Deep in the Heart of Texas... Day #1

Remember the Alamo-Traveling to San Antonio and The Alamo

Sunday, July 26, 2015 

Chris and I had been planning this trip with our kids for several months and the day had finally arrived! It started off like a traditional regular Sunday as we headed for Sunday morning church... this time with a PACKED trunk and car! After church we headed southwest to San Antonio. Naturally, we stopped at Buc-ee's in Luling where we found practically the REST OF TEXAS also trying to use the "best bathrooms in the state" at the same time we were!

Our traditional "Happy Sunday Y'all" picture before we head to church! 

We are on the road headed west! 

It would not be a Texas vacation without a stop at Buc-ee's! 

This was the smallest and busiest Buc-ee's I have ever been to! 

We arrived at our hotel in Downtown around 2:45PM and got checked in and then went to get settled into our room. We stayed at the Best Western Alamo Suites Downtown just south of the River-Walk, near Market Square. We had stayed here before and were satisfied so we tried it again. This is a great value hotel option with LARGE all-suites rooms with full size refrigerators, kitchen areas and sofas. It is in a very convenient area of town with incredibly easy access to I-35 and I-10. The travel time to downtown was less than 5 minutes and SeaWorld was within 20 minutes, even during traffic time! I would highly recommend it for those trying to stay within a budget! It was very upscale for Best Western as well. 

After getting settled we headed to the Alamo where we found FREE metered parking along commerce street! This was a great find as we knew metered parking was free on Sundays! Despite the heat and humidity and the "adult-ness" of the Alamo, our kids did an AMAZING job and I was very impressed with them! Luke loved walking around the inside and looking at the small creek, fountains and even the cactus! Natalie loved trying to read about the battles and looking at artifacts. They both LOVED the swords too! After a short stop in the gift shop for a snow-globe we were headed to the River-Walk!

Hello from the Alamo! 

The kids loved all the shade inside the Alamo! 

Luke especially loved the swards and cannons! 

Chris liked the Confederate Flag! 

More from the Alamo! 

We made our way down to the River-Walk and started by going into the Rainforest Cafe in hopes of coming back for dinner that night! Luke almost immediately freaked out as we passed through the doors and then the massive tiger upstairs roared at Natalie so we just continued to walk down the river. We decided a River Boat ride would be a great way for the kids to see the whole river. This boat ride was $8.99 for adults and $5.95 for kids and had several loading points along the river. I would recommend you NOT load at the RiverCenter Mall or the Omni hotel. We loaded near Casa Rio Restuarant and were able to pay and get right on. The kids loved this ride and so did Chris and I! It gave us HIGH HOPES for our upcoming November Thanksgiving cruise!

Waiting to get on the boat! 

Luke was in love with the boat before we even left the dock! 

Nattie and I sailing down the river! 

Family Selfie... Poor kids needed sunglasses! 

It was time to leave downtown and check out a hidden gem from my high school years called The Magic Time Machine. This was themed restaurant where ALL of the service staff dressed up and acted like a different character. We saw pirates, fairies, Anna from Frozen, Star Wars characters and so much more. The food was not incredible but it was still good and the experience was very memorable, just as it was back in 1998 when I first went there! The kids ordered "magic potions" for their drink and were able to go to the "magic truck salad bar". Again, it was an incredible dinner full of fun memories and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to San Antonio with kids. It costs about $10-20 per person for food but is still worth it! 

The Magic Time Machine San Antonio... DO IT! Just do it! It is incredible! 

The Magic Salad Bar truck! 

There were characters for EVERYONE! 

Anna was actually our waitress and she did an incredible job staying in character! 

My kids LOVE Cat in the Hat! 

This was priceless as Natalie smacked Obiwan Kanobi in the face with his own lightsabre! 

Selfie with Captain Jack Sparrow! 

Happy 6th Birthday Natalie Grace! 

Happy 3rd Birthday Luke! 

After nearly 2 hours in The Magic Time Machine we headed back towards the hotel for some swimming in the indoor pool. Our kids LOVE swimming in hotel pools and this one did not disappoint! We then turned in for the evening as we knew Monday would be a jammed packed day (literally) at SeaWorld! 

Day was GREAT and we were looking forward to Day #2 at SeaWorld! 

Next up... SeaWorld part 1! 

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!