Lone-star city sparkles long into the night

San Antonio is a Texan jewel with lots for the modern traveller, not forgetting its history and fine food, finds ADAM ASPINALL

- ADAM ASPINALL

San Antonio is not shouting about its success — it doesn't need to. America’s seventh-largest city is quietly booming, from infrastructure projects to make HS2 blush to new restaurants, revitalised neighbourhoods and attractions galore.

With that distinctive TexMex culture, and easy Texan charm, it also offers everything a family could want. And for grownups it's a destination with depth, one where great food, genuine history and creative energy collide, while for children, adventure awaits at every turn.

It's also the kind of city that wakes up hungry and knows exactly what to do about it - take the fabulous Mi Tierra Cafe, for example, where breakfast feels more like a celebration. Open since 1941, this Tex-Mex institution is a swirl of colour and sound, mariachis playing between tables, the scent of cinnamon and coffee in the air, and walls covered in glittering folk art and portraits of local legends.

Families can burn off that indulgence with a day at the action-packed Six Flags Fiesta Texas. There are white-knuckle coasters for thrill-seekers and gentle rides for little ones, all wrapped up in a new "DC Universe" zone where superheroes and villains leap from comic books to roller coasters. Parents can get their adrenaline fix too, while the kids meet Batman in between funnel cakes.

A more relaxed day with the nippers can be found at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, a lush 38-acre escape that showcases everything from desert landscapes to tropical trails.

And when the kids need to burn energy, the DoSeum also delivers. This is an interactive museum where play and learning go hand in hand.

For a different kind of education, the Witte Museum digs deep into the stories of South Texas, blending history and science with clever, hands-on exhibits.