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San Antonio tips for 5yr old & Grandparents
Hey everyone, my 5 year old will be joining my parents on my Dad's business trip the middle of this week for a week. I would love to get some suggestions for them about the best activities, restaurants, parking/renting cars/trolley/bus etc. They are flying in from SC. This is his first plane trip since 9 months old so that is big excitement for him too. Also first vacation without us.
They plan to take him to Seaworld at least one, maybe 2 times because he is a sea life fanatic. Seaworld is a complete surprise because he has no idea there is one in TX. We surprised him when we took him to Seaworld Orlando a couple years ago so this will be awesome for him because he's been talking about going back sometime.
I know they'll be checking out the Riverwalk and surrounding area often I'm sure throughout their stay (a downtown hotel).
What are some great local restaurants not to miss? They don't have to be super kid friendly chicken fingers and hot dog types of places either just suitable to take a child to, so no very fine dining places of course. My parents love authentic Mexican food, barbeque, great/unique pizza, steak, and are big time breakfast/brunch fans. My son loves all of the above foods as well so he'll be happy just about anywhere they take him. They love to find places the locals love as well as the places that are genuinely good and not just tourist traps.
Is the Children's Museum worth checking out there?
Is a rental car necessary, especially for a 7 day stay? My Mom's still trying to decide even though they fly out in a few days. She's unsure if the availability of public transport will make a rental car unnecessary r if they would enjoy the trip more if they have access to a car as well. High parking costs ($25/day @ the hotel) are one thing holding her back from possibly getting a car. I told her there may be less expensive parking options of course. I need to know whether to send a car seat with him or not too. If they absolutely will not be renting a car then I won't send a car seat, but if they are getting a car then of course they need to take our extra car seat with them. I'll be dropping off/picking up @ airport when they return home so he will ride in his car seat that remains installed at all times. I feel like they will enjoy themselves more and have much more flexibility to do things at their own leisure and venture outside of the city to explore a little more of Texas if they rent a car. If renting a car, should they do so @ airport or should they ride a shuttle into downtown and rent a car there?
Especially if they do rent a car, what are some good suggestions of destinations outside of downtown that would be great for them to visit. My Dad's a big photography and wild life lover.
I appreciate any and all suggestions you might have. Thanks!
Re: San Antonio tips for 5yr old & Grandparents
I am sorry I cannot answer a lot of your questions, but as you probably know it is HOT in San Antonio in the summer. I was there last August and it was 119 degrees! With that said, I loved the city!
If you are right downtown it is very walkable. We really only did the Alamo and the RiverWalk though. I am sure there is more to do, but I personally would like a car for flexibility. We drove up to Austin, which was not far away, but we made the mistake of starting our journey up there in rush hour- bad idea!
Parking in downtown San Antonio was not bad (picking up the car at the airport was painless), and parking for several hours was fairly cheap in a lot a block away from the Alamo.
Like Mouse said it will be extremely hot so stay hydrated. We have been many times and the last being in July of last year and it was hard to stay cool during the day.
With that being said I would definately pick a place on the Riverwalk that has a nice pool.
Seaworld can easily be done in 1 day. The zoo is a good option maybe closer to closing time. I know the animals at our Houston Zoo do not come out until later since it is so hot.
If they will have a car I would definately drive to Austin. It is beautiful. They have Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool which is a great place to cool off.
I would rent a car if I were them. San Antonio downtown is a very walkable city, but the rest of the city is very spread out. Most of the activities like the Zoo and Sea World are a considerable distance (about 10-30 min from downtown) and I think they will struggle with finding things to do right downtown for more than two days or so.
Also, the hottest part of the day here is between 4 and 7 pm, different from the Midwest or Northeast in the summer. I would head to Sea World and the Zoo first thing in the morning. There is also a new waterpark that just opened up, Aquatica, that is worth a trip for a day all by itself.
The children's museum in San Antonio is nice, but the one in Austin is better.
The Alamo will probably not be that interesting for him, UNLESS they take the time to watch the IMAXX movie first. That tells the story in short, easy way for children to remember. My friend has a 8 year old little girl that watched the movie, and afterwards she said to me "Wow, if the battle of the Alamo hadn't happened, we'd actually be vacationing in Mexico right now!" It was so cute. The Alamo is pretty boring otherwise.
The riverboat cruise is fun, but might not be that exciting for a kid that little. I'm sure the Grandparents would enjoy it though!
If they can afford to spend a night or two out of the city at one of the resorts like the Hyatt Hill Country or the JW Marriott Hill Country I would recommend it. That way they can spend a few days at a pool.
Restaurants are abound in downtown San Antonio. I would just recommend they walk the Riverwalk and stop at whatever looks good! All the restaurant menus are on the walk.
Oh...and if they can, go to Jenny Garcia's art studio (the actual studio, not the store). You can sit and watch them do the Glass Blowing and I would think a little boy would find it fascinating!