Austin/San Antonio Tourist Pointers, please

[bomber]

We'll be visiting the Austin/San Antonio/Hill Country area late February/early March for a non-riding vacation . . . .

Any tips, pointers suggestions would be gratefully received -- local knowledge is best!

[Kneescrubber]

What do you like? Walking, history, music, hot springs......the list goes on and on.

[bomber]

What do you like? Walking, history, music, hot springs......the list goes on and on.

Love the first three, no experience with the last, so I can't say . . . . . . .

What you you show off to the friend?

[satxbonneville]

Austin has 6th Street...if you're into drunk college-kid watching. Austin is not so much a touristy town but there is good music.

East from Austin you can head over to Taylor for a stop at Louie Mueller BBQ - considered by many to be the ne plus ultra of Texas BBQ joints - or stop in Elgin for some of their famous Elgin "hot guts", also know as sausage. Meyer's or Southside Market.

The Circuit of the Americas construction site would be a cool photo op...and then continuing on to Lockhart or Luling for some good BBQ. A little further on from Luling is Gonzales for some Texas history.

Gruene offers up more touristy-artsy shops and Gruene Hall for a Texas Dance hall music experience. Check to see who may be playing when you're in the area and bring a warm jacket. If it's a cold day or night with any kind of wind the place is mostly draft - the heaters are just for show, I'm convinced.

San Antonio offers the River Walk for over-priced and largely mediocre (if not chain) food establishments and drink. If you just take a stroll or spring for one of the barge tours it's OK.

Skip Mi Tierra and head to La Fogata instead for non-Tex-Mex Mexican food.

The Alamo is good for a tour. The San Antonio Missions Trail is nice and you can grab a couple of the bicycles for free from downtown racks and bike the trail if you are up for that.

The Lone Star Motorcycle Museum in Vanderpool is a neat place and if you can get a kinda sporty rental car you can make it a fun stop while you drive the 3 Sisters. You can make a side trip up to Lost Maples State Park just a couple of miles north of the museum and hike the trails in the park. No leaves this time of year but the hiking is still good.

Fredericksburg is a nice old German-settled town about an hour or so north of San Antonio (if you take the slab but there are plenty of much more intersting and scenic back roads to take to F-burg. There's a good brew pub but the highlight (at least for me) is the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific War. Nimitz grew up there. There are also a bunch of wineries fanning out from F-burg and some of them make some pretty good wine. A tasting tour is always fun.

When you leave F-burg, swing down towards Luckenbach and check out the bikes hanging out, have a beer and listen to some music. The Old tunnel Wildlife Management Area is down the road from Luckenbach and has a very large bat colony roosting in the old railroad tunnel (hand dug by local citizens) and is good for a stop. If you're there the right time of year and the right time of day they have a viewing area to watch the colony head out for the night's feeding.

PM me if you want some more ideas. I've lived here (mostly - we don't talk about the New Jersey years) since 1972.

[bomber]

Sax -- thank you sir -- the Mission Trail is definately on the list (history, National Monument Status, walking, in FEBRUARY, in comfort!).

I support your desire to not disclose your New Jersey years -- I have 9 months there myself ;-}

[scottzilla]

I go to Austin every February.  Eat at Sullivan's if you like steak.

Visit Af1 and see some aprilias.
Other than that there is nothing to do.

[Scratch33]

Don't forget the bats.

[bomber]

Bats are definately oin the list --

We have a Sullivan's right by our house, Scott, but thank -- eating local is more fun (IMO)

[Kneescrubber]

The bats are only there in the summer.

[bomber]

The bats are only there in the summer.

Well, RATS!

[satxbonneville]

The bats are only there in the summer.

They typically return in March and bug out (no pun intended) in October. That's why I made sure to mention being there the right time of the year.