San Antonio Breweries
Alamo Beer Company
- You’ve been to the Alamo, but have you been to Alamo Beer Company? Selling one brand of beer out of the back of a pickup truck, evolved into Alamo Beer Company. The location is a little difficult to find, but it is an enormous space with large outdoor patio, tap room with 7 beers on draft, and a parking lot that may be larger than the building itself.
Roadmap Brewing Company
- A short walk from Alamo Beer Company is Roadmap Brewing Company with 13 beers on tap. The dog friendly taproom has corn hole and boards games.
Kunstler Brewing
- Kunstler Brewery serves German beer and food with Texan vibes. The Chamuco Spiced Porter brewed with chocolate, vanilla, chili peppers, and cinnamon was by far our favorite beer on draft. We recommend driving or riding a Bird scooter to the brewery opposed to walking due to some unsavory nearby streets.
Pearl Brewery
- Once the largest brewery in the state of Texas, The Pearl, was named after the San Antonio Brewing Association’s best selling beer. Beer delivery draft horses were originally kept in the oval shaped building. Pearl Brewery is no longer an active brewery, but Southerleigh, located in The Pearl, does brew their own beer.
- For affordable cocktails, DJ, and a place to wear that tweed blazer with elbow patches visit the Blue Box Bar. We recommend ordering a Bee’s Knees cocktail it’s… the bee’s knees.
- Located in the original 130 year old boiler room of the Pearl Brewery is Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden. Most of the architecture and fixtures from the original room still remain.
Sternewirth Tavern & Club Room
- Sternewirth Tavern & Club Room has a great cocktail list, comfortable seating, and complimentary chili and garlic roasted peanuts. Seating is also available inside original beer fermentation vessels (pictured left).
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
- We recommend making dinner reservations at Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery on a Saturday night, but if seats aren’t available to-go beers can be purchased at the end of the bar near the hostess. Southerleigh beers cannot be drank in the nearby Sternewirth Tavern & Club Room, but are welcome in the Hotel Emma lobby and outdoor fireplace or along the river at the Amphitheatre at Pearl. Our favorite draft beer was the Caturro Coffee Cream Ale with hint of chocolate and hazelnut.
Hotel Emma
- From a 19th century brew house to a riverfront hotel, Hotel Emma is a blend of modern amenities and historic luxury.
La Villita Historic Arts Village
- Located in the center of downtown, La Villeta was one of the original towns of San Antonio. The village consisting of 20 boutique shops selling unique handmade gifts, leather, accessories and clothing, art work, and soap is smaller than we expected. The shops and 4 cafes are open Sunday 11:00am – 4:00pm and Monday – Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm. La Villeta is also accessible from the River Walk.
Historic Market Square
- Located downtown San Antonio is historic Market Square, the United States’ largest Mexican market. Since the 1820’s, locals and tourists have been gathering to dance, shop, and eat at more than 100 shops and vendors selling folk art, souvenirs, crafts, handmade gifts, Mexican food, jewelry, authentic Mexican clothing, and handmade gifts. Live outdoor music, lights, colorful decor, and Mexican vibes make Market Square a fun place to check out.
- At night, hidden among the closed restaurants and shops in Market Square is the 24 hour Tex-Mex Restaurant, Mi Terra Cafe & Bakery.
- El Mercado, located in Market Square, is an indoor market with more than 30 shops and a farmer’s market.
Tower of the Americas
- The Tower of the Americas restaurant, Chart House, resides 750 ft above the ground. The dining room tables, located along the outside of the restaurant rotate 360 degrees, providing diners with a complete view of San Antonio.
Traveling Gingerbread Tip: Fully booked on OpenTable Martin Luther King weekend, we called the restaurant and had no problem getting reservations for 2 at our preferred time and date.
Blue Star Arts Complex
Over 10 art galleries and 7 restaurants are located within the Blue Star Arts Complex.
- Blue Star Brewing Company brews 100% organic beer. An experimental Barnstormer Series provides new flavors in addition to the 11 draft beers. The Texan, brewed for South Texas easy drinking, tastes even better after biking the San Antonio Mission Trail.
- Blue Star Provisions is a small market selling apparel, unique grocery items like Merlot pasta, and gifts.
- We rented bikes from Blue Star Bicycling Company. Half day rentals are $20 per bike including a helmet and locking chain. Access to the Mission Trail is just across the parking lot. Being a windy day with few people biking, Blue Star Bike Shop was very generous with the return time for our half day rentals.
Bike the Mission Trial
- Accessing the Mission Trail at Blue Start Arts Complex, it is about 2 miles to Mission Concepión. It’s roughly 18 miles to see all 4 of the Missions along the South portion of the trail. We love this map of the Mission Trail. The missions are located a couple miles off the riverwalk trail with continued signage along the road, but once leaving the riverwalk the estimated distance is inaccurate at times. There are also other points of interest marked along the trail. We recommend bringing water and snacks for the journey.
Mission San José
- Known as the Queen of the Missions due to its massive size, Mission San José Catholic Church was found in 1797 and has been relocated 3 times from its original location.
- The creator and significance of the Rose Window located on the South side of the church (pictured right) remain unknown, but the window is known for being one of North America’s best remnants of baroque architecture.
Mission Concepión
- Although the colorful patterns have faded, Mission Conceptión is currently America’s oldest, unreconstructed church.
The Riverwalk
More than 70 dining options and 20 bars are only a small portion of the 15 mile San Antonio River Walk. Dotted with foot bridges and stairways, it is easy to bounce between river front and street level dining, shopping, and entertainment.
- We enjoyed a pint of Guinness at Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub with live piano music and complimentary peanuts. As of January 2019 more than 516 tons of peanuts have been shelled.
- A change of pace from Tex Mex and Italian, we were excited to stumble upon the Quarry Hofbrau & Bier Garden with German music, beer, and food.
The Alamo
- If you have never been to The Alamo, it’s worth a visit. Entrance to the Alamo is free and the long line moves quickly. Self guided audio tours are available to purchase. Behind the complex is a living museum and a 48 minute video on the history of the Alamo.
January 2019
The Traveling Gingerbread 
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