50. Take A Driving Tour Of Historic Neighborhoods
Take a leisurely drive through the Alamo City’s seemingly enchanted neighborhoods at dusk, when the street and porch lights illuminate homes from various eras. Start west of Highway 281 in Monticello Park, once a dairy farm that an area developer and prominent Texas architect turned into a 40-home neighborhood with tudor-style structures. Keep heading east…
34. Spend The Day At The Pearl
Routinely evolving since its founding back in 1881 as J. B. Behloradsky Brewery and the City Brewery, the multipurpose complex we now know simply as the Pearl is getting bigger and better with age. While its Can Plant Residences attract young urban professionals and the Pearl Stable and Pearl Studio can be rented for special…
18. Dine Outside At The Grist Mill And See A Show At Gruene Hall
Get things rolling in the prototypically Texan town of Gruene at the Grist Mill (1287 Gruene), the sprawling eatery perched high above the Guadalupe River. Just about every table features a killer view of the tubers drifting by below, and the phonebook-sized menu (with a beer list to boot) should keep just about everyone in…
8. Join An Intramural Sports Team
San Antonio Sports and Social Club offers a variety of team sports — including kickball, flag football and more — for you and your pals who want to get out there, have some fun and maybe even drink a little beer while doing it. New to town? San Antonio SSC is also a great way…
84. Take In A Performance At The Tobin
With grand aspirations of becoming “the pride of the River and a shining beacon of creativity,” the Tobin houses three incomparable spaces: the multipurpose 1,759-seat H-E-B Performance Hall, the intimate Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater and the River Walk Plaza (complete with 30-foot video wall for exterior projections). In addition to touring acts, the Tobin boasts…
68. Ride Your Bike Across The Hays Street Bridge
By most technical definitions of a bridge, it’s completely impractical. But that’s missing the point of the Hays Street Bridge, a newly revitalized Eastside landmark built in 1881 over the Nueces River in Uvalde. In 1910, the bridge was relocated to its current spot to accommodate traffic, before falling into decay and somehow surviving multiple…
49. Browse LPs At Alamo Records And Janie’s Record Shop
There’s a disembodied feeling that occurs shortly after stepping into Alamo Records & Sheet Music in the Alamo Antique Mall (125 Broadway St.), where you may feel you’ve inadvertently stepped into an episode of Hoarders. The room itself isn’t particularly large, but every square inch of the walls — the floors and the double, sometimes…
33. Visit The Ghost Tracks
San Anto’s most recounted paranormal legend surrounds the Southside “ghost tracks” where Shane Road meets Villamain Road. While multiple variations exist, legend has it that during the 1940s a school bus full of children stalled on the tracks and was hit by a speeding train, killing several of the young passengers. According to Alamo City…
100. Dive Into San Antonio’s Cocktail Renaissance
You’re about to do a lot of drinking. Though San Anto still has its fair share of sports bars and dives, the cocktail lounge has made its presence known in the past five years, starting with a small group of downtown establishments that’s ballooned to more than a dozen bars, each offering something different to…
7. Pair Historic Styles With The Jim Cullum Jazz Band At Tucker’s Kozy Korner
Any serious reputation San Antonio has as a jazz town should be chalked up to Jim Cullum Jr. Consistently swinging in the Alamo City for decades, Cullum’s the man behind the long-running public radio show Riverwalk Jazz. Though he may no longer be at his Landing on the River Walk, catching a Monday night set…
83. Learn About Mexican Free-Tails At Bat Loco
Approximately 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats — the largest colony in the world — live just north of San Antonio in the Bracken Bat Cave. But like Alamo City residents, some bats prefer an urban setting to the suburbs. You can get to know these inner city bats a little better with Bat Loco, a…
67. Indulge In A Mariscada De La Reina
More than two years have passed since Mariscos El Bucanero ditched its humble beginnings and moved on up to Blanco Road just a mile inside Loop 1604. Since then, the Familia Cervantes has launched a second equally popular eatery inside the Embassy shopping center. Both eateries are decked out with seascapes along the walls, both…
64. Dive Into The DIY With A Mondo Nation Show
For promoters and musicians, the two crucial ingredients to cook up a memorable show are the bands on the bill and the spot it’s taking place. Independent media outlet Mondo Nation works with a heavy emphasis on the second ingredient, throwing shows in unexpected places — warehouses, rooftops, art galleries. Founded by SA resident Ryan…
48. Ride A B-Cycle
For nearly four years now, the Alamo City has enjoyed the convenience of B-Cycle, a community bike sharing program that allows riders to rent bikes from any bike station peppered throughout central San Antonio, cruise around and then return the bike to either that same station or another one nearby. The bikes are great for…
32. Experience ‘Una Noche En La Gloria’
A resounding hit since its arrival on the local landscape back in 2009, Una Noche en la Gloria: Contemporary Art in the Cultural Zone rounds up a motley mix of visual artists, musicians, poets and performers for a night of creative revelry in the heart of the West Side. Presented by Gabriel Quintero Velasquez’s Contemporary…
17. Explore Your Late-Night Food Options
The party’s over. You’ve danced, you’ve mellowed, you’ve taken in a few cold ones and now you’re starving. When it comes to late night options — whether you’re winding down from the club, just getting off work or craving a midnight snack — San Anto’s options are slowly growing and varying from lowbrow to highbrow.…
94. Overdose On Openings During Contemporary Art Month
Launched in response to a canceled exhibition back in 1986, Contemporary Art Month continues to bring San Antonio’s creative community together with tireless fanfare. Formerly held amid the punishing heat of July, CAM wisely relocated to the milder month of March in 2010 and became a nonprofit in 2012. Traditionally kicked off the first Thursday…
82. Eat A Macho Burger At Chris Madrid’s
If you’re going to eat a burger, eat a burger. Gorge on a macho from local institution Chris Madrid’s. It’s not often you can say a burger has gobs of cheese, but this half-pound hamburger is absolutely dripping with cheddar. Opened in 1977, the gas station-turned burger joint offers six burger varieties, but when you…
66. Unwind In The Botanical Garden
Unwinding in the San Antonio Botanical Garden is a pleasure that offers an endless supply of flora for your enjoyment. But the 38-acre facility also entwines nature with fine arts. Each spring, the Botanical Garden partners with the Magik Theatre to host Shakespeare in the Park, which has presented the Bard’s masterworks in the great…
63. Go Antiquing on Hildebrand
Lucky for the pickers among us, San Antonio is brimming with antique shops — not to mention flea markets, thrift stores and resale boutiques. While there are also hot spots for antiques along Broadway (between Pershing and Mulberry) and Blanco (between Fulton and Elsmere), if you’re looking for antique or vintage furniture or décor, the…
47. Summon The Spirit Of Robert Johnson
First off, load up the playlist: “Cross Road Blues,” “Come on in My Kitchen” and “Terra Plane Blues.” Then it’s downtown to the historic Gunter Hotel, the turn-of-the-century landmark that, in November 1936 served as the makeshift recording studio for blues legend Robert Johnson. The mysterious Delta blues master cut only 28 songs in his…
31. Take A Hike
As San Antonio continues to grow and become more urbanized, locals from all sides of the Alamo City have learned where to find green spaces. There’s nothing so sweet as shutting down or starting the day with a walk or jog in one of the many linear parks that make up the Howard W. Peak…
16. Wax Nostalgic With A San Antonio Zoo Animal Sculpture
Among the 750 species in residence at the San Antonio Zoo are several Mold-A-Rama machines, using hydraulic arms to press candy-colored wax into little zoological statues. Sort of a precursor to the 3D printer (with a very limited menu), these relics from the 1950s have a nostalgic and thriving eBay following for those looking to…
6. Unleash Your Inner Geek
Geek culture has outgrown the comic book shop and gone mainstream. The superhero, sci-fi and fantasy nerds that were tormented in high school turned out to be tastemakers, and they’ve taken over pop culture with their superhero obsessions. Resistance is futile, as the Trekkies would say. So rather than fight the nerdy invasion, embrace it…
81. Indulge Your Inner Slytherin At The Snake Farm
“Snake Farm, just sounds nasty / Snake Farm, pretty much is!” In 2006, cowpunk crooner Ray Wylie Hubbard provided the basics on the Animal World & Snake Farm in his song inspired by the New Braunfels institution. But if snakes top your phobia list, this Dirty Jobs-featured spot includes lemurs, wolves, big cats and what…
65. Waste Fuel Driving The Entirety Of Loop 1604
How wasteful the excursion is depends on the current geopolitical conditions in the oil market. It’s not exactly an aimless excursion, considering you’ll end up right back where you started after driving the entire 95.6 miles of Charles Anderson Loop. But circumnavigating San Antonio via its outermost loop is one way to familiarize yourself with…
62. Join The Hall Of Foam At Hills And Dales
San Antonio has no shortage of beer joints, and visiting all of them is a definite must. But there’s one far North Side institution that every beer-loving local should frequent often. Drink your way through the hundreds of brews at Hills and Dales Ice House. This dive off 1604 boasts a wall of coolers stocked…
46. Ask An Alamo Tour Guide If You Can Visit The Basement
This joke requires a little backstory. In the 1985 cult comedy Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-wee begins his escapade when a psychic foresees his lost bicycle in the basement of The Alamo. Like most buildings in San Anto, the mission-turned-monolith doesn’t have a basement. But it does have tourists to troll — the battle site draws…
30. Catch A Show At The Carver
When the heavy hitters of jazz today, the innovators of the 21st century, the contemporary dance troupes and little plays that turn heads come to town, they come through this East Side jewel with not a single bad seat in the house. Executive Director Yonnie Blanchette and the rest of the talented staff regularly book…
100 Things To Do In San Antonio Before You Die
Whether you were born and raised here or are just visiting for the weekend, you’ll likely notice that San Antonio is busy growing and evolving — doing so in its own distinct fashion, simultaneously embracing tradition and innovation. While the expansion of our famed River Walk and continued growth around the Pearl Brewery have already…
93. Browse Bookstore Row
Tucked between Midtown Broadway and Brackenridge Park are a string of bookstores, selling new and used tomes with enough variety to beat any Amazon distributor. With their varying catalogs and contents, the stores serve up a broad selection and understanding of what a good book should be. With all the old pages, dated covers and…
80. Take A Class At The Southwest School Of Art
Following its foundation as a nonprofit in 1965 and relocation to the historic Ursuline Convent and Academy in 1971, the Southwest Craft Center (known as the Southwest School of Art since 2010) expanded its campus by taking over a Sears Automotive Center in 1998 and rolled out an “intimate, intensive college degree program” in 2014.…
65. Waste Fuel Driving The Entirety Of Loop 1604
How wasteful the drive is depends on the current geopolitical conditions in the oil market. It’s not exactly an aimless excursion, considering you’ll end up right back where you started after driving the entire 95.6 miles of Charles Anderson Loop. But circumnavigating San Antonio via its outermost loop is one way to familiarize yourself with…
61. Watch San Antonio|The Saga
The San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio is the oldest operating Catholic sanctuary in the United States. Nestled in Main Plaza, the church blossoms into a remarkable and colorful infusion of old and new worlds. Every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at 9, 9:30 and 10, San Antonio|The Saga, a 24-minute video, splashes…
45. Stargaze With The Sidewalk Astronomers
Houston lays claim to NASA, but SA is not without its own space program, albeit one a little bit more down to earth. Spend an evening stargazing with the San Antonio League of Sidewalk Astronomers. Weather permitting, this long-running group of astronomy enthusiasts sets up telescopes at McAllister Park Trailhead every Wednesday at sunset. Examine…
29. Go Nutty With Cascarones In Hand
Rumor has it that Marco Polo brought the cascarón to Europe from China, where locals use a specially filled egg in a festival manner. The cascarón (meaning “eggshell”) has since evolved and become prominent in celebratory customs and holidays in Mexican and Latin-American culture. In San Antonio, cascarones are synonymous with Easter and Fiesta. It’s…
15. Dress Your Dog Up For Fiesta
Amidst the sea of colorful Fiesta parades, music, food and beer is man’s best friend — and even he’s flaunting a feathered headdress. The Fiesta Pooch Parade is the only place where Fido can strut his stuff in a costume contest and enjoy a 5K jaunt through Alamo Heights. While pre-registration is required to compete,…
92. Try On Stetsons At Paris Hatters
Abe Cortez is a man of many hats. The third generation owner of downtown’s Paris Hatters has paired customers with their perfect hats for decades. The process is simple: The client selects the color, quality and style, then the hat is hand-sculpted according to height, shoulder width, weight and stature. And with restoration on old…
79. Ride The Brackenridge Eagle
Whether you’ve got a thing for miniature trains or just need to spend the day babysitting, the Brackenridge Eagle offers a few miles of tiny tracks to mosey around. Built in 1956, the three trains that tour the Brackenridge Park and zoo area (it’s owned and operated by the zoo) are replicas of the 1863…
2. Feel The Neighborhood Onda With A Tour Of San Antonio Murals
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated with corrected information. Like Miami or Los Angeles, San Antonio is one of those cities in the geographic American South that doubles as a Latin-American cultural outpost, splitting time and city space between borders. Nowhere is this more apparent in San Antonio than in the murals scattered across…
60. Play Tourist At El Mercado
No matter if you’re a tourist or a native San Antonian, you could easily lose yourself in Market Square. Hey, it’s not a bad thing, don’t be ashamed. Across from Milam Park lies a three-block outdoor plaza filled with the sights, sounds and cuisine reflective of old Mexico – one of the most famous outdoor…
44. Pair Sustainable Eats And Texas Brews At The Cove
Whether meeting family for a weekend brunch or kicking back with a couple of cold ones after work, The Cove’s organic offerings rarely disappoint. It all starts with Lisa and Sam Asvestas’ savory menu that pops with some of the freshest foods in the city. Whether noshing on the rockin’ fish tacos or throwing down…
28. Take A Date To Luna Or Wayne Harper’s Martini Club
If you’re lucky enough to be wooing someone who prefers authentic ambience and an eclectic scene over velvet ropes and bottle service, date nights in the intimate confines of Luna (6740 San Pedro Ave.) and Wayne Harper’s Martini Club (8507 McCullough Ave.) are written in the stars. Existing in an odd Twilight Zone between local…
99. Do A Gay Bar Crawl On The Main Strip
If you’re headed for a night out and not sure where to go, why not check out San Antonio’s gay bar scene? Calm down. This isn’t Party Monster. It’s not all glow sticks, house music and Molly. You can actually find some pretty sweet drink specials most nights of the week, and the atmosphere is…
5. Share A Bucket Of Beer At The VFW Post 76
Any spring day will do to head over to “The Oldest Post in Texas” and enjoy the biergarten. This Victorian-style home is open to the public, so anyone can take in its splendor and learn from its history, which dates back to 1917. Moreover, you can make use of the breezy, San Antonio River-adjacent patio…
78. Drink With Ghosts At The Menger Hotel
Tucked away in downtown and billed as one of Texas’ most haunted hotels, is the bar where Teddy Roosevelt reportedly recruited his famous rough riders to fight during the Spanish-American War. The Menger Hotel’s bar is next to the Alamo and if war memorabilia and Roosevelt aren’t your pint of lager, 32 different ghosts or…
1. Embark On A Breakfast Taco Tour
Let’s assume you’ve had a wild night of drinking, or just happen to wake up with a voracious appetite … Sounds like a taco tour is in order. When it comes to San Antonio, the options are plenty and there’s no way we can cover the plethora of choices in 500 words, but here’s our…
59. Make Yourself Sick Riding Every Six Flags Fiesta Texas Roller Coaster
When The Rattler was first built, the initial near-vertical drop had to be modified. Rumor in the schoolyard then was that the heads flew right off the test dummies. Well, as of 2012, Fiesta Texas’ signature coaster is no more. It’s been replaced with the even more menacing Iron Rattler, and that steep drop has…
43. Make The Most Of Artpace
Within the confines of a former Hudson automobile dealership, anything is possible, and that’s the way Linda Pace wanted it. Pace opened the doors to Artpace with the intent to nurture artists’ “freedom to dream,” and engage locals with an innovative, international art world; her space was to be a playground of possibility for all…
27. Skip The Observation Deck And Have A Drink In The Tower
Built as the centerpiece of HemisFair ’68, the Tower of the Americas is a San Antonio icon and every local must take the elevator ride up to the top at least once. Sure, you can take in the panoramic view from the Observation Deck, but why fall into a ticketed tourist trap 750 feet above…
14. Debate Who Has The Better Puffy Tacos
Grab a few friends and argue the merits of what exactly makes a puffy taco the best in the land. Visit institutions like Leon Valley’s Henry’s Puffy Tacos (multiple locations), which has been cranking out family-driven recipes since 1978 and also cranks out chilly margaritas to wash down your puffy. Or bring some cash and…
91. Scour The Southside’s Flea Markets
You know that unwanted household item you sold for a quarter at your last garage sale? Go get it back. Spend a weekend browsing the stalls of San Antonio’s Southside markets. There you’ll find the city’s garage sale bounty; the occasional vintage or antique treasure; random finds like tires and rims; wares handcrafted by Latino…
77. Submerge Yourself In Latin Cinema At CineFestival
Its focus has shifted a bit in the last couple of years since new festival director Jim Mendiola has taken the reins (more U.S. Latino filmmakers, fewer Latin American), but it seems the longest-running Latino film festival in North America knows what it has to do to stay relevant in the circuit. That includes working…
58. Attend Fiesta Cornyation
There ain’t nothing like “the raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta.” Cornyation started back in 1951 as part of A Night in Old San Antonio. After one irreverent poke too many, the show was kicked out of NIOSA, and lay more or less dormant until its revival in 1982 by Bob Jolly and Ray Chavez. Today,…
42. Dance To San Anto Rhythms At The Tejano Conjunto Fest
Each Spring, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center celebrates the local genre with a five-day festival showcasing internationally renowned and local artists (most often those two overlap). But before we go any further, let’s debrief for out-of-towners and locals who’ve never had a strong grasp on the differences between the two. Conjunto is the progenitor, born…
26. Make A Run For It
San Antonio’s running and fitness culture has been booming for the last five years or so, as the city continues to grow and infrastructure improvements prioritize pedestrians, bikers and runners. Whether you’re a novice runner or have been lacing up your sneaks for as long as you can remember, San Antonio’s central historic neighborhoods and…
98. Treat Yourself To A Staycation
If you’re looking for a getaway that doesn’t involve a plane ticket, make the most of the Alamo City’s wide range of hotel options. Nestled into the Museum Reach of the River Walk is the cozy and charming Hotel Havana (1015 Navarro St.). Redesigned in 2010 by star hotelier Liz Lambert, the Havana and its…
4. Fly Through The Hill Country With Wimberley Zipline Adventures
Sure, a picturesque drive through the Hill Country is nice. It’s also boring. Experience the vistas of Central Texas breezing above the trees at Wimberley Zipline Adventures. Zig-zag down the hillside via 10 zip lines as you feel the wind rush across your exhilarated — or terrified — face. For any acrophobics out there, this…
76. Visit The Buckhorn Saloon & Museum
Ah, the good old days, when you could buy a pinch of whiskey with an antler. The Buckhorn Saloon’s proprietor Albert Friedrich understood that not everyone could pay for booze, so he accepted horns as payment; soon these curios covered every wall and ceiling, and the Hall of Horns was born. After a 30-year stint…
57. Celebrate A Spurs NBA Championship
A playoff bid and 16 postseason wins stand between the Spurs and the NBA championship every year. But on the joyous occasions when the Spurs beat the odds and pull in a ring, San Antonio feels at its most alive and most like a unified city. At the epicenter is the downtown celebration — an…
41. Get In Shape With Fitness In The Park
Want to get in shape? Put on your workout attire and walk/drive/bike to the nearest public park. You’ll likely find a yoga or fitness class there. The San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department’s three-year-old program Fitness in the Park continues to grow. There are about 400 offerings at little more than half of the city’s…
25. Experience PechaKucha
The idea is simple: 20 slides, 20 seconds each, talk about whatever you want. PechaKucha (Japanese for “chit chat”) nights have become a worldwide phenomenon ever since architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham organized the inaugural event in Tokyo in 2003. Now with more than 700 cities participating, it’s apparent this world loves to share…
13. Spend An Afternoon At The Japanese Tea Garden
In a wave of xenophobia that swept the nation during World War II, tea gardens around the country were vandalized. To protect the Alamo City’s most famous tea garden, City leaders renamed it the Chinese Tea Garden. But in 1984, the name was changed back to the Japanese Tea Garden. Filled with Koi ponds, beautiful…
3. See A Show At The Arneson River Theatre
What do former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and an iconic spot on San Antonio’s River Walk have in common? Well, FDR’s Works Progress Administration, or WPA, was part of the “New Deal” that put to work millions of people left idled by the Great Recession. Among myriad projects across the country was the lovely, quaint…
75. Stuff Your Face With A Whataburger Whatafarm
Take advantage of the Whataburger’s “just the way you like it” motto and order a Whatafarm. A What-a-What? This secret menu item is an absolute beast of a burger, the result of playing it fast and loose with the local chain’s customizable options. Sandwiched between two buns are a hamburger patty, a Whatachick’n patty, bacon,…
56. Drink Booze For Breakfast At Cobalt Club
Skip the breakfast taco on the morning commute and stop in at Cobalt Club, offering an early morning happy hour beginning at 7 a.m. And don’t knock the place as a trap for Bukowski-inspired, dawn-drinking barflies, either. We’ve found it to be a surprisingly regular crowd, consisting mostly of people in scrubs getting off hospital…
40. Follow The Food Trucks
Food trucks roamed San Antonio’s streets long before they became a popular side business for some, a full-time venture for others. Thanks to social media and an increasing number of destinations for local foodies, one need not go far to spot a food truck roadside, serving lunch to workers, or being a focal point for…
24. Take The Willie Nelson Pilgrimage To Floore’s Country Store
Established in 1942, John T. Floore’s Country Store has presented a veritable who’s who in Americana over the years, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and, of course, Willie Nelson. Regarded by many as his musical home, the Red Headed Stranger infamously immortalized the Helotes dance hall, via its namesake, on 1973’s Shotgun Willie. Texas BBQ…
97. Wake Up Insanely Early For The Cowboy Breakfast
Sure, you say you love breakfast tacos, but those declarations are meaningless until you demonstrate the lengths you’re willing to go for some free chorizo con huevos. Drag your butt out of bed at 4 a.m. next winter to wait in line at the annual Cowboy Breakfast. Every year, more than 30,000 breakfast tacos (along…
90. Party At The Bonham Exchange
Ask any old-school scene queen about their finest memories of the Bonham Exchange and you’re likely to get an earful of over-the-top nuggets from the club’s 1980s-era heyday, when it hosted touring acts (from Tina Turner to The Ramones) and felt a lot more ‘gay’ than it does today. While it’s true the LGBT landmark…
74. Get Cultured At The McNay
Cure your workweek blues by getting cultured at the McNay Art Museum with fun at Second Thursday. As winter rolls into spring, the museum features a local musical act, food truck treats and beer each month. At 6 and 8 p.m. during Second Thursday events, a docent will lead a tour of the collection, which…
55. Visit SAMA On Free Tuesdays
Head down to the Mission Reach and let your visual senses play at the San Antonio Museum of Art on free Tuesdays. Art connoisseurs and novices can take in artistic styles from all over the world, including Islamic, contemporary, Oceanic art and much more. SAMA also provides the Alamo City with a variety of exhibitions…
39. Take A Night Tour Of Public Art Installations
Sadly, there are plenty of San Antonio natives who can’t point out a single piece of public art other than Mexican sculptor Sebastián’s La Antorcha de la Amistad (Friendship Torch), that bright-red punctuation mark in the roundabout at Commerce and South Alamo. Not to knock the 65-foot, 45-ton enameled iron monument — which has appeared…
23. Do First Friday The Right Way
Born out of the same perfect storm that led to the spontaneous creation of the Blue Star Arts Complex and Contemporary Art Month back in 1986, First Friday has evolved from a grassroots gallery crawl to a full-blown monthly affair some say has less to do with art than it does intoxicated foot traffic and…
12. Bike Or Canoe The Mission Reach
Reserve a sunny, cool afternoon to traverse the eight-mile San Antonio Mission Reach stretch of the San Antonio River just south of downtown and the Alamo. The hike and bike trail and river improvements are all part of a multimillion dollar investment by the city and other partners to encourage outdoor play in and around…
89. Take In A Show At Laugh Out Loud
Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club’s 2015 schedule is a meaty one for fans of stand-up, so start marking your calendar for a front-row seat to see nationally-recognized names like Gilbert Gottfried (April 10-12), Cristela Alonzo (July 23-26)and Damon Wayans (Oct 8-11). If you prefer your laughs generated from jokes by comedians closer to home, LOL…
73. Booze Your Way Down The North Saint Mary’s Strip
Stretched over a half-mile of midtown, the North St. Mary’s strip brings out the devil in San Anto barflies. Our quest involves heading north to south along the street, drinking from each watering hole along the way — bring a friend and trade off at bars to avoid memory loss, crippling hangovers, etc. Begin at…
54. Catch A Hometown Hero In Concert
Frankly, you’re a fool if you think you have to go up the road to the “Live Music Capital of the World” to see some classic, homegrown Texan artists. San Antonio has a rich and delightedly quirky musical tradition, taking Tex-Mex culture to new sonic highs. Take for starters tejano and conjunto, the genres born…
38. See A Touring Broadway Show At The Majestic Theatre
Built in 1929, the ornate Majestic Theatre was the first totally air-conditioned movie theater in the Lone Star State. Over time, even promises of central air couldn’t lure the crowds to the downtown theater, and the venue shut its doors after almost 50 years of entertainment. Briefly gone, but never forgotten, the venue was intensely…
22. Suffer Through Dinner At The Magic Time Machine
This one’s for the kiddos: a birthday dinner at the Magic Time Machine is a fantasy-filled land of bubbling concoctions delivered by costume-clad servers dressed as popular Disney characters, superheroes and sci-fi favorites. For adults, this can be a truly frightful and insufferable experience. But beyond menu mainstays like the Roman Orgy (billed as a…
11. Get Your Steak On At Bohanan’s
If planned correctly, this could be the ultimate night out on the town. Make sure you’ve put in a reservation at Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood, or risk the restaurant being swamped by a Broadway show crowd or a slew of oil bigshots taking in a big ol’ steak. Under the direction of owner Mark…
88. Play Pretend Tourist And Ride A River Walk Barge
For our pick most likely to be made into a forgettable rom-com, strap on the tourist sandals and get yourself on a River Walk barge tour. Invent a backstory and make some friends on the 35-minute Rio San Antonio cruise, including that cute visitor with whom you’ll fall in love and eventually have to break…
72. Go Caving!
In San Antonio, you get used to the drone of traffic, the roar of trains and the buzz of a million cellphones. Let’s face it: Large cities are noisy. Sometimes you just have to get underground and away from all the hustle and bustle of Alamo City life. And when we say underground, we mean…
53. Read A Book At ‘Enchilada Red’
San Antonio’s enchiladas are so famous and tasty that we decided to roll all of our books into one. OK, not really. The “Enchilada Red” six-story building encompassing San Antonio’s Central Library was designed by Ricardo Legorreta, the famous Mexican architect who won a design competition in 1991. The building, described as Mexican Modernist, is…
37. Don’t Forget The Other Games In Town
While the Spurs receive their fair share of sports-themed accolades in San Antonio, and deservedly so, a handful of franchises remind us throughout the calendar year that the Alamo City is far from a one-sport town. San Antonio’s premiere Fútbol Club, the Scorpions, displayed some championship moxie of its own last season, capturing the NASL…
21. Spot A Spurs Player In The Wild
Let’s get this clear: We are not encouraging you to stalk a Spurs player. So don’t lurk in their neighborhoods or cruise Instagram, making a mad dash whenever they post food pics from nearby restaurants. Still, we can help provide some vague details on where you might be able to say hello to your favorite…
10. Make Friends With Pat At Niki’s Tokyo Inn
The notion that hole-in-the-wall, often unsightly joints make for some of the best food couldn’t be more true for Niki’s Tokyo Inn, an inconspicuous family-owned spot you’ll find off West Hildebrand between San Pedro and Interstate 10. Walk in and you’re sure to be greeted by head waiter Pat, who with a wide smile and…
87. Stock Up On Fireworks
Damn that drought. Because of consistently tinder-dry conditions, it’s not often San Antonians can pop one off – speaking of fireworks. So during the years the burn bans are lifted, head over to the nearest fireworks stand. Since this is San Antonio, it’s fitting that you procure the “Battle of the Alamo,” which unleashes a…
71. Wake Up For Barbacoa And Big Red At Mimi’s
Levántense, muchachos! We’re getting barbacoa from the family-owned shop that adds a little puro to the North Central area of town. Tucked away next to a Vietnamese place and Shipley’s Donuts, Mimi’s Barbacoa Tacos Tamales y Más is the go-to spot for folks hoping to nail their Sunday morning with breakfast tacos, tasty tamales, fresh…
52. Hunt Down The Paleta Guy
More elusive than any ice cream truck, the paleta man has evaded us plenty and we’re on his route. Turns out there’s more something like 10 independent vendors who lease out the colorful pushcarts from El Paraiso Ice Cream (1934 Fredericksburg Rd., (210) 737-8101), and each has a different route. According to Maggie Flores, the…
36. Take A Potty Break At The Toilet Seat Museum
In a 2011 paperback, cultural critic Greil Marcus coined the term “The Old, Weird America” to describe the eerie, odd and often forgotten nuggets of American culture. At Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum, the weirdness is alive and well. Founded by plumber Barney Smith, the museum opened in 1992 after his eccentric folk art…
20. Tour San Antonio’s Burgeoning Brewery Scene
After Lone Star and Pearl skedaddled for more lucrative pastures, San Antonio suffered a long drought of local breweries to quench our thirst. But, lucky for us, new breweries have popped up in and around town as the national craft brew craze has grown to outperform Anheuser-Busch in aggregate sales. For the Alamo City brew…
95. Play Bingo At Randy’s Ballroom
January 8, 1978. The Sex Pistols arrive in San Antonio and embark on a night that would live in infamy. The band’s sold-out show ended with an atomic brawl between irreverent punks and God-fearing cowboys. Since then, Randy’s Ballroom, formerly Randy’s Rodeo, has hosted a wide range of musical talent from rock ‘n’ roll to…
86. Get Your Swing On At Sam’s
A sock-hop cure to the Monday blues, Sam’s Burger Joint offers a Swing Nite at the beginning of the week for seasoned lindy-hoppers and Charleston beginners alike. Presented by the San Antonio Swing Dance Society, the evening begins at 7 p.m. with lessons from dance aficionado and DJ Ben Luhrman. At 8 p.m., the music…
70. Have Lunch At Schilo’s
The beauty of Schilo’s is that it’s squished between several less-than-awesome eateries, and it’s easy to overlook. Casa Rio has its moments, sure, and Whataburger can hit the right spot after a few drinks, but they’re not packing in local lunchtime crowds like the quaint German delicatessen, a part of the San Antonio River Walk…
51. Hit Up The Old-School Spots
Not much has changed since Winnie and Pappy DeWese opened up their little restaurant all those years ago. Tip Top Café (2814 Fredericksburg Rd.) retains the magical charm of yesteryear with knotty pine walls, a brigade of dedicated waitresses and taxidermy décor. Generations of customers have chowed down on chicken-fried steak and onion rings in…
35. Watch A Movie Outside
Rick and Angela Martinez’s Slab Cinema has been “building community through outdoor movie events” since its screening of Bucket of Blood in 2004. The 1959 horror comedy was projected onto a concrete slab outside La Tuna ice house and viewers had to sit within a few feet of the Martinez’s borrowed projector to hear the sounds of…
19. Brave The Alamodome
With everything from Monster Jam truck shows to Disney on Ice: Frozen, the Alamodome offers no shortage of events that galvanize people of all ages and backgrounds in San Antonio. If Budweiser beer and giant trucks or home and garden shows aren’t your cup of tea, the cavernous stadium offers numerous sporting events. The place…
9. Play A Round At Cool Crest Miniature Golf
For decades now, date night in San Antonio has often included a round or two at Cool Crest Miniature Golf, a historic landmark offering the best in retro swagger. Tucked away at the tail end of the Deco District, Cool Crest opened up during the Great Depression at the height of the miniature golf craze.…
85. Have A Nooner At A Skeezy Motel
A lunch hour run to Bill Miller’s is boring. Satisfy your midday meat craving another way. Those cars in the parking lots of, say, the Ranch Motel off Broadway, or the Fox Motel next to Pearl — the drivers aren’t there for the five-star amenities. It’s reasonable to assume that, behind many of those locked…
69. Play Name That Latino At Pico De Gallo
Splashed across the back wall of the Cortez Family’s Pico de Gallo, the more local-friendly sister restaurant of Mi Tierra Café and Bakery and La Margarita Restaurant and Oyster Bar, is an elaborate mural featuring dozens of notable Latinos. Try to identify them all — over tangy margaritas and a sizzling charbroiled chicken, fajita and sausage…
96. Go Tubing!
In the dead heat of the Texas summer, there’s nothing better than sipping an ice-cold beer with friends while floating along one of Central Texas’ lazy rivers. A short 45-minute drive from the heart of San Antonio, the Guadalupe, Comal, San Marcos and Frio rivers offer the perfect blend of refreshing relaxation on an otherwise…
