by Shannon Chicoine

Created on: August 27, 2008   Last Updated: August 13, 2009

San Antonio is one of the most fascinating cities in the United States, with plenty of tradition, culture, and hospitality. It's a city that offers many hidden attractions and unique activities for locals and visitors alike. Finding things to do may not be a problem, but deciding between all the choices in this flamboyant southern city may leave you breathless.

The Wild Animal Orphanage is a unique opportunity to get a guided tour of a non profit facility that houses one time abused and neglected animals. Among their rescued treasures are baboons, lemurs, domestic and feral cats, and chimpanzees. The animals are offered a safe, healthy home away from the road side zoos, horrible breeding facilities, and medical testing facilities. All this may sound sad and disheartening, but when you see the animals happy, playing, and content in their new life, all seems well in the world. This is the perfect destination for animal lovers.

If you're tired of the same old museum that seems to be in every town and community you've ever visited, you might try another one of San Antonio's unique sites. Inside a small garage in Alamo Heights, believe it or not you'll find a toilet seat lid museum in this swanky community. Barney Smith has collected d over 600 toilet bowl lids he calls art and is proud to show them off. Each lid has its own unique artwork, such as the cover dedicated to the different coffee brands. You can call 210-824-7791 to arrange a tour of this one of a kind museum.

Visitors who love learning about history and tradition will want to plan a San Antonio mission tour. San Antonio has five missions, the most in the United States, including the historic Alamo. These missions offer incredible photography opportunities, haunting ghost stories, and fabulous examples of pride and integrity. Mission San Jose is actually overlooked as visitors tend to want explore The Alamo, but it shouldn't be disregarded. It stands with its own gristmill and granary, with beautiful architecture and embellishments. Other missions include Mission Concepcion, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.

San Antonio is in the center of a beautiful region in Texas and because of that, it's so easy to see many beautiful attractions while staying in the city. Fredericksburg is 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, but well worth the drive. It offers more than twenty wineries, exceptional boutique shopping, Texas style dance halls, antiquing, and so much more. San Marcos is only 35 miles north of San Antonio and offers visitors world class shopping at their Prime Outlet Mall, tubing and river rafting, and cavern tours. Another great location is the German town of New Braunfels, only twenty miles north of San Antonio. America's #1 rated water park, according to the Travel Channel, rest on the banks of the Guadalupe River. Schlitterbahn has the most amazing, twisting, tuning, exhilarating water slides in the country, but offers a safe haven area for small children as well. This tremendous water park caters to every level of swimmer and even to non swimmers and is nestled within magnificent soaring trees.

Visitors to San Antonio are surely in for a fabulous time. It's so easy to find unique travel ideas and once in a lifetime opportunities in this distinctive city. Yall come back now, ya hear!

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