If you're lucky enough to have a friend call San Antonio home, it's a sure-fire way to guarantee a jam-packed adventure. Rule #1 - San Antonio weekends kick off on Thursday, so be prompt and come prepared for any and everything.

Day #1 - Baggage Claims and Rudy's BAR-B-Q
Day #2 - The Shops at La Cantera, Eisenhower Park, Rosario's, Southtown Village, King William Historic District, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center and River Walk after dark
Day #3 - Hill Country - Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock, Boerne, New Braunfels' Gruene Historic District
Day #4 - The Menger Hotel, The Alamo, River Walk, El Mercado and the Mission Trail

Day #1 - Baggage Claims and Rudy's BAR-B-Q
From various points in the U.S., flights land early enough for everyone to collect their bags and then head for dinner at Rudy's, a barbecue tradition in these parts. And this is not just any location, but the original Rudy's in Leon Springs, northwest of the city. There's something incredibly wonderful about smoked barbecue - your choice of brisket, turkey, pork ribs or chicken. Pick up a cold beverage from the iced selections, and then stand in line to place your order. How about a side of beans, cream corn or potato salad?

The experience isn't complete unless it's eaten around one of Rudy's red picnic tables under the starry Texas sky. Establishments like this are meant for story telling, reminiscing and lots of laughter.

Pace yourselves ladies, there's a lot of living to be done in a few days.

Day #2 - The Shops at La Cantera, Eisenhower Park, Rosario's, Southtown Village, King William Historic District, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center and River Walk after dark
As a crazy group of women that seek to discover the unique, the unusual and the ordinary, one of the first stops is always the hometown grocery store. This is by far one of the best spots to soak in the local flavor - to see how folks dress, learn about indigenous foods - especially fruits, vegetables and ethnic cuisine and to seek out what can't be found in your own backyard. In San Antonio that place is H.E.B. (pronounce each letter to say it correctly), which was started in Kerrville - just down the road in the Hill Country - more than 100 years ago by Howard E. Butt's mother.

While breaking bread is important, so is exercise. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Park, just off of NW Military Highway near Camp Bullis, is operated by the city of San Antonio and features more than six miles of trails. The park is a snapshot of Texas Hill Country terrain, complete with yucca plants, red oaks, live oaks and cedar flats. A slightly elevated path takes hikers up 120 feet or so, past bat houses, to an observation deck. Make sure to bring water to stave off heat and dehydration. For being in the middle of nowhere, this is a fairly popular park - moms with their children in strollers, dog walkers and joggers.

For more shopping, but not the survival type, it's off to The Shops at La Cantera. A beautiful complex adjacent to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, it offers more than 120 shops and restaurants including names such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Fossil, LaCoste, Landau, Tiffany & Co., Tommy Bahama and Ralph Lauren, among others. The outdoor marketplace is the perfect venue to pick up a hostess gift or two, have lunch and people watch.

On the first Friday of the month Southtown Village comes outside to celebrate. Situated south of downtown and east of the San Antonio River, it borders King William Historic District at S. Alamo St.

Kick the evening off at Rosario's, a local landmark, with margaritas, appetizers and local Tex-Mex cuisine. With a bold orange and turquoise color scheme, this neighborhood restaurant sits in a wedge between S. Alamo St. and S. St. Mary's St. and looks as if in an earlier day it was a car dealership. Beautiful, large portraits of women line one dining room wall, while over-sized rooster paintings fill another. Patrons are a mix of people, ages and ethnicity. As the band begins to set up, it becomes apparent that the tempo changes after dark.

While it's still daylight, it's time to wander down the street and begin exploring the many arts and crafts tents that have sprung up along the sidewalks. An enclave of artists surrounds the now defunct King Willies BBQ. There's everything from jewelry to vintage clothing to religious items - a theme that continues throughout the event. Many are regular vendors who greet their customers like old friends.