Andy Rhodes | 16 October 2023
A twin-city tour of urban Texas
From the missions of San Antonio to the cultural hits of state capital Austin, a two-city tour of Texas offers very different takes on the Lone Star State...
From the missions of San Antonio to the cultural hits of state capital Austin, a two-city tour of Texas offers very different takes on the Lone Star State...
Austin is on the up. Its population has doubled over the past three decades, making it the 11th-largest city in America, and it continues to lure entrepreneurs in search of opportunities. It’s even drawing attention from across the pond, with non-stop flights from the UK introducing a growing number of travellers to its food scene (the barbecue and Tex-Mex are top notch), live music and cultural attractions.
It’s nothing new. People have been flocking to this area for some time. The region’s abundant springs and food sources first drew Indigenous Americans to the area 10,000 years ago. By the early 1800s, Germans, Czechs and newcomers from the eastern US had started to claim land here, developing a small settlement into a bustling city. It has been growing ever since.
The Lone Star State gets its nickname from the single star on the Texas flag, which was created after gaining its independence (Shutterstock)
The heart of Austin’s cultural aspirations – the Texas State Capitol and University of Texas – are all within a 2km area downtown. The city’s graceful Capitol building presides over the centre with its 1888 Neo-Renaissance exterior, constructed of hefty pink granite and perched on a leafy hilltop. Pedants will enjoy the fact that it was deliberately designed to be 4.5m taller than Washington, DC’s US Capitol building. It’s the finer details that set it apart, from its famous Lone Star embellishments to the colourful floor tiles and ornate chandeliers.
From there, it’s a five-minute stroll along the new, open-air Capitol Mall to the University of Texas, another institution befitting the state’s enormity, with more than 50,000 students on its 145-hectare campus. At the northern tip of the Mall is the Blanton Museum of Art, distinguished by a courtyard of 11m-tall metal flowers. As one of the largest university art museums in the nation, the terracotta-roofed Blanton boasts an esteemed Latin American art collection. Also on site is Ellsworth Kelly’s ‘Austin’ building and installation, featuring coloured windows that bathe its interior in a vibrant multi-hued prism.
The Bullock Texas State History Museum tells the story of Texas (Shutterstock)
Austin’s University of Texas was founded in 1883 with one building and 221 students – now it educates over 50,000 people a year and has a host of museums (Shutterstock)
Across the street is the Bullock Texas State History Museum, showcasing the Lone Star State’s proud heritage. The museum welcomes visitors with an enormous metal star at the entrance and unravels the state’s larger-than-life history within, ranging from cowboy culture to oil discovery, to Nasa’s celestial missions.
Perhaps the highest-profile campus destination is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, dedicated to America’s 36th president, a Texas icon. The monolithic ten-storey facility has memorabilia, manuscripts and artefacts, including a replica of the White House’s Oval Office during LBJ’s tenure.
Johnson’s wife, known as Lady Bird, was devoted to the environment, and her namesake Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on the outskirts of town highlights a collection of Austin’s natural attractions. The centre spans more than 70 hectares of rolling Texas prairie, with a spectrum of botanical blessings representing the region’s natural beauty.
Also drawing nature lovers is Austin’s downtown Barton Springs Pool, which has been a source of refreshment for nearly a century and is replenished by revitalising 20°C spring water – a necessity for Austin’s scorching summer temperatures, which can reach up to 40°C. Nearby, the 16km Hike and Bike Trail is filled with exercisers and pedestrians enjoying stunning views of the ever-evolving skyline along Lady Bird Lake.
San Antonio predates the founding of the United States in 1776 by more than half a century, making it ancient by Texas standards. The city’s origins are tied to the Spanish-settled village of San Fernando de Béxar. One of the first sites developed was the mission San Antonio de Valero, now known as the Alamo. The remaining missions – Concepción, Espada, San José and San Juan – were built between 1720 and 1731 to expand Spain’s presence in the New World and convert the area’s Indigenous people to Catholicism.
From the 1740s through the 1780s, the missions thrived, but momentum slowed at the end of the century when other tribes encroached and European diseases decimated the Indigenous population. In 1824, the missions’ chapels transferred to secular clergy.
The Alamo and its story of heroic sacrifice has long since swept into Texan mythology (Shutterstock)
San Antonio later became a major hub of activity during the Texas Revolution and was famously tied to the legendary 1836 Battle of the Alamo. Once Texas entered the Union in 1845, newcomers arrived by the thousand, many of them involved with the cattle-driving industry.
San Antonio flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s thanks to new transportation systems and military bases; by the 1960s, the city had gained a reputation as a popular travel destination due to its history, moderate climate and mid-continental location.
Mission Concepción’s church was first dedicated in 1755 and remains the oldest unrestored stone church still standing in America (Alamy)
Mission San José was founded in 1720 and was the largest of the missions built in the area during this period – at its peak it contained around 350 Indigenous neophytes (Alamy)
Texas’ top travel destination, the Alamo, is a humble chapel with a memorable legend, and its timeless tale of heroic resistance in the face of impossible odds continues to entice international travellers to San Antonio to this day.
It is also undergoing its biggest upgrade in nearly a century. New features now surround the site, providing more context about the Alamo’s origins. A major expansion of the exhibition space will also showcase a collection of artefacts donated by (of all people) the British singer Phil Collins. The former Genesis drummer developed a fascination with Walt Disney’s shortlived 1950s Davy Crockett TV series as a youngster and went on to amass a huge collection of relics, weapons and original documents, which will now go on display.
The Alamo is often referred to as a shrine, which rightfully conjures images of a mythical and sacred place drawing faithful devotees. To Texans, it has essentially become that, though its origins are rooted in the early missions of the Spanish colonists. Be sure to catch the introductory lecture from knowledgeable guides offering insight into the site’s continuing legacy.
San Antonio’s 24km River Walk is a delight (Alamy)
Each summer, nearly a million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from beneath Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk. The swelling cloud of chirping mammals billowing from their concrete catacombs is worth the wait.
Austin earned its ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ moniker due to two major festivals: Austin City Limits, an institution that evolved from an old TV show into a huge music festival, and cultural juggernaut South by Southwest, which has been a popular launchpad for international music acts since 1987.
Usually it’s a case of old buildings being converted into hip breweries. San Antonio has flipped the cliché with its Pearl Brewery District, which has been repurposed from a brewhouse complex into a high-end stay, plus shops and eateries. Elsewhere, the San Antonio Museum of Art sits in what was once the Lone Star Brewery.
Tex-Mex is king here, with Casa Rio on San Antonio’s River Walk offering a good intro. But you’ll also find excellent ‘interior’ Mexican food, which uses more complex ingredients and flavours. Authentic bites await at La Fonda in San Antonio and at Austin’s Fonda San Miguel.
The Driskill (Hyatt)
The Driskill, Austin
Austin’s impressive downtown hotel embodies history, sophistication and all things Texas. Built in 1886 for a cattle baron, The Driskill offers guests a luxurious and walkable option to experience Austin’s urban charms. The lobby boasts a stained-glass domed ceiling and handsome marble floor, while rooms feature intricate woodwork, period furnishings and sweeping views of the historic downtown. Other highlights include the delectable Driskill Grill and a useful fitness studio with massage tables.
Hotel Emma (Alamy)
Hotel Emma, San Antonio
San Antonio’s Hotel Emma, set within the historic Pearl Brewery District, exudes a refined air. This 146-room upscale riverfront hotel is the visual and cultural centre of the district, and it has plenty of great architectural details. Colourful tiles, period chandeliers, industrial fans and exposed pipes all nod to the building’s former life. The rooms are similarly appealing, with local touches such as leather and rustic furnishings co-existing naturally with hints of the former brewhouse’s brick-walled past.
(Alamy)
Getting there: Both Virgin Atlantic and British Airways fly direct from London Heathrow to Austin; flights take from around ten hours. Austin’s airport is modestly sized but noteworthy for its live-music stage. There are no direct flights from the UK to San Antonio, though several carriers, including United and Lufthansa, offer reasonable options, typically with a stop in Houston. These take from 13.5 hours.
Getting around: Central Texas is notoriously behind the times when it comes to public transport, but you can easily grab a ride share or taxi from either Austin (20 mins) or San Antonio (30 mins) airports to their respective downtown areas. But it’s often simpler to just rent a car, as it’s only a 128km drive between the two cities; alternatively, the Greyhound bus can do this journey in two hours (greyhound.com; £11).
More information: A good resource is the Visit Austin site, plus its downtown visitor centre also hosts the Austin Duck Adventures amphibious tour service. The Visit San Antonio site is similarly useful.
Get the very best of Wanderlust by signing up to our newsletters, full of travel inspiration, fun quizzes, exciting competitions and exclusive offers.