Downtown San Antonio

Today's weather wasn't the best - cool and overcast - but, we persevered and made plans to go downtown anyway.

First I hit Curves and got that out of the way. Have I mentioned lately how much I abhor exercising?? If not, I've said it again. Anyway, enough whining. Once I got home and got myself ready, we headed out the door. Our first stop was Denny's for breakfast. You know, I keep wanting to really like Denny's 'cause I do like their food, but it seems like every one of them feels dirty. I don't think they are, they just feel like it. Oh, well, we enjoyed our food and didn't die from it so . . .

We went first to Market Square because the campground manager told us it was a great place to visit and an easy place to park. Only $6 for the day - not bad! When we walked into the plaza, I felt like we had walked back into Progreso, Mexico, WITHOUT all the crowds and vendors in my face. :)

The shops were full of typical tourist stuff - t-shirts, jewelry, hats, knickknacks, etc. We meandered through most of the stores, giggling at some of the items. We found a thimble for Reagan (we pick them up everywhere we go for her collection) and a bracelet for me. Of course, I purchase a bracelet at the only non-Mexican shop in the place! Supposedly all the items were handmade by Guatemalens. I don't know if that's true, but I sure like the bracelet.

Leaving the Market, we walked through a nice park that sits next to the hospital There was this mural on the wall of the hospital - I thought it was pretty cool.

We continued our walk through the city toward the Buckhorn & Texas Ranger Museums. Rod & Deb told us this was a must. The Buckhorn is also a saloon and dates from 1881. The bar is actually from the original site on Dolorosa Street. The current saloon and museum is located on Houston Street. In the old days, a cowboy could trade a drink for a set of deer antlers. It seems that tradition is still in effect from the looks of all the antlers hanging from the ceiling.

The building also houses many rooms of wildlife from across the globe. I have never seen so many stuffed animals (and I don't mean the toys!) in my life.

There's even a sea life exhibit where every kind of fish and sea creature is on display. There is also a room in which vintage firearms, cowboy tack, and other Texas paraphernalia can be found. There's a bunch of chairs made with deer antlers!

A new attraction to the Buckhorn is the Texas Ranger Museum. This museum came about from the combined efforts of the Former Texas Ranger Association and the Buckhorn Museum.

You can learn about the early history of the Texas Rangers, peruse displays of specific Rangers who excelled in their jobs and walk through a recreation of old San Antonio that helps you feel what it was like to be a Ranger in the Old West.

We had fun looking at all the exhibits, sitting in the saloon enjoying a drink like the cowboys did, and poking through the Curio Store to see if there was anything we couldn't live without.

We finished our time downtown by walking back to the truck via part of the Riverwalk. What a wonderful day!

If you'd like to see more pictures from our adventure, click here.