Community<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/SAN-ANTONIO-The-Pearl-Bakery-Lorraine-fruit-tarts-c2018-Carole-Terwilliger-Meyers.jpg\")
Fruit Tarts at Bakery Lorraine | Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n
Once home to a brewery, The Pearl is now like a tiny village square featuring excellent restaurants (don\u2019t miss Bakery Lorraine<\/strong> for breakfast pastries and Southerleigh<\/strong>, a brewpub, for Sunday brunch) and the stellar Hotel Emma<\/strong><\/a>. Locals bring their kids to frolic on a central expanse of lawn with a popular water feature, and adults hang there, too, to enjoy year-round live music. The Culinary Institute of America<\/strong> has one of its three campuses here, and the town\u2019s largest farmers’ market operates on Saturdays and Sundays.<\/p>\nArt on the river<\/h2>\n
Hop on a river taxi or stroll the paths to explore the city’s most famous attraction, the tree-lined River Walk<\/strong>, which is dotted with outdoor cafes and stone bridges. On foot, you can walk from The Pearl to the San Antonio Museum of Art<\/strong> to view some unusual installations such as \u201cThe Grotto,\u201d a cave-like waterfall by Carlos Cortes. The museum itself has excellent Latin American and Asian art collections.<\/p>\nFree Tuesdays<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/SAN-ANTONIO-San-Fernando-Cathedral-San-Antonio-The-Saga-4-c2018-Carole-Terwilliger-Meyers.jpg\")
Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n
On Tuesday nights in downtown San Antonio, parking is free in most lots and spaces after 5pm. Starting at 4pm, the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s<\/strong> stellar collection of western art housed in a beautifully restored 1930s art deco\/neo-classical library building is also free for viewing. Arrive at San Antonio’s lovely historic Main Plaza<\/strong> (dating back to the early 1700s) by 9pm for the evening\u2019s first projection of San Antonio\/The Saga<\/strong> light show (always free) onto the exterior of the San Fernando Cathedral<\/strong>\u2014the oldest cathedral sanctuary in the nation. This video art installation tells the history of San Antonio in a colorful nutshell. For a nightcap, grab a drink at the newly updated Esquire Tavern<\/strong>, described by a cabbie as renovated up \u201cfrom tomato to tomahto.\u201d<\/p>\nWorld\u2019s best mojito<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/orbitz-mojito-san-antonio.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Just a 15-minute stroll along the River Walk from downtown, the Hotel Havana<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s gorgeous conservatory dining room is the perfect place to enjoy a refreshing cold drink, most notably its tasty mojito with crushed mint. The hotel itself operates in a recently restored Mediterranean Revival-style building dating from 1914. Guest rooms at this small boutique property are spacious and feature dark wood details and high ceilings.<\/p>\nJapanese Tea Garden (or is it Chinese?)
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/trover-japanese-tea-garden-TRIP.jpg\")
Trover photo by TRIP.Le.R<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nOddly, the arch leading into the town\u2019s traditional Japanese Tea Garden reads \u201cChinese Tea Garden.\u201d It was so renamed during World War II, when anti-Japanese sentiment was high, and never changed back. But it is indeed the Japanese Tea Garden<\/strong>. Standout stonework hails from the town\u2019s old rock quarry, and features include a large koi pond with aquatic plants and a 60-foot waterfall.<\/p>\nALSO<\/strong>: Everything is bigger, including the savings, when you join Orbitz Rewards!<\/a><\/p>\nHouse museums<\/h2>\n
The up-and-coming (again) King William Historic District<\/strong> is filled with vintage homes once owned by the prominent German merchants who settled this district. Have breakfast or lunch in the Tea Room of the 1859 Guenther House<\/strong>, where breads and pastries are made with flour milled by the founder\u2019s original flour mill still located across the way; then do a self-guided tour of the small house museum. Cross the street to visit the grand Victorian that is the Edward Steves Homestead Museum<\/strong>, featuring a French mansard roof, 13-inch thick limestone walls and 14-foot high ceilings.<\/p>\nSunday in the park<\/h2>\n
Built to host the 1968 World’s Fair, Hemisfair Park<\/strong> has been redone. The new Yanaguana Garden<\/strong> section features a playground, splash pad, giant chess board, a giant sand box and an inexpensive paleteria dispensing fresh fruit popsicles. Adjacent to the park, Dough Pizzeria Napoletana<\/strong> offers park-view outdoor seating and a menu of delicious artisan pizzas prepared with house-made cheeses and baked in a 900-degree oven covered artistically with copper pennies.<\/p>\nVibrant culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/SAN-ANTONIO-Market-Square-Mi-Tierra-Cafe-dining-room-3-c2018-Carole-Terwilliger-Meyers.jpg\")
Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n
Visitors can take in the city\u2019s lively culture in the three-block outdoor plaza that is Market Square<\/strong>. The largest Mexican market in the U.S., it’s lined with restaurants, shops and produce stands, and sometimes Mariachi bands and dancers also entertain. A block-long indoor market\u2014El Mercado<\/strong>\u2014contains shops and stalls that sell a plethora of items from Mexico that make the perfect souvenir. A meal or snack at festive Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia<\/strong> is a must. Run by the same family since the 1940s, it features elaborate Christmas decor, a detailed wall mural and a solid Tex-Mex menu (the chilaquiles and a fruit margarita are hard to beat).<\/p>\nA UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/SAN-ANTONIO-Missions-Mission-San-Jose-exterior-4cross-c2018-Carole-Terwilliger-Meyers.jpg\")
Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n
Four rustic Spanish colonial missions established in the 1700s make up the San Antonio Mission National Historical Park<\/strong> that was recently, along with the Alamo, declared a UNESCO site. The San Antonio Mission Trail begins at the Alamo and winds southward along a nine-mile stretch of the San Antonio River. You can drive, walk, bike or bus between them.<\/p>\nRemember The Alamo (with treats in hand)<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/the-alamo-trover-Julie-Miller.jpg\")
Trover photo by Julie Miller<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n
Fruit Tarts at Bakery Lorraine | Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n
Once home to a brewery, The Pearl is now like a tiny village square featuring excellent restaurants (don\u2019t miss Bakery Lorraine<\/strong> for breakfast pastries and Southerleigh<\/strong>, a brewpub, for Sunday brunch) and the stellar Hotel Emma<\/strong><\/a>. Locals bring their kids to frolic on a central expanse of lawn with a popular water feature, and adults hang there, too, to enjoy year-round live music. The Culinary Institute of America<\/strong> has one of its three campuses here, and the town\u2019s largest farmers’ market operates on Saturdays and Sundays.<\/p>\n Hop on a river taxi or stroll the paths to explore the city’s most famous attraction, the tree-lined River Walk<\/strong>, which is dotted with outdoor cafes and stone bridges. On foot, you can walk from The Pearl to the San Antonio Museum of Art<\/strong> to view some unusual installations such as \u201cThe Grotto,\u201d a cave-like waterfall by Carlos Cortes. The museum itself has excellent Latin American and Asian art collections.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n On Tuesday nights in downtown San Antonio, parking is free in most lots and spaces after 5pm. Starting at 4pm, the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s<\/strong> stellar collection of western art housed in a beautifully restored 1930s art deco\/neo-classical library building is also free for viewing. Arrive at San Antonio’s lovely historic Main Plaza<\/strong> (dating back to the early 1700s) by 9pm for the evening\u2019s first projection of San Antonio\/The Saga<\/strong> light show (always free) onto the exterior of the San Fernando Cathedral<\/strong>\u2014the oldest cathedral sanctuary in the nation. This video art installation tells the history of San Antonio in a colorful nutshell. For a nightcap, grab a drink at the newly updated Esquire Tavern<\/strong>, described by a cabbie as renovated up \u201cfrom tomato to tomahto.\u201d<\/p>\n Just a 15-minute stroll along the River Walk from downtown, the Hotel Havana<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s gorgeous conservatory dining room is the perfect place to enjoy a refreshing cold drink, most notably its tasty mojito with crushed mint. The hotel itself operates in a recently restored Mediterranean Revival-style building dating from 1914. Guest rooms at this small boutique property are spacious and feature dark wood details and high ceilings.<\/p>\n Trover photo by TRIP.Le.R<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Oddly, the arch leading into the town\u2019s traditional Japanese Tea Garden reads \u201cChinese Tea Garden.\u201d It was so renamed during World War II, when anti-Japanese sentiment was high, and never changed back. But it is indeed the Japanese Tea Garden<\/strong>. Standout stonework hails from the town\u2019s old rock quarry, and features include a large koi pond with aquatic plants and a 60-foot waterfall.<\/p>\n ALSO<\/strong>: Everything is bigger, including the savings, when you join Orbitz Rewards!<\/a><\/p>\n The up-and-coming (again) King William Historic District<\/strong> is filled with vintage homes once owned by the prominent German merchants who settled this district. Have breakfast or lunch in the Tea Room of the 1859 Guenther House<\/strong>, where breads and pastries are made with flour milled by the founder\u2019s original flour mill still located across the way; then do a self-guided tour of the small house museum. Cross the street to visit the grand Victorian that is the Edward Steves Homestead Museum<\/strong>, featuring a French mansard roof, 13-inch thick limestone walls and 14-foot high ceilings.<\/p>\n Built to host the 1968 World’s Fair, Hemisfair Park<\/strong> has been redone. The new Yanaguana Garden<\/strong> section features a playground, splash pad, giant chess board, a giant sand box and an inexpensive paleteria dispensing fresh fruit popsicles. Adjacent to the park, Dough Pizzeria Napoletana<\/strong> offers park-view outdoor seating and a menu of delicious artisan pizzas prepared with house-made cheeses and baked in a 900-degree oven covered artistically with copper pennies.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n Visitors can take in the city\u2019s lively culture in the three-block outdoor plaza that is Market Square<\/strong>. The largest Mexican market in the U.S., it’s lined with restaurants, shops and produce stands, and sometimes Mariachi bands and dancers also entertain. A block-long indoor market\u2014El Mercado<\/strong>\u2014contains shops and stalls that sell a plethora of items from Mexico that make the perfect souvenir. A meal or snack at festive Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia<\/strong> is a must. Run by the same family since the 1940s, it features elaborate Christmas decor, a detailed wall mural and a solid Tex-Mex menu (the chilaquiles and a fruit margarita are hard to beat).<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Carole Terwilliger Meyers<\/p><\/div>\n Four rustic Spanish colonial missions established in the 1700s make up the San Antonio Mission National Historical Park<\/strong> that was recently, along with the Alamo, declared a UNESCO site. The San Antonio Mission Trail begins at the Alamo and winds southward along a nine-mile stretch of the San Antonio River. You can drive, walk, bike or bus between them.<\/p>\n Trover photo by Julie Miller<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nArt on the river<\/h2>\n
Free Tuesdays<\/h2>\n
World\u2019s best mojito<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nJapanese Tea Garden (or is it Chinese?)
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\nHouse museums<\/h2>\n
Sunday in the park<\/h2>\n
Vibrant culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Remember The Alamo (with treats in hand)<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/FFF-blog-banner.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"