When you come to San Antonio for the 2001 Annual Conference, make room in your schedule for some sightseeing and fun. Before you leave your hotel, however, prepare yourself for a typical Texas summer day. Use sunscreen and take the bottle with you for reapplication. The Texas sun can give you a burn at 9:30 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. as easily as it does in the middle of the day. Wear a hat. It will keep you cooler and protect your eyes from the sun's glare. And definitely take water since it is very easy to dehydrate in our warm climate.
If you have a car when you are in San Antonio, you can explore more than just the center of the city and the River Walk. For instance, there are four eighteenth century Spanish missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park which stretches nine miles along the San Antonio River. Although they are active parish churches today, each illustrates a different concept of mission life. If you have time for only one, visit the San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo Mission, known as the "Queen of Missions." The entire mission complex has been restored to the way it looked in the days of the conquistadores. Also on the historical tour would be the 3,300- acre Fort Sam Houston, in use since 1845, with its U.S. Army Medical Museum. You'll also enjoy the peacocks, deer, and rabbits that freely roam the quadrangle there.
Ready for some fun? On the edge of town you will find Seaworld of Texas, a cool respite on a hot June day. It is the largest marine-life park in the world with a variety of exciting water rides and shows. Or maybe you would prefer Six Flags Fiesta Texas. This 200-acre theme park has enough rides and shows to keep anyone entertained, from roller coastersthe world's tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster or "The Joker's Revenge" which goes backwardto water slides to trains.
Another cool escape is Natural Bridge Caverns, about seventeen miles northeast of town, but definitely worth the trip to see formations created by dripping water over thousands of years. Wear some comfortable shoes for the guided tour along paved walkways. Adjacent to the caverns you can also visit the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, which is a drive-through safari where you can view sixty varieties of exotic animals.
There are several quaint and charming Texas towns within an hour's drive of San Antonio. Heading west about twenty miles from IH35 you will find Castroville (www.castroville.com), sometimes called "little Alsace" and best known for its German Alsatian roots. About forty miles northwest of town on Texas 16 is Bandera (www.banderatexas.com), known as the Cowboy Capital of the World. Boernepronounced Bernie(www.ci.boerne.tx.us) is twenty miles northwest on IH10. It is replete with antique shops and history reaching back to the early days of Texas. A more extended trip up IH10 takes you to Kerrville (www.kerrvilletx.com), a scenic Hill Country town and arts center, or to Fredericksburg (www.fredericksburg-texas.com), a small historic town with a wonderful selection of antique shops, B&Bs, and natural attractions.
Due north of San Antonio on US281 is Johnson City (www.johnsoncity-texas.com), location of LBJ's boyhood home. The Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch, fifteen miles west, can be toured only by taking a bus from the nearby LBJ State Historical Park. Going northeast along IH35 for thirty miles you will find New Braunsfels (www.newbraunsfels.com), another German town, boasting the Hummel Museum and Schlitterbahn, a fantastic water park with seventeen different waterslides, seven inner tube chutes, and hot tubs. FUN! Fifteen miles farther on IH35 is San Marcos (www.sanmarcos.com) with a glass- bottomed boat tour of Aquarena Springs and two outlet malls. If you have lots of time, continue thirty miles up the road to Austin (austin360.com/acvb) where you will find enough to keep you busy for days.
Or maybe you want to go east on IH10 to Sequin where you will find "the world's largest pecan." If you do decide to go, read True Women an award-winning novel by Janice Woods Windle for some background on life in Seguin.
If these do not provide you with enough choices, the Texas Travel Guide is online at (www.traveltex.com). Texas is indeed a state of unlimited opportunities. Y'all come!
For more information,
contact Carolyn Ernst
(carolyn.ernst@fiservicesinc.com)
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