Destination - San Antonio, Texas

“If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell”

Philip Henry Sheridan

 

San Antonio at night

For my city destination series I have mostly stuck to places I have actually visited.  But I am running out of those, at least here in the states, so now I am starting to do ones of places I would like to visit. 

I'm not a big fan of Texas in general.  I've driven across the middle of it, and for one thing, it took forever, and then there was the scenery - or what I felt was the lack of scenery.  It was hot, and dry and all the same, and went on for what seemed like days.  And then there is the political views being expressed in Texas today, and their lovely governor, Rick Perry.  Not to my taste.  But I have always heard that there is one saving grace to Texas, and that is San Antonio.  I've also heard that Austin, which is nearby, is also nice.  So I actually have San Antonio on my list of places that I would someday be interested in visiting.  The rest of Texas I'm not so sure about.

Everyone knows that the Alamo is in San Antonio, and probably most people know about the River Walk area, which San Antonio is famous for.  But what else is there to do in San Antonio?  I will start my things to do list with the two obvious places, but we will explore from there to find out what else there is to see and do.

The Alamo- aka Mission San Antonio de Valero

The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound and was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.  The mission was one of five missions established along the San Antonio River.  It was established in 1718, and had been closed for many years before the battle of the Alamo, which took place during the Texas Revolution, and became a symbol for  courage and sacrifice in the name of liberty.  "Remember the Alamo" became the cry for justice.

 For 13 days in 1836, close to 200 Texas defenders held the Alamo from over one thousand of General Santa Anna's troops from Mexico. The most famous of the defenders, William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett, died fighting overwhelming odds for freedom.  There is an IMAX movie which you can watch, which shows an accurate accounting of what happened.
Over 2.5 million people visit the Alamo yearly.  It is located on Alamo Plaza in downtown San Antonio.  Three buildings - the Shrine, Long Barrack Museum and Gift Museum - house exhibits on the Texas Revolution and Texas History. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the beautiful Alamo Gardens.   The Alamo is open every day of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Their hours are 9:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. on Sunday. To better serve visitors, the Alamo will remain open on Fridays and Saturdays until 7 P.M. during the months of June, July and August. 
        

Admission to the Alamo is free.  The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Inc. (DRT) receives no monetary help from local, state or federal government and depend solely upon money from sales in the Alamo Gift Museum, donations from individuals and private foundation grants to fund its educational programming and general operation.

The River Walk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of Downtown San Antonio.  It is a public park which is open 365 days a year to the public, and is lined with restaurants, hotels and shops.  There are special events held along the River Walk every month.

River Walk area of San Antonio

One of the favorite thing for tourists to do, is to take a boat ride on the San Antonio River, which you get from the River Walk area.   They are exclusively offered by Rio Cruises. The company offers daily tours of the San Antonio River. The tours are narrated by experienced guides who regale visitors with anecdotes and historical trivia about the river and the quest to build a River Walk.  The boat tours are conducted in open-face boats that seat up to about 40 passengers. Tours depart daily from three different River Walk locations: Historia (under the Market Street Bridge and Alamo Street; Clearwater (at the Rivercenter Mall on the corner of Commerce and Bowie streets); and the Aztec Theater (at Crockett and St. Mary's streets). Cruises last from 35 to 40 minutes and take in 2.5 miles of river. They run daily from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. -15 to 20 minutes apart. Admission is $8.25 per person. Senior citizens (60 and older) and active military pay $6; children under 5 are $2.

Rio Cruises also offers water taxi service along the San Antonio River. Water taxis stop at 39 locations along the River Walk, and drivers have tickets on board for purchase at any one of these stops. Taxi service is available daily from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m.; one-way tickets are $5, 24-hour passes are $10 and three-day passes are $25.

Other things to do while in San Antonio:
 
The Tower of the Americas is a 750-foot observation tower/restaurant on the southeastern fringe of Downtown San Antonio.  Located in downtown San Antonio, the Tower of the Americas provides guests with the most spectacular view of the city.   Enjoy the gorgeous panorama from the Tower's revolving restarant while having dinner at the Chart House Restaurant, or take in the scenery from the Observation Deck where you can also experience the thrilling 4D Theater Ride "Skies over Texas."  You can also learn about the history of the six flags that once flew over Texas from captivating murals that line the walls. There is also a café on the Observation Deck level.

Tower of the Ameicas

Ticket includes unlimited access to Observation Deck, Flags Over Texas & the 4D Theater Ride!  There are extra charges for parking.
Adults: $10.95
Seniors & Military: $9.95
Children 4 - 12 years: $8.95
Children 3 years & under: Free

Witte Museum

The Witte Museum, is located adjacent to Brackenridge Park in Midtown San Antonio, on the banks of the San Antonio River. It is dedicated to natural history, science and South Texas heritage. The permanent collection features historic artifacts and photographs, Texas art, textiles, the world-renowned Hertzberg Circus Collection, cave drawings, Texas wildlife dioramas and the four-story H-E-B Science Treehouse; in addition to nationally acclaimed traveling exhibits.

H-E-B Science Tree-house

Located on the museum grounds overlooking the San Antonio River, the H-E-B Science Tree-house encompasses 15,000 square-feet and four-floors of hands-on science exhibits for all ages. A two-level little tree-house, crafted by artist Carlos Cortez, also overlooks the river and is connected to the main Tree-house building by elevated walkways.

The current exhibit at the Witte is on dinosaurs, the most fascinating creatures to have roamed the earth.  Experience the world’s largest and most advanced life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, complete skeletons, fossils, hands-on inter-actives, a paleontological dig site where visitors can unearth fossils as well as the opportunity to explore the most current scientific findings. Created with electronics instead of hydraulics, the animatronic models capture some of the most life-like motions ever created.  General admission does not cover this event, there is an additional charge.

The Witte Museum is open year-round except for the third Monday in October, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The general admission price includes the exhibits in the main building, the Witte Backyard and the H-E-B Science Tree-house. Please note that some special exhibits may have an additional fee or surcharge. Admission is free on Tuesdays from 3 pm until 8 pm, because of this Tuesday afternoons can be quite crowded.  Admission is - Adults (12-64) $10, Seniors and Active Duty Military are $9, children (ages 4-11) - $7, and ages 3 and younger - FREE.

San Antonio Botanical Garden

There are many other things you can do while in San Antonio.  You can take in a play at the Majestic Theatre.  The Majestic is a beautiful old theatre that shows Broadway road shows.  You could visit the San Antonio Botanical Gardens which has 38 acres in the center of the city, dedicated to plants. While there you could enjoy lunch in the bistro which is located in the Sullivan Carriage House which was reassembled on the grounds of the garden, brick by brick. 

Or you could visit Sea World or Six Flags Fiesta Texas both of which are in San Antonio.  We have a Sea World here in San Diego, and it is basically the same as the one in San Antonio.  It is always a fun day to visit, and if you are traveling with kids then it would certainly be a fun thing for them to do.  As for Six Flags Fiesta - it is full of wild rides for all ages as well as a water park. 

State Capital Building in Austin

Another thing you could do if you have time, is to take a side trip to Austin, the capital of Texas.  It is an 80 mile drive to get to Austin.  It would certainly be a nice one day trip, and you could be back in your hotel in San Antonio that night.  There are city tours of Austin that you could book, which would show you the sights of the city in a short time.  There is Zilker Park in the center of the city, which is 350 acres, and on the southeasten edge of the city is McKinney Falls State Park.  You could also visit the capital building.  Even though I am not a fan of Texas politics or its governor, the building is quite pretty, as are most capital buildings in the country.  The LBJ Presidential Library is also in Austin, and there is a lake named after Lady Bird Johnson. 

Whatever you decide to do while visiting the San Antonio area, have fun, and relax by the River Walk and watch the boats go by.  I've heard there are some good restaurants in that area, as well as some nice shops, which are always fun to check out. 

**photos taken from the internet, since I have not yet visited this city.