Best Things to Do on the River Walk
San Antonio, Texas, is arguably best known for two things: the Alamo and the city’s tourist hub, the River Walk. Originally designed to protect the city from floods, the River Walk’s network of canals is now home to a lively commercial district lined with restaurants, hotels, and attractions, close to some of Texas’s most visited historic sites. Recently, we spent a long weekend in San Antonio and were able to experience some of San Antonio’s best things to do, all within easy reach of our River Walk hotel.
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San Antonio River Walk Best Things to Do
Eat and Drink on the River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk runs for 15 miles, but its heart is the River Bend, a loop bordered by the San Fernando Cathedral on one side and a mall called the Shops at Rivercenter on the other. The closer to the mall you are, the more raucous the crowds and touristy the offerings (think Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, the Rainforest Café, and Howl at the Moon).
But the River Walk also has quieter areas with more varied and upscale options. We enjoyed meals at Domingo, the hip bar and restaurant of the Canopy by Hilton Hotel, and Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails, part of the Hotel Contessa. Both serve modern cuisine with a Texas flair and offer outdoor riverside seating.
Just north of the River Bend, we sampled pan-Latin fare with Mexican, Cuban, and Texan influences at Ocho, housed in the glass conservatory of the Hotel Havana. This eclectic restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is less than a 15-minute walk from the Rivercenter but feels far from the River Walk hubbub.
Take a Boat Tour
If it’s your first time visiting San Antonio, consider taking a narrated river cruise with Go Rio Cruises. Go Rio offers a 35-minute boat tour that leaves from one of three docks every 15 to 20 minutes. The brightly colored boats speed visitors around the River Bend loop in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fashion. But the tour is a fun way to enjoy the river and get a quick introduction to the area.
Go Rio also recently resumed shuttle boat operations, allowing visitors to embark and disembark at designated spots between downtown and Museum Reach, the northern end of the River Walk near the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Pearl District.
Tickets are available online or at ticket windows on-site. A narrated tour ticket is $13.50 for adults. The one-day shuttle pass is $19.50.
Experience Art Along the San Antonio River
For the past 20 years, the San Antonio River Foundation has enhanced the River Walk experience by investing in public art and parks. On the Museum Reach, you’ll find art installations like Donald Lipski’s glass fish sculptures and Carlos Cortes’s concrete grotto. On the Mission Reach, the River Walk’s southern end, is the Árbol de la Vida by Margarita Cabrera, a steel structure strung with hundreds of clay sculptures. For a complete map of Art Along the River, click here.
Shop and Eat at Historic Market Square
For fun souvenirs and one of San Antonio’s most well-known Tex-Mex restaurants, venture less than a mile from the River Walk to Historic Market Square. The Mexican marketplace is lined with shops offering pottery, leather goods, clothing, folk art, and trinkets. As for food, try Mi Tierra Café and Panadería, which has been operating in San Antonio since 1941. The restaurant is deceptively huge, with a steady stream of guests filling one vibrantly decorated dining room after another.
Watch “The Saga” at San Fernando Cathedral
On Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, experience “The Saga,” a video art projection cast onto the façade of the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio’s Main Plaza. The 7,000-square-foot projection depicts the discovery, settlement, and development of San Antonio in 24 minutes. The free display takes place at 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00 p.m., rain or shine. Seating is available in the plaza on a first-come, first-served basis.
Remember the Alamo
In 1836, the Alamo Mission was the site of a pivotal 13-day siege in Texas’s war of independence from Mexico. The battle resulted in the loss of the mission and the death of every Texas soldier stationed there, including former U.S. Congressman and frontiersman Davy Crockett. The Alamo became a symbol of Texas’s fight for freedom, although some historians argue that the true motivation behind the Texas settlors’ desire for independence—the preservation of slavery—tarnishes its legacy.
No matter how you view the Alamo in the annals of history, a tour of the grounds is worth a visit. With a free timed entry ticket, visitors can enter the 18th-century mission church. A 45-minute audio guide tour is available for $9 and includes entry to the Alamo Exhibit, which features 300 years’ worth of artifacts. The Alamo also includes a living history encampment where costumed docents display period weapons and uniforms.
Explore San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas and a must-do on any San Antonio trip. The park is actually four missions connected by 10 miles of trails, with each mission located about 2.5 miles apart.
I recommend starting your visit at Mission San Francisco de la Espada, the first Spanish mission in Texas, founded in 1690. Mission Espada is the farthest from downtown San Antonio, sitting at the southern end of the Mission Reach Hike and Bike Trail.
Next, make your way to Mission San Juan by either car or bike. We rented electric bicycles from the BCycle station at Mission Espada and followed the trail to downtown, stopping at each mission along the way. Our experience with BCycle wasn’t flawless (we had some trouble checking the bikes in and out), but the opportunity to explore the trails by e-bike made the minor hassle worthwhile.
My favorite of the missions was the impressive Mission San Jose. The largest in size, it was fully restored in the 1930s. Its church, granary, soldier’s quarters, Indian quarters, and grist mill are open to the public.
Visit a Museum
Museum lovers should check out one of more of San Antonio’s River Walk museums. The Briscoe Western Art Museum, which opened in 2013, shares stories of cowboys, vaqueros, and Native Americans, and depicts Western landscapes through drawings, sketches, paintings, and sculptures. The museum also includes artifacts and reproductions from the American West, including spurs, saddles, and wagons. The Briscoe Western Art Museum belongs to the North American Reciprocal Museum program, which offers free entry for reciprocal members.
Another excellent museum on the River Walk is the San Antonio Museum of Art. It has a fascinating collection of ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art and artifacts, as well as Asian, Latin American, and Oceanic art. After visiting the galleries, grab a bite to eat at Tre Trattoria, the museum’s Italian restaurant overlooking the river.
Read: If you love art, you might like The Best Art Museums and Folk Art Destinations in Georgia.
Hang out in the Pearl District
To balance out the kitsch of the River Walk, spend a little time at San Antonio’s Pearl District. The Pearl District is a neighborhood filled with hip restaurants and unique shopping and boasts a food hall with distinctive cuisines like Caribbean street food and Japanese ramen. On weekends, it hosts a farmers’ market around a bustling central lawn. Although the Pearl District is accessible from the River Walk, it has the reputation of being the River Walk’s cooler, more modern cousin.
Best Places to Stay on the San Antonio River Walk
As a longtime tourist destination, the San Antonio River Walk has dozens of hotels to choose from. Because we’re Marriott Bonvoy members, we opted for The Westin River Walk. The Westin is in a great location—an easy stroll from most River Walk attractions but far enough from the hustle and bustle of the most visited spots. It has an attractive lobby that was recently renovated with a Texas chic theme. My one critique is that its individual room furnishings could use an update.
We also had an opportunity to check out some of the other Marriott hotels in the area. Newly renovated, the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter has a slick conference-friendly lobby. Both it and the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk are in the heart of the busiest section of the River Walk. The St. Anthony has a beautiful and photogenic interior and highly regarded restaurant called Rebelle. On the downside, its location is just off the River Walk near a somewhat gritty downtown park.
If you’re open to other hotel brands, the Omni La Mansion del Rio is a good option. It has a great location on the River Walk and offers balconies overlooking the river. The Omni received a major renovation in the spring of 2020 and features a heated courtyard pool and a four-star spa.
For a splurge, consider staying at the Hotel Emma, a boutique hotel in the Pearl District. Located in a historic 19th-century brewhouse, Hotel Emma is regularly recognized as a top hotel in San Antonio and in the U.S. Its farm-to-table restaurant Supper is also one of the city’s best eateries.
Read: Looking for more great weekend getaways around the South? You might like See the Best of Charleston: A 3 to 5-Day Itinerary and 8 Family Road Trips from Atlanta.
Great blog!
Enjoyed reading your blog. While out west during an RV trip we had a major breakdown, and the RV was repaired in Tucson, AZ. We decided to cut our trip short and never made it to San Antonio. It’s on our list to visit.
I’ve had the pleasure of three visits to San Antonio. The first for basic training at Lackland AFB, the second for a Rotary convention, and recently while on a cross country RV trip. I would recommend it to all as a fun tourist destination to enjoy.