As the stress of deadlines and exams come to an end, summer’s sunny skies lie a few short weeks away. For many, this break is the first sight of the unfamiliar concept of “free time” in a few months.
After you’ve caught up on sleep, make sure to explore the beauty of San Antonio and the surrounding areas in the summer time. With music fests, art exhibits and daytrips on the horizon, make sure you put on sunscreen, drink water and treat yourself!
If you’re in South Texas, there are plenty of beautiful swimming places to check out that are short drives away.
Near campus, you’ll find the Random Beer Garden by the Boerne City Lake Park. The bar officially reopens for the summer season this weekend. A short drive west on I-10 takes you straight to Boerne.
Canyon Lake, located slightly west of New Braunfels, is another swimming hole that is both fun wet and dry. The beauty of this area is a fantastic representation of the hidden beauty of the Texas hill country. Hiking up to the gorge is a great and healthy way to start a summer day. Teach ‘Em to Fish is a guide service based out of the Canyon Lake area that shows you how to catch dinner on the lake.
Coming up in July is Float Fest: a two day music fest along the San Marcos River. Tame Impala, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse and Run the Jewels are among the headliners at the fest’s fourth installment.
San Antonio based ScoreMore Productions will also be providing entertainment to music lovers this summer. Their three-day festival stops in Austin with Cardi B, J. Cole and Bun B to name a few headliners. ScoreMore Productions also runs the highly popular Mala Luna music festival that had its sold out sophomore event in 2017.
If the masses are too much for you, San Antonio’s music scene is spectacularly poppin’. Local music can be found all over town, and researchers in UTSA’s marketing department headed by Dr. Stan Renard have compiled a large majority of music oriented businesses booming in town. Research has shown the musical venues growing towards the northside where Main Campus is located. Specifically, The Rustic located at The Rim is hosting acts such as Dr. Dog and Cold War Kids, quite a different venue for artists of that caliber.
If music in your ears, isn’t music to your ears there are plenty of non-music-related events happening this summer in San Antonio.
The sky is the limit at BalloonaPalooza 2018. A short drive to Marion, TX next month–dates are tentative–will lead you to the touring airborn festival. Complete with a carnival and car exhibits, BalloonaPalooza is a great way to catch the Texas sunset.
If you’d like to catch a view indoors take a drive down Fredericksburg Rd. to the Woodlawn Theatre for local thespians.
While you’re in the neighborhood near downtown, support a new local eatery of San Antonio.
Con Safos is a new restaurant in the Yanaguana Garden in Hemisfair Park. The locally owned business pays homage to traditional Mexican and San Antonio specific cuisine like their famous concha burger for all pan dulce lovers.
If you’ve had your fill of San Anto and its beauty–even if just for a brief moment–there are plenty of beautiful places in Texas worth checking out.
The city of Marfa recently unveils its newest public exhibition entitled Stone Circle by artist Haroon Mirza. Only six hours away, The megalith inspired work consists of eight stones, one that powers the rest through solar panels. Other artists that perform in Marfa will be able to interact with the stones through the help of Ballroom Marfa, a non-profit organization focused on contemporary art in the small desert city.
If this exhibit is up your alley, a bit closer to San Antonio is the stonehenge replica located in Ingram, TX along the town lake.
Whether you’re putting miles on the odometer, cooling off in the river, at a house show downtown or in an art gallery somewhere, enjoy the tricentennial summer in San Antonio and Texas.
There are too many Texas treasures to explore and this list is just the tip of the iceberg, but a good starting point for your plans. Salud!
