Remember the Alamo?

AirTran Airways certainly hopes you do.

AP (ENLARGE)

The Alamo, San Antonio's monument of heroic sacrifice, is a living memorial of the 13 days in 1836 that ended with the fall of the Texas-defended Alamo.

File (ENLARGE)

San Antonio has terrific Tex-Mex restaurants that will make you say ole!

The airline earlier this week started daily non-stop service between Atlanta and San Antonio, home of America's famous last stand. Previously, only Delta Airlines flew non-stop to the city.

Here are some spots worth checking out.

The Alamo

An icon of heroic sacrifice. The city has grown up around the old mission and much of the make-shift fort has been lost to time. But the church that was the heart of the compound survives and serves as a museum displaying Davy Crockett's buckskin vest and a flintlock rifle used in the battle. 210-225-1391. www.thealamo.org

Beyond the rampart

About 10 blocks from The Alamo is Market Square, the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico, says Dee Dee Poteete of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau. The square, where some of buildings date back to the 1820s, is a collection of plazas, shops and restaurants, including Mi Tierra Café and Bakery, which opened in 1943 and has been open 24 hours a day, seven days a week since.

210-207-8600. www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/marketsquare.

Tex-Mex

There are a number of terrific Tex-Mex restaurants here. El Mirador (722 S. St. Mary's; 210-225-9444) is the city's "oldest and most lauded," says Ron Bechtol, dining critic for the San Antonio Current. Bechtol also recommends Rosario's Mexican Café and Cantina (910 S. Alamo; 210-223-1806) which "blends more Mex into its Tex."

Something unexpected

There is more to San Antonio dining than Tex-Mex, says Bechtol, also a past editor of Zagat's Texas dining guide. "In the who'd-a-thunk it category, French-accented Le Reve (152 E. Pecan; 210-212-2221) has been called the best restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly," Bechtol said.

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