Need some TX help.

[Hypnautic]

We are going to Texas for Thanksgiving.
Why--(short answer)--son is in Navy and going through A School in San Antonio. He is actually at the AF Base for his A School.
Anyway--he has liberty through TGiving weekend and we are looking at where to stay.
We are not opposed to traveling away from SAT, he is allowed 250 miles of travel.

Difficult to know what an area is like or if its safe.
So looking for an area that might have something to go do, something to see, places to walk/hike, beach towns or should we stay SAT?
Of course--looking for some good food recommendations.

Help me RDP Familia..

 

[DILLIGAF]

Might want to check out Fredericksburg. Apx 45 min from SA. Wineries, entertainment, restaurants, etc. i just stay pretty much at home for the most part so I am not a big help though. Albert and Luckenbach are near Fredericksburg for a touristy biker bar with outside patio music. Very small

Two other places I would look into would be Boerne and Gruene.

I avoid cities at all costs. Lol

 

[RadMan]

How long is your stay?

JW Marriott Resort and Spa N. Side of San Antonio is nice.
Some good golf around there, Riverwalk, Mexican food.
You can day trip to many places, hill country wineries, New Braunfels, Austin, Enchanted rock hike is a bit of a drive but if you mix in a stay in Fredicksburg, that’s a cool town with many shops and restaurants. A winery day and a bbq day or mix together both are fun.

If you absolutely love college football, that Saturday night Texas vs Texas A&M will be a big one, I think it’s at Texas A&M, it’s within 250miles.

Lake Amistad house boat rental that lake is beautiful, clear water, but I wouldn’t recommend anything in DelRio.

There are giant hunting ranches west of San Antonio with all accommodations too if that’s your thing

 

[Dog]

27 Things To Do On The Riverwalk (The Venice of Texas)

Sure, the Riverwalk is 100% a tourist destination in San Antonio. You could easily say it’s THE tourist destination. Afterall, the Riverwalk is where you’ll find the Alamo, historic Tex Mex restaurants, world-class museums, the San Fernando Cathedral, outdoor art, and miles and miles of biking...

thesanantoniothings.com

https://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/

 

[C-Ya]

I’d get an Airbnb with a kitchen. Then I would “pre-order” an entire Thanksgiving dinner. This will give you the opportunity to have a traditional Thanksgiving while on vacation.

May as well get a rental with a killer view……..

FWIW………. We have been pre ordering thanksgiving from our local supermarket for 10 years. They cook the Turkey and everything else. You just have to heat it up.

 

[Hypnautic]

Might want to check out Fredericksburg. Apx 45 min from SA. Wineries, entertainment, restaurants, etc. i just stay pretty much at home for the most part so I am not a big help though. Albert and Luckenbach are near Fredericksburg for a touristy biker bar with outside patio music. Very small

Two other places I would look into would be Boerne and Gruene.

I avoid cities at all costs. Lol

Thanks Tom. Going to check out Fredericksburg.
Hope all is well with you and the pups.

 

[Hypnautic]

How long is your stay?

JW Marriott Resort and Spa N. Side of San Antonio is nice.
Some good golf around there, Riverwalk, Mexican food.
You can day trip to many places, hill country wineries, New Braunfels, Austin, Enchanted rock hike is a bit of a drive but if you mix in a stay in Fredicksburg, that’s a cool town with many shops and restaurants. A winery day and a bbq day or mix together both are fun.

If you absolutely love college football, that Saturday night Texas vs Texas A&M will be a big one, I think it’s at Texas A&M, it’s within 250miles.

Lake Amistad house boat rental that lake is beautiful, clear water, but I wouldn’t recommend anything in DelRio.

There are giant hunting ranches west of San Antonio with all accommodations too if that’s your thing

Stay is only 3-4 days.
Not bringing any sticks with me--but a few hours at the driving range may be a good time. Course's usually have a set of sticks to rent.
We just played about 4hrs of TopGolf in Schaumburg while he was still in Great Lakes.
Will look at New Braunfels. Been to Austin several times this year--its just ok with us.
Love the houseboat idea but sounds like alot of work and coordinating for only 3-4 days.

 

[Hypnautic]

I’d get an Airbnb with a kitchen. Then I would “pre-order” an entire Thanksgiving dinner. This will give you the opportunity to have a traditional Thanksgiving while on vacation.

May as well get a rental with a killer view……..

FWIW………. We have been pre ordering thanksgiving from our local supermarket for 10 years. They cook the Turkey and everything else. You just have to heat it up.

I like AirBNB's. Wife not so much. She always thinks someone is spying on her in the shower. She is right--but just doesnt always realize that someone is me.
But she goes where I pay--so gonna look into that too. That would allow for a more "normal" TGiving dinner too.
Wife was just planning to do a TGiving dinner for Xmas when he is home for 2 weeks--but this could work out?

 

[RadMan]

Stay is only 3-4 days.
Not bringing any sticks with me--but a few hours at the driving range may be a good time. Course's usually have a set of sticks to rent.
We just played about 4hrs of TopGolf in Schaumburg while he was still in Great Lakes.
Will look at New Braunfels. Been to Austin several times this year--its just ok with us.
Love the houseboat idea but sounds like alot of work and coordinating for only 3-4 days.

Agree, not enough time for houseboat trip.

If you doing your own Turkey dinner I recall some of the BBQ joints taking orders and smoking turkeys. But I moved away 10+ years ago.

Best turkey I ever had, coworkers wife helped me in Mason TX, Coopers BBQ smoked it. She went to a local farm, secured the bird, had it prepped for Coopers and it was smoked, never frozen, so delicious.

 

[Hypnautic]

Agree, not enough time for houseboat trip.

If you doing your own Turkey dinner I recall some of the BBQ joints taking orders and smoking turkeys. But I moved away 10+ years ago.

Best turkey I ever had, coworkers wife helped me in Mason TX, Coopers BBQ smoked it. She went to a local farm, secured the bird, had it prepped for Coopers and it was smoked, never frozen, so delicious.

That bird sounds awesome. Something like that can make this quick trip a real memory maker too.
I am going to look into that.
We just dont get much time to plan as the lead time he is givin is so short sometimes.

 

[4Waters]

Look into Gruene and the area around it. Awesome little town

 

[RadMan]

Couple of long standing good restaurant tips.

Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, BYOB, all you can eat family style, live music schedule too.
This place = guaranteed food coma

Mi Tierra Cafe and Mariachi bar, downtown San Antonio, great food, Mexican restaurant atmosphere is hard to match.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Thanks Tom. Going to check out Fredericksburg.
Hope all is well with you and the pups.

All good here. Tx

 

[PDQH2O]

Remember the Alamo. It’s about a block away from the Riverwalk. You‘ll have a great time in Texas With any of the above recommendations.

 

[Xring01]

Son’s A School…. In the Navy, but going to an Airforce base. Let me guess. Military Police @ Lackland? I did that in 1994ish, after being on a submarine.

Fredericksburg - my sister and 3 of her adult kids all live in the area. As others posted, lots to do and see. There are a ton of Air BNB’s in the area. I think one of my neices manages a few of them. Also there is a damn good distillery just out side of F Burg, that makes some pretty good bourbon.

If you have a few days to be tourist, then I would also recommend Austin, just to go to Franklins BBQ. IMHO its the best brisket you will ever have. But thats a very subjective topic.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Fredericksburg is cool, but I think one full day is good enough. If you like military history they have an amazing museum there. Austin would be better for multi-day.

 

[Hypnautic]

Son’s A School…. In the Navy, but going to an Airforce base. Let me guess. Military Police @ Lackland? I did that in 1994ish, after being on a submarine.

Fredericksburg - my sister and 3 of her adult kids all live in the area. As others posted, lots to do and see. There are a ton of Air BNB’s in the area. I think one of my neices manages a few of them. Also there is a damn good distillery just out side of F Burg, that makes some pretty good bourbon.

If you have a few days to be tourist, then I would also recommend Austin, just to go to Franklins BBQ. IMHO its the best brisket you will ever have. But thats a very subjective topic.

Your spot on. He graduated Basic on 08/01 then moved across the way for Navy Diver Prep school. Got sick (flu) on day 3 of 4 hell week/selection and was going to have to restart program. While sitting waiting for Prep to restart he wondered why he was going through all this when its not the final career he wants. He is working on his degree so he can go OCS and fly. Wants to fly large planes and not be assigned to ships. So with his dive and swimmer certs--he moved over to MA which is in Lackland. Odd that someone who does not want to be deployed on a ship joins the Navy. He definitely did not want to go Sub which he qualified for--both his Grandfather (Seadragon) and Great Grandfather (Scabbardfish) were on Subs. Although ship deployment is possible--this gives the best chance of him staying a shore.

Its been 30 yrs since for you--but any tips or words of advice I can pass along?

 

[Hypnautic]

Fredericksburg is cool, but I think one full day is good enough. If you like military history they have an amazing museum there. Austin would be better for multi-day.

We like museums, History and military--going to look it up for a things to do for sure.
Thank you

 

[RVRKID]

This is a real nice resort that I'm sure your wife would Love and it shows 150 miles from base but that's all I got:

Hotel in Grapevine TX | Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center

Book at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center for a memorable stay. Our luxury hotel in Grapevine, TX boasts spacious rooms and suites, multiple dining options, an outdoor waterpark and more incredible amenities.

www.marriott.com

 

[DILLIGAF]

We like museums, History and military--going to look it up for a things to do for sure.
Thank you

Its an entire day. Huge facility.

Afterwards get late lunch or dinner on main street

That would be a good day for ya

National Museum of the Pacific War

The National Museum of the Pacific War, located in Fredericksburg, TX, tells the human story of World War II in the Pacific in more than 55,000 sq ft of…

www.pacificwarmuseum.org

 

[RedSoloCup]

I echo Dilligaf. Fredericksburg is a great place close to SAT. A great place to use for weekend rentals is Gastehaus Schmidt. Get a house, get groceries from HEB, and make dinner there. Pacific War Museum, Luckenbach Texas is close. Garrison Brothers distillery, for some of the best bourbon. Becker Winery. There is a total dive / biker bar outside of town called hole in the loop., it's cash only and they have a good burger. For BBQ in SAT try The County Line for all you can eat, La Margarita in SAT has some good food and drinks. Also check out the website. It's a regional show that hits "The Texas Bucket List" there might be something that strikes a chord. https://thetexasbucketlist.com. Good luck and have fun.

 

[4Waters]

@Hypnautic just giving you a heads up, HEB and Buc-ee's are a must when in Texas however once you've walked through those doors there is no going back and you will want to move to free America after that.

 

[Hypnautic]

@Hypnautic just giving you a heads up, HEB and Buc-ee's are a must when in Texas however once you've walked through those doors there is no going back and you will want to move to free America after that.

Not sure Ive been to HEB but been through plenty of Buc-ee's including the (formally) largest store in Sevierville TN.

 

[clarence]

Its an entire day. Huge facility.

Afterwards get late lunch or dinner on main street

That would be a good day for ya

National Museum of the Pacific War

The National Museum of the Pacific War, located in Fredericksburg, TX, tells the human story of World War II in the Pacific in more than 55,000 sq ft of…

www.pacificwarmuseum.org

This.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Not sure Ive been to HEB but been through plenty of Buc-ee's including the (formally) largest store in Sevierville TN.

I was never a fan of HEB. I didn’t get the hype. Buc-ees is the bomb.

 

[81Sprint]

HEB sells Prasek's sausage, everytime I travel out to see the family I bring a cooler full back with me. I recommend the smoked pork beef and jalepeno! Buc-ee's is always a welcome sight when crossing the border back into the homeland!

Texas BBQ | Prasek's Family Smokehouse

Family isn’t just a noun in Texas. It’s also an adjective! Prasek's Family Smokehouse is the place for Texas BBQ.

www.praseks.com

 

[ChumpChange]

Not sure Ive been to HEB but been through plenty of Buc-ee's including the (formally) largest store in Sevierville TN.

I went to the new largest one in Luling two weeks ago. Love me some Buc-ees.

 

[JBS]

We will be at our place on Padre Island TX the week of Thanksgiving.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1763387150843965

We are on the canals off the intercoastal. The beach is also right here. Port A is also a very nice beach town. You can do both.

 

[traquer]

Boerne is cool. But I'm a bit biased Do a day or two here, then Frederickburg etc. Anyplace good to stay in SAT is in the North side of town up by the Rim or above towards Boerne.

 

[Hypnautic]

We will be at our place on Padre Island TX the week of Thanksgiving.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1763387150843965

We are on the canals off the intercoastal. The beach is also right here. Port A is also a very nice beach town. You can do both.

Corpus Christi/S Padre was on my places to look at.
We were just not sure if we would like it.
We used to see Galveston on the TV a lot for those beach home shows--and to say we were greatly disappointed when we went to check it out, is putting it nicely.
I have a few clients that have homes in CC on the canals. They looked awesome from pics.

 

[4Waters]

We will be at our place on Padre Island TX the week of Thanksgiving.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1763387150843965

We are on the canals off the intercoastal. The beach is also right here. Port A is also a very nice beach town. You can do both.

Ski canals? Looks more like a food trough for bull sharks. Lol

 

[Rvrluvr]

250 miles . This is TX. Thats how far it is from town to town

 

[JL95]

Whatever you do, skip eating at Torchy's lol

Mi tiara is okay. NB is nice, a half day trip to Boerne is fun enough to kill some time. I think Gruene hall may be one of my favorite places on earth, would love to catch a show there. There is a fun german bar/ restaurant in NB called Krause's that's worth a visit. https://krausescafe.com/ Also Pour Haus is always a good time.

The Pearl district in SA is nice. Go to Southerleigh https://www.southerleighatpearl.com/

It's a shame you are not going in the first two weeks of November you could have caught Wurstfest.

If you want to be out of the way we just stayed at a really nice air bnb house in Dripping springs for a wedding, i would not recommend for many activities though.