Two weekends ago I went down to San Antonio, Texas. I grew up in Houston and, in 8th grade, we got to go on a school trip called Texas Tour. We piled into a bus, drove all over Texas, and saw all the major landmarks. One stop, of course, was San Antonio so we could all see the The Alamo (and Ripley's Believe It or Not!). This time around I took a plane, not a bus, thank goodness, and attempted to avoided the Alamo without success.

I love winding along the River Walk which you can see in the first two photos. The River Walk is a classic must-do in San Antonio. Along each side are restaurants and shops and hotels. You can even hop in a boat to tour the river and/or eat dinner on a boat while touring the river. (Makes me think of livin' in a van down by the river!) The hotel I stayed in was right up next to the river so I could look straight down, over the balcony and see the water! That was pretty neat!

The Alamo and the River Walk were bumpin' the night before the Notre Dame vs. Army football game! There was a concert at the Alamo put on by Notre Dame and It was single-file on either side of the river afterward. Be careful not to fall in! Plus, the Fighting Irish band floated by the hotel in boats playing fight songs and chants late into the night. And that's why you should always pack ear plugs! ;)

Ripley's Believe It or Not was where Dad and I ended up after the concert. It's right across from the Alamo, so it's also a must-do! There are three fun attractions you can visit: The Odditorium, 4D Moving Theater, or Louis Tussaud's Wax Works. You can even get a wax sculpture of your hand made by dipping your hand into the wax! They have some good combo deals on tickets. You'll want to go to at least two places, because they don't take super long to go through.

One afternoon, Dad and I went to Market Square or 'El Mercado.' There are lots of fun knick-knacks in all the shops and musicians playing on the sidewalks. The Mexican culture is so colorful and vibrant and fun! It was a cool place to wander.

The San Fernando Cathedral (last three photos) was so pretty, I had to take some pictures of it. Apparently 3 Alamo heroes are buried in there. At least that's what I gathered from the segue tours that stopped there.

There were lots of tourists going in and out of the front. So, one of the cutest things I saw was a pack of three moms and their babies in strollers rolling around to the back entrance. They just walked and chatted until they got to the back door and all bowed there heads to pray together. I just thought that was a special moment and a sweet memory to have as a mom with your friends and a sweet memory for those kids.

Since I won't be down to visit my family in Texas for actual Thanksgiving, this was my honorary Thanksgiving trip. I was so happy to spend QT with Dad moseying around San Antonio and stuffing my face with Tex-Mex! I'm storing up for the winter. (As I write, it's snowing for the first time here in Colorado. So it begins...)

I've decided to break this post into two parts. Tomorrow, I'll post part two and give you another look at my Early Thanksgiving trip!

I loved my trip to San Antonio is a great Texas town, full of creativity and life! Have you ever been to San Antonio? What was your favorite part? I'd love to hear in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by!