April 5, 2016
San Antonio, TX

Today we decided to go into San Antonio and see some of the sites. As you drive into the downtown area the first thing you see is a very modern city with beautiful buildings. Even the highway interchanges and bridges are new and modern. The first structure you recognize is the Alamodome. Of course the most famous tourist spot is the Alamo, so we headed there first.

Here is Marilyn and her sister, Marlene, at the doorway of the iconic front entrance.

I have to admit I only had a vague idea of the history and significance of the Alamo so it was good they had a 20 minute video explaining everything. They have personnel located around the grounds that describe the different areas and they will happily answer all your questions. We learned the remaining structure is just a fraction of what encompassed the original compound. Sections have been removed and office buildings and hotels (the Alamo is located in the center of downtown) are now located there. The central structure has been preserved.

Here are some pictures of the grounds (pictures were not allowed inside)

The museum and displays inside are very nice and include everything from original copies of Land Grants, to muskets, to Bowie knives, and even full models depicting the battle. Of course, there is a very nice gift shop but the part I appreciated the most is they do not charge any admission. It's great to see these types of historical locations free to the public.

After spending a few hours at the Alamo we drove over to the River Walk. Parking was a little difficult to find but not terrible. After getting parked we realized it probably would have been easier to just stay parked by the Alamo and walk over....it really is only a few blocks away to access the River Walk area.

For those like us that have never been there, River Walk is a beautiful walkway through the downtown area that is a level below the street level and runs along both sides of the San Antonio river. There are many restaurants, bars, and shops with outdoor seating and dining areas right along the walkway and river. There is a shopping mall and convention center as well as the Tower of the Americas which is part of the area constructed for the Hemisfair (The Worlds Fair held in San Antonio in 1968). The entire route is beautifully landscaped and it is filled with cypress trees that stretch across the river and provide shade and contrast to the buildings and skyscrapers in the background. The river is approximately 50 feet wide and only 4 feet deep and they have installed flood control gates that enable the water level to be rerouted and controlled in case of flooding. Here are some of the pictures we took.

They have a couple of different water taxi/trolley rides you can take. We chose the shorter (30 minute) ride that just took you along the River Walk area (a few miles). The taxi driver provides a lot of information about the River Walk area and San Antonio in general. This is a very unique area and it is definitely a must do for any trip to San Antonio.