A Texas travel writer's ultimate city guide to San Antonio
- San Antonio, Texas, is seeing immense growth, but the core of the city remains the same.
- Our comprehensive guide for visiting San Antonio is based on a local travel writer's best tips.
For many years, San Antonio was brought up only in relation to other major cities in the state — it's about three hours from Houston and just under two hours from Austin — or famous sites like the Alamo. But that's no longer the case.
My hometown, the seventh-largest city in the US, is growing tremendously, and with that expansion has come national recognition for what we locals have loved for generations — the bustling restaurants and panaderías, rolling hills in the countryside, and the meandering San Antonio River.
While the growth has brought in flashy new attractions and restaurants, the core of San Antonio has remained the same. We still love cheering on our Spurs, gathering for a barbecue at Brackenridge Park, sipping on a margarita at the River Walk, visiting the old missions, and shopping at the Historic Pearl.
After one visit, you likely will too. Here's how to visit San Antonio like a local: