SAN ANTONIO, the country’s seventh-largest city, features a trio of popular attractions: the River Walk (a meandering canal lined with restaurants and bars), Market Square (said to be the largest Mexican-style market outside of Mexico) and the Alamo (no explanation necessary). But get beyond the obvious tourist stops, and this old city offers excellent Chicano art, 19th-century-style shopping, church music that goes way beyond hymns, and plenty of that famous Texas hospitality.
Friday
3 p.m.
1) SHOPPING AS IT WAS
La Villita historic district (South Alamo Street at East Nueva Street; lavillita.com), just off the River Walk, still feels like the little village it once was but is now crammed with artisanal shops, many of which are housed in lovely mid-19th-century buildings. The Casa Clasal Copper Gallery (Building No. 400; 210-271-3856; lavillita.com/copper) sells everything copper, including a gorgeous set of hammered ewers ($39 to $169). Alice Knight (No. 1700; 210-930-5527; lavillita.com/aliceknight) sells Ms. Knight’s playful and sometimes goofy paintings, as well as her delicate handmade-paper masks (from about $20). During a recent visit the artist’s husband, Jack, was running the store. Is he an artist as well? “She lets me paint the edges,” he said.
5:30 p.m.
2) ITALY COMES TO TEXAS
Five-thirty? What is this, the early-bird special? No, it’s Il Sogno Osteria (Pearl Brewery Complex, 200 East Grayson Street; 210-212-4843), and since it doesn’t take reservations, the crowds line up early. The restaurant, which opened last year, is Andrew Weissman’s wildly successful Italian follow-up to his popular La Rêve, which closed in October. The industrial-chic space fills up with families and couples, some barside, gazing at the wood-burning oven in the open kitchen. Antipasti are a focus (three for $9), including an addictive white bean purée, while the lasagna with wild mushrooms ($19) is a satisfying pasta option. The Nutella tart ($9), a holdover from La Rêve, is achingly decadent.
9 p.m.
3) CHURCH OF ROCK
San Antonio’s music scene may not be as rich as the one an hour and a half north in Austin, but it does have the unusual Casbeers at the Church (1150 South Alamo Street; 210-271-7791; casbeers.com). In 2008, Casbeers, a beloved greasy spoon, moved to an abandoned Mission-style church on the edge of the King William historic district. Downstairs, the crowds enjoy bottles of Shiner Bock ($3.75) and signature chili enchiladas ($4.95 each). Upstairs, there’s stained glass behind the stage, and the audience sits in (padded) pews, enjoying a mix of acts, including local garage-rock stalwarts like Mitch Webb and the Swindles. (Covers vary from free to $20.)
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
4) BREWERY WITHOUT BEER
Starting your Saturday at a brewery? Not to worry. Though it produced beer for over a century, Pearl Brewery (200 East Grayson Street; 210-212-7260; pearlbrewery.com) closed in 2001 and after an elaborate renovation reopened as a mixed-use complex. In addition to a few restaurants (Il Sogno included) and a branch of the Culinary Institute of America, there are a growing number of shops, including Melissa Guerra (210-293-3983; melissaguerra.com), a kitchenware store owned by the cookbook author, and the new Twig Book Shop (210-826-6411; thetwig.booksense.com), an airy spot that offers a nice variety of best sellers and Texas-themed publications. There is also a Saturday morning farmers’ market (pearlfarmersmarket.com), which draws vendors from the area.
Noon
5) BURGERS WITH CONSCIENCE
Don’t oversample at the market, because one of the more unusual dining places in town is a few minutes away in the Five Points neighborhood. The Cove (606 West Cypress Street; 210-227-2683; thecove.us) is a restaurant, car wash, coin laundry and music spot. Its sloppy and satisfying Texas Burger (with refried beans, chips, grilled onion, avocado and salsa; $9) earned the No. 5 spot on Texas Monthly’s 2009 best-of-burgers list. The Cove is also notable for its dedication to “SOL” — sustainable, organic, local — ingredients, and it practices what it preaches with dishes like a salad of roasted organic beets, goat cheese and walnuts ($7) and grilled tilapia tacos ($3.75).
3 p.m.
6) SPIRIT OF THE SMITHSONIAN
San Antonio has a broad visual art scene that ranges from contemporary to folk, with a special concentration on Latino work. There’s a First Friday art walk (southtown.net); nonprofit centers like Artpace (artpace.org); and quality museums like the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Witte Museum and the Briscoe Western Art Museum, which is set to open in 2012. But it’s Museo Alameda (101 South Santa Rosa Avenue; 210-299-4300; thealameda.org) that was chosen as the first official satellite of the Smithsonian. Alameda’s hot-pink exterior belies the straightforward presentations of Latino and Chicano art inside, like an exhibition on Mexican equestrian culture, running through May 2.
5 p.m.
7) HER NAME IS RIO
After the Alamo, the most popular attraction in town is probably the River Walk, a stretch of canal with paths, recently expanded to about four miles, that snakes through downtown (thesanantonioriverwalk.com). Sure it’s touristy, but if you avoid the often overpriced restaurants and bars that line it, a stroll can be lovely, particularly as the sun sets and hanging lights illuminate its picturesque bridges.
7 p.m.
8) EATING UP NORTH
To satisfy a Tex-Mex craving, head out of town to the Far North area, where you’ll see the full extent of San Antonio’s sprawl. Amid miles of highway loops, malls and planned communities, good food and drink await. Family-friendly Aldaco’s Stone Oak (20079 Stone Oak Parkway; 210-494-0561; aldacos-stoneoak.com) serves up big portions in a large, noisy space (a patio overlooking the edges of Hill Country offers respite). The tasty shrimp enchiladas ($15.49) are served with both a cilantro and a chipotle sauce. (A gluten-free menu is also available.)
10 p.m.
9) CLASSIC COCKTAILS
Follow the green glow at Plaza Ciel, a nearby strip mall, to the year-old Green Lantern (20626 Stone Oak Parkway; 210-497-3722; thegreenlanternbar.com), San Antonio’s contribution to the speakeasy trend. There’s no sign, but the low-lighted room and old-school drinks attract young professionals from the area. Settle into one of the comfy booths or cozy up to the mesquite-topped bar and order something from the classics list, like a well-made Sazerac ($8).
Sunday
Noon
10) BRISKET BRUNCH
Texas’s most beloved barbecue is served about an hour north in Hill Country, but the Smokehouse (3306 Roland Avenue; 210-333-9548; thesmokehousesa.com) represents San Antonio proudly. You’ll smell the proof from the parking lot: this is the real deal. Friendly staff members work the 40-foot-long mesquite-wood pits. Order a sandwich or a platter by the pound, including the succulent, charred-on-the-outside brisket ($6.60 for 1/3 pound, with two sides).
3 p.m.
11) FOR THE BIRDS
Walk off those calories at Brackenridge Park (3910 North St. Mary’s Street), a 340-plus-acre green space on the west side of town. The park’s sunken Japanese Tea Garden offers a bit of serenity, while the bustling San Antonio Zoo (sazoo-aq.org; $10; $8 for children 3 to 11) is particularly child-friendly, with a Lory Landing aviary where visitors can feed, and play with, brightly colored lorikeets. A different sort of Texas hospitality, but an entertaining one for sure.
IF YOU GO
Continental offers nonstop service to San Antonio from Newark. A recent Web search found flights in April starting at $275. Flights with stopovers, including in Atlanta (Delta) or Houston (Continental), are often cheaper. The airport is about a 15-minute drive to the city center; a rental car is highly recommended.
There is a seemingly endless array of hotels near the River Walk and the Alamo. A comfortable and convenient option is the 213-room Valencia Riverwalk (150 East Houston Street; 866-842-0100; hotelvalencia-riverwalk.com). Its dark, moody décor is offset by a friendly staff, comfortable beds and valet parking. Doubles and kings, breakfast included, start at $230 (special multiple-night Web rates are lower).
Nearby, the Riverwalk Vista Bed & Breakfast (262 Losoya Street; 210-223-3200; riverwalkvista.com) offers a more boutique experience. Housed in the historic Dullnig building, it has 17 individually designed rooms, with plush leather chairs and big windows, starting at $120.
For more upscale accommodations, the new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa (23808 Resort Parkway; 210-403-3434; jwsanantonio.com) is 30 minutes from downtown, and has 1,000-plus rooms on a 600-acre complex with a large spa, multiple pools and (coming soon) a golf course. Doubles and kings start at $275.
