We were staying on Galveston Island at the KOA when our friends invited us to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. We met them when we all lived in Oceanside, CA. They had also moved from Colorado to California. 2021 brought about changes for everyone, and they moved to San Antonio. We’re always up for an adventure, so we booked a spot at Admiralty RV Resort in San Antonio for Thanksgiving weekend.

The drive from Bolivar Peninsula to San Antonio was long and tedious. I worked the entire time Tom drove. We were amazed at the traffic we experienced before we even hit San Antonio. We came to a standstill around Seguin then, stop-and-go until just outside of San Antonio.

Thanksgiving morning, we made our way to our friend’s house for a Thanksgiving breakfast of pineapple pancakes, breakfast tacos, and bacon. As a mom of older children, it is always fun having a toddler around. As long as they belong to someone else. We spent the day catching up and hanging out. Dinner was delicious, and before we knew it, it was time to go home. We hadn’t seen these friends since January. It was splendid to spend hours playing with their toddler and catching up. You don’t always realize what you are missing in life until you get to experience it. We were definitely missing some good times with even better friends.

Friday found us working and doing laundry at the Admiralty RV Resort before heading to the River Walk in downtown San Antonio for a boat parade. Our family showed up a little early and spent some time walking around downtown before meeting up with our friends. We didn’t explore the River Walk because a ticket was required, and our friends had the tickets. When we all found each other, we headed to our seats to await the beginning of the parade. There were not as many shops and restaurants as I was expecting. There weren’t any right near us. Such a fun night. There were carolers in kayaks, carolers on riverboat barge things, a comedian in a bumper boat, and Santa Claus to round it all out. Our friends surprised us with lighted swords, and we had marshmallows and miniature candy canes because the hot cocoa person didn’t show up to work the drinks boat. Life was good. The parade lasted roughly an hour, and after we attempted to eat at Bubba Gump’s, but they were closed. With a toddler, our friends headed out while we went in search of dinner away from the craziness of downtown. We ended up at Willie’s Icehouse on our way home, where we enjoyed a tasty dinner before home and bed.

One cannot visit San Antonio without a visit to The Alamo. Saturday, we reserved tickets for entrance to the church and purchased the audio tour. We strolled the grounds of The Alamo, listening to the audio tour and reading the signs learning the history of The Alamo and Texas. The girls had an assignment earlier in the week to write a one-page essay on The Alamo. They were eager to share their knowledge as we came upon things they’d read about. History is always so fascinating. When you stop and think about what you are reading and how it happened upon the ground you are standing. We spent about two-and-a-half hours exploring and learning before heading off in search of a late lunch.

Tom searched for restaurants while I took photos of doorways and buildings. He found a Rainforest Cafe on the map, and being Liv’s newest favorite place, we headed there. The entrance was downstairs on the River Walk. As we walked down the stairs, we saw this area was much cuter than the area we’d sat for the parade. There were also a lot more restaurants and shops. More what I’d thought it would be. With a thirty-five to forty-five-minute wait for lunch, we chose to stroll along the River Walk, no destination in mind. What a cute little area they have created along the San Antonio River. Shops and restaurants galore hidden below the tall buildings blocking out the shadows above. We walked to the RiverCenter before turning back toward the Rainforest Cafe. While eating lunch, we decided to extend our stay by a day and check out the San Antonio Zoo. Who wants to be on the roads with all the other travelers anyway?!? We were disappointed by our Rainforest Cafe experience. We were seated on the second floor in a corner that didn’t have much going on. Tom and Liv ventured to the bathrooms upstairs and discovered that the third floor was the best floor. After lunch, I’d had enough of peopling, and we headed home for work, cleaning, and relaxing.

Sunday morning was spent in bed reading and working. Late Sunday morning, we sat down to a lunch of ribs made in the Instant Pot and brussels sprouts made on the Blackstone. The guy across the street from us was a very angry drunk who was screaming and yelling, at one point kicking things around between two trailers. Apparently, the manager had spoken to him and only aggravated the situation. He continued his obscenity-laced yelling after she left. A cop rolled up and talked to him for a bit before leaving without him. A woman came walking from the side of his trailer, and he was yelling obscenities aimed at her. The park ended up moving her. We left for the zoo, and when we got back, things were quiet. Nothing like lunch and a show.

The San Antonio Zoo is a great way to spend the afternoon. They have Zoo Lights going right now, so we planned our visit to see the animals before they went to bed and enjoy the Zoo Lights. When we walked in, we asked about a map and were given a kid’s map with a QR code for the actual map. We scanned the QR code and gave the kid’s map back. Trying to figure out the map on my tiny phone screen was frustrating, so we didn’t use it. It was easy to miss things if you weren’t paying attention. Komodo Dragons are our favorite lizard, and we were lucky to see two babies hatched at the San Antonio Zoo between October 17 and October 27, 2021. We saw African Wild Dogs for the first time. They have enormous heads and ears. This zoo was nice, had some exotic animals we’d never seen, and was a great way to get steps in. We grabbed a bite to eat before walking part of the zoo again for the lights. The park got busier as the evening progressed, and a ton of screaming little enjoying the lights. My peopleometer hit sensory overload, and my anxiety kicked in. Which makes me snappy, and it’s best for everyone if we exit stage left. So we didn’t enjoy the lights as much as I would have liked, but we did make sure we got to see some. The pink section was our favorite. Or maybe the light tunnel was our favorite. Either way, we’d visit again.

San Antonio has a lot to offer, and while I wish we had more time, I’m not entirely sad to see San Antonio in the rearview mirror.

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