Canyon Lake to San Antonio - 1st time help

Husband %26amp; I (early 30%26#39;s) have 1 free week at the Silverleaf Hill Country Resort in Canyon Lake, TX. We%26#39;ve never been to the area and would love any trip itinerary recommendations.

This is what we would like to do for the week Sat-Sat, likely in Oct or Nov when the heat goes down a bit:

- visit San Antonio (fly in here? How far is the drive to Canyon Lake?)

- visit Austin %26amp; surrounding neighborhoods for a future potential move in 2-3 years. Looking for newer ranch homes under $150k, and want to drive around to get a feel for the area, city %26amp; things to do. Should we contact a real estate agent to tour us around, or is it easy enough to do on our own? recommended towns to visit?

- we like outdoor fests, live music, unique things to see (i.e. Caverns or Bats).

- we are casual people, and enjoy eating %26amp; drinking outdoors (i.e. riverwalk?)

- looking for cheaper things to do, not fancy restaurants or theater or museums.

How far is the drive from the resort to each San Antonio and Austin? Thank you for any info you can offer us!

Canyon Lake to San Antonio - 1st time help

I can answer a couple of the questions...

The drive to Canyon lake from the airport will be about an hour, depending on where you go, traffic, and the route you take. If you go through the middle of New Braunfels, it will be slower than if you take 306 through Gruene. Getting to either downtown will take you a good hour and a half, maybe a bit more.

The Natural Bridge Caverns will be just around the corner from you, as well as Hamilton Pool. There really are a lot of parks in this area...

For neighborhoods, it really depends on what kind of environment you are looking for -- close to the action? Quiet? Remote? There are a lot of homes available for under $150k, but they will mostly be older homes, or in starter neighborhoods. Austin/San Antonio both have higher home prices on average than the rest of Texas.

Austin is a bit more youthful %26amp; energetic than San Antonio, but San Antonio has more of a ';family'; feel to it. Maybe that doesn%26#39;t make snese, but having lived in both cities, that%26#39;s how it feels. I really love them both, but with the family, I%26#39;m happier in San Antonio, which is a bit more grounded, and less quirky.

If you can describe what kind of neighborhood feel you would like, we can probably steer you a little better. You can, and probably should, drive yourself around, so that you get a better sense of the areas. Then, get an agent for the details, after you have chosen a couple of preferable areas.

Canyon Lake to San Antonio - 1st time help

You certainly want to take advantage of you proximity to the Guadalupe river for toobing. Rockin R River Outfitters http://www.rockinr.com/

The lower Guadalupe tends to have 20 somethings and lots of drinking. It has shallows and rapids and slow deep water. I would get a tube with a bottom for this trip.

Gruene Hall www.gruenehall.com, River Road Ice House, Whitewater Live Music Amphitheate are all great casual venues for good Texan Music and Beer.

Here%26#39;s the scoop on Bats: My favorite is the bat cave at Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area 鈥tate.tx.us/huntwild/鈥?/a> near Fredericksburg. Upside - cool wilderness setting, shopping, and restaurants nearby in Fredericksburg. Disadvantage - viewing area has limited capacity and they close off the area when it reaches capacity (get there early.)

OK here%26#39;s a secret about the bats. While it%26#39;s way cool to watch them leave at dusk, it%26#39;s even more cool to watch them come back in the morning. Arrive about 30 minutes before sunrise. Yes I know it%26#39;s early, but it%26#39;s worth it! As you approach the roosts, you%26#39;ll hear this vibrating noise, sort of like paper tearing. It sounds so close. As it gradually gets lighter, you%26#39;ll start to see them, thousands of bats diving down and into the tunnel or under the bridge. It%26#39;s so cool! The bats feed at up to two miles high, when they are ready to come back to roost, they tuck in their wings and start a freefall. As the get close to the ground, they open their wings to navigate back to their spot, that%26#39;s the noise you hear.

As I understand the bats, the population grows throughout the summer with peak populations in late August early September. Also, as summer goes on they start leaving to feed earlier. For more great general information about bats and specific information about local caves, check out Bat Conservation International http://www.batcon.org/home/default.asp

Austin under 150K %26amp; Newer get ready to be in far away from Austin and a long drive to work. Everyone loves Austin to death. Austin is way more expensive then SA, but SA is gaining fast.

Did you want to live closer to SA, Austin or in between the 2. SA to Austin is about an hour drive. Canyon Lake is about 45 min drive.

Natural Bridge Caverns is about 12 min away www.naturalbridgecaverns.com

SA Riverwalk www.riosanantonio.com

good place to eat on the RW is Boudro%26#39;s get the guacamole prepared tableside with a yummy prickly pear Margarita. www.boudros.com or go to the Market Square www.marketsquaresa.com to La Margarita www.lamargarita.com take a drive in the Hill Country %26amp; visit the wineries. www.texaswinetrail.com on the RW visit Howl at the Moon for a great time www.howlatthemoon.com SA has the 2 Theme Park, Alamo %26amp; the river cruise. How long did you plan to visit SA to get an idea on what to recommend to see %26amp;do??????

Thanks for all the fantastic info. We look forward to visiting the areas of San Antonio %26amp; Austin and in between.

Regarding potential towns to live in, we do not need to live anywhere near jobs, since husband will work from home anywhere, and I will not work. So we can move anywhere! I%26#39;d like to be within 1 hour of Austin or closer. I think that might be a better fit for us than San Antonio right now. of course, we will be scouting out both areas.

We really want to be in a suburban neighborhood with a newer home (no fixer upper) and similar neighbors to befriend who have young families. We like going to music fests, walking around casually, bars at night, movies, restaurants, typical stuff. We%26#39;re over the constant party scene.

Does that help you recommend more specific areas?

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