Brit guy visiting Texas for a week

Hi Guys and Gals

I%26#39;ve been pretty much forced into taking a holiday as my company says i have to use my remaining 5.5 days before the end of march.

So i was thinking of going to a place - which i%26#39;ve always wanted to go, Texas!

So although its only a week and i%26#39;ll be on my lonesome i was just seeing what people thought of my rough plan. Bearing in mind i%26#39;ll be relying on public transport rather than using a car. Also i%26#39;ll have to be wary of which towns i pick as i%26#39;m not sure how many parts of Texas airlines fly to from London.

Fly in from Gatwick to San Antonio

Stay 3 nights in a hostel

Get Amtrak to Austin

Stay 4 nights in a hostel

Fly back to Gatwick

So you think this is too much time in one area? Should i check out any smaller towns on the way? Would love to meet some locals who would welcome a tourist.

Hmmmm i%26#39;m sure i have lots of questions, but thats it for now

Thanks in advance :)

Andy

Brit guy visiting Texas for a week

I didn%26#39;t even know a train ran from San Antone to Austin, very interesting! Anyway, first of all, WELCOME to our great state. We are always glad to have visitors! We are fifth generation Texans, we live in Corpus Christi, about an hour 1/2 from San Antonio and we lived in Austin for about 6 years. You made a good choice as there are many things to do. This is a great time to visit, not 110 degrees yet. March is a great time as the wildflowers are usually out in full force and Austin and surrounding areas are a great place to experience them. Of course, the riverwalk in S.A. is a must, VERY touristy but even the local Texan%26#39;s love to go for a weekend getaway. There are great bars and places to eat. Try one of the dualing piano bars, very fun and the Mexican food at nearly any of the restaurants is good. I can%26#39;t remember the name of the one we always go to, we just know where it is! When is Austin, getting around is easy due to the public transportation and the fact the U.T is right in the middle of town. Sixth Street is famous for bars,bars,bars and Austin is the Live Music Capitol of the World but also check out the bars on 5th street, less college, more professionals. Zilker Park and Barton Springs is very nice, huge park where you can just kick back. If you like disc golf there are some great places to play as well around there. If you can find your way out to the lake, go! It%26#39;s really beautiful and you can experience the now-overpopulated hill country but still is nice. Great restaurants overlooking the lake where you can watch the sunset. You really can%26#39;t experience Texas until you get out of the city and into the little towns. That%26#39;s where the real Texan%26#39;s live. But anywhere you go, you will find the friendliest people on the planet, we are very proud of our state and will go to great lengths to make your stay a memory maker. Enjoy and hope you make some great friends.

Brit guy visiting Texas for a week

I%26#39;m not big into hostels but your plan sounds decent....

Keep in mind that in **MY** opinion, if you don%26#39;t get out into the suburbs of San Antonio or Austin, you%26#39;re not seeing the REAL Texas. I don%26#39;t want to start any arguments but SA and Austin are just like AnyCity, USA for the most part. Rent a car and drive out to Gruene, Wimberly or Fredricksburg. If I only (1) place to take friends, I would drive them out to Lockhart from Austin just for the BBQ at Black%26#39;s, Kruez and Smitty%26#39;s. Now that%26#39;s the spirit of Texas right there!!

But back to your plan....definitely do the Alamo and Riverwalk in SA.

Zilker Park, Barton Springs and maybe 6th Street in downtown Austin are the standard hot spots. The ';Texas State History Museum'; downtown is VERY good, especially for somebody like yourself who wants to really see Texas.

Hi All

Thanks very much for the tips and advice so far. I%26#39;m really starting to build a picture of what to do and how to do it!

However even though llike 90% of you have said things will be easier with a car - i think i will be travelling mostly by train or cab. I%26#39;ve used the Amtrak on the East coast before - granted this service looks like it only runs once or twice a day.

Obviously it%26#39;ll be easy to get from San Antonio to Austin - however what do you think of visiting the smaller towns on the way? According to the website the train stops at : San Antonio, San Marcos, Austin, Taylor, Temple %26amp; McGregor. It stops at Dallas and such - but i dont want to travel too far from Austin %26amp; San Antonio

www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer鈥?/a>

Or failing that is there another decent small town nearby i could get a cab to or something?

Its not something i have to do - just would be nice to see it for a night or so. Just an idea!

Already looking forward to meeting some Texans in person! :)

Cheers (again)

Andy

note - I have posted this in both my posts in the Texas forums

I don%26#39;t want to discourage you in your plan. However, keep in mind that Amtrak in Texas isn%26#39;t as ';commuter'; oriented as it is in the Northeast US. The Texas Eagle is infamous for delays due to the requirement that Amtrak yield to freight trains- Amtrak does not own the railroad tracks- so you can find yourself sitting on sidings for a long wait sometimes. Also, you have to be careful if you make plans or reservations.

That said, if you really, really want to take the train to a small town, I think either San Marcos or Temple would be reasonable choices for an overnight stay. You might want to study up on each town and see if the areas around the train stations offer what you want.

Another idea, going out of Austin, might be to see if there is a shuttle that could take you to Georgetown- it has a nice courthouse and square downtown.

Andy,

Like Poodleone, I don%26#39;t want to discourage you in your plans. But we REALLY want you to enjoy your visit to Texas and not spend most of your visit thwarted by transportation issues.

I have lived in McGregor, which you%26#39;ll notice is a stop on the Texas Eagle route, for 7 years. In that entire 7 years, I have NOT ONCE seen, heard, or otherwise made a mental note of a passenger train. Freight trains, yes. Passenger train, no. I lived on the East Coast for a long time and logged many miles on the Amtrak up there, traveling from Washington DC to Boston and many points in between. I%26#39;m a fan of trains. If we had a train here which was a realistic alternative, I%26#39;d spend many more weekends in Dallas or San Antonio. So I%26#39;m not ';anti-train';. I just want you to have a very clear idea of what you%26#39;re getting yourself into.

That being said, I%26#39;d probably skip staying overnight in the smaller towns and take a guided tour of some sort from Austin or San Antonio.

Here%26#39;s a steam engine that tours the Hill Country:

http://www.austinsteamtrain.org/

Here%26#39;s a cruise on Lake Buchanan:

http://www.vtrc.com/

(both of those are close to Austin, although you%26#39;ll have to figure out how to get there from Austin)

Here%26#39;s a guided tour of Fredericksburg (near San Antonio):

http://www.conventionsa.com/guidedtours.html

I haven%26#39;t ever taken any of these tours, but judging from the maps of where they go, you may find them interesting and it%26#39;ll give you a taste of the smaller towns outside of San Antonio and Austin.

If you do want to spend the night in a smaller town, my leaning would be San Marcos. Texas State University is there, and it%26#39;s close to New Braunfels and Greune (pronounced ';green';) which are both worth a stop. Again.... I don%26#39;t know how to tell you to get around once you%26#39;re in San Marcos. San Marcos does have taxis, but you can%26#39;t hail them from just any street corner.

Keep asking questions!!

I highly recommend the barge ride along the Riverwalk in San Antonio, which is a great tourist spot with lots of historical interest - the Alamo, old missions - it%26#39;s a unique city in the U.S. I, too, would recommend getting out and seeing the outside of the cities, but, since you only have a week, your plan to stay in the Hill country around Austin and San Antonio is a good one. If you%26#39;re lucky, and you come in March after some warm weather, you may be lucky enough to see our gorgeous bluebonnets, best appreciated on long country drives, but also at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower center in Austin. Blanco and Fredericksburg are good little quaint Tx hill-country towns, if you rent a car (although Fredericksburg is too ';Disney-world'; touristy for me). I can almost guarantee you that if you are friendly and strike up conversations, you will meet native Texans who will fall all themselves to help you out, give you tips on restaurants, etc. (especially in the smaller towns)

Howdy!

Do be sure to check out the Riverwalk in San Antonio! Its very beautiful, and taking the boat ride in the evening is perfect. They have great outdoor malls in San Antonio and many good cultural areas, such as the Market Square www.marketsquaresa.com/?res=1280%26ver=true

I%26#39;ve lived in Texas all my life, and I live south of Houston now, and San Antonio was a great choice, it is so beautiful there! Austin is also great, and both cities offer lots of entertainment. If you ever get to, Houston can be a great place to visit as well, it has lots of museums, galleries, malls, etc. I hope you have fun in San Antonio!

Hey Andy,

A couple nights in the Menger Hotel, built in 1859, in SA would be great. It%26#39;s walking distance to the Alamo %26amp; the Riverwalk, and has a very historic bar. A Fri. or Sat. night at the old dancehall (Gruene Hall) just outside of New Braunfels in the historic district of Gruene is almost mandatory. I helped a couple from NYC on their 2-week vac. in Texas and they loved New Braunfels %26amp; Gruene. Try any Rudy%26#39;s location for great Bar BQ.

In Austin, try the orginal Chuy%26#39;s (off Barton Springs Rd.) for great Tex-Mex %26amp; local atmosphere. The Broken Spoke for a true, old Texas dancehall experience if that%26#39;s what you%26#39;re looking for. Tell the owner at the front door with the grey hat, James White, that you%26#39;re %26#39;not from around here%26#39;, and you%26#39;ll be welcomed as family. You might get lucky and run into Willie Nelson while you%26#39;re in there. Sit at the counter at Hutt%26#39;s (on 6th St.) for one of the best hamburgers %26amp; shakes or cold beer in town. Welcome to Texas!

bloom-