San Antonio
Now the eighth largest city in the United States, San Antonio has retained its sense of
history and tradition while carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress. The city has always
been a crossroads ... and a meeting place. Flavors and sounds of Native Americans, Old
México, The Republic of Texas, Germans, the Wild West, African Americans and the Deep
South mingle and merge. The result ... Pure San Antonio!
For visitors with an interest in gallant deeds of days gone by, Pure San Antonio is history.
Native Americans first lived along the San Antonio River, calling the area "Yanaguana," which
means "refreshing waters" or "clear waters." A band of Spanish explorers and missionaries
came upon the river in 1691, and because it was the feast day of St. Anthony, they named
the river "San Antonio."
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The actual founding of the city came in 1718 by Father Antonio
Olivares when he established Mission San Antonio de Valero, which became permanently
etched in the annals of history in 1836 as The Alamo, where 189 defenders held the old
mission against some 4,000 Mexican troops for 13 days. The cry "Remember the Alamo"
became the rallying point of the Texan revolution against México. Located in the heart of
downtown, today The Alamo is a shrine and museum. |
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.
A tour of downtown San Antonio will uncover literally centuries of history — La Villita, the
Spanish Governor’s Palace, San Fernando Cathedral, the Jose Antonio Navarro State Historical Park, home of
Navarro, Market Square, and the Steves Homestead.
Just northeast of downtown lies Fort Sam Houston, another "must see" for history buffs.
For many visitors, Pure 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.
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, a dazzling three-level, glass shopping, dining and entertainment
complex, and to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Pure San Antonio is the picture-perfect setting for great family vacations. Families may want
to start their exploration of our 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, the newly renovated Milam Park,
the Tower of the Americas, the Plaza Theatre of Wax, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!,
the Cowboy Museum on Alamo Plaza, Brackenridge Park, the San Antonio Zoo,
and the San Antonio Botanical Gardens are other popular stops.
Around the city, families will find abundant opportunities for fun — Laser Quest, Jungle Jim’s
Playland, Discovery Zone, Malibu Grand Prix, Splashtown Water Park and the Texas
Transportation Museum.
Pure 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.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a non-stop celebration of San Antonio and South Texas. It’s
created around four themed 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.
Pure San Antonio is beautiful blue skies and outdoor adventure. With over 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 Quarry, Tapatio Springs Resort, Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, Westin La Cantera
Resort, Canyon Springs Golf Club and the Bandit are among the top golf tracks in the southwest
United States.
San Antonio is home to the Southwestern Bell Dominion (A Seniors PGA Tour Event), played
at the Dominion Country Club in June, and the Westin 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 wide variety of spectator sports to choose from. The San
Antonio Spurs of the NBA call the Alamodome home. 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.
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 Pure San Antonio is 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?"
Pure San Antonio is 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? San Antonio offers a wide range of entertainment
options when the sun goes down.
San Antonians love a good party and sharing it with visitors. Pure San Antonio is a fiesta! The
city celebrates U.S. 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 beginning April 22), Cinco de Mayo and the Tejano Conjunto
Festival in May, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, the Texas Folklife Festival in August, Diez y Seis
de Septiembre, Octoberfest, the Lighting Ceremony and River Walk Holiday Parade in
November and the Builders Square Alamo Bowl in December.
What’s Pure 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. What’s Pure San Antonio? Your answer will come from your
heart.
For a free San Antonio visitor information packet, call the San Antonio Convention & Visitors
Bureau (SACVB) toll-free at 1-800-447-3372 in the U.S. and Canada (95-800-447-3372 in
México) or
(210) 207-6700.
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