do these trips together with our mothers and grandmother, and we wanted to make the most of it. The trip was filled with wonderful rooftop bars, historical walking tours, and all of the mouth watering seafood a girl could want. We had a fabulous time together, and at the end of the trip, we only had one question. When are we going to do this again?
While there was some talk of a trip during 2022 and 2023 when we got together for the holidays, we could never fully nail down a time or place for the next Newbill girls’ trip. Finally, my mom, being the amazing planner she is, formulated a plan and sent it out to the group chat. Everyone was to send in their top two choices of places they wanted to visit and we were to vote on our favorite. In the end, we chose one of my top picks: San Antonio, Texas.
I initially chose San Antonio to enter into the vote after perusing articles on the Southern Living website. The city seemed very vibrant with Latin culture, historic monuments, and of course plenty of delicious looking places to eat. I mean how could you go wrong with Texas BBQ on one corner and Mexican food on the next!? Overall, the city gave off Americana charm with flares of other cultures interwoven throughout the architecture and activities. Now that we had decided our destination it was onto the planning!
We decided on a long weekend in conjunction with MLK day for our trip. It worked best for everyone’s schedule, plus that meant we could celebrate my cousin Bailey’s birthday together. We divided up the tasks among us with my mom and sister taking care of accommodations, and Bailey and I planning the itinerary. In the end, I was very satisfied with what all we got to see in the city. The only downside going on MLK weekend was it was the off season and a few things like the San Antonio Rodeo were closed. Besides that, the weather was gorgeous aside from some difficulties getting home due to a snow storm. Nevertheless, the storm did not dampen our spirits and a fun time was had by all.
Where to Stay
When deciding where to stay in the city, we wanted a place that would be walkable to our destinations. After consulting the internet, we picked The Westin on The Riverwalk. This location was fantastic because we were steps away from several of the sights we wanted to see in San Antonio. The Riverwalk was one of the must sees whenever I was telling people about our trip, and was our go-to trail to all of our events. It was quite relaxing walking along the river on the trail, and we found ourselves on the outdoor patio of our hotel sipping on drinks and watching boats.
One fun surprise that we found upon arrival at our hotel is that it was located right by where they shot part of the movie Miss Congeniality. We are big fans of that movie, so we had the time of our lives recreating the iconic line about describing our perfect date. Besides the Westin, another great option on the Riverwalk is the Hotel Contessa. While I prefer to stay on the Riverwalk, another super neat area is the Pearl District. This artisan area is home to top tier restaurants and a beautifully redesigned brewery called Hotel Emma. We went to this hotel for brunch and dinner reservations, but I was immediately in love with the space when I walked in and saw a gorgeous library and open test kitchens for demonstrations. They knew the way to my heart.
We loved grabbing drinks and appetizers at the Hotel Westin’s bar by the Riverwalk.
What to See
The first activity we did after checking into our hotel and grabbing a quick bite to eat was the Go Rio River Cruise. You can see these colorful, open top boats gliding along the river all times of the day. I am glad we did this activity first, because it gave us a good idea of what the city had to offer. We also learned about the history of the buildings. It was a very smooth thirty minute tour that I would recommend to anyone needing a launching point of what to do in San Antonio.
The next morning we set out for The Alamo, which is one of the most notorious locations to visit in San Antonio. It is a super neat area, but just to forewarn you it is in the middle of the city. Also, not all of The Alamo is intact since it was a battle that took place during the Texas Revolution. We spent some time listening to a narrated tour and walking around the church. I highly recommend getting the ticket that includes the museum because that was my favorite part of the experience. Phil Collins was apparently a big fan of Disney’s Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and became a big collector of Alamo artifacts. He ended up donating them to the historical site and assisted in opening the museum.
Aside from the museum at the Alamo, one of my favorite museums from the entire trip was the Briscoe Western Art Museum. The art was absolutely beautiful, and we loved the special exhibit with black and white photos of modern day cowboys. It really captivated quintessential Texas. Another museum that was very interesting was The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. Overall, this experience was a wild time, and I’m not just saying that because there were a ton of taxidermy animals. The saloon itself is famous because it is where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders, but the museum aspect was a completely different experience itself. While it may have been a bit cheesy, we absolutely committed to the bit and had a great time being tacky tourists.
There were a few other stops we wanted to make, but unfortunately they were out of season when we visited. If I were to go back, I would absolutely visit the San Antonio Rodeo. In addition, we were planning to go to Hopscotch, which appeared to be a neat immersive art experience. Unfortunately, we arrived at their doors to find it was closed for a few weeks. We still had a fantastic time though, because we found ourselves playing pickleball at Chicken N Pickle. This hang out spot is becoming a chain in large cities. We had such a great time ordering drinks and attempting to complete a game of pickleball without hitting the ball into the other courts. By the end, we were laughing so hard our faces hurt.
We had a ball playing pickleball together at Chicken N Pickle.
What to Eat
Of course we needed to eat between all of these fun activities, and we found some great spots throughout the city. One of our all time favorite meals was in the Pearl District at Supper at Hotel Emma. This dinner fell into the culinary experience category, and we were so grateful to sit close to the kitchen where we could see the chef grilling steaks and salmon on an open flame. Everything we tasted was absolutely delicious, and we made room in our stomachs to share desserts. Hotel Emma was also great for Sunday brunch at Southerleigh. This menu had more of a traditional southern flair with options like chicken n waffles paired with mimosas.
We also made sure to dine at some spots on The Riverwalk. We found out on our boat tour that Casa Rio is the oldest Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. We knew immediately we needed to go there for lunch to grab some margaritas and queso. We also had my cousin Bailey’s birthday bash at Esquire Tavern. This downstairs had such a cool atmosphere, and the upstairs area has the longest wooden bar in Texas. For a taste of the gulf, Boudros was a great option for having shrimp n grits or Texas prime rib. There were so many other wonderful spots we wanted to try while in San Antonio, but unfortunately our stomachs couldn’t handle tasting all of them. All the more reason to go back, right?
Plenty of chips, salsa, and queso was consumed at San Antonio’s oldest Mexican restaurant.
I am incredibly grateful to be part of a family that values spending time traveling together. Plus, we have now successfully been on two trips and still love each other! While the food and entertainment in San Antonio was great, it will be the laughs we shared together we will remember the most. Now, if you excuse me it might be time to plan for the next annual Newbill girls’ trip.