Hoop Dreams

7 slam-dunk Final Four events for Houston Cougar fans in San Antonio

Fans don't need tickets to join in San Antonio's Final Four fun.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

The Houston Cougars men's basketball team will shoot for history as it takes on Duke in an NCAA Final Four showdown in San Antonio on Saturday, April 5. A win could send the Coogs to their first national championship game in four decades.

UH fans headed to San Antonio for the game will have to wait patiently until 7:49 pm Saturday for tip-off at the Alamodome. How to fill the rest of the weekend? Much of the thrilling Final Four action will be off the courts, including concerts from Grammy-winning artists, meet-and-greets with San Antonio Spurs legends, and tailgating fun.

Downtown San Antonio will explode with can't-miss events from April 4-7 — and many of them are free. Read below for our guide to the essential events during San Antonio's slam-dunk Final Four weekend.

Fan Fest
April 4 & 7, noon-6 pm; April 5-6, 10 am-6 pm at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Make a full-court press to this celebrity-filled party packed with interactive games, exhibits, demonstrations, autograph signings, and appearances from greats like David Robinson and Avery Johnson. Event sponsor Capital One Bank will welcome cardholders with early entry and free swag.

March Madness Music Festival
April 4, 4:30-10 pm; April 5, 3-9 pm; April 6, 2:20-10 pm at Hemisfair Tower Park.
Top athletes won't be the only VIPs gracing San Antonio during the Final Four. This electrifying music festival includes three days of free outdoor performances from musical heavyweights like Pitbull, Doechii, Jelly Roll, T-Pain, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and Chris Stapleton.

Men's Final Four Friday
April 4, 10 am-6 pm at Alamodome.
Basketball fans of all ages can hoop it up during this complimentary day of interactive activities featuring each Final Four team squeezing in one last practice. Guests can also preview future NBA draft picks as top senior student-athletes compete in the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star Game.

Tip-Off Tailgate
April 4 and 7, 3-10 pm; April 5, 1:30-11 pm; April 6, noon-5 pm at Civic Park.
These free watch parties for the men's and women's Final Four games include giveaways, basketball-themed activities, and a curated selection of food and drinks. There are also meet-and-greet sessions with Spurs icons David Robinson and Manu Ginobili, former Duke Blue Devils star Christian Laettner, and Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy.

River Rally
April 5, 11 am-noon at the Lagoon at Shops at Rivercenter, 849 E. Commerce St.
Show your team spirit by watching free performances by bands and spirit squads from each of the four participating schools floating along the River Walk.

Final Four Dribble
April 6, 10 -11 am at Travis Park.
While there are no more participatory spots, guests can cheer on more than 3,000 local kids and teenagers dribbling a basketball through a one-mile course downtown. Each participant will move the ball freestyle while wearing a specially designed branded shirt.

Championship River Parade
April 7, after the title game at La Villita.
Fans of the newly crowned national champion can hoot and holler as players and coaches celebrate on barges drifting down the San Antonio River. The victorious team will show off their trophy and hold a final rally at the Arneson River Theater at 418 Villita St.

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go rural

Tiny West Texas town tops Airbnb's 'off-the-map' destinations to visit

Matador, Texas, Airbnb, best rural destinations

Photo courtesy of Airbnb

Welcome to Matador, Texas.

More Texas travelers are shying away from tourist traps for their vacations and instead embracing the calming roadside with increasing interest in rural areas of the state, according to Airbnb, and one tiny Texas city in the Panhandle is generating buzz atop a brand-new list of under-the-radar rural destinations in America.

The vacation rental marketplace's inaugural "Off-the-Map" list features 20 rural destinations across the country where short-term rentals are bringing in "new opportunities for local tourism."

"From coastal fishing villages to Cajun bayou towns and alpine mountain escapes, America Off-the-Map invites travelers to discover something new and helps support local economies and communities across the country," the report said.

Matador, a small town about 80 miles northeast of Lubbock and 530 miles from Houston, was named the No. 1 hidden gem vacation destination in Texas. The report described Matador as a part of Texas that tourists "haven’t found" yet, which is what makes it all the more rewarding as an undiscovered treasure.

"Welcome to the seat of Motley County – where the wind is constant, the skies are enormous, and the history is deeper than the caprock beneath your boots," the report said.

Visitors can explore the Motley County Historical Museum, which explores the building's history as the Traweek Hospital that was originally built nearly a century ago. The museum also sheds light on Native American history, the life of ranchers, and other historical facts about the town and county.

Local restaurants like Chelle's Garden or TC's Ponderosa in nearby Dickens are good spots for travelers to eat like a local, while the Coffee Mill and Mercantile in Quitaque is the place to be for breakfast, lunch, and a cup of joe.

Matador is also less than an hour away from the newly expanded Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, a popular Texas state park known for its roaming bison herd and bat colony.

According to Airbnb's website, there are over 130 short-term rentals in Matador and the surrounding Motley County area, with some homes available for $172 for an overnight stay in April 2026.

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