San Antonio
US Flag Flying High
Over the City
What a great
city. . .we spent three days and could have easily spent a couple weeks!
Public transportation in San Antonio is inexpensive, readily available and makes
exploring easy. There was a bus stop right at the campground and we had a
short 6 mile ride into the city. (Editor's Note: I've ridden a lot
of city busses but had never seen one with a bicycle rack on the front.
The bus driver actually waited for riders to put their bikes on the rack so they
could then take the bus to finish their commute. We spent three days and
could have spent a week!
Bicycle Rack
THE ALAMO:
Our first
priority was visiting The Alamo. Spring flowers had started to bloom
and the grounds were immaculate. We joined a group of other
visitors to listen to one of the Park Rangers narrate the timeline of the days
leading up to and including the final battles. You are very aware
that this is hallowed ground and that this is the site of the most famous sieges
in world history. Not being Texans, we knew about The
Alamo but didn't realize that we would be visiting on the 168th anniversary of
the beginning of the 13 day siege. Viewing the frescos that survive in
the chapel and learning that several women and children survived the battle by
remaining huddled in the corner of the chapel sent chills down your
spine.
The Live Oak growing in the courtyard is over 100 years old and was originally
planted as a memorial. The trunk is over twelve feet across and the
branches extend over fifty feet. There are many of these Live Oak trees
growing all around the city. The original grounds of The Alamo encompassed
a much larger area than has been restored. "Old Meets New" is an
example of the original size -- the high rise office building and garage was
built on Alamo ground. The Alamo is totally self-sustaining through the
efforts of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The foundation does not
accept any local, state or federal grant money and relies purely on donations
from If you want to read more about The Alamo, go to www.thealamo.org
The
Alamo
Fortress
Shrine
Fortress Shrine
Barracks
Gardens 1
Garden Archway
Gardens
2
Old Meets New Inner
Courtyard
Barracks from Alamo Square
Live
Oak
E Crockett Scotsman at the Alamo
National
Flags
RIVER WALK:
We walked half the
length of River Walk but since the entire Walk is almost 2-1/2 miles long, we decided to take the boat tour. Interesting
history and sites! (NOTE: Nancy traveled to San Antonio for a couple
business meetings so was able to pick out some "fun" spots.)
While we were having lunch at Tony Roma's along Riverwalk, we heard music from the other side of
Rivercenter. The group was playing movie theme songs on natural flutes and
guitars. The group was Andean Fusion.
Here's a quote from a recent review that we found on the Internet: "[i]
stumbled across this group performing in the touristy Rivercenter along the
famous River Walk, and it only took a few minutes of listening to know I had to
snag some of their recordings. Led by Jose and Carlos Hilario, all
the band members hail from the Andean mountain countries of South America --
Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Their sound, though modern
in attitude, is based in the folk traditions that originated with the Inca
civilization. Their unique instrumentation reflects this, with the
an impressive array of ghostly sikus (pan pipes) and light, airy kena flutes, as
well as violins, guitars, bandolins and the fascinating charango, a South
American offshoot of the guitar, 10-stringed and made from armadillo
shell.. These guys had traveled from South
America to San Antonio over 10 years ago to do one concert and never left.
If you have an opportunity to listen to their music and like natural reed
flutes, you'll love this. " Their albums are available on
Amazon.
The river tour is an interesting and fact-filled way to learn about San
Antonio. The Boat Pilots talk about the sites as you float along the
River. (NOTE: Most of the pictures are here to show the beauty
of River Walk in the Spring. I've provided some detail for the ones
with names.) Underground springs help provide enough water to make the
River Walk navigable. Early in the 1900's, a flooded San Antonio River
caused significant property damage and many people lobbied to have the river
covered in concrete to create a natural spill-way.
Our River Pilot called this Cupid's Island. Apparently it is one of the
most popular places in the City for couples to say "I
Do." You can request that the boat stop here and get off
to pop the question.
Hilton Palacio del Rio was built for the 1968 HemisFair. It was the first high-rise
to be built off-premises, trucked in as completely furnished room modules and
stacked in place. The entire hotel was built in a matter of weeks, not
months. If you look close, you can see a man standing on one of the
balconies.
There is so much to
see and experience. . .
Convention Ctr
Water Source
Andean
Fusion River
Boats
Hilton Palacio del Rio Cupid's
Island
Ducks Always Have the Right-of-Way
Cranes
BUCKHORN
SALOON & MUSEUM:
"The 33,000 square foot, world famous Buckhorn Saloon and Museum has
delighted hundreds of thousands of visitors for over 120 years. It's a
quick walk down the street from The Alamo and a great place to get a drink after
a long day of sightseeing." (Buckhorn marketing brochure) The Buckhorn Saloon & Museum has been in
continuous operation since 1881. The world's record whitetail
"78 Point Buck" (see below) was acquired for $100 in 1899 and has hung
over the bar ever since. During prohibition, the Saloon turned into
a Curio and Museum and stood the test of time until alcohol could be served
again. Today, the Saloon, Curio and Museum combined have been
acclaimed as the second most popular attraction in San Antonio. It's five
museums in one -- horns, fins, feathers, The Hall of Texas History Wax Museum,
and regular special exhibits. You are able to get a drink at
the bar and wander through the museums taking as much or as little time as you
want. Ron thoroughly enjoyed this museum with all the trophy mounts
-- it's that hunter thing -- and we spent two afternoons here. (PS -- It
might have been the cold microbrews that brought us back!)
Buckhorn Signage
78 pt
Buck Two
Blondes
Moose
Two
Blondes Too
African game Texas
Longhorn Wooly Mammoth
Kissin' the
Moose Deep Sea
Fish
Lion
Texas Longhorn
Elephant
Mountain Goat
Whitetail Deer
Ceiling of Antlers
Is it obvious that San
Antonio was one of our favorite places to visit?????
NEXT
STOP: EL PASO, TX