Solo Girls Guide to San Antonio Weekend

Another solo adventure this weekend leads me to none other than the super underrated and chic city of San Antonio. I’ve spent a lot of time in Texas but never made it to San Antonio before, so this was my first trip to this funky little water city! Per usual, I booked this in on the back end of work conference so I only had a few days to explore the city. This was another #solotravel adventure as I couldn’t get any friends to buzz over for the weekend, but I’m beginning to actually prefer to be alone on my travel trips! Ha. You get to do what you want, when you want to do it, and cram as much stuff in at once.

If you’re a solo traveler like myself, out for a girls weekend, or just buzzing through the city, here is a quick little 1.5-2 day itinerary to explore some of the highlights of this funky town!

Since I booked this on the back end of a work conference, I just continued to stay at the Marriott Riverwalk. It was conveniently located to everything, so it was a good home base. It’s actually connected to the riverwalk mall, so if you’re in a pinch and need a new outfit or something, it’s all right there.  However if I was going on my own and planning this trip, I’d stay at Hotel Emma. More on that later.

Friday late afternoon I walked along the historic San Antonio Riverwalk. This is an obvious must when you’re in downtown San Antonio. Even though it was January, it was pretty mild so it was great to just spend an hour or so walking around the canals of the town. Careful, don’t get lost, because it all starts running into one another.

After walking around the riverwalk, I came ‘above ground’ and walked over the Alamo and actually went inside. It’s smack dab in the middle of the city. It was neat to go inside, although there isn’t much to see. I just did a self-guided tour and read the different panels along the way. My favorite part was walking around the grounds, it was peaceful and quiet considering it was off season. My recommendation is to hit the Alamo a few times throughout the trip. It’s literally a 5-minute walk from the Marriott and downtown attractions and it’s neat to see the different perspectives of dawn, afternoon and evening.

Next I did the typical tourist Riverboat ride but it was actually really fun! It was super informative and, being a history nut, I learned a lot about the city and the river and the history of it all. Definitely worth it! Make a reservation ahead of time at one of the booths though, because they fill up fast!

For dinner that night, I stopped at the oldest restaurant on the San Antonio riverwalk, Casa Rio. You’ve probably seen pictures of the outside; it’s known for its’ brightly colored umbrella tables that line the riverwalk. Typical Mexican restaurant complete with a mariachi band (that will make you pay to come and sing at your table).

Saturday morning I started out early and went for a drive to The Pearl area. On my way to The Pearl, I stopped by the Alamo at dawn and it was gorgeous. There wasn’t a soul around and the colors were beautiful.

After dawn at The Alamo I continued on my way to The Pearl area where I wanted to grab a coffee and a gluten free treat at The Larder which is a little gourmet food market attached to Hotel Emma. This is how I found Hotel Emma and it was SWOON-WORTHY! This is where I fell in love with this great little gem. So if I ever come back to San Antonio, this is exactly where I’ll be staying. It’s a mix of masculine and feminine. The fire, the burning wood smell, the iron work mixed with soft fabrics and luxurious leather. I could’ve sat there forever.

I got a coffee and a piece of gluten free coffee cake to go and then hit the road to visit the San Antonio Missions. Did you know there were more missions than just “The Alamo”?! There are the following:

- Mission San Jose
- Mission Concepcion
- Mission San Juan Capistrano
- Mission Espada

I made a little map and made my way through them. I’d suggest this order: The Alamo, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and then Mission Espada. Mission Concepcion was my favorite and truly was a humbling and spiritual experience. It’s so spacious and vast and cool inside.

Honestly that took me most of the afternoon because I just drove around and stopped at cool spots for pictures along the way. Texas is so beautiful, vast, and flat that you can see for miles in some places. It’s cool to get out of the city.

After spending a little down time at the hotel to get some work done, I got dressed and went to The Pearl again to Hotel Emma for dinner and drinks. The Brewhouse which is attached to the hotel had a great burger and brewery/wine bar which I grabbed a quick bite. But my favorite part was going into the bar area where there is a roaring fire in front of leather sofas, oversized chairs and beautiful iron work and long farm-style tables. I sipped a cocktail while enjoying the leather and earthy smells of the fire.

The next morning (Sunday) I again got up early and stopped by the Pearl area for a coffee before heading to the Japanese Tea Garden for a quick morning walk. It was a peaceful walk around the water before heading on to my little excursion: the natural bridge caverns! Caving was on my bucket list and I got to check that off this weekend. It was a bit of a drive, about 1-1.5 hours away from downtown San Antonio but I had a super late flight so I knew I could fit it in and still get back in time. So worth the drive! I did the “moderate” hike and was able to do it in jeans/boots and a sweatshirt. But my advice is wear layers because it was so warm and humid down there! I was sweating to death, ha. It was such a fascinating world under there, and I can’t believe it still exists. Bring water and your camera/iPhone because you’ll want to take tons of pictures.

Just like that, my trip to San Antonio was over and I high-tailed it back to San Antonio to catch my late flight out. Although a 2-day trip doesn’t do any town justice, it was a great highlight of the city trip and I hope if you find yourself with a short stay in this cute town, you’ll have as much fun as I did. Happy travels!

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