Day Trip to San Antonio’s Southside 👻 (FULL EPISODE) S4 E9

THROWBACK EPISODE – This episode originally aired on PBS on May 16, 2013. Some of the locations may have changed. Check http://thedaytripper.com for the most up-to-date information.

San Antonio has no shortage of tourist attractions: the Alamo, the Riverwalk, enchiladas, etc…but if you’re a native Texan, chances are you’ve already done all of these. If you’re looking to experience a different side of San Antonio, head south of the well-traveled downtown to Southtown, San Antonio’s burgeoning art district packed with restaurants, art galleries, history and hipsters.

For something a little artsy in Southtown, head to the Blue Star Art Complex. At the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, you’ll find all kinds of weird and wonderful contemporary artworks in a venue that’s almost as cool as the art itself.

Next drive through San Antonio’s King William District with some of the most amazing homes in all of Texas, including Villa Finale which is open for tours. Saved by Walter Mathis, this home contains an amazing collection of collections! Everything Mr. Mathis kept in his home is on display, including a real Napoleon Death Mask.

So, everybody knows about the Alamo, but, those that want to head further south can visit the other 4 missions of San Antonio inside of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. From Mission Concepcion to San Jose to San Juan to Espada, these grounds and chapels tell the story of Texas’s first settlers from Spain. They are amazing and an absolute MUST-SEE for every traveler to San Antonio.

If you’re looking for something less legendary but more urban-legendary, visit the haunted ghost tracks of San Antonio at the intersection of Shane Rd and Villamin Rd Legend holds that a school bus full of children died at this intersection when the bus broke down on the tracks in front of an oncoming train. To this day, any car that stops near the tracks will be pushed over the tracks to safety by the ghost children. Don’t believe me? Then try it. Park about 50 feet before the tracks on Shane Rd, put the car in neutral and turn off the engine. Let off the brakes and be amazed as you travel up hill over the tracks. Your doubt will be erased when you end up over the tracks, safe and sound.

If you’re looking for a way to navigate all of the stops in town, hop on a B cycle – San Antonio’s bike share program. A simple fee gets you a bike all day with multiple stations all over the city. It is seriously easy and fun! And you can explore parts of the city that you never knew of such as the newly remodeled parts of the Riverwalk or ride through the San Antonio Missions Historical Park.

For lunch with flair head to Liberty Bar which occupies a beautifully renovated old convent. Don’t miss their homemade fettuccine and enjoy a relaxing meal in this comfy upscale restaurant.

Sadly, since we filmed this episode, the Alamo Street Eat Bar has permanently closed.

To wrap up the night, head to the Beethoven Maennerchor, a German beer garden and singing club that’s been around since 1867. Most don’t think of the Germans when they think of San Antonio, but this will change your mind for sure!

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Now I love a good small Texas town however these days the Lone Star State is much more than dirt roads and pastures urban life is exploding and one of our most vibrant big cities also happens to be one of our most historic cities so get ready Amigo as we go to San Antonio Woohoo this episode was made for yall with the help of our awesome Partners check the caption for more info San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas and just 80 Mi south of Austin it’s also a short day trip away from countless towns in Central and South

Texas now when most people think of San Antonio they think of two things the Alamo and texmax well today we are not going to the Alamo I’m sorry Davey Crockett Alamo and we’re not eating techm I’m sorry Mariachi Chet heyo but what we are doing is seeing a

Different side of San Antonio that all starts just south of here and that side is the South Side just a short drive past the downtown San Antonio we all know and love just a stone throw from the hemisphere but that’s far enough to skirt the tourist masses and find

Yourself immersed in the local flavor of South Town this is where all the cool kids hang out for decades Southtown set almost abandoned that is until the artists and entrepreneurs discovered the hidden charm and well cheap rinse of the area and from that Moment On Southtown has never looked back and the Catalyst

For this micro Renaissance came from our first stop the blue star Contemporary Art Center and this is its director Bill fitzg welcome to Blue Star contemporary blue star started uh back in the uh mid 80s in fact they opened in July of 1986 no air conditioning 10 and something

Degrees and they were they were hoping that a couple hundred people would show up because this was a little bit rundown area uh so what happened was over 3,000 people came to the opening a few hundred few thousand exactly and we’ve been there ever since so we’ve obviously

Caught blue star at a transition but that’s one of the coolest Parts they’re always changing things up today they’re getting ready to show off the quirky and downright hilarious Works of San Antonio native Gary Sweeney it’s amazing what art can do to transform a community and it has definitely worked its magic in

Southtown but I don’t just mean cont temporary art folk art can be just as powerful welcome to son on Hell folk art it’s somewhere between a high-end art gallery and a Mexican border Town nightmare but all in good fun hello oh dear you are stunning oh

I’m all flushed oh I am beautiful aren’t I curly hair I even forgot to wax my mustache oh man I could do so much with these costumes and this monkey all of Southtown is equal parts tradition equal parts progress even down to its food this is elou Bakery and beastro a modern

Spin on a classic Panaderia the concept of owners Teresa and Mauricio Romero we have kept the traditional design of the Mexican bread but we’ve given it a Twist we do it in a healthy way whole grain no Pres conservatives no animal fat and none of our bread is frozen so it tastes

Great and it’s healthy you kidding me it’s heart healthy sweet tasty that’s s model fantastic a Panaderia without lard who ever heard of such a thing yeah I think I’ll just take this right here right take it along with me crew can you’all help me out with some of these

Right there and while it all looks great I’m a sucker for tradition and bright colors nothing like a midm morning pink kcha ES espresso man that’s good now to take some for the road now of the three or so districts that make up Southtown by far the most

Grand and most Exquisite was settled by a group most don’t associate at all with the TexMex flavor of San Antonio the Germans this is the King William District or Kaiser vilhelm once known as sauerkraut Bend many were the titans of Industry here in San Antonio and Built

Homes to match their fortunes one of the most Immaculate just happens to be open for tours this is curator Meg Nook welcome The Villa finale thank you uh This House was built in 1876 by Russell Norton an Englishman who lived among uh Germans here in King William but um the

Most important owner that we talk about now is Walter matys who purchased the house in 1967 and we’ll learn a lot more about Walter matys when you tour the house with me well let’s go so come on in donated to the National Trust and 2006 Villa finale is something special

Because anything that requires booties is kind of important from the rugs on the floor to the chandeliers on the ceiling Villa finale is filled with items of antiquity lots of items there are 10,000 objects in this house and they are they are unmoved from the the day he died

Which was in um 2005 okay so nothing’s been touched this is how he lived yes sort of inside of a museum yes yes as he intended a home Museum of very very curious things which give a glimpse into the Curious nature of their owner Spanish Colonial rblo enough to fill a

Room this could be someone’s legitimate full collection and he put it on one wall yes over over a piano Mr Mattis was indeed a collector of well collections Weaponry shaving mugs and rare musical instruments this is a deluxe violano virtuos How cool is that thing there’s really something for everyone in this house this whole house is full of eye candy it’s a real experience right right exactly it is an experience how did he read the ones on the top shelf he didn’t uh no because he’s converted his uh

Library Ladder into an easel as you can see interesting guy for sure with a very interesting fascination with a certain French Emperor he said in an interview if the house were burning down he would save one item and and that was the Napoleon death mask which is over on this death

Mask um but this actually was taken upon Napoleon’s death in 1821 so it’s quite something it is this is a little bit creepy it’s almost too lifelike it is well it’s deathlike there we go a better word yes Mr matys loved collections but the largest items he ever collected were

Homes at one point he owned 14 homes in the King William District which he sold to other conservation-minded folks saving not just the homes and the district but the very history of San Antonio itself gosh If part of me thinks he would have loved to have lived in a

Different era back I think so well he was raised by two very Victorian women and I think he really um he really liked that it was a great great appeal to him well I’m glad he lived you know when he did to collect this collection for us to

Come and look because it is just phenomenal you know sometimes it just takes eccentric people to do something as amazing as say save history now on to another historical building of Southtown but for a very different reason you know after much soul searching I’ve decided it’s time for me to enter a Convent for lunch I’m not giving up day tripping this is Convent turned restaurant Liberty bar which for 25 years inhabited This Old House but now has some new digs in Southtown and this is its owner Dwight hobbert but you see like you moved from one old cool place

To another how’d you I mean was that a tough move to make it it was a tough move ultimately it was easy because this place had its own character it’s a kind of Neo Baroque fantasy it it looks like something that Walt Disney would do if he had joined Monastery which couldn’t

Be more a part of Southdown and this building has been since it was built in 1882 so tell me a little bit about the food you you guys are serving how how would you describe it well our motto is serious food and that’s pretty much the story it’s American Cooking uh from New

England through the Southern United States all the way into the interior of Mexico okay it’s quite a region to cover but I like it it is it is it’s authentic we bake all of our own bread we bake our own pies and cakes we crank our own ice

Cream and we make our own pasta as the motto says that’s serious food um you can’t find a menu like this in San Antonio anywhere almost like South Texas traditional like Mexican but also kind of ranch style cooking almost like okay yeah okay I kind of see what you’re I

Kind of feel that all right so what did you get today I had the um chili Marita a guar cheese and tomato sandwich wow there’s a lot of words in there chili oh it’s like a grilled cheese yes but spicy oh nice it’s awesome you have to talk

Down to my level I got a grilled cheese sandwich now do you have to bless the food or is it already blessed just by the fact that you’re eating it here I think it’s blessed already already you don’t have to worry about the blessing okay very cool the bread the vegetables

It all looks and smells amazing time to get serious about chowing on serious food all right so when I found out they made their own fetuccini pasta I had to try it so I got pasta with shrimp onions garlic and then a chili Morita sauce which is a smoked jalapeno paste should

Be pretty spicy and I’m excited about that and over here this is the insela Argentina it’s Argentinian salad arugula vinegarette parmesan flakes I love it it’s fresh it’s light it’s simple you know there’s just something about fresh pasta it it it tastes completely different this is some

Of the best fetuccini I’ve ever had and the shrimp are perfectly cooked and spicy I love the old place of Liberty bar but I got to say I like the new place just as much and with food like like this they can go wherever they want to I’m still going to eat

It all right so I’m about to do something I don’t normally recommend biking immediately after lunch push it too hard and you’ll be revisiting everything you just ate however here in s Antonio they make it super easy to bike anytime all you got to do is Hop on

A b cycle even in Boots be cycle is San Antonio’s Bike Share program a simple fee gets you a bike all day I heading out from Roosevelt Park and heading south of Southtown down the San Antonio River San Antonio has done an amazing job renovating and beautifying the river

Well beyond the traditional downtown Riverwalk after all the river is the reason San Antonio exists the Spanish chose this location to settle some of Texas’s first missions now you already know about Mission s Antonio de Valero AKA The Alamo but what about the other four missions of San Antonio well we’re

About to learn starting with Mission conion Park the B cycle and let’s head in we now interrupt this programming to remind you to like And subscribe now back to the road okay so this is park ranger Tatum weeks and she’s going to tell us a little bit about where we’re standing

Right now well you’re at Mission concepion oh it’s beautiful the best preserved Mission site here in the National Park here in San Antonio so why is so many missions packed in this region here yeah we have five missions just three miles apart from each other in the late 1600s early 1700s the San

Antonio River is the only constant source of water here in this area water is very important in Texas vital the Spanish missionaries are sent here to do the colonization work of the Spanish Empire they are here to make the American Indian of South Texas into Spanish citizens not a simple task but

The Spanish knew that to control the new world they needed to control the people and make sure that they followed Spanish rules of which there were three all rise for the rules of Spain numer Uno speak Spanish numer do get a job numer be Catholic and that last rule is why they

Built such beautiful churches now this church is really the closest one we have to what all of the churches really would have looked like nothing here has ever fallen apart our Dome is original and the bell towers which are down there those are original too oh amazing so

This is seriously with stood the test of time it’s the best preserved site here in San Antonio and and it would have been painted like this exactly like this all of these missions would have been painted I call it a big old advertisement for Catholicism out here

In the middle of the frontier remember these franciscans didn’t have neon they had Fresco ah but what’s neat here is you get to see the original pattern of the church they scraped away layers and layers and layers of old plaster and they found the original pattern so we

Look as close to our 1750 version as possible amazing and this is still in use today we are all active parishes here in the national park we have four churches within the national park that are still active sites wow still have their own congregations like they’ve had

For 300 years amazing so concepion is the best preserved Mission but now it’s time to head about a mile down river Mission San Jose you know I had to ride the bike but it looks like Tatum found a car hey Chad I beat you all right yeah

Rub it in I know haha well hey welcome to Mission San Jose the largest mission in North America we are considered the queen of the missions because of our size wow and at one time we had over 400 native people living here so largest in terms of population or in the size of

The grounds size of the grounds we’re a six acre compound wow well it looks like it’s in great shape I mean is most most of this original oh I wish we’re going on about 300 years here so if we were original our walls would be in great

Shape okay okay we were restored in the 1930s by the works progress administration but one thing the wall does is it sort of blocks out the outside world and you can really sort of look 360° and feel like maybe you’ve stepped onto the original Mission ground absolutely and that’s what it’s supposed

To do one of the many reasons Mission San Jose is so popular especially for weddings and and wedding photographers and the inside is just as stunning so this is San Jose’s rblo wow it’s pretty massive pretty impressive it is I mean it is sparkly and beautiful yeah and

Freshly painted you know yes it is very freshly painted um this reto was added about a year ago to this church okay so it’s fairly new it is this is for today’s Parish most definitely and I think the gold is also to celebrate the fact that this church is known as well

The queen of of the missions of San Antonio so you got to have a little gold for the queen she needs a little gold in her crown we got have a little little gold little bling wow I am impressed and there’s still two more missions down

River the next is Mission San Juan which paints a much more rustic picture of mission life it’s also the only St Antonio mission with a known and designated holy burial ground you know it is sad to think about but death was actually a huge part of mission life

There were years when as much as 70 % of the native population was killed by disease diseases carried over from the very missionaries that sought to help them now even further down is the Spanish Aqueduct a National Historic Landmark in its own right used to carry

Water from the San Antonio River to the mission and its crops which brings us to the last mission mission Espada which was actually the first mission in all of Texas when it was founded out east near present day Palestine not just the Alamo but all five missions

Of San Antonio are an amazing part of our Texas history and an absolute mustsee for every Texan now while we’re down south it’s time to see another legendary part of San Antonio not exactly historically legendary more like Urban legendary the haunted ghost tracks of San Antonio why are they haunted you ask

Well let me tell you flashlight the legend goes something like this it was a rainy Texas morning and a School Bus full of children approached these tracks well as the bus crossed it stalled out the oncoming train couldn’t stop in time and the rest I can’t even mention it but to this

Very day the ghosts of those little children come out to protect anyone that stalls near the tracks pushing their car over the tracks to safety and we’re going to try it right right now are you ready crew here it goes all right we put the car in neutral we stop the

Engine and let’s see I’m not pushing the brakes I’m not pushing the gas I’m not even holding the steering wheel and we are definitely moving this is freaky guys something is happening and we’re speeding up as we get close to the tracks I’m pretty sure that we’re going uphill this is

Weird a wow we just went over the tracks and the gas wasn’t on I wasn’t pushing anything something happened guys I don’t know what that was but that was all kinds of freaky okay and here’s what you do next you actually have to get out of

Your car you go to the back and if you bring baby powder you can actually find the Fingerprints of those little children oh my goodness oh there’s definitely handprints back here oh this is freaky and there seems to be some sort of something some sort of message

Here wow Wash Me wa wa wash me wash me really funny funny kids wash me oh my gosh this is ridiculous taunted by ghost children not what I had in mind okay so you can choose whether or not you believe that one but one thing is definitely true and that’s that I’m

Hungry now Street food’s nothing new in San Antonio and it’s been around well about as long as they’ve had streets but these new food trucks on the block are taking San Antonio street food to a whole new level this is Alamo Street eat bar one of San Antonio’s new food truck

Hotspots but this one is especially cool it’s like a full restaurant experience TV bar music only you get to pick the kitchen you want it to be a burger joint boom a Cajun joint a barbecue joint what’s your fancy day Tripper well I know what I came for Chile from The

Institute of Chile okay so I’m here with Chile Queen Anna Fernandez hey so tell me a little bit about the Institute of Chile well uh The Institute of Chile we’re a food truck and um we are paying homage to the original chili Queens of San Antonio because as I see it the

Chili Queens are the street food pioneers of San Antonio and what they would do is they would go in their trucks and they would bring chili to the plaza and sell it to people Cowboys tourists locals they’re said to have invented TexMex food not just chili con

Carne but actual TexMex food so in that time honor tradition chili Queens Anna and Jin are bringing chili back to the street the chili itself is a traditional scratchmade recipe however the dishes that they put it on have been kicked up a few notches okay maybe a few hundred

Notches well our number one best seller is called the bomb and it’s a basically it’s a shredded pork sandwich and then it’s got chili on top of that and then it has a fried egg on that it’s our signature item we we do the Rosevelt

Which is like a Frito pie with two talas and a fried egg on top nice so this really is like a blending of old TexMex styles with the new wave of food trucks everything we make is from scratch completely from scratch everything we make everything on the trucks and I’m

Officially hungry enough to eat my own chili covered leg better grab a seat all right so this is the bomb an Institute of chili specialty they gave me a sport to eat it with but I think I’m just going to dig in with my hands there a little barbecue there a

Little text next is a little Homestyle chili that is all Texas right here on a bun I’m in chili heaven right now that is delicious and there comes the eye watering reflex I don’t have to tell you this chili is spicy just look at my

Face I’m going to have to go in with the spork it basically turned into like a bready sort of Porky eggy Frito pie but I’m in I’m into it I’m definitely into it I hope they clean these tables because cuz I’m going to eat off of

Them man I’m tempted to hang out and eat at all of these trailers but I got to save room for one more stop so we’ve already talked about South Town’s German history well those German immigrants built more than just houses in South toown they built Gardens beer gardens

And the Beethoven manacor has been around since 1867 this is its current president clouse Haider we are the oldest sing Society in the Sonic United States so wait did you say singing Society yes not just drinking Society singing Society so manacor actually stands for Men’s Choir initially started by San Antonio

Residents to get together and raise their voices in song and their glasses in cheer for Mand Germany now our purpose is our organization is a fostering of German music culture and customs and the German culture is Flowing tonight just as it has been for almost 150 years and today it’s open to

Germans and non-germans alike everybody says best C secet in San Antonio I believe it I think that actually goes for all of Southtown whether you bask in its art and food or whether you head further south to trace the very origins of Texas South San Antonio proves that

The Road Less Traveled is often the road worth taking how could I pass this up some German goulash brwast and S Kraut and Das you know something about all this just feels right you know deep inside of me so as the German say get meat C

That’s uh viaone dios in German ah na a sausage it’s good no all right it always happens get out of here that’s my chili come on buddy thinks just cuz I dropped it on the ground I’m not going to eat it come on what are you doing I’m still eating

That get out of here this you you silly little sausage you’re not staying in so Fun why you ask why are they haunted but let me tell you all right try it again try it again in a school bus full of children approach the approach dang it well the oncoming oncoming and suddenly in a crash of Fury and metal and bloody

Children well it was too close late dang it just up ahead are the haunted ghost tracks of s stop dude all right ready Howy y’all follow along with my Adventures @ chett Tripper on Instagram and at the day Trier TV on Facebook and YouTube or head to the daytripper.com for travel guides past episodes and info on our mobile app and team Day Tripper this episode was made for y’all with the help of our awesome Partners

Check the caption for more info how do y’all chat the Day Tripper here thanks so much for tripping with us uh remember while you’re here like this video subscribe to our channel so that we can stay out there on the road and keep on tripping did we miss anything in

This town leave us a comment let us know we love finding out about new stops with all your tips and if you love epic Texas day trips remember to check our Channel we got a lot of them on there also don’t forget if you want some sweet Day

Tripper merch or another cool Texas made product come see us in Georgetown at the Day Tripper World Headquarters you can also shop online if you check the link down there in the caption all right y’all bye Kos Amigos