My family and I returned from a fun weekend adventure in San Antonio and Spring Branch. We golfed, listened to music and camped in a couple of good RV parks. Plus, we explored a cool entertainment district, swam in the Guadalupe River, and ate and drank way too much!
Parking at Admiralty RV Resort
We started this trip by parking the RV in Admiralty RV Resort located a little southwest of downtown San Antonio. Then we went to the pool to cool off. It was 100 degrees with no wind!
Admiralty RV Resort is a very nice park with long sites and lots of amenities. Plus, it’s a couple of minutes to Sea World and close to some good restaurants. It also has easy access to anywhere you want to go in San Antonio. Here is a link to our review of Admiralty RV Resort.
Cool and refreshed, we headed over to The Pearl Entertainment District close to downtown San Antonio. Wow, were we impressed!
San Antonio’s Pearl District
The Pearl is a 22-acre development encompassing what used to be the Pearl Brewery, which operated from 1883 to 2001. The original brewery has been re-purposed. The complex is home to 15 independent retailers and 19 chef-owned-and-operated restaurants. There are also some really cool and unique bars nearby. On top of that, you’ll find a basement music venue called the Jazz, a food court, and the upscale Hotel Emma.
Hotel Emma is an architecturally stunning 180-room boutique with a unique and cool bar, a splash pad, and a large outdoor park where music and other events are held.
The history of Pearl Brewery and the original buildings are well-preserved. The brewery buildings have been re-purposed as have some of the brewery’s industrial machinery. For example, ammonia tanks are now herb gardens and brewery tanks are rainwater collectors. A large brewing tank has been opened up for sitting with friends and enjoying some drinks and appetizers.
The Pearl is also home to a 1.33-mile extension of the River Walk. It features public art, native plants, pedestrian bridges, an amphitheater, and a park where local events are held. Take a riverboat, kayak, bike, or walk and explore this gem. You won’t believe it’s part of the River Walk! It’s a very impressive and fun area.
Golf in San Antonio
The next day, we drove 20 minutes west to golf at the Golf Club of Texas. The course is friendly for all skill levels (but I’m not sure it fit my lack of golf skills) and has wide, sweeping fairways and huge greens. It is in excellent condition and a good value.
The Golf Club of Texas is also the only golf course in the US with tee to green Zoysia grass, one of the advantages of which is that the ball sits up in the fairway like it was on a tee. However, it’s not quite tall enough for me. I don’t know how I was able to miss the wide fairway or big greens, but I did. The bunkers and water were much easier for me to find. For me, this is a fun course but requires 4 Advil and 5 extra balls.
Read our review of The Golf Club of Texas to learn more.
I was hot after playing golf in 98-degree weather and even hotter after losing those golf balls. I almost jumped in one of the ponds, which was home to three of my golf balls.
Just like Tin Cup, I kept at it until I needed to borrow some old balls from my wife. I stayed out of the pond but did rush back to the RV to cool off in the pool with a cold beer. After such a bad round, I figured it was time to treat myself to some queso and a couple of margaritas at a nearby Mexican restaurant. I went home feeling much better and thinking tomorrow will be a better golf day.
Arriving at Spring Branch
Early the next morning, we drove 45 minutes north of San Antonio to Spring Branch, located in part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Area. Named after a spring-fed creek feeding into the Guadalupe River, Spring Branch has about 250 residents.
We stayed in Texas 281 RV Park, which is in a great location if you want to explore Gruene, New Braunfels, San Antonio, Boerne, or Canyon Lake. All of them are within 20 minutes or so and have lots of fun things to see and do ranging from breweries to caves and tubing the river to zipping through the trees. And the RV park is less than 5 minutes to live music, good food, the Guadalupe River, HEB, Walmart, and Home Depot. What more can you ask for?
Equally cool is that Texas 281 RV Park utilizes some old limestone ranch building as a club house, showers, game room, and chapel!
Read our review of Texas 281 RV Park to learn more.
Exploring the Guadalupe River
I needed another day away from golf, so I figured a few hours enjoying the Guadalupe River was in order. It fit the bill.
We went to a day use area that’s a part of a mile of riverfront owned by Guadalupe River Canoe Livery. We were going to rent a tube, but the water was low and slow and I didn’t feel like rubbing my bottom across the rocks. Instead, we set up the lawn chairs and enjoyed the river and some people watching.
Refreshed, relaxed, and with my cowboy boots on, we headed to Shade Tree for cold beer and a pretty good trio of country singers. On the way home, I couldn’t stop the Jeep from pulling into Max’s Roadhouse for a nightcap and another set of country music. Prior to Shade Tree, we had a very good chicken fried steak that was big enough for two of us, plus some leftovers.
Golf at River Crossing Golf Club
After a fun night, we took up the clubs at River Crossing Golf Club. In the first tee, my head was a little fuzzy and I couldn’t determine which of the two golf balls on a single tee I should hit. So I swung, did a 180, missed both balls, and almost fell over. The foursome behind us had their heads down and were trying unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh, so I let them tee off before us.
The rest of the round didn’t get much better. I downed about as many Advil as golf balls lost. But what a fantastic golf course! It has an excellent layout (from what I can remember), it’s challenging but fair (to some!), and you can golf in near-perfect conditions.
Read our review of River Crossing Golf Club.
After a round like I had at River Crossing Golf Club, Ay Chiwawa Mexican Cafe (love that name) and a couple of margaritas turned sour grapes into roses! Then, it was off to bed with some Advil and a heating pad for a sore back and a great night’s sleep.
The End of a Wild San Antonio and Spring Branch Weekend
We planned to go on a tour at Cascade Caverns the next day. However, when we found out there are a lot of steps to navigate, with some low spots that required stooping, I decided I’d better not go. My bad back, brought on by taking too man swings at the golf courses, would hate me. So, instead of caving, we headed to Dodging Duck Brewhaus for craft beer and a couple of excellent sandwiches.
With a full tummy and a sore back, we reluctantly headed home to Georgetown after a fun and busy few days. Our time in San Antonio and Spring Branch was enjoyable.
Author: Mike Sharp
I have a passion for travel and outdoor activities, and now I'm enjoying retired life. I will continue my traveling, golfing, boating, and enjoying life all across the great state of Texas.
