MLA '05: San Antonio Excursions
Parks
In the Immediate Area
HemisFair
Park
The site of the 1968 World's Fair, the park fell into disrepair for many
years before being renovated in time for its 20th anniversary. The 15-acre
park features a series of cascading waterfalls and fountains, lush landscaped
areas, and restored historic buildings. It is adjacent to the Henry B.
González Convention Center.
Within Walking Distance
El Mercado de San
Antonio/San Antonio Market Square
El Mercado de San Antonio is often called the largest Mexican marketplace
outside of Mexico. Tourists and San Antonians alike bargain-hunt among
crafts such as leather goods, papier mâché, blankets, apparel,
pottery, jewelry, and curios. Almost every weekend finds live entertainment,
food booths, and working artists crowding the lively outdoor areas. Admission
is free.
A Little Farther
Golf
Courses
The San Antonio Convention and Visitor's Bureau maintains a directory
of daily-fee, municipal, and other local golf courses.
Emilie and Albert
Friedrich Wilderness Park
Just north of San Antonio, this park is maintained as a nature preserve
and is the nesting habitat for two endangered birds, the black-capped
vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler. You may also see white-tailed deer,
raccoon, opossums, jack rabbits, cottontail rabbits, skunks, and armadillos.
Five miles of hiking trails, with varying degrees of difficulty, meander
through the park. Open seven days a week, 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Admission
is free, but donations are appreciated.
Tours
With a Guide
Alamo
Trolley Tours
1-hour, "hop" style tours, starting at 9:30 a.m. daily, leaving
the Alamo Visitor Center. Tour operator: San Antonio City Tours.
The
Grand Tour
Daylong tour, leaving 9:00 a.m. daily, of San Antonio, including visits
to the Alamo, 2 of the other missions, the IMAX Theatre, the Spanish Governor's
Palace, a riverboat ride, the Japanese Sunken Gardens, and Market Square/El
Mercado. Adults $49. Tour operator: San Antonio City Tours.
Hauntings
History of San Antonio Ghost Hunt
Daily 1 1/2-hour walking tour (about 3 blocks): Learn about some of San
Antonio's most haunted sites and find out where and how to have the paranormal
experience of a lifetime during your stay in San Antonio. Learn about
the most recent ghost sightings at the Alamo, the Emily Morgan Hotel,
the Menger Hotel, and other areas in the downtown San Antonio area. Starts
at 8:30 p.m. at the monument in front of the Alamo. Adults $10, Children
(7–17) $5.
Highlights
of San Antonio Tour
3 1/2-hour tour, leaving at 9:00 a.m. and at 1:45 p.m. daily, of the highlights
of San Antonio: The Alamo, 2 of the other missions, El Mercado/Market
Square, and Texas Adventure. Adults $30. Tour operator: San Antonio City
Tours.
Lone Star Trolley Tours
1-hour nonstop tours leaving Ripley's Believe it or Not (across from the
Alamo) eleven times a day.
Narrated
River Tours
Daily 35–40 minute tours of the River Walk covering 2 1/2 miles:
historical narratives during which the boat captains explain not only
the history of the San Antonio River but also provide helpful information
to assist for visits to the River Walk. Adults $6.50, Children (1–5)
$1.50. Tour operator: Rio San Antonio Cruises.
Texas Trolley Tours
Offers two 1-hour, "hop" style tours: the Historic Tour and
the Uptown Tour. Leaves from the Alamo Visitors Center.
On Your Own
Downtown
San Antonio Walking Tour
1 1/2-hour walking time, starting at the Alamo and ending at El Mercado/Market
Square. [Frommer's, Wiley Publishing, 2000–2005.]
VIA
Sightseer Special
The route 7 buses of VIA Metropolitan Transit are especially designed
for tourists, stopping at the Riverwalk Streetcar Station, the Henry B.
González Convention Center, the Alamo, the San Antonio Museum of
Art, La Villita, Brackenridge Park, the San Antonio Zoo, the Witte Museum,
the San Antonio Botanical Garden, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the San
Antonio Children's Museum. An unlimited one-day bus pass (good on other
VIA bus routes or downtown streetcar) costs $3.
VIA
Streetcar
An open air, authentic reproduction of a rail streetcar that traveled
the streets of San Antonio more than 50 years ago. Four streetcar routes
go to downtown locations including the Alamo, the Spanish Governor's Palace,
La Villita, Sunset Station, the Southwest School of Art & Craft, the
University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures-San Antonio, the King
William Historic area, and downtown shopping. An unlimited one-day bus
pass (good on any VIA bus route) costs $3.
Farther
Hill
Country Magic Tour
Daylong tour leaving 9:00 a.m. daily to the Lyndon Baines Johnson ranch
and Fredericksburg. Adults $49. Tour operator: San Antonio City Tours.
Mexican
Shopping Tour
Daylong trip leaving at 8:00 a.m. to Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. Adults $49.
Tour operator: San Antonio City Tours.
