View Full Version : What do my wife & I have to go see while in Texas?
My wife and I are going to Texas for our anniversary and have never been. We'll be flying into DFW & staying the night there. Then the next day we'll be in San Antonio with plans to see the Alamo (my buddy told me about an old hotel nearby we needed to find) and the Riverwalk. We'll be staying in SA that night. Then it's onto Gruene which is a historic district and we'll be staying in nearby New Braunfels that night. The next day it's on to Austin where we will be staying that night. Then, the next morning it's back to DFW where we will have a couple hours before heading to the airport and flying back home.
So, what is it we have to see while we're there? We were going to spend a day at Schlitterbahn but then we found out it was going to cost us like $120 for two people plus it may not be worth it since the rivers that supply the place are running low. What are some eating holes we simply can't miss out on? I'm talking Man v Food type places that you see on TV and want to book a trip there just to eat what you see on the TV. We're big fans of BBQ and the like.
So, any tips hints or ideas?
Edit: I almost forgot, we have a place lined up each night except for Monday night when we'll be in Austin. Suggestions?
Belmont31R
05-03-12, 01:11
The TX ranger museum has a lot of cool guns. Worth a couple hour stop between DFW and SA.
San Antonio:
Menger Hotel where Teddy R. recruited the Rough Riders, Alamo, River Walk (booze cruise good, but skip the food on River Walk:p)
Food: Chris Madrid's best Mexican Hamburger in the world, Zito's Deli Serious Sandwich is to die for, The Barn Door for steaks and twice stuffed baked potatoes, SA has countless good restaurants and you should stick to Mexican as they are the best in TX
San Antonio Gun Club and shoot a few rounds of skeet inside the city limits;)
Gruene Hall oldest dance hall in TX , eat at the GristMill next door.
I love Greune, but I would skip it and go to Fredericksburg a really cool little German Town that is better than New Braunfsels and stay there and eat good German food and beer, WW II Museum and maybe run down the road (5 miles) to Enchanted Rock State Park and see Enchanted Rock and the wild flowers.
Austin: The Capital, Broken Spoke is oldest dance hall in Austin, 6th Street, 5th Street, 4th Street, Town Lake (Lady Bird Lake now), bats are not here yet, Natural Bridge Caverns,
BBQ: Arts Rib House, County Line, Rudys, Iron Works, Salt Lick
before you hit Austin look here and find some music
http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/
Hotel: Hhhmmm... Downtown hotels and view is awesome and pricey, if you wanted to go the quirky route I would stay here
https://www.sanjosehotel.com/index2.php
It is a hip cool little place south of DT on Congress Ave with a wine bar and patio across from the famous Continental Club and on a section of Congress with cool restaurants, shops and clubs off the beaten path, but minutes from the DT scene.
Kirby Lane for late night or breakfast is amazing
Amy's IceCream, Amy's IceCream, Amy's IceCream
Check around on here and see if anything sounds good to you
http://www.texasmonthly.com/
Best of the West Shooting Center shoot to 1000yds:p
Best BBQ in TX is going to be Black's BBQ in Lockhart or Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Cooper's BBQ in Llano, City Market in Luling, Rudy's in Austin has hands down the best BBQ sauce and their cream corn you eat for desert;-)
I was just in NB a couple weeks ago and we ate at Gruene River Grill. As with all food, it's subjective, but I thought it was fantastic. Nice atmosphere, good service, and really good food. If you go, try the redfish. :lazy2: (closest I could find to a drooling smiley) ETA: (Nevermind, that's a pillow. I always drool when I sleep. Massive smiley fail, -300 internetz. I suck.)
San Antonio:
Menger Hotel where Teddy R. recruited the Rough Riders, Alamo, River Walk (booze cruise good, but skip the food on River Walk:p)
Food: Chris Madrid's best Mexican Hamburger in the world, Zito's Deli Serious Sandwich is to die for, The Barn Door for steaks and twice stuffed baked potatoes, SA has countless good restaurants and you should stick to Mexican as they are the best in TX
San Antonio Gun Club and shoot a few rounds of skeet inside the city limits;)
Gruene Hall oldest dance hall in TX , eat at the GristMill next door.
I love Greune, but I would skip it and go to Fredericksburg a really cool little German Town that is better than New Braunfsels and stay there and eat good German food and beer, WW II Museum and maybe run down the road (5 miles) to Enchanted Rock State Park and see Enchanted Rock and the wild flowers.
Austin: The Capital, Broken Spoke is oldest dance hall in Austin, 6th Street, 5th Street, 4th Street, Town Lake (Lady Bird Lake now), bats are not here yet, Natural Bridge Caverns,
BBQ: Arts Rib House, County Line, Rudys, Iron Works, Salt Lick
before you hit Austin look here and find some music
http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/
Hotel: Hhhmmm... Downtown hotels and view is awesome and pricey, if you wanted to go the quirky route I would stay here
https://www.sanjosehotel.com/index2.php
It is a hip cool little place south of DT on Congress Ave with a wine bar and patio across from the famous Continental Club and on a section of Congress with cool restaurants, shops and clubs off the beaten path, but minutes from the DT scene.
Kirby Lane for late night or breakfast is amazing
Amy's IceCream, Amy's IceCream, Amy's IceCream
Check around on here and see if anything sounds good to you
http://www.texasmonthly.com/
Best of the West Shooting Center shoot to 1000yds:p
Best BBQ in TX is going to be Black's BBQ in Lockhart or Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Cooper's BBQ in Llano, City Market in Luling, Rudy's in Austin has hands down the best BBQ sauce and their cream corn you eat for desert;-)
Thanks for the information.
I think the Menger Hotel is the place my buddy was telling me about. Is that right by The Alamo? As for Greune, he's the one who told us about that too. He said we had to check it out and so that's why we planned to spend an afternoon there and then stay the night in nearby New Braunfels. I think we are planning to eat at GristMill while in Greune. We're not really looking for a pricey place to stay in Austin. Cheaper the better since we're not planning to spend a lot of time there and what time we do spend there will be sleeping unless I'm lucky. :p Overall I'm excited to be on a 4-day almost exclusive BBQ binge with the occasional ice cream break in between. :D
In austin the ribs at Arts Rib House are something. Be careful as there are 10 crappy BBQ joints for every good one and there are many good ones. If you don't make it to Rudy's you should still swing in and buy a big bottle of their sauce (and some cream corn to go:p)
Amy's Ice Cream is off the chart local ice cream! Taste everything before deciding;)
Weekends in Austin there is NOOOOOOOOOO hotel space so reserve ahead of time!
.
Is there still a Lonestar Brewery Museum in SA?
I remember going there in college and there was a lot to take in...but that was a long time ago.
.
Moose-Knuckle
05-03-12, 19:20
Minutes outside of Austin is Driftwood, TX. home to The Salt Lick (http://www.saltlickbbq.com/). There is one in Roundrock (N Austin) and one in OK (this one blows) but be sure to go the original in Driftwood, it's been on every foodie show on the Travel Channel to include Man vs. Food ,Anthony Bourdain's The Layover, and Andrew Zimmern. I've lived in TX my whole life and it's my favorite BBQ joint. In Gruene there is a good eating spot called The Gristmill (http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/).
I'll second the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum (http://www.texasranger.org/) located right off Interstate 35 in Waco, it's on the way south from DFW to San Antonio. If you are into history and firearms they have a very expensive and impressive collection. My personal favorite in the collection is Frank Hamer's Colt Monitor (Colt's licensed copy of the BAR but with a pistol grip) that he used to secure the heart beats of Bonnie and Clyde.
By all means don't forget to eat some Tex-Mex and Mexican food! In Austin I like Matt's el Rancho (http://mattselrancho.com/).
Edit: sorry I see The Gristmill has already been mentioned but now you have the link. :)
I've been to Texas several times and the thing I always look forward to seeing while I'm there is one of the many "Now Leaving Texas" signs.
Kidding, kidding!
SeriousStudent
05-03-12, 20:05
Are you driving from D/FW to San Antonio? Just curious, you know that is a somewhat long drive, right?
The BBQ places mentioned are all very good. Elgin also has some good BBQ places.
There used to be a great website called The Texas BBQ Trail.
The Texas Ranger Museum is nice, I have been there. Neat firearms collection.
There is also the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, if JFK interests you.
Do they still do tours at the Shiner Brewery?
Gruene Hall!!! Go eat at the Gristmill and see a concert at Gruene Hall...a must do when you're in the hill country. Also if you're a beer drinker maybe take a tour of the Shiner brewery down in Shiner. Go to the capitol, and LEO memorial.
When you're in austin, swing by the "black sheep lodge". Great food and beer selection....love the $1 white trash cans on wends (i like lonestar)
http://www.gruenehall.com/
I touched base with the wife at lunch today to see what all she had planned in addition to the advice I've gotten from several forums and so far we're planning to get into DFW late at night so we're staying near the airport.
We get up the next morning and head to San Antonio and will stop at Round Rock Doughnuts just off of I35 since we were told he HAD to. Once in SA we plan to see the Alamo, Menger Hotel and some of the old missions and historic sights around that immediate area depending on what kind of time we have. That night we may rent some river bikes or take some sort of river walk tour of SA. I forget which one she said but something about we need to bring watersocks if we do the river bikes. That one sounds like a lot of fun to me. This is our anniversary so we'll probably choose someplace decent for dinner and I think I've got a list to select from here. Just need to decide where.
The next morning we'll get up and head to Gruene (possibly after stopping at LuLu's in SA to split the 3lb cinnamon roll I saw on Man vs Food lol) where we will check out the historic district and then do a river float (probably Guadalupe unless the Comal has more water) as opposed to Schlitterbahn that we initially wanted to do. We will eat at the GristMill sometime that day/night. We're then staying in New Braunfels that night.
The next morning we'll head to Austin. I've heard lots of good people talk about 6th street, Salt Lick, Rudy's, Art's Rib House & Amy's Ice Cream so those are in the list somewhere for this day... maybe. We'll probably check out the capital while we're there as well. We also were told to check out the bats under Congress Bridge so that may be something we do near dusk before dinner or something. We still need to book a room for this night in Austin and I plan to check out Driskill based on a tip. If it's too 'spensive we'll probably have to find some roach motel on the West side of the fancy new bridge. lol This will be our last night in TX as our flight out is the next night.
The next morning we'll get up and head to Dallas. I want to see the School Book Depository/Grassy Knoll and 6th story museum and other JFK related locations. I want to eat at Dick's while in Dallas because I've heard good things about this place for years. Sounds like a raucous atmosphere with some decent 'que. Our flight back to lovely Colorado is around 4:00 so it's likely we'll have to head to the airport shortly after getting lunch so maybe we can hit a couple quick sights before we go wheels up.
So far that's a rough outline of our itinerary. There are some meals left out and some places I'm debating on going to so we may plug those in here and there depending on what we feel like and where we are. All I know is when we travel we go out of our way to avoid chain restaurants or anything we can just eat when we're back home unless we're on a long trip somewhere.
I know that's a LOT to do in only a few days but I think we'll get a lot out of this trip and get to see most of what we want to see. I would really like to spend some time in Fredericksburg based on what I've heard but I just don't see it happening on this trip. I hope to go to Houston with a buddy for a hog hunt sooner than later so I can get some places out of the way whenever we go to that part of Texas but for now at least I feel like our tour of central TX will be pretty fun even though it will be lots of driving sprinkled throughout. The worst part will be the first morning when we make the Fort Worth to San Antonio trek but the rest of the legs will be broken up into daily segments on the way back up North.
Bats are not here yet.
Driskill is great, but think about the San Jose if Down Town is too expensive.
Here is the music schedule
http://www.gruenehall.com/
Bats are not here yet.
Driskill is great, but think about the San Jose if Down Town is too expensive.
Here is the music schedule
http://www.gruenehall.com/
The San Jose isn't any less expensive unfortunately.
NinjaMedic
05-04-12, 11:04
Here are two absolutes for breakfast -
San Antonio - Magnolia Pancake Haus
Austin - Ciscos
Ciscos? Where and what?
Also, Kirby Lane, Magnolia Cafe and StarSeeds or if you Tango then the Copa for Sunday Champagne Brunch.
NinjaMedic
05-04-12, 13:13
Cisco's Bakery on E 6th couple blocks from IH35, best Migas in town and 60 years of history run by three generations of family. Cant tell you how much legislation has been written or power deals brokered in that restaurant over the years.
Kerby Lane Cafe and the Austin chain of Magnolia Cafe (completely different than the San Antonio restaurant) are decent but they are typical hippy food . . .
Sounds like you're on the right track. Have fun and enjoy the great state of Texas.
I thought Ciscos had gone out of business years ago. Didn't it use to be on Congress?
As long as they keep the tattoos off of them Kirby Lane still has the best pancakes:p
Jer - How'd the trip go? What did you end up seeing and doing on your trip? Are you relocating? :)
brickboy240
01-21-13, 16:44
The Menger is overpriced. Ditto for the Emily Morgan. Across the street is the Hotel Indigo that is almost half the price of both and a better hotel.
The best food in SA is NOT on the Riverwalk but in the King William district that is minutes from the Riverwalk area. We tend to gravitate towards Azuca, Rosarios and the Blue Star Brewery in that area. Also, the Friendly Spot and just about anything on S. Alamo is a hit. El Arroyo has great Mexican as well. Twin Sisters Bakery for breakfast.
New Braunfels is a tad touristy but the Grist Mill still makes one hell of a burger.
In Austin, hit Stubbs BBQ or head down to the Salt Lick. Good Mexican food is everywhere but the better places do not look appealing from the outside. Don't pass up the food trucks in downtown Austin - they have fantastic food on the cheap.
Have fun...don't be surprised if you come back in months to start looking for housing! LOL
-brickboy240
Jer - How'd the trip go? What did you end up seeing and doing on your trip? Are you relocating? :)
We pretty much did everything that I posted in post #12 above. I more or less compiled that from suggestions all over the internets and more or less used that as a travel itinerary during our travels. We had a blast and LOVE Texas. If it wasn't for the humidity (and it wasn't even bad yet we were told) we may have been job searching while we were there. As for now no plans to move there but if the doomsdayers are right about the way Colorado's state laws may go in regards to firearms we may just have to. :cool:
I forgot to add that we had a bit of an issue with the rental car agency that night at the airport. Air plane got in at about 11:30ish and we were at the counter in line about 15min later. We weren't in a car and driving until 2:00am so needless to say I was pretty amped up from that interaction. Rather than staying in DFW I said screw it and we pointed the car south for San Antonio & called the hotel to cancel reservations. We dodged several drunk drivers on our way southbound and say some pretty gnarly shit go down. They weren't kidding with that drinking and driving thing. We had to pull off once at Waco (a cool pack of wild dogs napped next to us in a field) and then again another our or so later. We did hit up Round Rock for some of the most amazing donuts I had ever eaten in my life. My god those things were epic. In fact, our entire trip there we had BBQ for every single meal save for the trip down and then back up when we loaded up on Round Rock donuts.
We arrived in SA at around 7:30am in time to wake my buddy up who lives there. He wasn't expecting us until around lunch time so he was a little ill prepared for the whole breakfast thing. We did all sorts of fun shite in and around SA that day and night. Saw the Alamo, did a guided tour of the River Walk and just wandered the whole place before stopping to eat at Dick's. We had plans to wake up at dawn to head to Greune and due to a snafu with the hotel's outlets, the black out shades and our lack of sleep for a couple of days and excitement... we didn't wake up until almost noon the next day. Unfortunately this ate into a lot of our plans for the day but we did still float the river and do a few other things. We did the Grist Mill that night and it wasn't until we got home that we were informed that they have amazing ribs that aren't on the menu. On to Austin the next day and check out Salt Lick in Greenwood and the bats at Congress Bridge at Dusk and the night life downtown. We did a tour of the capital building and one of the highlights of the trip was the line at the capital building. Then, to the right, we saw a sign that said CHP and there was no line. We walked over and presented our CCW permits and got right in... firearms and all. We commented on how amazing that was and were given a brief story about how Texas believed that the armed civilian was what made the state so safe and how a couple armed civilians even defused a situation at the capitol building once. Cool stuff.
The next day was Dallas where we pretty much hit up the school book depository area which was very cool & surreal to see in real life. I did a report on the JFK assassination in Jr High so it was interesting to see the whole thing in person. We hit up Whattaburger on the way to the airport and that was that. I'm leaving out a lot of stuff but we had a blast. We had a few days and got to see just about a little bit of everything in that short window. Texans were all friendly and at no point did we feel awkward or out of place. We also didn't feel in danger but that's thanks to being armed at all times due to Texas having reciprocity with Colorado's CCW permit program. We will be back someday and depending on what unfolds with the upcoming firearm bills in our state it may be sooner than later. :D
SeriousStudent
01-21-13, 21:01
I am glad you had a good time, and enjoyed yourself.
There's lots more to do down here, when you get the chance. March and April is a good time to visit, but we do get some rain in April. October is probably the prettiest month as well.
BBQ and donuts - not our healthiest food, but some of our tastiest! :D
We did a tour of the capital building and one of the highlights of the trip was the line at the capital building. Then, to the right, we saw a sign that said CHP and there was no line. We walked over and presented our CCW permits and got right in... firearms and all. We commented on how amazing that was and were given a brief story about how Texas believed that the armed civilian was what made the state so safe and how a couple armed civilians even defused a situation at the capitol building once. Cool stuff.
Say what?! I've never heard of something like that before. That's really cool and the way it should be.
The next day was Dallas where we pretty much hit up the school book depository area which was very cool & surreal to see in real life. I did a report on the JFK assassination in Jr High so it was interesting to see the whole thing in person.
I did the 6th Floor Museum in June. ~22deg decline, <200ft, ~10mph in line target. I don't get the controversy, or how anyone would have missed a shooter on the grassy knoll. A homeless guy named Sherman tried to explain it, but $2.00 later all I got was a little entertainment.
What struck me was how small the plaza is in person.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j18/Skintop911/DFW%20June%202012/IMG_0367Large.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j18/Skintop911/DFW%20June%202012/IMG_0356Large.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j18/Skintop911/DFW%20June%202012/IMG_0364Large.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j18/Skintop911/DFW%20June%202012/IMG_0409Large.jpg
Texans were all friendly and at no point did we feel awkward or out of place. We also didn't feel in danger but that's thanks to being armed at all times due to Texas having reciprocity with Colorado's CCW permit program. We will be back someday and depending on what unfolds with the upcoming firearm bills in our state it may be sooner than later. :D
I left with much the same sentiment. I'm planning a return trip in the not too distant future. Travel was easy enough that I may add some firearms classes that way too.
SeriousStudent
01-21-13, 22:31
Say what?! I've never heard of something like that before. That's really cool and the way it should be.
If you do go through the "armed" line on the tour, it is considered rude to look over at the people in the other line and say "Baaaaaa..."
The screeners will try very hard not to smile at you while they say "Really, sir..." :nono:
But then they will tell you to have a great afternoon.
If you do go through the "armed" line on the tour, it is considered rude to look over at the people in the other line and say "Baaaaaa..."
The screeners will try very hard not to smile at you while they say "Really, sir..." :nono:
But then they will tell you to have a great afternoon.
That almost sounds like a hobby. :D
SeriousStudent
01-21-13, 23:43
That almost sounds like a hobby. :D
Someone may or may not have done that twice, before being asked not to.
Hypothetically speaking. I have no personal knowledge of such a thing ever happening.
Moose-Knuckle
01-22-13, 03:44
Say what?! I've never heard of something like that before. That's really cool and the way it should be.
True story, a lot folks who work in the Capital building that do not CCW have gotten their CHLs just so they don't have to wait in the long security lines as the CCW line is much faster! :cool:
That almost sounds like a hobby. :D
Someone may or may not have done that twice, before being asked not to.
Hypothetically speaking. I have no personal knowledge of such a thing ever happening.
You and Skintop were reading my mind. :D
True story, a lot folks who work in the Capital building that do not CCW have gotten their CHLs just so they don't have to wait in the long security lines as the CCW line is much faster! :cool:
Kinda like an HOV lane. ;)
brickboy240
01-22-13, 14:52
Many of us that grew up in Dallas and have been to Dealy Plaza pretty much agree that Oswald was NOT the lone shooter.
I also used to own an M-38 Carcano rifle like the one he used. Honestly...I don't know how Oswald made shots like that...at that distance...on a moving car...with THAT rifle. LOL
Not sure if the Oliver Stone movie was all that correct, but my Dad has a friend that was a Dallas DA that sat in on the Warren Commission and he too expressed real doubt and was very sure of some sort of cover up.
The "official" story on the JFK shooting might say one thing...but most that lived in Dallas during that time held very different beliefs on what really went down.
-brickboy240
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