Arts Tour: San Antonio
- The River Walk, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Texas, offers plenty of options for dining, shopping and entertainment along the San Antonio River.
A river runs through San Antonio, linking the past with the future of this sprawling city of 1.3 million. Settlers from the Canary Islands first arrived in 1731 to claim the region for the Spanish crown. A string of five missions grew along the river— including one famous for the battle of the Alamo in 1836.
In the 1930s, visionary architect Robert H.H. Hugman created the River Walk, featuring winding walkways, lush landscaping and picturesque arched bridges along the cypress-lined San Antonio River downtown. It languished until the city hosted one of the last great world fairs, HemisFair ’68, which established San Antonio as a major tourist and convention destination.
Today, the Alamo and the River Walk rank as two of Texas’s most popular tourist attractions. While San Antonio has a reputation as a romantic getaway with mariachis and river barge rides, there’s also a thriving art scene with expanding museums, dozens of galleries and a large, supportive artists’ community.
For more of “Arts Tour: San Antonio,” pick up the April 2009 issue of AmericanStyle today!
