Things to Do in San Antonio

A sprawling metropolis of over a million people, San Antonio extends well past its downtown core, but for thousands of tourists and conventioneers annually drawn to the city’s promise of sunshine, Mexican food and hospitality, their stay is concentrated to downtown. It’s arguably the most charming downtown in Texas. In addition to the San Antonio River Walk, which circles through the heart of the city, there’s a pleasing mix of architectural styles and easily navigable streets.

River Walk

The San Antonio River Walk, initially built as a public works project in the 1930s to encourage tourism while utilizing the San Antonio River, is the most famous of the city’s tourist attractions. It’s accessible at a number of points throughout downtown, typically by finding a bridge and taking a flight of stairs down to river level.

A system of sidewalks and bridges front both sides of the river, flanked by numerous trees and other flora, and lead pedestrians to what has evolved into a collection of restaurants, nightspots and shops in its most trafficked central section, and more tranquil, urban park settings at its outer edges. The Museum Reach section of the River Walk, completed in May 2009 as part of an overall $279 million expansion, connects north-of-downtown attractions like the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Pearl Brewery Complex to downtown via water, with some artistic embellishments worth viewing.

The river itself is transformed several times throughout the year. During the Christmas season, trees lining the River Walk get the full Christmas light treatment and 6,000 luminarias (glowing candles in sand-filled bags) lining the pathways provide a historically festive touch. On St. Patrick’s Day, the river is dyed green, though in truth, there’s not much difference between the seasonal tint and the river’s typically greenish shade. And for one weekend a year in January, the annual River Walk Mud Festival makes a celebration of the dredging of the River Walk’s water and subsequent cleaning of its muddy bottom. While the festival provides irreverent fun for locals, the River Walk restaurants’ outside tables lose a bit of their luster while the river is dredged.

 

• During the holidays, the River Walk is iilluminated by colorful lights and flickering luminarias.

SACVB

San Antonio Shopping

The eastern arm of the River Walk leads to Rivercenter Mall, a full mall with restaurants, clothing stores and even a bookstore. Located at the east end of downtown, you can catch one of the brightly-colored tour boats operated by Rio San Antonio Cruises at the Clearwater station in the mall to get a different perspective on the River Walk. The tour boats run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and give audiences a 40-minute, 2.5-mile cruise narrated by tour guides well-versed on all the Riverwalk’s sights. Rio San Antonio, which operates the tours, also operates water taxis that serve the Museum Reach section of the river.

By contrast, on the Western end of downtown, Market Square (also known as El Mercado) mixes tourist-oriented shops with specialty shops featuring legitimate south-of-the-border wares, available without taking the two-hour trip from San Antonio to Mexico.

Downtown was recently transformed in fairly dramatic fashion with the decision to close off two key north-south streets to make Main Plaza a pedestrian-only park, in the hopes it would serve as a key gathering place for San Antonians. The park is flanked by the strangely beautiful Bexar County Courthouse, and dominated by the historic and extremely important San Fernando Cathedral.

 

• Dancers at Market Square delight the crowds.

Marks Moore

Historical Sites

The San Fernando Cathedral, founded in 1731, is one of the oldest cathedrals in the nation, and a recent renovation to its interior brought it into the 21st century while maintaining its 18th century character.

Of course, the most famous downtown attraction—and the building the city might be best known for—is the Alamo, site of the notorious battle between the Mexican Army and a band of independence-seeking rebels (including the famous Davey Crockett) in 1836. The Alamo, of course, has become an enduring symbol of Texas independence and liberty since then.

Remarkably, there’s no admission fee charged to the 2.5 million people who visit the site each year. For history buffs, of course, the Alamo has special attraction, with displays of weaponry and other artifacts from the 1836 siege. Docents give detailed tours of the site that include descriptions of the battle, and there’s a library onsite for serious Texas history scholars. Even those with no attachment to its historical significance may find the Alamo worth visiting for the gardens lovingly maintained within its walled complex. 300 Alamo Plaza, tel. 210-225-1391. www.thealamo.org

 

• A Texas Ranger pays his respects at The Alamo.

Richard Nowitz

Some visitors, however, aren’t aware that the Alamo started as a mission—one of five still standing in San Antonio, extending from downtown to the southeast end of the city, known as San Antonio’s Mission Trail. [Read more about the Mission Trail.]

Next: Sports and Festivals