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Article Excerpt
Summer is bearing down and the time is right for planning a getaway. Beach or mountain, in state or out, vacation spots have never been more available or inviting. To help our readers envision their summer travels, we present a compendium of the best destinations and deals--in Texas and beyond.
LONE STAR LEISURE
HILL COUNTRY
The Soul of Texas San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau 800-447-3372 sanantoniovisit.com
The Alamo City is said to be the favorite in-state destination of vacationing Texans. It's not surprising. With its diverse cultures, rich history, scenic landscape, and festive atmosphere, San Antonio takes full advantage of its virtues. The nation's eighth-largest city attracts some eight million visitors each year to experience the soul of the Lone Star State.
In the downtown area, attractions like the Alamo, La Villita, the King William District, and the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures open a window to the region's past, while the colossal Alamodome and many of the restaurants, clubs, and hotels of the River Walk reflect a more contemporary side of the city.
Museums include the new Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art and the long-revered McNay and Witte. In June, the four-day Texas Folk-life Festival at the Institute of Texan Cultures celebrates--with music, crafts, dance, and food--the vibrant cultural heritage of the state.
Beyond downtown, SeaWorld San Antonio and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, along with several Hill Country resorts, offer wholesome entertainment and recreation for all ages. Area accommodations include more than 28,000 hotel rooms, ranging from economical to deluxe.
Down by the River Walk La Mansion Del Rio, San Antonio 800-292-7300 lamansion.com
Like many things on the River Walk in downtown San Antonio, La Mansion Del Rio is itself historically significant. Built in 1852 by four brothers of the Society of St. Mary, the original structure served as the 19th-century home of St. Mary's Institute.
Since opening its doors in 1968, the 337-room La Mansion has served as an ideal base for exploring the fabled heart of the city. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the Alamo, El Mercado, La Villita, and the Spanish Governor's Palace. Indeed, with its Spanish Colonial architecture, lush setting, and celebrated Las Canarias restaurant, La Mansion has become another landmark on the River Walk.
Hotel amenities also include swimming pool, business center, and more than 15,000 square feet of event and meeting space, complete with state-of-the-art DVD and high-speed Internet technology.
Nevertheless, reminders of the past are everywhere. Centuries ago, the first settlers of San Antonio--the Yanaguana Indians--created miniature "worry dolls," which were thought to make their troubles magically disappear. Each day at La Mansi6n, housekeepers leave a hand-painted box of colorful worry dolls on each guest's pillow, with instructions to place them under the pillow for a night of worry-free sleep and a welcome to the new day.
High Point Vistas Westin La Cantera Resort, San Antonio 800-WESTINI westin.com/lacantera
Perched atop an old limestone quarry northwest of San Antonio, the Westin La Cantera Resort offers breathtaking views of the Hill Country, the most famous of which is the vista from the seventh tee of the Resort Course, where a sheer 80-foot drop offers a panoramic view of downtown San Antonio and the roller coaster at Six Flags.
In addition to the par-72 Resort Course, home to the PGA's Valero Texas Open, La Cantera includes the I8-hole championship Palmer Course, designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer, and the Academy at La Cantera, an official Golf Digest school where beginners and experienced players alike can hone their golfing skills.
Accommodations at La Cantera include 508 guest rooms, 38 of which--all deluxe--are contained in La Casita Village. Billed as a "haven within a haven" and only a short walk from the main hotel, La Casita Village consists of II "little houses" (casitas in Spanish) secluded in a grove of oak and mesquite. Each casita is named after an authentic Texas ranch and has its own separate entry and patio.
Amenities also include three restaurants, six swimming pools, three hot tubs, the Westin Kids Club, a 7,600-square-foot health club, and 39,000 square feet of meeting space.
In the Spirit Adam's Mark San Antonio 800-444-2326 adamsmark.com/sanantonio
Adam's Mark San Antonio is the official host hotel for this year's "CowParade," a traveling public-art event (said to be the biggest in the world) in which artists paint and decorate life-size fiberglass cows, then auction them off for charity. The hotel even has its own bovine creations, including "Winnie the Moo," "Moolin Rouge," and "Cowscarones."
Since opening in the former NBC bank building in 1997, Adam's Mark has certainly gotten in the spirit of the Alamo City. The gift shop sells works by local artists as well as San Antonio souvenirs, and Restaurante Marbella, on the lobby level, specializes in New World cuisine with a "Mediterranean twist."
From the main entrance, guests are just steps away from the shopping, dining, and entertainment of the River Walk. They can catch a sight-seeing trolley or a water taxi, or simply stroll to the downtown area museums and historic sites.
Rising 21 stories above the River Walk, this 410-room luxury hotel includes a lobby with crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and an abundance of brass and glass. Amenities include an outdoor swimming pool and deck off the third floor, overlooking the River Walk, and a fully equipped health club on the same level. Guests can also eat, drink, and watch big-screen TV in the Players Sports Bar or enjoy cocktails and live entertainment in the Tiffany Rose Lounge.
The Big Picture Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin 866-369-7108 thestoryoftexas.com
Texas is unique, above all because of its history. That's the premise of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which opened in April 2001 near the Capitol complex in Austin and was named after the late lieutenant governor and legendary Texas Democrat.
The Bullock Museum presents Texas history writ large through a variety of dynamic exhibits and dramatic media, including the first IMAX[R] theater in Austin. Scheduled to premier in early May at the IMAX is TEXAS: The Big Picture, produced by Austin advertising agency GSD&M expressly for the museum.
It takes a big medium to tell a big story, and the museum pulls out all the stops. Projected onto an immense six-story screen and accompanied by wraparound digital sound from 44 speakers, TEXAS: The Big Picture captures the myth and magnitude of the Lone Star State, from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande and from West Texas to the Gulf of Mexico.
Viewers will virtually experience everything from heart-pounding rodeos to rides at the Texas State Fair to soaring, eagle's-eye views of Big Bend. They will also learn that Texas history is ongoing and that true Texas trailblazers are charting the depths of the earth and the far reaches of outer space.
Intimate and Spectacular Lake Austin Spa Resort 800-847-5637 lakeaustinspa.com
Lake Austin Spa Resort, on the shores of Lake Austin and next to the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, offers a unique blend of traditional fitness and mind-body programs in a setting that is both intimate and spectacular.
With only 40 guest rooms, the spa facilitates a small, health-conscious community in which the instructor-guest ratio is ideal for achieving fitness and renewal. And the Austin-area Hill Country, unfolding dramatically from the Balcones Escarpment, is some of the most scenic in the state (and promises to be drenched in color when the wildflowers bloom this spring).
Fitness programs include several levels of yoga, from meditative to strength-building; tai chi chuan, the ancient Chinese system of achieving balance and focus through a series of slow, graceful movements; Pilates, which improves muscle balance and spinal alignment through pelvic stabilization; Spinning[R], which brings new meaning to the idea of indoor cycling; and "salsa aerobics," which is based on several forms of spicy South American dance. Also available are gardening tours, aromatherapy workshops, and cooking classes based on the spa's new cookbook, Fresh: Healthy Cooking and Living from Lake Austin Spa Resort....
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