Quick, Inexpensive Dad/Son Weekend - San Antonio? Austin

We took a relatively last minute trip to San Antonio this summer. We opted to stay near Sea World, rather than the River Walk. We didn't want a long drive with tired kids after a long, hot day at Sea World. We wound up staying at the Ramada near Sea World. It wasn't fancy. But the staff was exceptionally nice. The rooms we spotless. ANd they had a rather nice breakfast (for a motel) with lots of options. It wasn't as outrageous in price as many of the other locations we looked at. This place was almost exactly 10 minutes from our room to the park. http://www.ramada.com/hotels/texas/san-antonio/ramada-san...

Check Hotels.com or priceline. You can get a really good rate, and while you won't know the exact hotel until you book it will give you approximate locations and will also include the number of stars. So it's relatively easy to guess what type of hotel you are getting, and also you will know it's close to Seaworld. I'd avoid the Riverwalk, with a 6.5 yo there's not much to do there but a boat ride. We will be traveling to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl in a few weeks, and got a 4 star hotel for $66.

I just went on priceline and found a Ramada in next to Sea world for this friday night. $68.00 per night..

http://www.priceline.com/hotel/searchResults.do?jsk=344b0...

I would stay at the Microtel in San Antonio(I think there are a few of them), they are small rooms but very clean and a nice continental breakfast. Look online we stayed at the one in north SA in early November and because of an online special got two nights for just over one hundred dollars. Its not fancy but decent and clean and I always stay at Microtel if there is one in the area we are traveling.

San Antonio is our go to place. The missions are free and only within a few miles of each other. It's easy to drive the whole mission trail either starting or stopping at the Alamo. We typically skip the Alamo due to crowds but it is part of the mission trail. I don't find the River Walk to be very family friendly but it's an option. Sea World is fun but expensive (tickets, parking, food, drinks). There are plenty of good places to stay close by and I would use a travel website to find a good deal. In general there are tons of inexpensive things to do in San Antonio so I think it's a good choice. Their zoo is fantastic and there's a free sunken garden very close to the zoo which is fun to walk around as well. Good luck and may they enjoy their trip.

Right near that area is Enchanted Rock. It's wonderful! It's a state park and this huge massive rock that you can climb to the top. There are crevices to explore and it's very cool. My husband and son (when he was 7) did a driving trip together and stopped there for half a day and had the best time. We know about it bc we both went to college near Austin and used to go there all the time. My son is 9 and still asks to go back!

If you get a room close to the Riverwalk, the Alamo is in walking distance. And touring the Alamo is free.

Austin is more spread out than San Antonio. I'd choose San Antonio.