Visit the Alamo at night to see it illuminated under soft white lights. Pam LeBlanc photo

​Now and then, it’s fun to play tourist in your home state. I zipped down to San Antonio last week with my husband for an overnight stay on the Riverwalk.

Touristy? Sure. But also, enjoyable. From Austin, it takes less than two hours to get to San Antonio.

The Westin Riverwalk is located on a quiet stretch of the San Antonio Riverwalk. Pam LeBlanc photo

We checked into a sweet corner suite at the Westin Riverwalk San Antonio that overlooked a quiet stretch of the river, flung down our bags and headed out to reacquaint ourselves with the Alamo City.

Visit the Riverwalk

A tour boat putters along the San Antonio Riverwalk. Pam LeBlanc photo

Sure, you can walk the Riverwalk – and you should. Some of the original stone bridges that arch over the river date to 1941, and people have been eating Mexican food beneath umbrellas and floating the waterway in colorful tour boats for decades. But on weekends, you can also kayak the passage with Mission Adventure Tours. I tried it a few years ago (read more here) and loved the new perspective.

Read more: Snorkeling with sharks at the Texas State Aquarium

Vendors sell aguas frescas at Historic Market Square in San Antonio. Pam LeBlanc

Stroll the market

From the Westin Riverwalk, it takes about 15 minutes to walk to Historic Market Square, where venders sell everything from glassware to trinkets and musicians perform on indoor and outdoor stages. Twenty years ago, I bought a hand-made nativity scene that I still display every Christmas.

Grab a margarita

Mi Tierra, 218 Produce Row, first swung open its doors to serve workers and farmers at the San Antonio Mercado back in 1941. I love sipping margaritas in the bar, where mariachis serenade couples beneath twinkling lights, then lining up in front of the pastry case in the adjoining bakery to pick out pig-shaped cinnamon cookies and coconut bars in the colors of a Mexican flag.

Read more: Craving cold? ICE! Debuts at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country this winter

Walk to Alamo

Visitors stroll Historic Market Square in San Antonio. Pam LeBlanc photo

We skipped the guided tour ($45 adults, $35 children) and self-guided audio tour ($20 adults, $18 children), but still wanted to visit the iconic site. You can walk through the church for free (but book a ticket online here to make sure you get in) during the day, or drop by at night like we did to see it from the outside, glowing in white lights. 

Shop at La Villita

Just above the main Riverwalk, you can visit higher-end boutiques in La Villita Historic Arts Village, 418 Villita Street. The “Little Village” is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and markers provide information about the history of its buildings.

Check out the Briscoe Western Art Museum

Don’t miss the Briscoe Western Art Museum, located a 3-minute walk from the Westin. Exhibits at the museum, housed in what once served as the city’s original public library, include a replica of a Wells Fargo stagecoach, a life-size metal sculpture depicting John Wayne as Marshall Rooster Cogburn, and a collection of saddles, bridles and spurs.

Try Italian for dinner

We know San Antonio is know for Tex-Mex, but we opted for Italian at the Westin’s in-house eatery, Zocca Cuisine D’Italia. One highlight? The antipasti tray, featuring a beautiful array of sliced meats and cheese. The braised mushroom ravioli hit the spot, too, as did the lemon ricotta cake – and you can watch people stroll past outside as you dine.

Sleep in

We headed back to our suite, with a king bed and a separate sitting room, and sacked out. The next morning, we put on robes and tiptoed out onto the balcony for breakfast – leftovers from the antipasti tray, plus coffee and tea, all consumed while watching the Riverwalk come alive.

Guide Jake Bredeson makes his way through Hells Canyon while rafting the Snake River in Idaho. Pam LeBlanc photo

I popped off a five-day rafting trip through Hells Canyon on the Snake River in Idaho last week with sand between my toes, a little poison ivy rash on my knees, and a duffle bag full of damp clothes.

How’d it stack up to other rafting trips? Nothing compares to the two weeks I spent on a self-guided trip with friends down the Grand Canyon two years ago. But my trip with ROW Adventures delivered spectacular wildlife encounters, gorgeous scenery and glorious camping.

Read more: The Ten Best Things About a Summer Trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Here are 10 of the most memorable moments:

A wild microburst while rafting the Snake River

Normally intense storms wouldn’t make my hit parade on a camping trip. But the 10-minute wind tempest that blew down half our tents and surprised a fellow camper who happened to be in the toilet tent that first night helped our band of merry revelers bond.

Overgrown kids

The 13 guests on our trip included seven men from Philadelphia, now in their mid-60s, who had known each other since childhood. They poked fun at each other, told stories, sang songs, and bickered like kids. I felt like I’d time traveled back to seventh grade, in a good way.

That one rapid

Water flows were just high enough for us to hit the Green Room, a section of Class 4 Granite Rapids that’s runnable only at specific flow levels. Straight up, straight down, a wall of green, a moment of terror and bliss.

A black bear walks along the Snake River in Idaho. Pam LeBlanc photo

A curious bear

One day, a black bear followed us from shore as we floated downstream. That was cool for about ten minutes, until he eased into the river and started to swim after us. That’s when we skedaddled.

The history

Each day we hiked to a historic old ranch or the ruins of places where indigenous people or miners once lived. But it was the visit to the site of the Chinese Massacre of 1887 that stuck with me. A gang of local men and boys killed 34 Chinese miners and fled with their gold. No one was punished for the crime.

Read more: A River Adventure to Reset Your Life: Rafting the Grand Canyon

That one hike

I was nervous about hiking to Suicide Point, high above the river, because I’m afraid of heights. But a fellow guest encouraged me, and I followed her to the highpoint, where we looked down at a bend in the river like the Grinch looking down on Who-ville. (But without the mean streak.)

Inflatable kayaks

Each day we could help paddle a big rubber raft, ride on the front of a boat rowed by a guide, or grab one of the inflatable kayaks to play in the smaller rapids on our own. Steering into those waves on the kayak felt like riding a bucking horse down an undulating ribbon of green while someone threw buckets of ice water in my face. Yeehaw!

A wildfire fighting helicopter fills its tank from the Snake River in Idaho. Pam LeBlanc photo

Nearby wildfires

Parts of Idaho and Oregon were ablaze during my rafting trip, which made for some hazy days. One afternoon several helicopters dropped down to the river near our camp to fill their tanks with water to fight the fires. They were so close they blasted us with wind and water spray.

Easy camping

There’s nothing like arriving in camp each afternoon to find camp – including all our tents and the dining area – already set up.

The toilet tent was situated to take in an incredible view. Pam LeBlanc photo

A loo with a view

Why just poop in the wilderness when you can contemplate the beauty of nature while you do your business? Each night, the crew set up our small portable toilet so we could take in an incredible view.