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Nearby, the San Antonio IMAX Theatre Rivercenter presents
"Alamo ... The Price of Freedom" on a six-story screen, while
the Texas Adventure presents the story of Texas independence in a
state-of-the-art multi-media presentation.
Four other Spanish missions founded in the early 1700’s form the San
Antonio Missions National Historical Park, a marvelous place to explore
the city’s roots and Spain’s influence on the Southwestern part of the
United States. The visitor center at Mission San Jose is an excellent
starting point, and a new hike/bike trail and improved way finding system
is underway to make these historic gems more accessible.
A tour of downtown San Antonio will uncover literally centuries of
history. Developed in the mid to late 18th century, La Villita ("the
little village") was one of San Antonio’s original settlements
which became a hub of Texas revolutionary activities in 1835 and 1836.
Today, La Villita is a National Historic District and a haven for artists
and craftsmen, selling blown glass, jewelry, stained glass and other
handcrafts, as well as fashions from Mexico and Guatemala.
The Spanish Governor’s Palace, the seat of government when San Antonio
was the capital of the Spanish Province of Texas, sits downtown near City
Hall. Nearby is San Fernando Cathedral, which the area’s founders from
the Canary Islands began constructing in 1731; and the Jose Antonio
Navarro State Historical Park, home of a central figure in the formation
of Texas.
Dating to 1840, Market Square (El Mercado), the largest Mexican
marketplace outside of México, is a festive combination of Tex-Mex
cuisine, music and entertainment, and products ranging from pearls to piñatas.
Meanwhile, the Steves Homestead, a mansion open to the public in the King
William Historic District, reflects San Antonio’s German heritage in a
gracious residential area settled in the late 1800s.
Northeast of downtown lies Fort Sam Houston, another "must see"
for history buffs. A National Historic Landmark, the oldest building on
the post dates to 1876. Military greats like Pershing, Stilwell, Krueger,
and Eisenhower all served at Fort Sam Houston. San Antonio was also a
training site for the Buffalo Soldiers, famed African American cavalry
troops who helped bring peace to the Western frontier a century ago.
Today, Fort Sam Houston is headquarters for the Fifth U.S. Army, the Fort
Sam Houston Museum and the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum.
The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio,
located downtown in HemisFair Park, chronicles more than 25 ethnic groups
that made the Lone Star State what it is today. Their stories are told
through words, photos and fascinating displays, that include such eclectic
items as a Native American teepee, an old-time barbershop, a frontier
dentist’s office, a town square band gazebo, an African American
sharecropper’s house – even a working post office.
For many visitors, San Antonio is the Paseo del Rio, an urban masterpiece.
Better known as the "River Walk," these cobblestone and
flagstone paths border both sides of the San Antonio River, 20 feet below
street level, as it winds its way through the middle of the business
district.
The River Walk has multiple personalities — quiet and park-like in some
stretches, while other areas are full of activity with European-style
sidewalk cafes, specialty boutiques, art galleries, nightclubs and
gleaming high-rise hotels.
Stretching for approximately two and a half miles from the Municipal
Auditorium and Conference Center on the north end to the King William
Historic District on the south, the River Walk designs were mainly the
work of the late Robert H. H. Hugman, a landscape architect. Work is
underway on a River Walk improvement project that eventually will link
Brackenridge Park with Mission Espada.
Yanaguana Cruises, the river’s floating transportation system, provides
a novel method of sightseeing and people watching in downtown San Antonio.
Groups can also dine aboard open-air, candlelit cruisers as they wind
their way along the scenic waterway. River taxis deliver visitors to
Rivercenter Mall, a dazzling three-level, glass shopping, dining and
entertainment complex, and to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
San Antonio is the picture-perfect setting for great family vacations.
Families may want to start their exploration of the city at the San
Antonio Children’s Museum, where kids are encouraged to explore a
miniature version of the city with exhibits like "Citystreets,"
"Hill Country Bubble Ranch," "Mission Courtyard,"
"Runway #9," and much more. Kids of all ages will experience the
excitement of the big top at the Hertzberg Circus Museum, while The Magik
Children’s Theatre provides family professional theatre in the heart of
downtown.
The Downtown All-Around Playground at HemisFair Park and Milam Park
(across from Market Square) provide excellent stops for kids to burn off
excess energy! In addition, don’t forget the Tower of the Americas,
which offers a spectacular view of San Antonio from 579 feet above the
ground.
The Plaza Wax Museum houses more than 225 life-like characters in four
themed sections —Hollywood, Horrors, History and Religion. Ripley’s
Believe It Or Not! has more than 500 unique curiosities from around the
world. Another popular stop is the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum on East
Houston Street, which showcases a 118-year old bar, one-of-a-kind oddities
and Western memorabilia, and offers visitors a journey back to the Old
West through exhibits, an old-fashioned arcade, the Saloon, and a shooting
gallery.
Brackenridge Park, a 343-acre refuge in the heart of the city, offers a
full day of family fun. The San Antonio Zoo, with a collection of more
than 3,500 animals representing 750 different species from around the
globe – one of the largest collections in America – also is the only
zoo in the country to exhibit endangered Whooping cranes. Nearby, the
Witte Museum and H-E-B Science Treehouse offer hands-on learning, with
exhibits exploring history, science, natural science and anthropology. The
Japanese Tea Garden, featuring ponds and gardens nestled in an abandoned
quarry, and the Kiddie Park will round out a day of fun and education.
Not far from Brackenridge Park, you can follow your senses through the San
Antonio Botanical Gardens, where acres of beautiful lush vegetation
replicate three distinct landscapes of Texas. Wander through formal
gardens and even a special garden for the blind, where emphasis is placed
on the texture and scent of plants.
Around the city, families will find abundant opportunities for fun —
Laser Quest, Malibu Grand Prix and Castle, Splashtown Water Park, and the
Texas Transportation Museum.
San Antonio is Texas-sized fun at SeaWorld San Antonio, the world’s
largest marine life park, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the town built just
for fun! SeaWorld San Antonio combines fun with education and appreciation
for some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures through more than 25
shows, educational exhibits and rides. Explore "Lost Lagoon’s"
five acres of aquatic fun or "Shamu’s Happy Harbor," where
kids can romp, splash and play in an area designed just for them.
"The Steel Eel" at SeaWorld San Antonio is an exciting roller
coaster, the only hypercoaster anywhere in the American Southwest.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a non-stop celebration of San Antonio and South
Texas. It’s designed around four theme areas: The Mexican town of Los
Festivales; the German village of Spassburg; the 1920’s cowboy boomtown
of Crackaxle Canyon; and the small Texas town of Rockville, during the
golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, which includes Fiesta Bay Boardwalk, a
’50s-’60s seaside boardwalk complete with a 90-foot Ferris wheel.
Great musical shows, exciting rides including massive wooden and steel
roller coasters, food choices, architecture and craft demonstrations all
carry out the themes.
(Visitor tip: Plan on at least one full day at each of the theme parks,
which are open on weekends during the spring and fall and daily during
June, July and the early part of August.)
San Antonio is Van Gogh, Matisse, Mozart and Treviño. In a historically
rich and ethnically diverse city, one would expect to find a vivid
tapestry of art, both visual and performing, and San Antonio is not an
exception. San Antonio has two impressive art museums. The McNay Art
Museum is set in a Mediterranean-style mansion and has wide-ranging
collections, including post-impressionist and modern art, theater art,
Medieval art, Native American art, and more. The San Antonio Museum of Art
is housed in the castle-like former headquarters of the Lone Star Brewery.
This museum is noted for its antiquities collections, and the 30,000
square-foot wing of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American
Art – the largest repository of its kind in the United States. The
Alameda National Center for Latino Arts and Culture, to be housed in the
Centro de Artes building at Market Square, will serve as a regional home
for touring exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution. Scheduled to open
in 2002, the museum is part of the Centro Alameda affiliation program with
the Smithsonian that also includes the Alameda Theater on Houston Street.
Hotbeds of contemporary artistic expression include the Blue Star Art
Space in Southtown, ArtPace on Main Avenue, and the Southwest School of
Art and Craft, a lovely complex built on the banks of the San Antonio
River by French nuns in 1848, which served as the first girls’ school in
the city. Galleries abound and offer the serious collector a wide range of
styles and topics from Texas landscapes to Latin American folk art to
western and Native American to contemporary.
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center provides a venue for Hispanic artistic
endeavors — literary, dance, music and drama. Signature events of the
center include the San Antonio CineFestival, the nation’s oldest and
largest Chicano-Latino film festival; the Tejano Conjunto Festival, a
celebration of conjunto music, a South Texas original; and the San Antonio
Inter-American Bookfair and Literary Festival. The Carver Community
Cultural Center mounts a stellar season each year, with performing groups
from around the world, with an accent on African American artists.
The opulent Majestic Theatre downtown, built in 1929, is a memorable
setting for touring Broadway shows and concerts and also is the permanent
home of the San Antonio Symphony, founded in 1939 by Max Reiter. The
neighboring Charline McCombs Empire Theatre reflects the beaux-arts
grandeur of the 1920’s and hosts touring musical acts and other
entertainment headliners. The art deco Alameda Theater, currently under
renovation as part of the Centro Alameda affiliation program with the
Smithsonian Institution, will reopen in 2002 and will reclaim its status
as the centerpiece of a Latino arts, culture, and entertainment in
downtown San Antonio.
San Antonio is beautiful blue skies and outdoor adventure. With more than
300 days of sunshine annually and an average temperature of 68.8 degrees
Fahrenheit, visitors to San Antonio will find an abundance of outdoor
sports and recreation to challenge them.
The first public golf course in Texas, Brackenridge Golf Course, was built
in San Antonio in 1916, and the city has been busy hosting golfers since
then. A flurry of golf course construction during the last decade has made
the city even more attractive to visiting golfers with additional upscale,
public courses opening every year.
San Antonio is home to the SBC Championship at The Dominion (A Senior PGA
Tour Event), played at the Dominion Country Club; and the PGA Tour's
Valero Texas Open at La Cantera, one of the oldest professional golf
tournaments, which is played at La Cantera Golf Club in the fall.
Rivers in the Texas Hill Country, which forms an arc around the northern
edge of San Antonio, provide venues for canoeing, tubing and white-water
rafting. Area lakes attract fishing enthusiasts, as well as water skiing
and sailing fans. Working ranches throughout Central and South Texas are
available as hunting leases for wild game, while dude ranches offer a
taste of the Old West, complete with horseback riding. Numerous state
parks offer opportunities for hiking in the rugged terrain of the Hill
Country.
Visitors to San Antonio also have a variety of spectator sports to choose
from. The San Antonio Spurs of the NBA are a hometown favorite. The San
Antonio Iguanas of the Central Hockey League play at the Joe and Harry
Freeman Coliseum, while the San Antonio Missions play at Nelson W. Wolff
Municipal Baseball Stadium. Live action-packed thoroughbred and quarter
horse racing seasons are presented at Retama Park from May through
November, with televised simulcast races from the best tracks in the
country every day of the year.
No matter what country visitors originate from, shopping is an
international favorite. And San Antonio is truly a shopper’s paradise.
Antique shops abound in the central city and in charming towns on the
outskirts of the city. Art galleries cover a wide spectrum of artistic
achievement from contemporary to western to Latin American folk art. Ten
major shopping malls dot the city, and three major outlet malls are within
an hour’s drive of downtown. And no serious shopper would miss La
Villita, Market Square and the River Walk in the historic heart of the
city!
Dining options in San Antonio run the gamut from fine French cuisine to
Chinese to Texas steaks and barbecue to Soul Food and Cajun, but San
Antonio is home to Tex-Mex. Tex-Mex is a passion with local residents of
all ethnic backgrounds, and numerous restaurants are open 24 hours in case
a craving for guacamole or fajitas develops at 3:00 a.m. A
glossary of terms to familiarize yourself with before hitting the San
Antonio dining scene: queso flameado, carne asada, chili
relleno, menudo, enchiladas, chalupas and sopapillas.
Did you know that chili was first sold in the open-air markets of San
Antonio by women known as "chili queens"?
When the sun sets in the west and the stars come out over the South Texas
plains, it’s time to head to the nightclubs and dance halls. San
Antonians and visitors alike enjoy two-stepping to a country-western tune
or swaying to a Tejano super group or a local conjunto band. Or maybe
it’s traditional jazz or a sing-along at an Irish pub or piano bar? What
about Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood on the River Walk? Sunset
Station, San Antonio’s newest nightspot, features two clubs – Club
Agave, an upbeat "Latin craze" venue, and Studio 794, with
multi-level dancing – and restaurants, all housed in the historic 1902
Southern Pacific railroad depot in the St. Paul Square Historic District.
The facility’s Lone Star Pavilion features national recording artists
live in concert.
San Antonians love a good party and sharing it with visitors. It’s
always fiesta time! The city celebrates traditional American and Mexican
holidays, and throws in a few German, Irish, French, African American,
Greek, Jewish, Asian and Lebanese events for good measure. A sampling of
San Antonio’s major events and festivals include MLK Day Observances in
January, the Livestock Show and Rodeo in February, St. Patrick’s Day in
March, Fiesta San Antonio in April (the party of the year — 150 events
spanning ten days), Cinco de Mayo and the Tejano Conjunto Festival in May,
the Texas Folklife Festival in June, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, Diez y
Seis de Septiembre, Oktoberfest, the Holiday River Parade and Lighting
Ceremony in November, and the Alamo Bowl in December.
What's special about San Antonio? The Alamo, the River Walk, conjunto
music, friendly people, Tex-Mex cuisine and Fiesta San Antonio. Yes, and
more. The answer is as varied as the people who live in and visit San
Antonio. Come experience San Antonio - her natural beauty, her history,
her people, her music, her cuisine. You'll leave with memories to last a
lifetime. www.sanantoniocvb.com/
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