Some Like It Hot: Your Weekend in San Antonio

Historic Pearl District, The Strip, and Botanical Garden a Must

By Bill Malcolm*

San Antonio is an amazing city. The plants from the West, Mexico, and east all reach their limit here making for an interesting mix found nowhere else: palms, cacti, live oaks, and more. The new Pearl District just northeast of downtown is great and features 2 food halls, restaurants, shops, and a walk along the San Antonio River (River Walk). It's a reborn area that once housed Pearl Brewery.

San Antonio is one of the few cities left that has a decent gayborhood filled with 10 bars of every type and several gay oriented retail shops. The Strip as they call it, is just one mile north of downtown on Main Street. The iconic Bonham Exchange bar (three floors of fun) is located downtown in an old historic building and is another must.

What To Do

Located downtown, the Alamo features exhibits and hosts reenactments of the Texas Revolution. Founded in 1718 as the first Spanish colonial mission, it has been under Spanish and then Mexican rule and then briefly was its own Republic before joining the U.S.

San Antonio River Walk

Take a walk on the River Walk along the San Antonio River. You can enjoy a margarita in one of the many riverside restaurants or just go for a walk or a jog. It is the number one attraction in the state.

Visit the Alamo and learn about the fascinating history of the Republic of Texas which has been part of Spain, part of Mexico, its own Republic, and now a state of 31 million people.

San Antonio Botanical Garden

East meets West meets Mexico meets the Hill Country. Learn about this amazing area where you will see both palms and cacti at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Just a short Uber ride (or take the #9 bus) to explore the beautiful gardens arranged by the 3 different plant communities that are the San Antonio area. They also have a place for lunch as well. You could easily spend half a day here. They open at 8 a.m. in the summer if you want to beat the heat. Plan your trip at sabot.org.

The San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology had an amazing display of futuristic commercial and military aircraft plus an interesting exhibit on commercial use of rocks on the Moon. Details at samsat.org

Where To Eat

The salmon at the Range overlooking the River Walk was to die for.

Tex Mex and BBQ are everywhere. Yelp says they have the best BBQ in the country behind Austin. The Mexican food is excellent.

Pick your type of food at the Pullman Market in the Pearl District or at the Bottling Department. I love food halls, and this area has two. Plus the Market is a market.

Nightlife

You cannot beat the historic Bonham Exchange downtown. Located in a huge, three story building, it's three floors of fun with dancing, a video bar, karaoke, drag shows and more. Everyone welcome. It was voted the best dance bar and the best gay bar by the local weekly.

Greeter at the Eagle, San Antonio

Just north of downtown in the gayborhood that is Main Street including the Pegasus, Heat, Sparky's, Let's Be Honest, and more. The best gayborhood in the country by far. Who says bars are dead. I stopped by the Let's Be Honest which was showing Ru Paul's Drag Race. Also showing it was Sparky's Pub (1416 N. Main) which had an emcee and drag show plus fine wines in the cafe adjacent to this festive bar served by an extremely cute sommelier (wine connoisseur). Next door were 2 gay shops (Ouch Apparel and Hardcore Leather) and more. The Knockout has Military Nights. The Silver Dollar and Pink Sharks were fun as was the iconic Pegasus. Heat at 1500 N. Main is great for dancing. The leather crowd will love The Eagle. In short, the 1400 block of North Main is the nation's best gayborhood. And it has not been ruined by gentrification like some cities have seen (Chicago) or become run down or tired (like the Castro in SF or the Village in Montreal). Gay night life lives in San Antonio and is a lot of fun.

Where To Stay

I loved the InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk. Great roof top pool. Luxury rooms feature bath robes and a scale. The amenity fee pays for itself with $25 per day food and beverage credit. Close to all the attractions. Professional staff. And they clean the room every day without asking (rare these days). The Deco Bar in the lobby is a lot of fun.

Other Fun Facts/For More information

I took Southwest Airlines. They cancelled my return flight, but I made it home.

San Antonio is just a 3 hour drive from Houston.

VIA Transit is a great bus system. Take the #5 bus to downtown for just $1.35 in just 30 minutes.

VisitSanAntonio.com is your source for trip planning.

You cannot beat a weekend or week in this historic city with so much to do. It's like Austin without the weirdness (and prices). Smaller than Houston or Dallas (and much more historic). And friendly. Put it on your bucket list.

*Bill Malcolm's award winning syndicated travel column appears in publications and on line sites throughout North America. He received no "freebies" or complimentary passes/stays/travel vouchers. He focuses on value travel and going local.

About the Author

Bill Malcolm Bill Malcolm is North America's only syndicated travel columnist. He focuses on value and pays his own way. He takes local transit and seeks to go where the locals go. He has appeared 100 times in LGBTQ publications and on websites including the IGLTA travel blog. You can find his work in GRAB Chicago, Erie Gay News, Seattle Gay News, and other places. He does this as a volunteer and does not charge for his work. He boycotts hotels and hotel chains with resort fees, amenity fees, destination fees, and other made up junk charges. He resides in Indianapolis. Follow him on Facebook.