Hear Americana at Sam's Burger Joint near the Pearl

Hotel Emma fills the 1894 brewhouse of the old Pearl brewery and kept the 134-foot brewery tower, pipes, fermentation tanks and brick walls as part of the design. Walk through the lobby and bar even if you stay elsewhere to see the industrial details. It is named for Emma Koehler, who kept the brewery running through…

The Menger opened in 1859 on Alamo Plaza and still takes guests today, some in rooms with Alamo views. Even if you stay elsewhere, step in to see the 1887 Menger Bar, built as a replica of a London club bar, where Theodore Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders. Ask for an Alamo-view room when you book, and ask at the front…

Each May, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center runs the Tejano Conjunto Festival, described as the first and longest-running conjunto festival in the United States. Bands built around the button accordion play at Rosedale Park on the West Side, with a seniors dance and hall of fame events at other venues. Wear dancing…

Every October, Hemisfair fills with more than 80 handmade altars, music stages, an art market and two processions for Muertos Fest, a free Day of the Dead festival that began in 2013. Go on the Saturday for the full program and join a procession if you wish. Bring a photo for the community altar, and treat the altars…

Just outside the city in Helotes, John T. Floore's Country Store is a dance hall and cafe that opened in 1942, with a calendar of country and Americana acts. The venue also lists free Reese Bros barbecue lunches and dine-and-dance events. Check the calendar, buy headliner tickets early and plan a ride or a designated…

La Villita is a seven-acre historic village on the south bank of the River Walk, restored between 1939 and 1941, and its old stone and adobe buildings now hold galleries, artisan shops and cafes. Stroll the car-free Villita and King Philip streets, step into studios and ask makers about their materials before you buy…

Paris Hatters on Broadway has been family owned since 1917 and sells Stetson hats in straw and felt. Staff fit each hat to your head and build, then shape the brim and crown before you leave, and they also clean and reblock old felt hats. Look for the antique hat blocks and the hand-cranked cash register while you…

The Japanese Tea Garden in Brackenridge Park sits in a sunken limestone quarry, where stone for downtown buildings was once cut, and now holds ponds, a waterfall, stone arch bridges and a pagoda. Go early or late for softer light and fewer people in the frame. The Jingu House cafe on site is walk-in only, so you can…