UT Austin, Texas State, UTSA and UIW in 3 Days: A Fly-In Visit to Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio
A parent-first plan for flying into Austin to see UT Austin, Texas State in San Marcos, and UTSA and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio from one hotel base: official sign-ups, visitor parking, meals between tours, things for siblings and Texas heat tips.
Main Building and Tower, UT Austin (Nov 2015). Photo: Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 26, 2026. The small [S#] links open the page each fact comes from. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
Check before you go. Tour times, sign-up rules, parking and seasonal closures change often, sometimes weekly. Every campus section below links to that school's official visit page and shows when we last checked it. Confirm there before you book or drive. College Visit Guides is not affiliated with or endorsed by any college or university. Names are used only to identify them.
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
The University of Texas at Austin · Texas State University, San Marcos · UT San Antonio · University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio
Days
3: UT Austin, then Texas State, then UTSA and UIW on the way to the San Antonio airport. Fly in the day before.
Fly into
Austin (AUS), about 12 miles from UT. Fly home from San Antonio (SAT), about 9 miles from UIW, or drive back to AUS.
Best base
Embassy Suites in San Marcos, which Hilton describes as halfway between Austin and San Antonio, about 5 minutes from Texas State.
Car or transit
Plan on a car: the base is about 35 miles from UT and about 49 miles from UTSA by road.
Registration
All four schools take tour registration online; UT asks you to wait for a confirmation email before booking travel.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents flying in with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see four universities along the I-35 corridor: UT Austin, Texas State in San Marcos, and UTSA and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.[S1][S11][S18][S22]
Instead of changing hotels, you sleep in San Marcos every night and drive out each morning; Hilton calls its Embassy Suites there halfway between San Antonio and Austin.[S27]
Why this order
Day 1: UT Austin's campus walking tour is for high school juniors and seniors; UT also runs a separate admissions information session with its own sign-up.[S1][S2][S3]
Day 2: Texas State's student-led tours run Monday through Friday most weeks and include residence halls on the San Marcos campus.[S12]
Day 3: UTSA's main-campus tour can be followed by an optional housing tour, and UIW offers weekday tours by appointment, about 23 minutes' drive away.[S18][S22][S32]
UIW is about 18 minutes by car from San Antonio's airport, so the trip can end there.[S32]
Book the tours before the flights
UT Austin says to wait to book your travel until you receive its tour confirmation email. All UT tour times are Central Time.[S2]
Texas State suspends tours at a heat index of 105°F or higher, in freezing temperatures or ice, with lightning within 3 miles, or in heavy rain.[S12]
Tour availability varies by season.
Popular UT dates can reach capacity; check the calendar on UT's sign-up page before you choose travel dates.[S2]
If Texas State's guided tours are full, it accepts walk-in sign-ups for its self-guided tour.[S12][S14]
On UT home football days, garage rates near campus go up, including at the Bullock Museum.[S6][S28]
2. The suggested 3-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim; I-35 traffic can make them much longer. Some legs were measured in one direction only.[S32][S33][S34]
Nominatim placed UIW's 4301 Broadway at a storefront with that address on the edge of campus, so UIW times are to that point. UTSA times use the Welcome Center location from UTSA's own map link.[S34][S18]
Campus walking tours are for high school juniors and seniors; admissions information sessions have a separate sign-up.[S1][S2][S3]
Covert Admissions Welcome Center: ground floor of the Perry-Castañeda Library, 101 E. 21st St. (entrance faces Speedway). Weekdays 8–5.[S4]
Tour times are listed in Central Time. Wait for your confirmation email before booking travel.[S2]
Visitor parking
UT points visitors to the Brazos Garage (BRG), 210 E. MLK Blvd., as the closest to the welcome center. It's open 24/7; clearance is 8′2″ on level 1 and 7′2″ elsewhere.[S4][S5]
Garage rates: $3 up to 30 minutes, $4 to 1 hour, $6 for 1–2 hours, $9 for 2–3 hours, $12 for 3–4 hours, $15 for 4–5 hours, $17 for 5–8 hours and $18 for 8–24 hours; a lost ticket is $36. Special-event rates may apply.[S6]
There's no free visitor parking on the main campus; surface lots and streets need a permit 7:30 am–5:45 pm on weekdays.[S7]
Getting there
AUS is about 23 minutes and 12 miles from the Perry-Castañeda Library by car (no-traffic estimate).[S32]
What to know
The Texas Union, 2308 Whitis Ave., has a second-floor food court with Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Tower Burgers & Fries, Shake Smart, Union Coffee House and Austin Local.[S8]
The Bullock Texas State History Museum is about an 8-minute walk from the library.[S28][S33]
If guided tours are full, you can sign up for a self-guided tour as a walk-in.[S12][S14]
Visitor parking
Registered tour guests get free parking validation at the LBJ Pay-to-Park Garage, 704 Gaillardia St. Pay-by-app visitor parking is also available.[S16]
Getting there
About 10 minutes and 4.8 miles from the Embassy Suites by car.[S32]
What to know
LBJ Student Center: Starbucks and Chick-fil-A on the first floor; Flametown Burgers and San Marvelous Local BBQ on the second.[S17]
Glass-bottom boat tours on Spring Lake leave from the Meadows Center, about 7 minutes away by car.[S29][S32]
Main Campus Welcome Center: first floor of the Bauerle Road Garage (room BRG 0.316), One UTSA Circle. Monday–Friday 8–5.[S18][S19]
Registration is strongly encouraged; register with the student's information, and siblings who are interested should register separately.[S18]
An optional housing tour follows the campus tour (Laurel Village, Guadalupe Hall and Alvarez Hall). School excuse letters are available at check-in.[S18]
Visitor parking
From Loop 1604, exit John Peace Blvd. and follow the roundabout to the Bauerle Road Garage. Parking is $2.50 an hour with no validation; bring your ticket and pay at a pay station before you leave.[S18]
Getting there
About 58 minutes and 49 miles from the Embassy Suites by car (no-traffic estimate).[S32]
What to know
Campus dining includes the Roadrunner Café plus Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Subway, Freebirds and Freshens.[S21]
In-person tours run Monday through Friday, morning and afternoon, by appointment only.[S22]
Welcome Center: Student Engagement Center, Suite 100 (lobby level), 4301 Broadway, San Antonio.[S24]
A self-guided walking tour takes about 45 minutes.[S25]
Visitor parking
Get a free guest permit online through UIW's Cardinal Cars site (you'll need an email, plate number and vehicle make, model and color). It's valid in any general space, including the garage next to the Student Engagement Center. Parking Office: (210) 283-5066.[S24][S26]
Getting there
About 18 minutes and 9.3 miles to SAT by car.[S32]
What to know
The Student Engagement Center, where the Welcome Center is, also has campus dining.[S25]
San Antonio Zoo is about 5 minutes away by car.[S30][S32]
Contact
Admissions: (210) 829-6005, admission@uiwtx.edu; text (210) 963-8494[S24]
Last checked Oct 26, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: one base in San Marcos, halfway between
Expedia hotel links are affiliate links: if you book through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hotel · Our pick
Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center
1001 E. McCarty Lane, San Marcos
Why here
Hilton describes it as halfway between San Antonio and Austin, with Texas State about 5 minutes away, so every tour day starts from the same room.[S27]
Free made-to-order breakfast and a complimentary evening reception.[S27]
Good to know
Check-in 4 pm, check-out 11 am. Self-parking $15 a day with in-and-out privileges; no valet; EV charging on site.[S27]
Dining: Rocky River Grille and Caffeina's Marketplace. Wi-Fi is $4.95, and Hilton lists a daily mandatory charge; check the amount when you book.[S27]
Up to two dogs or cats, $75 for 1–4 nights. No airport shuttle.[S27]
One hotel for all three nights means no repacking; book it once your UT confirmation email arrives.[S2][S27]
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At UT Austin
Eat
Texas Union food court
Second floor, Texas Union, 2308 Whitis Ave.
Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Tower Burgers & Fries and more. This fall, Chick-fil-A is open 10–5 and Panda 11–5 on weekdays; both are closed weekends.[S8][S9]
Starbucks and Chick-fil-A downstairs; Flametown Burgers and San Marvelous Local BBQ on the second floor, in the same building as the Welcome Center.[S17][S15]
About an 8-minute walk from UT's welcome center. Adults $22; students, military and seniors $18; ages 6–17 $16; 5 and under free. Its garage is $15 a day, more on UT football days.[S28][S33]
Daily boat tours over the springs of Spring Lake. Same-day tickets at the kiosk, first come, first served: adults $13, seniors 65+ $11, children 3–12 $9. The Wetlands Boardwalk is temporarily closed.[S29]
At UT, use the Brazos Garage; there's no free visitor parking and campus lots need permits on weekdays.[S4][S7]
At Texas State, registered tour guests get free validation in the LBJ garage.[S16]
At UTSA, the Bauerle Road Garage is $2.50 an hour; at UIW, register your car for a free guest permit before you arrive.[S18][S24]
If you fly into AUS and out of SAT, check your rental company's one-way fee; we haven't confirmed these.
Texas heat
Texas State suspends tours at a heat index of 105°F or higher; bring water, hats and sunscreen for summer tours.[S12]
July averages about 97°F in Austin and 95°F in San Antonio.[S35][S36]
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Austin Camp Mabry and San Antonio airport)
Spring: April averages about 80°F/59°F in Austin and 80°F/58°F in San Antonio.[S35][S36]
Summer: July averages 97°F/75°F in Austin and 95°F/75°F in San Antonio.[S35][S36]
Fall: October averages 83°F/61°F in Austin and 82°F/60°F in San Antonio; November averages 72°F/51°F in Austin and 72°F/50°F in San Antonio.[S35][S36]
Winter: January averages 63°F/42°F in Austin and 63°F/41°F in San Antonio. Texas State also pauses tours for freezing temperatures and ice.[S35][S36][S12]
Parent checklist
Register for the UT walking tour first, and wait for the confirmation email before booking flights.[S2]
Register for Texas State, UTSA (one registration per interested student) and UIW tours.[S13][S18][S23]
Request the free UIW guest parking permit online before day 3.[S24][S26]
Book the San Marcos Embassy Suites for all nights and reserve a rental car.[S27]
Pack water, sun protection and comfortable shoes for outdoor tours.[S12]
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.[A1][A2]
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.[A1]
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.[A5]
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.[A1]
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.[A1]
Division I (The University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University, The University of Texas at San Antonio and University of the Incarnate Word): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.[A1][A3]
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.[A2][A3]
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 26, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
