Let’s Rodeo San Antonio! My little Claire and I went to visit her family in San Antonio for the rodeo & Carly Pearce concert this past weekend. We had an absolute blast, let me tell you why.
1. High Energy Events
The San Antonio Rodeo is several weekends long in February because of its bracket format leading up to the finals. We went on a Saturday afternoon, which is a separate event from Saturday evening. The rodeo begins with an exciting grand entry before the events. We got to see bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time even though I hardly knew what was going on.
One thing I loved about the organization of the rodeo was that animals are staged on both sides of the arena so while one event is taking place, another is being set up. This way there is quick turn around between events and you don’t get bored.
They even have an event called mutton bustin’ which is when little kids (5 year olds) grab on to a sheep for dear life. It is adorable!
2. The Concerts
As if the event couldn’t get any better, they bring in big artists to perform after the San Antonio Rodeo! Several of the artists are country, but not all. They haul out this stage on wheels into the center of the arena, then flatten out the sides to make the stage wider. The set up process is honestly only 30 minutes. Oh and the stage rotates! So everyone gets to see the artist perform.
We honestly came to see Carly Pearce perform and the rodeo was a bonus! She had just won her first Grammy for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” and had such fresh energy. Carly told stories about her songs, waved to the audience, and acknowledged those in the very top row. You can tell she loves what she does. My friend Claire and I sang every word and were having an absolute blast. The camera man came to film me onto the big screen as my favorite song came on and I was tearing up. It was embarrassing.
We only saw Carly Pearce but some other artists that performed at the San Antonio Rodeo this year are Lee Brice, Jake Owen, Midlands, Nelly, Keith Urban and Cole Swindell.
3. Livestock Show
After the concert, we had time to explore the Livestock Show and Shops at the Rodeo. It was super cool to see animals that families have raised for competitions. Claire said it was pretty common among her friends to raise goats.
The shopping was a bit chaotic with several different booths and no clear pedestrian traffic in the venue. However, the artisan goods were gorgeous. There were super cute boutiques, vintage signs, handmade leather and even booths for meat smokers.
4. Fried Food Trucks, Tequila Vendors and Biergartens
After all of that activity you work up an appetite! Or in my case, a craving for an overpriced beer in a fun cup. Darius Rucker is on to something when he sings “Beers and Sunshine”. There were several food vendors with all of the fried food goodies like fried Oreos, funnel cakes with all of the toppings, and loaded french fries. Claire opted for an ice cream cone covered in sprinkles.
We didn’t get the chance to go into the HEB Biergarten but it looked fabulous and had great music. It’s probably good we didn’t go because I could have sat out there all day.
5. Exploring San Antonio
One of the best things about the San Antonio Rodeo, is it’s host city! You can make a half day activity into a whole weekend trip. Whether you are a foodie, shopper, or just love walking around the city, San Antonio has something for you.
Claire showed me around her home town and took me to her favorite smoothie bowl place, Revolucion.
Then, we drove to the North Park Mall to take a picture at the iconic tourist Cavender Boots.
We drove all over the crazy highways to head back towards downtown to see the Pearl. This may have been my favorite spot. There were such cute boutiques, food halls and restaurants.
Somehow, after all of this we still weren’t tired so we decided to walk the River Walk. That one wore us out. It was absolutely gorgeous though.
We finished off our packed day at the iconic Tex-Mex La Fonda on Main. We could only get an outdoor reservation which worried us since it was a bit chilly out. They were super prepared with heaters and the cutest Mexican blankets so we didn’t feel cold at all! They had the best margarita I’ve ever had, and I also really enjoyed the queso. Oddly, my tacos came with a salad but I loved it because it kept me from getting too full.
If this isn’t enough to convince you to make a trip to the San Antonio Rodeo, then I don’t know what is!
Looking for a different kind of weekend trip? Check out Charleston!
