21 of the most overrated things to do in San Antonio

Taking a tour of the Alamo
Easy there, hoss. You might be shocked that taking a tour of the Alamo made it on the list of the most overrated things to do in San Antonio. Don’t get us wrong -– there’s nothing wrong with visiting the Alamo, or even taking a tour. But there are four other historic missions that don't get nearly as much love from the public. Why not give them a visit instead?
Photo via Instagram / officialalamo

Riding in a barge on the San Antonio River
Riding a barge through downtown SA? This may be one of the oldest tourist traps on this list. Even though these chugging boats have since had a facelift, they've been floating down the San Antonio River since the ‘60s. Hasn’t everyone done this already? Plus, you can now kayak down the river yourself, and that sounds a like a fun new spin.
Photo via Instagram / goriocruises

Visiting the ghost tracks — because it doesn't work anymore
As the lore goes, if you put your car in neutral on the ghost tracks, a bunch of ghost kids will push it safely off the tracks ... in the same place where they were killed many years ago when their bus stalled and was smacked by a train. The story was debunked ages ago, and then the tracks were levelled, removing the incline that created the phenomenon. It's time to let go, San Antonio.
Photo via Google Maps

Taking a selfie at the Hays Street Bridge
Everyone and their mother, sister, brother, father and both grandparents has this picture. You might even know someone who proposed here. You could even be a person who proposed here. Join the other 5,000 posts on Insta with the tag #haysstreetbridge if that’s what you want to do with your life.
Photo via Instagram / city.of.sanantoniotx

Going to NIOSA just to get drunk
What could be worse than getting drunk in 100-plus degree humid weather? If you stay in one place for too long, chances are that you’ll get sweat-stuck to the person next to you. Sure, some of us will never kick the NIOSA bug, but let's try to vary our Fiesta events just a bit.
Photo by Jaime Monzon

Dining almost anywhere on the River Walk
Let’s face it: as popular as the River Walk is, it’s that way because of tourists. While dining and drinking on the River Walk is something that almost every San Antonian does at least once during their time here, it’s just not worth going to over and over again and paying an exorbitant amount to do so. That said, if you do feel the need to dine on the river, make sure it’s a local spot and not a cringey chain.
Photo via Instagram / sariverwalkfun

Dining at the Tower of the Americas
The Tower of the Americas has surprisingly lackluster reviews for what some people call a San Antonio must-do. The consensus seems to be that while the view is great, the food is just OK — and pricey. Here's what we recommend: get some puro San Antonio cuisine somewhere else and head to the observation deck for the gorgeous views.
Photo via Instagram / toweroftheamericas

Going to the San Antonio Aquarium
Everyone has seen some variation of this headline by now: "Shark Stolen From Aquarium in Baby Stroller!" And that was only the beginning. This attraction was shut down in 2018 for code violations, shut down again in 2020 for violating the city's pandemic emergency order and in 2021 PETA asked thee feds to yank its license, alleging that a convicted wildlife trafficker is involved in its operations — something the aquarium has denied. Those sound like reasons for folks concerned about animal welfare to look for other options.
Photo via Google Maps

Two-stepping at a giant country nightclub
Why go to a ginormous nightclub and dance to DJ music when you can go to Floore’s or some other storied honky tonk and experience great live music? It will be a more authentic experience, not to mention less crowded.
Photo via Instagram / cowboysdancehallsa

Floating down the Comal
Drunk people littering. Need we say more? There are some things that you shouldn’t do even if you’re drunk – and this is one of them. Maybe once Texans learn how to behave we can revisit this.
Photo via Instagram / vietspanic40

Taking all of your out-of-town visitors to Mi Tierra
Is there anything wrong with Mi Tierra? No. It's a San Antonio institution, and we've got to admit the surroundings are sensational. But there are plenty of other great Tex-Mex spots in this city. Spread the love around a little bit when you're entertaining guests.
Photo via Instagram / mitierracafesa

Riding in a carriage around downtown
You might be looking at everything around you, but everyone around you is looking at you, and questioning your choices.
Photo via Instagram / bluebonnetcarriageco

Going to a waterpark
To our way of thinking, there are better ways to cool off in the summer than floating in a highly chlorinated lazy river or standing in long lines for brief rides on giant slides. But, hey, your mileage may vary.
Photo via Instagram / schlitterbahnwaterparks

Getting barbecue from a chain restaurant
Sure, hitting up a drive-thru is convenient, but restaurant chains don't provide the real-deal barbecue experience. If you've got time to sit down for a meal, expand your horizons and try one of the many local restaurants serving up authentic Texas 'cue.
Photo via Instagram / billmillerbarbq

Visiting Alamo Plaza tourist traps The word "trap" appears in the phrase "tourist trap" for a reason. If you need somewhere fun to take the kids, why not try the Witte Museum or DoSeum instead?
Photo via Google Maps

Having anything to do with SeaWorld
Can we all finally agree that SeaWorld is problematic? We might have nice memories from visiting as kids, but as grown-ass adults, we're now aware that there are issues with keeping orcas in captivity. It's a good step that the company has phased out entertainment-driven animal shows, but it's awful hard to overlook its history.
Photo via Instagram / seaworldsanantoniotx

Eating Mexican food anywhere that charges for chips and salsa
That may fly in New York, LA or Dallas, but how is that acceptable in the Tex-Mex Capital of the World?
Photo via Instagram / lagloriapearl

Driving across town for a $6 cup of coffee
There are a lot of places in San Antonio where you can have an expensive cup of coffee. If you feel the need to drop that kind of cash on a cup, why not spend it with a small business in your own neighborhood — even if it's not the most Instagrammable spot in town.
Photo via Instagram / commonwealth_coffeehouse

Spend way too much money at the Pearl Farmers Market
If you want something particular, especially if you want something natural or specially made, then you’ve got a good chance of finding it at the Pearl Farmers Market. If you’re planning to go for your daily groceries,though, just remember that the cute baskets make it more expensive.
Photo via Instagram / pearlfarmersmarket

Taking a ghost tour of San Antonio
Learning about the spooky side of San Antonio is super cool, however, staging paranormal activity is not, which is just what you’re getting yourself into where you buy tickets to certain ghost tours. This city is haunted enough, so trust us, you don’t need to go on a tour where you’re paying someone to jump out at you.
Photo via Instagram / sistersgrimmtx