Touring Texas



Mission San José

A week off work means a week down south, and a very warm one at that. Texas in the summer is hot hot hot, and also not very crowded. (Bonus!) I've been explaining the experience to people as "it's like you just opened the pre-heated oven door, except that's the door to the street." Fortunately, the A/C is blasting all day every day, so a cool escape is always near.

Let's start off with the San José Mission in San Antonio. There are five Spanish Missions of Old San Antonio scattered along the San Antonio River. These establishments were built by Spanish Catholic religious orders who trained the native peoples to cultivate the land and adopt new culture, in order to live sustainably and prosper. These sites were built in 1720 (The Alamo) and 1731 (San José, San Juan, Concepcion and Espada). The missions are free UNESCO World Heritage Sites which still run as active parishes. When it isn't 100°F I'd totally do a bike tour of the four latter missions.



Market Street - The Woodlands 

We stayed in The Woodlands for most of the trip, which is a community on the outskirts of Houston. It's a welcoming area with some nice attractions and great shopping. Market Street is one of the hot spots, with it's old school cinema and a beautiful green square. There are fountains and patio seating during the day, along with outdoor concerts on Thursday nights.  

Downtown San Antonio - Across from The Alamo

Three hours from Houston, you'll find the beautiful city of San Antonio. Amidst many historic buildings, there are some bright and unique areas to walk through like Market Square. Here in El Merdcado you'll be immediately transported to Mexico while exploring the colourful streets and authentic restaurants. There's some souvenir shopping and cool cafés with a less-than-american vibe to them.

El Mercado - San Antonio

Another must-see in San Antonio would be their famous River Walk. This 2.5-mile-long walkway along the San Antonio river lies just below the regular city streets and is absolutely free to explore. There are shops and restaurants on either side, and affordable boat tours down the water.



San Antonio River Walk

We had to fit in some Texas BBQ, so ribs, turkey and corn were the lunch of choice at a restaurant called The County Line which is located on the River Walk.



Japanese Garden in Hermann Park

Our final attraction in central Houston was the picturesque Japanese Garden in Hermann Park. This is another free attraction, though it does have opening and closing hours. An ideal day would include visiting the museums (fine art and natural science), then walking through the University of Houston and this beautiful Japanese garden. There are also a few state parks in the Houston area, which would be fun to visit especially if you're into alligators!

See what I got on our various Texas shopping trips in my most recent video:

Happy travels!

xx