Have you ever been to the River Walk in San Antonio? I had heard of this place for many years but had never been to that part of Texas. Finally we made it to the San Antonio area in November of 2010, and it was on the top of our to-do list. I will share our visit in a minute, but for those who haven’t been, or don’t know much about the River Walk, here is a little bit of history and information.
According to the Riverwalk page, the Paseo del Rio, aka the River Walk, is a network of walkways one story beneath the streets of Downtown San Antonio. It runs along the banks of the San Antonio River and is lined by bars, shops, and restaurants. Today the River Walk is an important part of the city’s urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right. It loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with aforementioned restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws from the Alamo to Rivercenter Mall, to the Arneson River Theatre, to Marriage Island, to La Villita, to HemisFair Park, to the Tower Life Building, to the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Pearl Brewery.
We got there and saw a bunch of people on these cool-looking riverboats that we just had to do, lol. We got our tickets and walked around a little before taking our tour. We weren’t in a big hurry and there was so much to see. It was quite amazing. I really did enjoy seeing the Hugman Bells at the Arneson River Theatre. They were inaugurated on November 11, 1978, and may be known by many because of the movie Miss Congeniality. It was nice to see the theatre and stage in person.
Eventually we boarded the boat and headed down the river for our 35-minute ride which covers about 1 ½ miles of the beautiful San Antonio River Walk. While we cruised our tour guide shared a lot of history about the River Walk as well as the San Antonio area. While on the tour we saw the Lila Cockrell Theater, many hotels including the Hyatt Regency, and too many restaurants to count. One really caught our attention, Rita’s, and we decided to head there after the tour. We had such a nice time and the guide was very friendly and answered several questions Gene asked him. We would highly recommend this tour when you are in the area.
As I said earlier, we decided to have dinner at Rita’s and slowly made our way there. It was so nice just walking around and listening to some mariachi’s playing music. Maybe it was because we were on vacation, but it seemed so relaxing. Rita’s was right on the water and we were lucky enough to get a table right near the water. It was incredible.
Our server was very and made sure we had a wonderful experience. The food was fine, but the only thing our server couldn’t fix or change was the spiciness of the food. We were both quite disappointed in our first Tex-Mex experience. I don’t like a lot of spicinesses, but I was hoping for a little more heat since it was Tex-Mex. Sadly it was dimmed down most likely for all the tourists. We asked the server if it could be hotter, and he said it was as hot as it comes 🙁 Gene was really disappointed because he really likes spicy food. Oh well. I do have to say the black beans were some of the best I have ever tasted. Kudos to that.
There are so many attractions and things to see and do that the whole family will be entertained. Here are just a few (in no particular order) :
The Caverns are the largest known commercial caverns in the U.S. state of Texas, and its name is derived from the 60-foot natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern’s entrance. The span was left suspended when a sinkhole collapsed below it.
Ripley’s Haunted Adventure/Guinness World Records Museum
Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is a multi-million dollar haunted house with live actors and special effects that take haunted houses to the next level. Scares lurk in every corner of this creepy renovated mansion, just waiting to “welcome” you to their home.
Enjoy a combination of world record artifacts, exhibits, videos, touch screen computers, games, and interactive trivia featuring their new Attempt Arena. Take a chance at breaking a world record during your visit!
Take a walk on the haunted side with RJA Ghost Tours. Experience the paranormal in historic San Antonio as you learn about the city’s local culture, folklore, and legend.
The park features a half-million-gallon wave pool, a quarter-mile-long lazy river, 40 water slides and tube rides (including 18 for guests under 48 inches (1,200 mm) tall), an activity pool with lily pads and balance logs, water, and beach volleyball, and basketball.
It is the last visible trace of the 18th-century colonial Presidio San Antonio de Béxar complex and the only remaining example in Texas of an aristocratic 18th-century Spanish Colonial in−town residence
San Antonio Missions Baseball Club
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded.
Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard
They are one of the first olive orchards in Texas and have an 11000 tree orchard amongst century-old oaks. If interested, they offer a free tour on Saturday at 11:30.
The Pearl was a brewery until it was closed in 2001. Today it hosts a twice-weekly Farmers Market, as well as year-round series of music, food, and cultural events. We enjoyed visiting their Farmers Market on one trip. You can read my post here.
Built-in 1926, the Aztec Theatre is a notable example of the impressive exotic-theme motion picture palaces constructed in the United States during the economic boom of the 1920s. It was also part of the Theater district that included the Empire (1914), the Texas (1926), the Majestic (1929), and the Alameda (1949).
Come and explore exhibits and programs that promote joyful learning, invite discovery, spark interest, and develop positive attitudes towards learning. Great for the kiddos in your group.
On a 90-minute Haunted History Ghost Walk, join talented guides and explore the haunted streets in the oldest parts of San Antonio. Murder, suicides, the ghosts of famous people, battles, and more.
The Market Square is a three-block outdoor plaza lined with shops, and restaurants is stated to be the largest Mexican market in the United States. The “El Mercado” section has 32 specialty shops and the “Farmer’s Market Plaza” section has 80. “Mi Tierra Cafe Y Panaderia” and “La Margarita Mexican Restaurant & Oyster Bar” are the major eateries, but snack and specialty foods are available at other shops.
The Maverick Carter House is a Texas Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places built-in 1893. William Maverick, son of Samuel Maverick – the signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence – commissioned architect Alfred Giles to design this remarkable home museum.
SeaWorld San Antonio is a 250-acre marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park, and is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Entertainment. It is also one of the world’s largest marine-life theme parks focused on conservation, education, and animal rescue.
La Villita Historic Arts Village
La Villita Historic Arts Village is an art community with art galleries, stores selling souvenirs, gifts, custom jewelry, pottery, and imported Mexican folk art, as well as several restaurants in the district. La Villita connects to the San Antonio River Walk and its outdoor venue, the Arneson River Theatre.
Take a guided or specialty tour, chartered excursion, or catch a ride on a river taxi to experience the soul of San Antonio. These engaging tours are both informative and humorous. We did one of these cruises and had a great time. This is definitely a must-do while on the River Walk.
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