What’s old is new again in San Antonio. A city rich in history and booming with modern attractions, this quest invites visitors to be inspired by what locals enjoy most in the city. The effort of place-making is not just about creating sustainable development plans or funding efforts to make a city safe and attractive to support growth, its also having citizens be proud of where they live and encouraging a curiosity to experience the city’s historical significance through cultural festivals and seasonal events, or to enjoy the full rang of spectacular outdoor spaces, parks and gardens. What I want to highlight in this quest, is a series of things to do in San Antonio that highlight the diversity of life in the region and inspire an exploration of places that I maybe have not yet highlighted in the course of the project.
Exploring world heritage
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Start the day early at the San Antonio Missions; as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, San Antonio Missions National Historic Park preserves four Spanish frontier missions and entices visitors to learn more about San Antonio’s history. Step back 300 years and experience Spanish colonial history while visiting Mission Concepcion, Mission Espada, Mission San Juan and Mission San Jose. All four missions are still home to active Catholic parishes that hold regular services. Keep in mind the missions are spread far apart, but are connected by the San Antonio River Walk Hike and Bike Path.
San Antonio Museum of Art
Retrieved from https://www.timeout.com/san-antonio/things-to-do/best-museums-in-san-antonio
Located in a complex that once housed Lone Star Brewery, the San Antonio Museum offers visitors a cultural experience unlike any other. The museum features an impressive art collection that spans over 5,000 years and touches upon many different genres, from antiquity to contemporary. However, the museum is best known for having the most impressive Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art collection in the southern United States, and an astounding Latin American art collection in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Latin American art wing.
Enjoy the mesh of modernity, culture, and nature at:
The River Walk
The River Walk, also known as Paseo del Rio, is situated 20 feet below street level and spans 15 miles long. The five miles located in downtown San Antonio is the most popular section of the river, home to shops, museums, hotels, restaurants and more. The stone pathways that make up this particular area are peppered with mariachi bands and river taxis that entertain people while they gaze at the beautiful architecture that surrounds them.
It is not only the nation’s largest urban-water ecosystem, it is also a crucial method of navigating the city and connects people to many of the most popular historic (and trendy) sites in the downtown region.
Exploring the theme of cultural diversity
El Mercado
El Mercado or the Market Square covers three blocks of an outdoor plaza lined with over 100 locally-owned restaurants and shops. As the largest Mexican market in the United States, El Mercado is a central staple of the cultural experience of San Antonio. Visitors to El Mercado can explore indoor and outdoor shops full of authentic Mexican crafts, snack on delicious Mexican pastries at Mi Tierra Restaurant & Bakery, and enjoy live bands and other entertainment in the plaza on the weekends.
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Image of 40-foot tall mosaic of the Virgin Mary constructed in 2004 by Jesse Trevino
Remember: Everything is bigger in Texas—including religious iconography. The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center has the largest Virgin Mary mosaic in the world. The Center was built to cultivate, promote and preserves traditional and contemporary
Chicano, Latino and Native American arts and culture and has grown to become one of the largest community-based, multidisciplinary organizations in the U.S. They sponsor Latino arts and culture through workshops, art shows, and dance, music, and theater programs though-out the community.
and if you can make it…First Fridays!
First Fridays is a free monthly festival that takes over Southtown on (you guessed it) the first Friday of every month. Live music, food offerings and open art galleries are what you can expect during San Antonio’s longest running art walk. We highly suggest spending time exploring the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum and all the galleries found in the King William Historic District on First Friday.
Exploring the Natural Environs
Urban meets greenery at Hemisfair Park
Iconic park housing Tower of the Americas, Institute of Texan Cultures. This urban park is a lasting legacy of the 1968 World Fair hosted in the region. It gives locals and visitors alike a chance to reap the benefits of redevelopment projects that focus on both preserving history and giving more green-space to the community. Contained within the park are also the Mexican Cultural Institute, the Convention Center Theater, and
Go Out of Your Way to Explore Hill Country: ENCHANTED ROCK STATE NATURAL AREA
A visit to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area to climb the ancient dome gives one of the most amazing Texas Hill Country views. The massive pink granite dome rising above Central Texas has drawn people for thousands of years. The scenery, rock formations and legends are make for fantastic places to hike, backpack, camp, rock climb, picnic, birdwatch, study nature, geocache and stargaze as well. This is a little outside the 2 hour radius, but definitely worth a weekend out since it opens the door to whole new (or maybe more rustic) side of San Antonio!
Guide Map
See the Map below for a start-to finish guide of the quest, in the above suggested order through which to approach them:
San Antonio 