Remember the…tee times, tip-offs, Riverwalk, rodeo and restaurants. Clearly, San Antonio has more to offer than solely the historic Alamo. With exciting theme park attractions (Six Flags, Sea World and Schlitterbahn to name a few) and an assortment of Mexican, German and various other dining cuisines, it is no surprise San Antonio is the most-visited city in Texas and one of the top 15 tourism destinations in the U.S.
TEXAS GOLF
Golf really is bigger and better in Texas. Find a course in TexasA Quick Nine: Best of TexasHouston: Bigger and Better in TexasAustin: A City with No Golf LimitsDallas: More than one lone starRemember San Antonio for great golf. When it comes to the "must-play" courses, there are five that make San Antonio a golfing Utopia.
1. TPC San Antonio: As the newest golf course within the Alamo city, the Tournament Players Club in San Antonio boasts two PGA Tour courses at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. TPC San Antonio hosts the annual Valero Texas Open and successfully maintains the TPC reputation as the highest standard in golf course design.
2. The Quarry Golf Club: Centrally-located, only a 5- or 10-minute drive from the San Antonio International Airport and the famous Riverwalk, The Quarry showcases 100-foot rock walls, signature hole 17, native grasses, rolling hills, a 10-acre lake and a links-style landscape. All of these features combine to make The Quarry Golf Club the "7th most unique course in the U.S." (World Traveler Magazine, 2008).
3. La Cantera (Palmer and Resort Courses): Located just a stone's throw from Six Flags Fiesta Texas, La Cantera offers two premier daily fee courses, each which provide magnificent play amid dramatic topography and scenery in the Texas Hill Country. My personal preference between the two courses is the Resort Course because it was the former site of the Texas Open.
4. Hyatt Hill Country Golf Club: Similar to La Cantera, one of the greatest perks to the Hyatt Hill Country Golf Club is its location near an incredible family attraction-Sea World. With a ranch-style clubhouse and a championship course, you'll experience true Southern hospitality.
5. Brackenridge Park Golf Course: San Antonio's oldest course and the home of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame, "Brack"-as we natives call it-definitely deserves placement on this list of "worth-while" courses in San Antonio.
How about when you're not golfing? What else is there to do in San Antonio? Glad you asked. Depending on the reason for your stay-business, family vacation or romantic getaway-there is a restaurant, shopping experience, museum, sporting event or outdoor attraction for everyone and every occasion! San Antonio is home to some of the best Mexican restaurants in South Texas. My personal favorite is La Fogata, complete with a festive outdoor patio and colorful decorative flags strewn about, you'll feel as if you stepped into a Mexican courtyard.
San Antonio has its fair share of malls, outlets, flea markets, boutiques and so much more. The Quarry Marketplace is one of the definite retail hot spots. Just look for the landmark smoke stacks, visible for miles from Highway 281. The Quarry Marketplace offers plenty of trendy shops, restaurants and an incredible cinema built within the framework of the former Alamo Cement Factory. This shopping district overlooks The Quarry Golf Club.
Want to catch a sporting event? Hockey, baseball, football, soccer, basketball, horse racing-San Antonio has it all. Just search online community calendars and you'll find at least one sporting event in your date range. Come see the Talons touchdown in the Alamodome, the Spurs dunk in the AT&T center and Scorpions kick and score goals at Heroes Stadium!
You absolutely must visit the Riverwalk and the Alamo. Not necessarily because they are the most exciting attractions (those would be the five golf courses previously discussed), but because they are clutch to the tourism experience, and after all, you wouldn't want to leave San Antonio and realize, "I forgot the Alamo!"