Compare San Antonio: Heart of the City, Heart of the Hill Country by Road Scholar vs Sunsets & Southern Charms by Tours of Distinction

Day 1
Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
San Antonio, TX D Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
Afternoon: Hotel check-in after 3:00PM. If you like, stop by the hotel meeting room between 3:00 and 4:30 to meet the group leader and get your materials. At the 4:30 meeting, the Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date Daily Schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions you may have. Indicated times are approximate. Program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We have set aside some free time in the schedule for your personal independent exploration. The Group Leader will often be available during free time to accompany informal excursions, activities, or meals that have been excluded from the program cost. You are welcome to join if you like, with any associated costs on your own. Your group leader will give you an overview of San Antonio, explaining how the River Walk was developed and providing a short explanation about how various cultures converged on the area to make it the unique place that it is today. You’ll also find out about activities you may want to include during your free time

Dinner: After the meeting, if you wish, you may enjoy the kickback reception on the 2nd floor of the hotel, featuring free hot food and cold drinks, during each day of your stay. The group will continue to get acquainted over dinner at a nearby restaurant, featuring a variety of entrée choices.

Day 2
Lecture, River Walk, Alamo, Downtown Exploration
San Antonio, TX B,L,D Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
Activity note: Ability to climb up and down stairs to access river walk area of city and restaurants. Board public bus with minimal assistance. Walking up to two miles and standing in museum for 1-2 hours.

Breakfast: Each day at the hotel, you’ll get to choose from a breakfast buffet that includes these tasty treats: scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, bagels, toast, muffins, jellies and jams, oatmeal, cold cereal, coffee, juices, tea and milk.

Morning: Since the first footsteps of the Spanish Conquistadors landed on the soil of Texas over 500 years ago, there have been fascinating stories of conflicts and compromises, love affairs and bitter hatreds among the many peoples of Texas. Award-winning Professor Emeritus, Dr. Caroline Castillo Crimm, will lead you on an enthralling, fast-paced, two-hour trip through Texas history from its earliest beginnings to the modern day. As she envelops you in the history of Texas, you will be drawn into the lives of those early citizens and find yourself torn by the same challenging choices that the people of the day had to make in order to survive. Those never-to-be-forgotten stories of the past will help you understand the Texas you will see over the next few days.

Lunch: Head out on foot to a local restaurant for a sumptuous buffet featuring salads, soups, made-to-order pasta, and dessert, plus coffee, tea, water.

Afternoon: Led by a local expert, we’ll embark on a walking field trip to explore some of San Antonio’s most iconic sites. The Spanish colonial mission we known as the Alamo was established in 1718, and moved to its current location in 1724. Its history is fascinating and complex. After the fallen defense by 182 Texans against General Santa Anna’s army in 1836, “Remember the Alamo!” became a rallying cry for Texan independence. We’ll hear the story of the Alamo, and then get some time to go inside to visit the Shrine, view artifacts, and watch a short movie. The Menger, the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi, was established in 1859 and set the standard of luxury for its day. Among the historic events that took place here, Teddy Roosevelt recruited his “Rough Riders” cavalry brigade. Our local expert will bring us inside for a peek at the elaborately appointed lobbies and the Menger bar, to see the memorabilia from Roosevelt’s time. We’ll return to the hotel at the end of our field trip for some time to relax or enjoy the kickback reception.

Dinner: Enjoy dinner in a nearby restaurant. Vegetarian and gluten-free choices available with advance notice.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 3
LBJ Lecture, Barge Ride, Free Afternoon, River Talk
San Antonio, TX B,L Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
Activity note: Ability to board public transportation with minimal assistance, walk up to one mile

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet at the hotel.

Morning: Beginning our day, we’ll learn about former President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration from a university professor specializing in late 20th century American history in preparation for our visit the LBJ Ranch tomorrow. President Johnson's vision for a more just and honorable country contributed to the passage of the most important civil rights legislation in the 20th century. Find out why Texans recently celebrated LBJ's legacy upon the 50th anniversary of the passage of the watershed legislation passed during the mid 1960s. After a short break, we'll catch a narrated barge ride on the San Antonio River, located 20 feet below street level and just steps from the famed Alamo. See how stone pathways connect shops, restaurants, hotels and museums with a blend of historic and modern architecture that resonate the depth of this centuries-old metropolis. The barge driver will tell you all about the history of the area and the buildings you pass as you float along the river.

Lunch: We'll eat lunch on the river walk, with a variety of entree choices, water, tea and coffee.

Afternoon: The rest of the afternoon is an opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: Join a local expert, who will share with you the interesting history of the San Antonio River. He'll explain the importance of the river in the development of the city and how what was once an ugly creek prone to flooding has become the city's best known achievement.

Day 4
Fredericksburg, LBJ Ranch, Barbecue Dinner
San Antonio, TX B,D Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
Activity note: Board a private motorcoach with minimal assistance, stand in a museum for up to two hours

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet at the hotel.

Morning: Our day will be spent exploring the Texas hill country. We’ll start at the LBJ National Historic Park, which contains a visitor center, reconstructed boyhood home, cemetery and the Johnsons' residence, known as the Texas White House, where the private quarters have been recently opened to the public for the first time. National Park Rangers will be on hand at the residence to tell us about each room and answer questions.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own at one of the many restaurants along Main Street in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Afternoon: Spend the rest of the day exploring Fredericksburg, a small city founded by German settlers in 1846 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Your Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions, give directions and provide you with brochures about local points of interest and restaurants. You may choose to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War, located in the historic hotel run by the family of Admiral Chester Nimitz. Soak up the early history of the area by visiting the Pioneer Museum Complex or the Vereins-Kirche (Society Church), the oldest public building in town.

Dinner: On the way back to San Antonio, we'll stop for a tasty barbecue dinner and some music in a quaint Hill Country town.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 5
Spanish Missions, Marketplace, Institute of Texan Cultures
San Antonio, TX B,L,D Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
Activity note: Get on and off motorcoach with minimal assistance; walking up to two miles

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet at the hotel.

Morning: Travel by private motorcoach to San Antonio Mission National Historic Park. Led by experts, we’ll explore the missions that make up this complex and learn about the early settlement and efforts of the Spanish to convert local people to the Roman Catholic church and an agricultural form of life. See how the Spanish used “acequia” (irrigation systems) to develop self-sustaining agricultural communities along the San Antonio River. Among the highlights are Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo — the so-called “Queen of the Missions” — carefully restored by the WPA in the 1930s.

Lunch: Eat lunch in the largest Mexican Marketplace in the U.S. Enjoy an authentic Tex-Mex meal at one of San Antonio's most popular restaurants.

Afternoon: On to the Institute of Texan Cultures, an educational center showcasing the 26 different ethnic and cultural groups groups that settled the Texas frontier. The Institute of Texan Cultures is located downtown on the UTSA HemisFair Park Campus, a short walk from the Alamo and the River Walk. The HemisFair campus was built to host the 1968 World’s Fair and began the revitalization of the city. The 182,000-square-foot complex features 65,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and displays that tell the stories of Texans.

Dinner: For our farewell dinner, we'll walk a few blocks to a building with a restaurant on the top floor, and enjoy stunning views of the city over a plated dinner.

Evening: After dinner, you may choose to walk across the plaza adjacent to the hotel to the San Fernando Cathedral to see it like never before during a light show put together by French artist Xavier De Richemont. This 24 minute show tells the story of San Antonio from its beginnings to present day. The Cathedral of San Fernando was built from 1738-50 by settlers from the Canary Islands who had been granted land by Spain's King Philip V. Santa Anna raised the red flag of “no quarter” from the church tower during the siege of the Alamo. One of the most interesting of the cathedral’s holdings is what purports to be the final resting place of Davy Crockett, William Travis, and Jim Bowie.

Day 6
Departures
San Antonio, TX B
Breakfast: At the hotel. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!