Texas is hot, y'all, but that wasn't going to keep us from wandering the streets of San Antonio! Parking was (surprisingly) relatively cheap and easy, so we started around the Post Office and Courthouse and made our way to the place that's probably the best known feature of the city: the Alamo. If you're not sure where it is, just check for where hordes of people are headed. It's close to the River Walk, if you're going that way.
Originally called Misión San Antonio de Valero, this Spanish mission and fortress was pivotal in the Texas Revolution, around 200 years ago. The famous building in itself was smaller than we expected, but this seems to be the case with most significant historical places. The architecture is amazing, though! Also, the visit is free. We got to see the Church, the Annex, and the Long Barracks. The museum was very informative and not too big, with unique artifacts from the Revolution. We felt quite bad for the poor actors in period clothing (furs and many layers of clothes) who had to give their speech under a scalding sun, and next to a campfire at that!
As we were leaving the Alamo, we noticed a ticket booth outside the Ripley's museum (this is right in the tourist area) selling tickets to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. As this was on my list, we took advantage of the deal they had and walked over to the saloon. Equal parts creepy and fascinating! We got a nice margarita slush before entering the museum part and started our visit. I mean, if you just wanted to come here to grab a bite, you'd still have plenty to look at. Just check out the pictures below! You'll also have the pleasure of being greeted by a tall man who looks (and is dressed) just like Buffalo Bill. 🐃
There was a simply incredible amount of trophies on display here, and that's because the original owner started accepting horns, antlers and rattlesnake rattles in exchange for beer and food! How amazing is that? The Buckhorn opened in 1881, so of course their collection is impressive. There is everything from deer to marlins to zebras to elephants, and everything in between. There's some art in there, too, like an enormous sculpture of the Tree of Life made from a single tree trunk, or "paintings" made with snake rattles... Also, there's the famous "78 point buck".
There's also other sections to this delightful place: the Texas Ranger museum, the Carnival of Curiosities, and the American Sideshow. We really had a blast! Some things were creepy, others quite unbelievable, and others were just plain weird. Definitely worth the money spent to visit! Especially if you want to see a chupacabra, or a mermaid...
Also spotted these random hologram goldfish... 🐟
Another place on our to-do list was Mission San José, another Spanish mission farther from the downtown area than the Alamo. As a note, missions were not just a church: it was a whole community who lived there, with the church at its centre. And in 2020, Mission San José celebrates its 300th anniversary! It is extremely well preserved, and it was a pleasure to walk around the grounds. Everything is very peaceful, and the architecture is really something to behold. Make sure you stop by the visitor centre to get information (or watch a short documentary about the missions), and pet the sweet cats hanging around. 🐱
Then it was off to Houston! Sorry to disappoint, but since we had visited Cape Canaveral only a few years ago, we didn't feel like we needed to check out the Houston Space Center. Also, by now we'd had our fill of aquarium and natural history museums, so we couldn't find anything we wanted to do there... BUT we couldn't say no to the longest carwash in the world! 🚿 Yes, it has a Guinness World Record, and yes, it was a lot of childish fun. This Buc-Ee's gas station features a 78-metre long car wash (almost as long as a football field!) with 25 brushes, 17 dryers, 3 colors of suds (you'll see the logo projected onto your windshield, too!) and automatic tracks so you just put your car in neutral and enjoy the ride. It takes a good five minutes to go through the car wash, and it can fit up to 16 cars at a time. It was quite the experience! Especially since we had forgotten about the black parts on our vehicle... surprise, squeaky clean!
So yeah, it was a short stop in San Antonio and Houston, but it was pretty nice. And with that, we could check Texas off the list! Stay tuned, folks! 💜
TL;DR: When in San Antonio, there's no getting around the Alamo, and it's free! For good food, cold drinks, and a huge collection of wildlife trophies and curios, check out the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. 🦌 For architecture and history, pay the Mission San José a visit. As for Houston, you could visit the Houston Space Center, or if you're just passing through as we were, you can try the longest carwash in the world! 🧼
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