Our Next Frugal Find – Shakespeare in the Park

Mark your calendars for a night of amazing (and free) entertainment next week. Grab your lawn chair and some cool cotton clothing for a night you won’t soon forget!

“Shakespeare in the Park is  an annual event by The Magik Theatre that brings free, full-scale productions of Shakespeare’s work to our community. Hosted by the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Shakespeare in the Park brings San Antonians of all ages together in the balmy summer twilight to experience the joys, sorrows, trials, and triumphs of Shakespeare’s characters and stories.

For Shakespeare in the Park 2010, we present one of Shakespeare’s best-loved tragedies, Romeo & Juliet, June 2-5.” (Quoted from the Magik Theatre Website)

At $5Dining, we’re delighted to pass information about great things to do and wonderful places to eat in the S.A. area. Feel free to let us know about any upcoming area events you are aware of. Just comment on this blog or write to us at info@5dollardining.com. We have several restaurants in the general area of the Botanical Gardens. Please check out our Google map on this page to discover the wonderful dining destinations we represent.

Final FIESTA Fun!

We’re sad to say that FIESTA 2010 is almost over, but there’s still plenty of time to enjoy a long list of events.  Here are our top picks:

Friday – Battle of Flowers Parade with an early dinner afterward at Green Vegetarian Cuisine . We’re not even vegetarians and we love this place! Their terrific Portabella Burger and Onion Rings are well worth the visit.

Saturday – Begin your day with a big bowl of oatmeal (with all the toppings) or a Meditterranean omelette at  Twin Sisters Bakery & Cafe on New Braunfels St. Afterward, these are our top picks for a very full day:

• The always fun and friendly Pooch Parade. Not a pooch lover? Then, try…
• The Cactus & Xerophyte State Show. It’s inspiring!
• The King William Fair and Parade will entertain the whole family.

Sunday – After church services, or sleeping in, your final FIESTA day begins with a leisurely brunch at the Lighthouse Cafe in Olmos Park. Their famous coffee and Eggs Benedict are wonderful (everything here is wonderful). Nearby, The San Antonio Symphonic Band Concert will be featuring music about the great rivers of the world, including the San Antonio River Walk.

With the minimal (or no) entry fees at most of these events, and the ability to purchase good food at affordable prices with our $5Dining Restaurants, you may even complete your FIESTA weekend with money left in your pocket!

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Volunteers reenact the Battle of the Alamo.

March 2nd was Texas Independence Day. To celebrate, San Antonio Living History is reenacting the Alamo siege this Saturday, March 6th. The event kicks off with a predawn ceremony. I went last year, and it was worth getting up early for. The quiet of the morning broken by gunshots helped me to visualize what the battle for the Alamo would have been like. The predawn ceremony is from 6:00am to about 7:00am. If you aren’t an early riser, the celebration continues at 10:00am and lasts until 5:00pm. They will also have events on Sunday, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. And all of the events are free!
Note: The gunshots are pretty loud. You might want ear plugs or to cover the ears of your children. They do warn you when they’re about to fire.

This is a great time to try breakfast at a $5 Dining restaurant. I don’t often eat out for breakfast, and sometimes, I miss the good food offered only from 6:00am to 11:00am. When I get up early for an event like this, I enjoy taking time to relax with a good breakfast. After the predawn ceremony, head north to The Lighthouse Cafe or south to Taco Haven for a refreshing and filling morning meal. Since you’ll already be downtown, you can spend the day on the river or enjoying the rest of the reenactments. To save money on meals, pack a picnic lunch so you pay for eating out only once.

Have fun celebrating the bravery of our Texas ancestors. Remember the Alamo! Happy Breakfasting.

Annie
$5 Dining

Let’s Rodeo!

If you haven’t been to the San Antonio Rodeo and Stock Show, you’ve still got time to get down there and have some fun! The rodeo lasts through the 21 of February (that’s this Sunday). Tickets to the Rodeo itself cost $10-$25 and include admission to the rodeo, a concert, and the grounds. You usually can’t buy a concert ticket for just $10, much less a ticket to a concert, a rodeo, and a fair. That’s a whole day of entertainment fun.

If that’s a little too much for your pocketbook, you can get into the grounds for just $7 adults and $3 for children. There’s a carnival, the livestock, and plenty of interesting booths and shops. Gates open at 8am every day, and the Family Fair starts at 10am. Find more information on the rodeo’s website: http://www.sarodeo.com/sarodeo/general/

Delicious BBQ

All of that excitement is bound to get you hungry, and we all know that food at a fair is expensive. So why not head over to the Smokehouse for a chopped burger plate, just $4.79? You get the chopped beef burger (real smoked meat) and a choice of two sides. Speaking from experience, the cole slaw and potato salad are both good choices. Don’t forget to mention $5 Dining. You can spend all day at the rodeo and fair, end with a concert, and eat a delicious BBQ dinner for just $12-$15 a person. Now that’s a fun day on the cheap!

Happy Dining!

Annie
$5 Dining

Valentine’s Day Frugal Find

Welcome to the first Official $5 Dining Frugal Find! Every month we’ll post a couple of “Frugal Finds.” These will be inexpensive or free activities that you can do with your family, on a date, with your friends, etc. without breaking your pocketbook. We’ll also include $5 Dining restaurants nearby so that you can make it a fun, inexpensive, but thoroughly fulfilling outing. We’ll also keep you updated on events in town (watch next week for a post about the rodeo).

To get us started, here’s your Valentine’s Day Frugal Find:

One of the things I love to do is to drive around and look at old houses. It’s even more enjoyable to walk through old neighborhoods. Well, San Antonio Conservation Society has created a self-guided walking tour of the King William District. This beautiful section of downtown is well worth the visit. The Conservation Society has a printable brochure on its website that gives information about the history and architecture of the buildings you’ll be viewing. The walk is completely free and entirely romantic.

Make it more of a date by starting with lunch at one of $5 Dining‘s newest restaurants, MadHatters Tea House and Cafe. MadHatters is a trendy cafe that has earned national recognition. They serve Sunday brunch from 9am to 3pm. Try one of their daily bagelwiches for just $3.99!

Looks good, huh?

Or get a lunch combo with drink for just $6.00. Choose between several sandwiches (served with chips and salsa) or get soup and salad. Check them out and have a charming but inexpensive Valentine’s Day. Shown here on the Conservation Society’s map, MadHatters is the perfect spot for lunch on this walking tour. (MadHatters marked with red heart.)

King William Walking Tour and MadHatters

Oh, and if you’re worried about the weather, the current forecast for Valentine’s is a sunny afternoon with highs in the low-sixties.

Happy Dining, and watch for more Frugal Finds soon!

Annie
$5 Dining

Christmas Lights

One of my favorite things to do around Christmas is to look at Christmas lights. Aside from the cost of gas, it’s free entertainment, and kids love it. Off I-35 and Loop 410, the town of Windcrest lights-up every Christmas as its citizens compete in different categories. This year is the 50th anniversary of the city. The festivities start tonight at 6pm at the city hall (8601 Midcrown). You can pick up maps to the winning houses. If you can’t make it tonight, the light-up runs through New Year’s Eve. Why not make a night of it and go to dinner first? Nearby, you’ll find The Big Easy at Randolph Blvd and two Jim’s locations, one on 410 and one on 35.

Other places to see lights include The University of the Incarnate Word, (also near a Jim’s), Santa’s Ranch, between New Braunfels and San Marcos (cost is $20 per car, but if you have four in the car, that’s $5 a person), and of course, the Riverwalk.

Happy Holidays!

Annie
$5 Dining