Tag Archives: downtown

Where to Watch Fourth of July Fireworks in Texas

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Atomic_Fireworks

It may not be New York’s Times Square, but Texas has some pretty spectacular fireworks shows. You can’t see them all, but here are a few great choices to help you decide where to enjoy this year’s festivities!

SAN ANTONIO

Downtown

With festivals, concerts and fireworks blasting off all over the city, the hard part will be deciding where to go. Downtown is always exciting during the 4th and it doesn’t have to be a huge hassle finding parking anymore now that you can Uber everywhere. There’s nothing quite as beautiful as seeing the fireworks explode over our great city of San Antonio, with the silhouette of the Tower of Americas in the background. For more than just fireworks, check out Freedom Fest at Market Square and the arts and crafts show along the River Walk.

Woodlawn Park

The 4th at Woodlawn is an all-day affair and starts with a Zumbathon, a 1K and 5K race, as well as live music, food, a parade and carnival, and don’t forget the fireworks. This is a great place to bring a picnic blanket or some chairs and carve out a spot for the family to relax and celebrate the day!

Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Fiesta Texas claims to have the largest fireworks display in the area. If you can stand the crowds, it might be worth it. This year, Coca Cola is sponsoring, so they’ll be offering Coke products, games and prizes from 2-7 pm in Crackaxle Canyon.

KABOOM TOWN

Perhaps the most impressive fireworks show in Texas can be found in Addison. Every year, this show is ranked one of the top 10 in the country and brings out half a million people. While it’s a free event you can watch from Addison Circle Park, your best bet is to get a reservation at one of the local restaurants, where you can leisurely sit on the patio, enjoy some cold drinks and good food along with the show.

SOUTH PADRE

For a more chill, beach-centric holiday, visit South Padre, where you can watch fireworks every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer at Clayton’s Beach Bar. To celebrate the 4th of July, fireworks will be going off Thursday through Monday. The bar is located on the gulf side on the north end and offers all-night drink and food specials to party-goers. Louie’s Backyard will also be hosting a fireworks display this year.

YOUR OWN PERSONAL FIREWORKS DISPLAY

Of course, some of the best fun is just shooting off fireworks at home. Stop and by and visit Stone Creek Custom Homes’ co-owner, Jason Gale and his family’s fireworks booths located at 23211 US Hwy 281 N, San Antonio, TX 78258, 29505 US Hwy 281 N, Bulverde, TX and 25120 Blanco Rd., San Antonio, TX 28260.

If you’re looking to celebrate next year in a beautiful, brand new custom home, please call us at 210-494-5400 for a consultation. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.

Sustainable Urban Living in San Antonio

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
The Renewable Republic

The Renewable Republic

We are continually inspired by stories of our fellow San Antonians who not only think outside the box, but live outside of it as well! We recently discovered The Renewable Republic – a group of locals working to build a sustainable urban community that is working to live smarter, cleaner and more abundantly.

Their little urban farm, located off of S. St. Mary’s near Roosevelt Park, is an impressive sight to see. Besides growing traditional produce, which supports their family, tenants and some friends and neighbors (as well as the occasional CSA), they are growing vertically, have a tilapia farm and a giant water catchment tank, but that’s not all.

They keep chickens (although rather precariously-elevated above St. Mary’s), use solar energy to run everything and, in their spare time, make bio-diesel by recycling used restaurant cooking oil – the byproduct of which is used to make glycerin soap that they sell at places like Dignowity Hill Farmers Market.

For folks looking to learn from these savvy sustainable practitioners, Renewable Republic is hosting an Urban Farm Camp this summer for kids, from July 18-22 or July 25-29, and there have been talks about eventually hosting one for adults as well.

The owners are excited to help other neighborhoods build similar communities and are happy to lend their expertise. If starting your own garden seems too daunting, why not see if your neighbors would be willing to collaborate on one for the whole neighborhood? According to Renewable Republic, they have seen the simple act of growing one vegetable change lives. Reconnecting with nature through growing is just of the benefits of bringing rural life to the city.

What are you inspired to do in your community? We’re always inspired to help our clients build their dreams. Feel free to call us at 210-494-5400 for a consultation. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.

5 Reasons To Love New Braunfels

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guadalupe_River_in_New_Braunfels,_TX_IMG_0499

New Braunfels is a beautiful place to live and one of our favorite places to build a home for our customers! It’s green and gorgeous with easy access to San Antonio and all of the amenities of a big city, but New Braunfels stands out on its own. Here’s why:

River Life

Life along the river just feels more peaceful, and in the New Braunfels area you have access to not only the Guadalupe River, but the Comal River as well. If you want riverside property you can barbecue down by the river or hop on a tube and join the other floaters.

Wineries

You can rest assured that just because you’re in a small city, doesn’t mean you won’t have access to arts, culture and great wine. In fact, New Braunfels has some excellent choices. We recommend checking out Dry Comal Creek Vineyards and Winery on the Gruene.

Schlitterbahn

We can’t talk about New Braunfels without mentioning the best water park in Texas. Living here  means getting season passes, especially if you have kids, will be worth your while. In fact, right now Schlitterbahn is having a spring sale with $5 discounts on each pass.

German Food

It’s not hard to find great Mexican food in San Antonio, but German food is another story. Not so in New Braunfels. Many German settlers populated this land and have carried on the tradition of excellent German fare. Try Alpine Haus Restaurant and Oma Gruene’s Secret Garten.

Downtown

There’s nothing more charming than a historic downtown, and if New Braunfels is anything, it’s charming! The Seekatz Opera House, for example, was built in 1900 by brothers Otto and Louis Seekatz. Although it was even destroyed by a fire at one point, back in 1941, it’s since been restored to its former splendor.

Whether you’re looking to move to New Braunfels or any of the many lovely places in and around San Antonio, you can call us at 210-494-5400 to get started. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.

The New Year in San Antonio Brings New Excitement!

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

sacc-img-012

The beginning of any new year can be a bit discombobulating, especially after all the hubbub and excitement around the holidays. January and February are often slow months. The Christmas lights have been turned off. The parties are over, but fortunately, if you live in or around San Antonio, the fun doesn’t have to end too!

Here are some fantastic things you can look forward to in the New Year:

San Antonio Cocktail Conference

The Cocktail Conference is truly one of the preeminent events that takes place each year in San Antonio. This year’s four-day cocktail extravaganza happens January 14 – 17 and includes endless parties, workshops for cocktail enthusiasts as well as professionals, and incredible food and drinks made by local talent as well as bartenders that come in from all around the U.S. – all in an effort to celebrate craft cocktails. Besides the obvious, the best part about this event is the fact that 100% of the proceeds are donated to children’s charities, so you get to party for a cause. What could be better?!

First Friday Wine Walk

The new Wine Walk that takes place every first Friday of the month gives you a whole new way to appreciate First Friday. If you’ve never been, First Friday started out as an arts walk or tour of the Southtown neighborhood’s artists and artisan wares. However, over the years it’s evolved into more of a roaming party, primarily centered around the Blue Star Arts Complex. Recently, Nectar Wine Bar started what they’re hoping becomes a new trend. Instead of the traditional bar crawl, which is really more of a mad, drunken dash, Nectar and an assortment of some of downtown’s finest offer a more refined way to enjoy First Friday and, as the name implies, it comes with wine and assorted treats.

O’liva Healthy Local Cuisine & Tasting Room

O’liva Restaurant is a new farm-to-table restaurant in the downtown area that offers fresh, seasonal cuisine. O’liva is a rare offering in this downtown fresh food desert. Besides Pharm Table, The Clean Plate, and the upscale Gwendolyn Restaurant, there aren’t really any other options. Every Tuesday, they feature a guest chef, and on Fridays they have Grille Night which includes some awesome steaks and vegetarian options as well. Dinner is often accompanied by a cool local musician. They also just started offering Happy Hour every day (except Sunday) from 4 – 7 pm. Guests enjoy 25% off all wine, beer and appetizers.

The Majestic Theatre

The stunning Majestic Theatre is showcasing some great acts in the New Year. Broadway’s comedy-drama, Kinky Boots, will be playing throughout January. Next, the always hilarious Jerry Seinfeld will be in the house on February 5, so make sure to get those tickets early. Dancing with the Stars, Yamato: The Drummers of Japan and Riverdance will also be making an appearance at the beginning of 2016 – all good reasons to get out of the house even when it’s cold!

Of course, the new year is always a perfect time to plan for a new beautiful home, so give us a call at 210-494-5400. To be added to our private email list to receive the newsletter, please sign up here.

 

 

 

 

 

Get Ready for Your Memorial Day Cookout!

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

photo

Who doesn’t look forward to an amazing Memorial Day cookout with all of their friends and family in their lusciously-landscaped backyard?! But what if your backyard isn’t so luscious? Here are some fast, easy things you can do to help enhance your Memorial Day experience, your backyard and your culinary prowess!

The Backyard

If you haven’t had time to landscape your backyard the way you want it, consider sprucing it up for your party by covering the deck and yard with potted plants filled with beautiful blooming flowers. As an added touch, you can paint the pots with glow-in-the-dark paint to make them stand out when the sun goes down.

No one will be paying attention to how perfect your backyard is or isn’t as long as you have games for people to play. Buy a set of bocce balls, croquet and badminton and keep everyone entertained and happy. However, beware of mixing too much alcohol with a game of bocce ball… or croquet for that matter!

The Grill

You may already have the king of grills, but if not, think about adding this little green gem to your backyard. The Big Green Egg is a popular addition to outdoor kitchens. We’re finding that a lot of our clients either have one or want one. It may not be the prettiest appliance, but this kamado-style ceramic charcoal barbecue cooker is considered one of the most versatile cooking devices on the market. You can grill, bake or smoke just about anything with it… and it tastes delicious!

The Barbecue

You can enhance just about any protein – beef, chicken or fish with a simple pesto. San Antonio’s own, Chef Chuck Hernandez, also known as the Pesto King and owner of Arugula Catering and the soon to be open O’liva Cafe downtown, was kind enough to share his Chihuahuan-style Pesto recipe with us. It goes great with grilled meats and veggies, either as a marinade or a condiment. Chuck likes to add it to his quail diablos and grilled avocados (pictured here). If you try it this Memorial Day, please send us a pic or post on our Facebook!

Chihuahuan Pesto Recipe

  • 2 cups  fresh cilantro – rinsed, drain-dried with some stems
  • 1 medium fresh jalapeno pepper
  • 1 green onion, stalk included
  • 4 cloves  garlic
  • 1/3 cup  jack cheese
  • 1 teaspoon  prepared mole paste
  • 1/3 cup  toasted pecans
  • 1 tablespoon  orange, pomegranate or pineapple juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon  cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon  oregano dried or fresh
  • 1/3 cup  EVOO
  • sea salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

Using a food processor, gently pulse ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. Scrape sides down with a rubber spatula. Approximately 1 minute. Serve or refrigerate in an air-tight container, up to 4 days.

If you don’t already have an amazing home and backyard for your Memorial Day cookout, we can help you get ready for next year! Give us a call at 210-494-5400.