What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's San Antonio & Austin

Following a slowdown at the beginning of the new millennium, several major projects in San Antonio and Austin are back on track. As always, the hotel and restaurant scenes are where most of the shape-shifting occurs.

San Antonio

Accommodations

New lodgings that sit directly on the River Walk are always a big deal, and this time there are two major ones to report. (Maybe the bigger news is that neither is part of a corporate chain.) The superhip Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, 405 N. St. Mary's, San Antonio, TX 78205 (tel. 866/842-0100; www.hotelvalencia.com), brought the interior of a historic building into the present -- perhaps the future. The Watermark, 212 W. Crockett St., San Antonio, TX 78205 (tel. 866/605-1212; www.watermarkhotel.com), sister property to La Mansión del Río, right across the river, is especially noteworthy for its expansive spa. Both hotels fall into the "very expensive" category.

Several notable nonchain properties that don't sit right on the river opened recently, too. Its name notwithstanding -- well, maybe you can see the water from a block away -- the intimate Riverwalk Vista, 262 Losoya, San Antonio, TX 78205 (tel. 866/898-4782; www.riverwalkvista.com), occupies a beautifully restored historic structure. Only the facade of the O'Brien Historic Hotel, 116 Navarro St. (at St. Mary's), San Antonio, TX 78205 (tel. 800/257-6058; www.obrienhotel.com), is old -- again, what's in a name? -- but these up-to- date digs near the Convention Center and La Villita are very appealing. Both properties are excellent values in their respective (expensive, moderate) price categories.

In addition, several big chain hotels underwent major renovations. The city's two Hyatts -- the Hyatt Regency San Antonio on the River Walk, 123 Losoya St., San Antonio, TX 78205 (tel. 800/233-1234; www.sanantonioregency.hyatt.com), and the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, 9800 Hyatt Resort Dr., San Antonio, TX 78251 (tel. 800/233-1234; http://hillcountry.hyatt.com) -- spent megabucks in 2004 on, among other things, morphing the guest rooms from country-cute to Texas sophisticated. The San Antonio Airport Hilton, 611 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78216 (tel. 800/HILTONS; www.hilton.com), devoted multimillions to spiffing up its image, too, trading in Lone Star chairs for earth-tone lounges. Hmmm . . . don't y'all want to be associated with cowboys anymore?

We're not entirely sure what the $6 million that the Marriott Plaza San Antonio, 555 S. Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78205 (tel. 800/228-9290; www.plazasa.com), spent on a revamp went to -- the work wasn't completed by the time we went to press and no photos were available -- but the property always had an elegant air, so odds are it was more of a Botox injection than an extreme makeover.

Dining

A couple of San Antonio's most recent arrivals on the dining scene are hot, hot, hot. The "New Tex-Mex" fare, the wildly colorful dining rooms, and the creators -- Lisa Wong of Rosario and Bruce Auden of Biga, both longtime local celebrity chefs -- have made Acenar, 146 E. Houston St. (tel. 210/222-CENA), an instant River Walk success. And whoever doubted that Southtown was still happening need only check out the Latin rhythms, the mix-it-up Latin American menu, and the sharply dressed crowd at Azuca, 713 S. Alamo (tel. 210/225-5550).

Pesca, 212 W. Crockett St. (tel. 210/396-5817), at the Watermark Hotel, isn't as hip as the aforementioned two new spots, but who cares when you find fish this fresh and well prepared? (Besides, it's way too pricey to attract starving-artist types.) In contrast, Ciao Lavanderia, 226 E. Olmos (tel. 210/822-3990), the sister restaurant to Bistro Vatel and in the same strip mall, serves stylish Italian food that's a great bargain to boot.

Like your scene with a French accent? Drop into chic Metropolitain, 255 E. Basse, #940 (tel. 210/822-8227), for a café au lait and croissant next time you're shopping at the Alamo Quarry Mall.

Sightseeing

The most important -- or at least longest-heralded -- entry on the attractions scene, the Museo Americano Smithsonian, 101 S. Santa Rosa Blvd. (tel. 210/458-2300), hasn't opened yet, but after years of delay there's a definite date for its debut: July 4, 2005. A cornerstone of the Centro Alamada project, devoted to exploring the city's Hispanic roots, MAS -- get it? -- is positioned at the entryway to Market Square.

Having expanded its Latin American holdings in the 1990s, the San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. (tel. 210/978-8100), is looking eastward: Once the Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing opens in spring 2005, the institution will boast the largest Asian art collection in Texas and one of the most extensive in the Southwest.

Although the two theme parks at the outskirts of town, SeaWorld San Antonio, 10500 SeaWorld Dr. (tel. 800/700-7786), and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, 17000 I-10 W. (tel. 800/473-4378), continue to compete to outdo each other with splashy new shows and thrill rides, the biggest news in family fun is downtown: Davy Crockett's Tall Tales Ride, the last piece in the new multimillion-dollar Ripley's Haunted Adventure and Guinness World Records Museum complex, 329 Alamo Plaza (tel. 210/226-2828), will be completed in early 2005, combining a (very loose) history lesson with a lot of fun.

Austin

Accommodations

The expansion of Austin's convention center to double its previous size, completed in 2002, resulted in an accompanying increase in the number of downtown hotel rooms. That the high-rise Hilton Austin, 500 E. Fourth Street, Austin, TX 78701 (tel. 800//HILTONS; www.hilton.com), should offer a good fitness center and stylish rooms comes as no surprise. More unexpected are the upscale extras -- such as room service from P.F. Chang's and Fleming's -- at the new Hampton Inn & Suites Austin-Downtown, 200 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, TX 78701 (tel. 800/HAMPTON; www.hamptoninn.com).

In contrast, near the University of Texas, old is in. Not long after its 2003 debut, the Mansion at Judges Hill, 1900 Rio Grande, Austin, TX 78705 (tel. 800/311-1619; www.mansionatjudgeshill.com), a converted late-19th-century home with a 1980s annex, became the place to stay in town. Not far away, the owner of the excellent Austin Folk House purchased the historic Governor's Mansion B&B; rechristened it the Star of Texas, 611 W. 22nd St., Austin, TX 78705 (tel. 866/472-6700; http://staroftexasinn.com); and performed her magic on the rooms and public areas.

For those keener on pampering than sightseeing, the biggest scoop is the completion of the new spa at the Lake Austin Spa Resort 1705 S. Quinlan Park Rd., Austin, TX 78732 (tel. 800/847-5637; www.lakeaustin.com), about a half-hour from the center of town. The 25,000-square-foot facility, opened in 2004, finally gives the property treatment rooms to match its idyllic setting and myriad nature-oriented activities.

Dining

It's tough to keep track of the culinary comings and goings around Austin -- and especially downtown. Recently it was bye-bye Emilia's, hello Moonshine, 303 Red River St. (tel. 512/236-9599). The haute comfort food served isn't as exciting as the cuisine offered by the former occupant -- or as expensive, to be fair -- but the setting, an 1850s complex with a tree-shaded yard, is as pleasant as ever. One of the most interesting recent arrivals, Roaring Fork, 701 Congress Ave. (tel. 512/583-0000), was first introduced in Scottsdale, but chef Robert McGrath is a Texan, so his exciting New Texas cuisine deserves to be heralded on its home turf.

Proof that the hip South Austin scene has moved beyond Congress Avenue (but not far), Uchi, 801 S. Lamar (tel. 512/916-4808), may be the most dazzling new eatery in town, with its Japan-meets-New American menu. The far more low-key Habana, 2728 S. Congress (tel. 512/443-4252), which serves Cuban/Caribbean food, extends the sway of South Congress coolness beyond Oltdorf Avenue, once the southern boundary of the scene.

The hip are also hopping to East Austin, where Manor Road may be the next South Congress Avenue -- at least as far as restaurants are concerned. Of the new eateries that opened on the strip east of I-35 that the East Side Café first staked out, Vivo, 2015 Manor Rd. (tel. 512/482-0300), is our favorite, featuring excellent -- and health-oriented -- Mexican food and a fun patio.

Sightseeing

Most of the recent news in the Austin sightseeing arena is arts- and culture-oriented. The long-awaited reopening of the Austin Museum of Art-Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th St. (tel. 512/458-8191), in 2003 surprised many with its shift of focus away from the art that hangs on the walls of the institution's historic structure to the historic building itself and its lovely grounds. Shows are now pleasant and low profile, not the big blockbusters as in the past. In contrast, the refurbishing of the facility and opening of two new galleries in the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, 21st and Guadalupe streets (tel. 512/471-8944), has provided a better showcase for some of its flashier holdings -- if you can call the world's first photograph and a rare Gutenberg Bible flashy. And to reflect its metamorphosis from relic of another era to cutting-edge art space, the gallery of the Texas Fine Art Association, created in 1911, changed its name to ArtHouse at Jones Center, 700 Congress Ave. (tel. 512/453-5312). But Austin's major cultural event -- from both a financial and an artistic standpoint -- isn't going to occur until February 2006, when the Blanton Museum of Art debuts in a new building on the University of Texas campus.

As anyone who's been in town on a football weekend can attest, Austin's interests are far from exclusively effete. Witness the introduction in 2004 of the Austin Wranglers (tel. 512/491-6600; www.austinwranglers.com), the newest members of the professional Arena Football League.

Shopping

The first link in what is now the world's largest organic and natural foods supermarket, Whole Foods Market, 525 N. Lamar (tel. 512/476-1206), celebrated its 25th birthday in early 2005 by opening a huge new store near its original downtown location. Features include a 600-seat amphitheater, a cooking school, and on-site massages. And to fill an apparently insatiable local appetite for fresh produce -- and culinary-related activities -- the city saw the recent debut of the Austin Farmers' Market, held downtown at Republic Square Park, Fourth Street at Guadalupe, every Saturday from 9am to 1pm March to November (tel. 512/236-0074).

The Texas Hill Country

The relatively rural region around San Antonio and Austin changes less readily and steadily than the big cities, but that doesn't mean nothing ever happens here. For one thing, the area has a new central information resource that's actual -- as opposed to existing only on the Internet or telephone -- unlike similar such organizations in the past. The Texas Hill Country Visitor Center, 803 W. Hwy. 281 S. (tel. 830/868-5700, www.hillcountryinfo.com), can be found just outside downtown Johnson City.

In addition, several interesting new restaurants and lodgings have cropped up in the region -- as well as a couple of attractions. Here are some highlights.

The Silver Spur Guest Ranch in Bandera isn't new, but its owners are -- which has led to major refurbishings and improvements, from individually redecorating the rooms to resurfacing the huge swimming pool. The hottest arrival on the dining scene -- such as it is -- is not in Bandera itself: Mac and Ernie's serves updated comfort food in a shack some 12 miles west of town.

One of the major tourist draws in Kerrville changed its name from the Cowboy Artists of America Museum to the Museum of Western Art to reflect a slight shift of focus in its holdings, but it remains as high quality as ever. The renovation of the town's old railroad depot is far more dramatic: Rails, the restaurant that now occupies the space, serves some of the freshest and most interesting food in the Hill Country.

Surprise: In Fredericksburg, a town best known for its B&Bs (more than 300 of them at last count), most in historic structures, the most interesting new place to lay your head is at the tiny airport. The Hangar Hotel does a delightful spin on 1940s flyboy style, replete with adjoining officers club. More typical of what's happening, tourist magnet-wise, is Cuvee, a wine bar, restaurant, and lounge that opened on the newly developing west end of Main Street.

New Braunfels has always touted its Germanic past and left tourists to discover its great river scene on their own. Now the local chamber of commerce has changed its website address to www.nbjumpin.com to reflect the town's interest in letting everyone know about its watery attractions. It doesn't hurt that the Texas Ski Ranch, a 70-acre complex with two lakes and water toys galore -- as well as a track and skate park -- opened on the outskirts of town. Both sports enthusiasts who've worked up an appetite and sophisticates who haven't will welcome the arrival of Myron's, a big-city-style steakhouse in a converted theater.