- Adventure
- Tips and Advice
Adventure Town: San Antonio, Texas
Plan a long weekend getaway with our San Antonio adventure guide, featuring great outdoor escapes, where to stay, and where to eat.
Pop. 1,351,305
GPS: 29°27'N, 98°30'W
Austin’s not the only Hill Country hub worth considering. Now that San Antonio is sprucing up its eponymous river—with waterfront hiking and biking trails, canoe races, and cafés—the city is regaining some of its Alamo-era swagger.
PLAY
Outside city limits, hikers can wander through 8,624 acres (3,490 hectares) of mountain laurel and Spanish moss in Government Canyon State Natural Area (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/government_canyon/). Road cyclists head northwest to the wildflower-flecked hills. And in the heat of the Lone Star State summers, a new crop of vineyards and a handful of brewpubs (Blue Star gets our vote) are just a pedal away.
EAT
Strap on your bib, and head over to the Smokehouse. Using a 40-foot (12-meter) BBQ pit, meat is slow-cooked, dry rubbed, and ordered by the pound in true Texas barbeque style (http://www.thesmokehousebbqsa.com/).
- Nat Geo Expeditions
SLEEP
The chic Hotel Valencia Riverwalk has a prime spot right along the river (doubles from $170; www.hotelvalencia-riverwalk.com).
