2019 Texas & Arkansas Trip |
Since we had pretty much covered what we could at the park that was open, and since we were all tired from either having flown in that morning or going for a long drive that morning (or both), we went ahead and made an early departure to our next stop, which was into the heart of San Antonio. During my first visit in 2009 with Theme Park Review’s Texas Tour, I had wanted to see about going to visit Riverwalk and the Alamo, but ultimately didn’t since our days were pretty full and our hotel was pretty far away from Downtown as I recall from that trip. Fast forward to my 2017 stop, and for that visit I didn’t have enough time to head into the city for those destinations as I had to make my way back to Austin for the sake of catching my flight home that evening. So when planning this visit to Texas, I knew that I had to make it a part of the trip as they both had been on my Texas bucket list for a while, and having an earlier departure gave us a chance to enjoy a little bit of daylight for seeing one of the most historic buildings in the country. With our drive into downtown San Antonio, we parked close to both Riverwalk and the Alamo, heading first to the Alamo. While we missed the time to be able to go into the building, it was still quite neat to see this historic building that had been part of one of the more notorious battles to have taken place here. It is true that it is smaller than most people would think of it being, but it plays a huge part in the shaping of what is today the South Central United States. While seeing the Alamo was neat, the next part was the highlight of the day for me. I had envisioned that Riverwalk would be a nice area to visit, but it far exceeded my expectations! What we would find walking along its waters were some beautiful examples of unique architecture and design for the pathways, bridges, planters, and every other part of this famed waterway. I had envisioned that it would be a bit more open than it was, but there was a certain intimacy that came about it being a bit smaller than what I expected. The upper levels have a feeling of being a balcony to the lower level with the waterway, and the sounds of people conversating at the various cafes and restaurants blend with the occasional hum of the canal boats along with the upbeat sounds of Mariachi as musicians perform the popular Mexican style of music for patrons nearby. It was an absolute joy to take a stroll through it. My only wish is that we may have had more time and energy to go further along for more of it, and perhaps had dinner there. None the less, it was better than I had imagined, and I can’t wait for the chance to come back and see it again. For dinner, because Nicole and Wes had not experienced it before, we went to Whataburger. Now, my friend Phillip and I have a disagreement about famed regional burger chains, especially when comparing Whataburger with In-n-Out. I prefer the later while he is a staunch supporter of Whataburger. There is one thing though that I discovered this visit that made me more of a fan though, and that was their new Dr. Pepper Milkshake! As mentioned before, I am a sucker for Dr. Pepper. To see this flavor being offered, I knew I couldn’t leave without trying it. In doing so, I found myself enjoying my own personal milkshake nirvana, as the Dr. Pepper flavor with a hint of vanilla was tasty! If it wouldn’t be so bad for my health, I would drink these all the time! While I know Dr. Pepper isn’t everyone’s kind of soft drink, but for those who do like it, I would urge that you give this a try if you can get to a Whataburger. Simply delicious! Before heading to the hotel and calling it a night though, we still had one last stop for the night, and that was to the Alamodome, the former home of the San Antonio Spurs. It wasn’t for a night of sports though, or a rodeo, or even a football game. Rather, our arriving here was because during our drive into San Antonio, Nicole had discovered on Facebook that Wade Shows, the amusement carnival company, had shared that they had some of their rides here for a special event going on in San Antonio this week, so we knew we had to scope it out and see if there were any coasters to ride. They did have a Wacky Worm that I have ridden at least once before, either at the North Carolina State Fair or Florida State Fair, but Nicole rode it for gaining the credit. There was another coaster that would be a new credit for all three of us, and that was the Super Cyclone. This was more or less a run-of-the-mill Galaxy style coaster that is quite common for carnival operators, so it wasn’t as if it was a ground breaking ride, still fun though. And with that, we went to the hotel for the night. After a bit of a disappointing visit to Six Flags, this would certainly improve the day overall as it was a real treat getting to finally see the Alamo, along with enjoying Riverwalk and trying a Dr. Pepper Milkshake for the first time! Tomorrow would also be pretty busy as we would be going back in Dallas by the next night, but before leaving San Antonio, we would head to the other major park before that. |
See More of the 2019 Texas & Arkansas Trip:
1: Arrival & Six Flags Fiesta Texas / 2: Exploring Downtown San Antonio / 3: SeaWorld San Antonio / 4: A Shameless Credit Run / 5: Six Flags Over Texas / 6: Magic Springs and Crystal Falls / 7: Some Arkansas Culture |
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To contact, please email coastingwithculture@gmail.com
To contact, please email coastingwithculture@gmail.com