I just love traveling around this great big country of ours so to save money and be able to see more I look for house sitting opportunities wherever I can. I was recently in Texas and its said that San Antonio is the most visited city in the US so I just had to see it for myself.  I had managed to secure a 2 week house sit with a couple of cats and a low maintenance yard to look after in Austin and while there was able to fit in a quick trip to San Antonio for a day.

There is plenty to see and do in downtown San Antonio and one of the first places I went to was the River Walk which is a colorful pedestrian walkway below normal street level lined with restaurants, bars and shops. Along the way are many historical points of interest such as the Aztec Theater which, when entering,  is like stepping back in time. If you like shopping there is also the large Rivercenter shopping mall to distract you.

From there went to the Menger Hotel supposedly the “Most Haunted Hotel in Texas”. It was built in 1859 and quite a few famous people stayed there – Robert E. Lee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mae West and Oscar Wilde to name a few.

A short walk from there is the Alamo, a shrine to a battle that was fought there against Santa Ana’s army. Not much to see in the way of buildings but plenty of info on the battle.

Went via Ripley’s Haunted Adventure to eat at the Buckhorn Saloon 2 blocks west of the Alamo. It’s the location of the Buckhorn Museum (mostly stuffed animals) and the Texas Ranger Museum which has a lot of Texas Ranger artefacts, such as revolvers and handguns, sawn off shotguns, photographs and badges and such. There is also a recreation of San Antonio at the turn of the century with a telegraph office, jail, saloon and blacksmith shop and a Bonny and Clyde exhibit.

Took a stroll around La Villita which was San Antonio’s first neighbourhood and now home to many stores, craft shops, art galleries and crafts and clothing shops as well as many restaurants. Then on to the King William district which in the 1800’s was the most elegant residential area in the city.

All in all San Antonio is a most interesting place, well worth a look. My lightning one day visit just didn’t do it justice.