San Antonio gives the impression of being in the midst of an identity crisis. Shiny refurbished Art Deco buildings aproned by clean sidewalks stand in the midst of blocks of boarded up pawn shops and tattoo parlors, their sidewalks gathering places for pot smokers and rubbish. The downtown area’s glory days are evident in the architecture of now-shabby buildings that struggle to retain their identity as hot spots for entertainment and night life.
One level below, the San Antonio River Walk cuts through it all as a very compact city within a city, where sidewalk cafes and crowded restaurants frame the meandering river that forms the heart of this city struggling to (re)define itself.
Not far to the south in the aptly named Southtown area, streets of wooden bungalows and large Victorian homes are gradually being remodeled and repainted in bright hues, some of them converted to art galleries or cafes, creating an eclectic and energetic new cultural district. North of downtown an old brewery complex has been turned into a chic plaza offering dining, shopping, and of course, beer. Larger art museums are surrounded by miles and miles of urban sprawl with more than a few billboards promoting gun rights.
As one of our taxi drivers noted, buildings in San Antonio are never torn down to make way for new construction. Everything is simply remodeled and reinvented for a new generation.
In the midst of this identity crisis, you’ll find plenty to see and do during a weekend in this southern US city.
Downtown
San Antonio River Walk
Start your visit at the heart of San Antonio with the must-experience River Walk—a relatively small, u-shaped section of the San Antonio River that is bordered by restaurants and small shops. The people-watching is primo and you’ll enjoy just wandering from one end to the other, taking it all in. Everything is one story below street level. The pedestrian-only sidewalks that flank the river are accessed via numerous stair cases attached to streets and bridges above.
Although this area specifically is called the River Walk, the walk itself actually extends for a few miles north and south of the commercial area and is a nice way to get some exercise and feel a little closer to nature.
Don’t miss out on a river cruise or a water taxi ride while you’re there. Note that cruises include a guide giving you information while regular water taxi rides are hop-on/hop-off with no guide, like a city bus.
Time commitment: Plan to spend at least 2-3 hours here, including a meal, longer if you’re also doing a river cruise. We went there nearly every day of our visit. The River Walk is charming in the day time and magical at night.
La Villita Arts Village
When you’ve finished strolling the River Walk, go up a set of stairs on the south side to the historic La Villita Arts Village. Old houses have been converted into shops featuring an eclectic array of arts and crafts, from novel stained glass to colorful Day of the Dead carvings to oil paintings to copper vases and bowls.
Time commitment: 1 hour.
Market Square
A 15-minute walk to the west of the River Walk area brings you to historic Market Square, an outdoor plaza with shops and Mexican restaurants. If you like kitsch, this is the place to come. You won’t find unique hand-crafted pottery or jewelry here but you will marvel at the huge variety of tacky trinkets, clothing, and “art.” For all its flea market quality, the colorful flags hanging above and music piped over restaurant speakers do give the place a festive atmosphere. Hey, maybe you’ll find a little gem of a souvenir among the jumble to take home.
Time commitment: 30-45 minutes; add on 30 minutes or so if you’re having lunch here. The restaurants are worth a meal.
The Alamo
No visit to San Antonio would be complete with a visit to the Alamo, a historic fort that was the scene of an intense 1836 military stand-off that became a pivotal point in the Texas Revolution. The building itself is small and somewhat underwhelming but still worth a visit for its iconic status alone. It’s surrounded by beautiful grounds and outbuildings depicting what life was like for soldiers who were stationed there at the height of its strength as a military outpost.
There is also an excellent gift shop on-site. There is no basement.
Before you visit the Alamo, I highly recommend taking in the film about the stand-off, which is shown in a theater in the adjacent shopping mall. There is no charge to enter the Alamo but there is to watch the film.
Time commitment: 1 hour plus the film. The Alamo film is 48 minutes long.
North of Downtown
Botanical Garden
I must be a closet botanist because I love visiting gardens. Indoor, outdoor, large or small—I love all of them. Thus, you won’t be surprised to hear that the Botanical Garden was probably my favorite part of my trip to San Antonio, in spite of it being cold and rainy when we went.
This extensive complex features acres of outdoor gardens of varying types, including a Japanese Zen garden, as well as multiple indoor gardens, each for a specific climate. Huge sculptures are scattered throughout and there’s even a giant chess set if you’d like a little intellectual stimulation while you’re there.
The small but cozy café serves an excellent lunch menu and the little gift shop is worth a browse.
Time commitment: 2-3 hours, even in the rain, assuming you love looking at plants as much as I do.
Museums and Art Galleries
From personal experience, I can recommend the San Antonio Museum of Art, which has a broad collection ranging from Egyptian tomb relics to modern paintings, all housed in a cool historic building.
Up the street, a couple of blocks from the Botanical Garden, the Witte Museum contains exhibits on natural and Texas history. Time prevented us from going there so tell me what you think if you visit. Ditto with the McNay Art Museum (American and European art from medieval to contemporary) and the DoSeum, which looks like a fun place to take kids.
Pearl
This former brewery complex has been transformed into a lively shopping/dining plaza that even hosts a farmer’s market on the weekends. Note that shops close in early evening (most by 6 p.m., with a few exceptions who stay open until 7 p.m.) although restaurants stay open later.
Time commitment: 1-3 hours, depending on time of day and whether you stay to eat.
South of Downtown
Guenther House Restaurant
Next to the towering flour mill south of downtown is the Guenther House Restaurant, the former home of Pioneer Flour Mills’ founding family. Their breakfast offerings are so well known in San Antonio that you either need to get there early or plan to wait for an hour or more for your table.
For example when we got there around 10:30 a.m., the wait was over an hour. I was practically gnawing my own arm off with hunger at that point and couldn’t wait that long, so we left. I’ve been disappointed ever since that I didn’t get to sample their amazing biscuits.
Historic Missions
Once you’ve eaten your fill of biscuits and jam at the Guenther House, head out to explore a string of fascinating historic missions, officially called the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Built during the 18th Century, the missions display an austere beauty in keeping with their original purpose to bring Catholicism to the local American Indian population and help protect the territory.
The park is comprised of four separate missions/visitor areas spaced 2-3 miles apart. We visited Mission San Jose, where the park’s Visitors’ Center is located. The Visitors’ Center includes a short film about the missions, historical information and artefacts about life there, and a small gift shop with a great book selection.
This was my second-favorite activity during my trip to San Antonio and I wish we’d had time to visit all four of the missions. If you like history or just want to be outdoors and see some pretty architecture, you will enjoy these missions. You can access the missions by car (we took taxis), bus, or bike.
Time commitment: Half a day or more to visit all the missions; allot at least 1 hour for each mission
Southtown
This aptly named neighborhood just south of downtown, clustered around South Flores Street, has been transformed in recent years into a fledgling arts district. It’s small, so don’t get your hopes up too high, but the houses-turned-galleries feature eclectic art by local artists and give the neighborhood a boho-chic vibe. On the first Friday of each month, the galleries stay open until 10 p.m. for the First Friday Art Walk.
Time commitment: 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on what’s open and whether you eat there (see below).
Hot Joy Restaurant
While you’re in the area, stop into Hot Joy for some delicious Asian fusion food that’s as creative and unique as the restaurant’s décor. How can a place called Hot Joy do you wrong?
Rosario’s Mexican Restaurant
Hands-down the BEST Mexican food we had in San Antonio (and we had a lot of it) came from Rosario’s. The dining room is large but it fills up quickly, especially on the weekends, so either make a reservation or get there early if you don’t want to wait. They also have a location in the north of town.
Untested Activities
I did not cover every single thing there is to do in San Antonio during my visit, so I can’t vouch for the attractions below, which are all very popular.
Getting Around
I recommend staying within walking distance of downtown, in which case you do not need to rent a car as just about everything is so close. We walked nearly everywhere and took taxis to the attractions north and south of town that were farther than we wanted to walk.
Taxis are easy to order and quite inexpensive. (Uber is probably also great in San Antonio.) The local Via bus system, which we did not try, has comprehensive routes and, from what I could tell, a good reputation.
How Much Can You Cram In?
I found that everything in San Antonio was closer together than I had expected, meaning it didn’t take long to get from place to place and most things we wanted to do were within walking distance of each other. I also discovered that hardly anything took as long as I thought it would, meaning we could see more things in each day than planned.
Have you ever been to San Antonio? What activities and restaurants would you recommend?
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