Support Us Button Widget

Welcome to the Alamo City: What to do in your first week in San Antonio

Calling college co-eds — this easy guide with places to eat, explore, and play will help you feel like a local in your new town.

skyline-for-6.20-WP Resize

Explore San Antonio with the help of these guides.

Photo by @skylinedronetx

Table of Contents
Eat

It’s officially college move-in season, and we want to say “Welcome to the 210" to our new arrivals at UTSA, OLLU, UIW, St. Mary’s, the Alamo Colleges, and Trinity — and anyone else starting a new chapter in San Antonio. Whether you grew up far away or already call San Antonio home, we are so excited you’re here.

We understand that starting school in a new place is a lot of change at the same time and taking on the 7th largest city in the country can feel a bit overwhelming. We put together an ultimate City Guide to help you out in your first few weeks.

Don’t forget to bookmark this page, subscribe to our free, daily newsletter, and follow us on Instagram for everything 210.

Eat

We don’t know about you, but trying to unpack and cook is a no-go. Fuel up for any meal:

SATXtoday: carriqui restaurant

Named after the Carriqui bird, this restaurant serves up food + drinks featuring flavors of the Rio Grande Valley, Texas Coast, and San Antonio.

Photo by Carriqui

Explore

Your world doesn’t have to stop at the edge of campus — save these off-campus study spots for when the library is packed and get out and about with these:

Mission-San-Jose.jpg

Explore a piece of San Antonio history at our local National Park, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Photo by SATXtoday team

Shop

Time to stock up. Find unique, discounted home goods for your new apartment, home, dorm:

Crates, posters, and merch litter the walls at Batcave Vinyl.

The store is stocked literally from floor to ceiling with vintage records, new releases, imports, and more music items for purchase.

Photo by SATXtoday team

Play

With a couple more weeks until football season, you’re going to need something to do besides homework. Take a peek at these:

SATXtoday: McIntyres

Celebrate daily happy hour at one of two McIntyre’s locations.

Photo by SATXtoday team

Students — we hope your next four years are wonderful + you come to love San Antonio as much as we do. Faithful readers — help us welcome the new arrivals by sharing this article with a friend.

More from SATXtoday
Have a joyous, merry, and happy holiday season y’all.
Prepare for winter weather in San Antonio with these seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks.
We’re highlighting the best kid-friendly activities that San Antonio, TX has to offer — complete with art classes, animal encounters, and outdoor fun.
From Six Flags to downtown rooftops, we have something for everyone who wants to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
San Antonio had a big year for news.
Historical markers are physical signs, plaques, and statues that commemorate a significant place or event. Where would you like to see a historical marker around San Antonio?
Learn how the San Antonio Food Bank manages two farms and where the produce it grows go.
The project is estimated to complete in 2028.
Because Kris Kringle needs his coffee too.
Check out this list of local spots to host your special event.