Whether you live in San Antonio or are just visiting for the weekend — or the NCAA Final Four — there are a number of sights to see and things to do that aren’t in the typical visitor guides.

Everyone knows about the River Walk, for example, but even that has less touristy parts. For a different take on that attraction, we recommend starting at Blue Star Arts Complex and strolling along the river through the historic King William neighborhood.

From quirky roadside attractions to sites of urban legends, campy activities and strange gravestones, the Alamo City has a whole lot more to offer than the Alamo.

Frank’s Hog Stand 801 S. Presa St., roadsideamerica.com A remnant of the classic 1920s chain of drive-in Pig Stand restaurants, Frank’s Hog Stand reopened in 2010 and served all-American fare. The restaurant has since closed, but the pig still stands as a quirky roadside attraction within city limits. Credit: Dalia Gulca
Donkey Lady Bridge You can’t live in San Antonio long without hearing a version of the story of the Donkey Lady. The story goes something like this: In the 1950s, a young woman attempted to save her children from a house fire (that some say was lit by her husband) — but failed. The event left her horribly disfigured, with her fingers and toes melted together to create hoof-like nubs and her head warped into an elongated, donkey-like shape. Afterward, she was banished to live in the woods. Ever since, the Donkey Lady has roamed the woods of Bexar County, crying out for her children and generally pissed off. Want to meet her? It’s said if you stand on a stone bridge in the Medina River Greenway and call her name three times, she’ll appear. Credit: Photo by Michael Karlis
Robber Baron Cave 115 Camellia Way, tcmacaves.org/preserves/robberbaron Tucked inside Alamo Heights is a hidden piece of San Antonio history: the Robber Baron Cave. During Prohibition times, the site was supposedly the perfect spot to store and smuggle booze. For a time, it was also a popular tourist destination. Nowadays, to preserve its ecology, the cave is closed to regular visitation. But every once in a while, guided tours become available. Credit: Instagram / @iammagda
North Loopland: The North Star Mall Cowboy Boots. Mainly because they’re one of the few interesting landmarks in Loopland. Credit: Shutterstock / MACH Photos
Dark Circus & Market Festival on October 19 at Victoria’s Black Swan Inn
Saturday, October 19, 1006 Holbrook Road, San Antonio, (210) 323-8424, victoriasblackswaninn.com
Visit one of San Antonio’s most haunted locations, Victoria’s Black Swan Inn, during its annual Halloween celebration, the Dark Circus & Market Festival on Saturday, October 19. The event promises music, mischief, burlesque, shopping, art, tarot and more. Credit: Instagram / @victoriasblackswaninn
Snake Farm 5640 Interstate 35 Frontage Rd., (830) 608-9270, awsfzoo.com This creepy, crawly roadside attraction off the highway in New Braunfels stars slithery snakes galore. However, those of a more squeamish demeanor can skip ahead to the petting zoo and interactive shows. Credit: Instagram / @snakefarmtexas
Visit the Cave Without a Name 325 Kreutzberg Road, Boerne, (830) 537-4212, cavewithoutaname.com Take your date on an adventure! Just up the road you’ll discover a mysterious cave right in our backyard: Cave Without a Name. This limestone solutional cave is a national natural landmark, of course for its spectacular formations of stalactites, stalagmites, cave drapery, flowstones, rimstone dams and more. Oh, and the cave is 66-degrees year-round so you can visit whenever you please. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Carol M. Highsmith
Selena Mural
100 Beatrice Ave.
If you want a picture with the queen of Tejano, look no further than this extraordinary mural. Chris Montoya’s mural on South Flores Street is a vivid reminder of how much SA still loves the Tejano music diva. Credit: Matt Stieb
Déjà Vu Esoterica
1236 S St Mary’s St.
San Antonio is a very spooky city, so a visit to a botanica or esoterica shop is a must. If you are looking for spell-casting supplies in a hip setting, Déjà Vu is witchy, cool but entirely approachable. Credit: Brandon McElvey
Give them a taste of the Old West at Briscoe Museum 210 W. Market Street, (210) 299-4499, briscoemuseum.org The Briscoe Western Art Museum showcases an extensive — and uniquely San Antonio — collection of art featuring sweeping Western landscapes, cowboys, Native American art and depictions of pioneer living. The painting pictured is “Frequent Flyers Club” by Billy Schenck. Credit: Billy Schenck, courtesy of Briscoe Western Art Museum
Credit: Nina Rangel
Miraflores Sculpture Garden 1234-1366 E. Hildebrand Ave. Created by local physician and art collector Aureliano Urrutia, this green space near Brackenridge Park is full of sculpture, tiled benches and fountains, all falling into graceful disrepair. The garden is now owned by the City of San Antonio and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as designated as a State Archaeological Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission. Credit: Photo by Michael Karlis
Nessie Tom Slick Park, 7400 TX-151 Artist: Elizabeth Carrington You don’t have to go all the way to Scotland to glimpse the Loch Ness Monster, because Nessie is also in residence at Tom Slick Park. Artist Elizabeth Carrington took inspiration from the park’s namesake for the sculpture — Tom Slick was known for his passion for cryptozoology. Credit: Courtesy Photo / City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture
The Ashes of the Alamo Defenders San Fernando Cathedral, 115 Main Plaza, sfcathedral.org After the Battle of the Alamo, the remains of the dead Texans were burned in three funeral pyres on the order of Antonio López de Santa Anna. A year later, the Texas leader Juan Seguin allegedly buried ashes from two of the pyres at San Fernando Cathedral. After remains were discovered near the cathedral’s altar during construction work in 1936, they were attributed to be the those of the Alamo Defenders and entombed in a marble coffin. Credit: Photo via Shutterstock / Nagel Photography
Grotto 1277 Camden St. Artist: Carlos Cortés Located at a bend in the San Antonio River between the Camden and Newell Street Bridges, this three-story sculpture made by Carlos Cortés is one of the most popular public art projects on the River Walk’s Museum Reach. Credit: Photo courtesy of City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture
Buckhorn Saloon and Museum
318 E. Houston St., (210) 247-4000, buckhornmuseum.com
Started in the 1880s and moved from the Lone Star Brewery to its current downtown location, the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum includes multiple collections, including “The Carnival of Curiosities” and “The American Sideshow.” The attraction is known for its copious taxidermy, a collection that’s as large as it is partly because the saloon’s original proprietors accepted horns, antlers and even rattlesnake rattles in exchange for drinks. You can even take home a very authentic, absolutely real Jackalope. Credit: Instagram / Buckhorn Saloon and Museum
’Johnny Loves Vivian’ bench B. Naylor Morton Research and Collections Center, Witte Museum, 3737 Broadway, (210) 357-1900, wittemuseum.org Legend has it, American music legend Johnny Cash carved “Johnny Loves Vivian” into the wood of this bench along the River Walk when he was stationed at Brooks Air Force Base in 1951. The message, of course, was in honor of his first wife, Vivian Liberto, who he met at a roller skating rink and dated for three weeks before shipping out for a three-year assignment in Germany. According to the Witte Museum, Cash asked Liberto if she visited the bench in letters he wrote to her. It currently resides at the Witte’s B. Naylor Morton Research and Collections Center. According to the museum, to visit the bench, visitors can ask at the Walker Admissions Desk. Credit: Photo courtesy of Witte Museum
Putter around Cool Crest Mini Golf 1402 Fredericksburg Road Miniature golf is for everyone, meaning it can be a sweet date night or a fun activity for the kids. Even history buffs will find something to enjoy, since Cool Crest is one of the oldest continuously operated mini golf courses in the world. Imagine a warm summer breeze, the sun setting behind the palms and you showing your best friends how to land a hole in one. Now, ice cream, anyone? Credit: Photo via Instagram / coolcrestgolf
Credit: Photo via Instagram / elsewheresatx
Grave of Pat the Horse Cunningham Gate of Ft. Sam Houston, Corner of Cunningham Ave. and N. Pine St., history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/FSHMuseum/index.html Located on the northwest side of Ft. Sam Houston near the Westfort neighborhood is a single, large grave, where the beloved Pat the Horse is buried. Pat was a cavalry horse in the U.S. Army in the early 1900’s. When the army decommissioned its cavalry, Pat was in his 20s and was set to be euthanized, but the soldiers at Ft. Sam Houston lobbied Washington for him to be spared. The request was approved and Pat spent his retirement at the fort. When Pat died at the ripe old age of 45 he was honored with a grave with his portrait on the headstone. Credit: Photo by Sanford Nowlin
World’s Largest Virgin Mary Mosaic
1315 Guadalupe St.
Jesse Treviño’s spectacular mural La Veladora of Our Lady of Guadalupe features a 3D votive candle (veladora) with an eternal flame facing Guadalupe Street. Intended to serve as a beacon for the neighborhood, this mixed media mural is truly magnificent, and is even said to be the world’s largest Virgin Mary mosaic. Credit: Instagram / visitsanantonio