Forget the Alamo – Experience the Real Downtown San Antonio

Chris Boothman
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Forget the Alamo – Experience the Real Downtown San Antonio

A walking tour of downtown San Antonio is a great way to see some of the key landmarks and attractions along with possibly stumbling across some hidden gems. This is exactly what we did following the culmination of our San Antonio Mission Trail. Given our time constraints, we did drive from each of the Missions to the final stop – the Alamo, but after parking downtown, we headed on a tour of the city for the afternoon.

Rather than relying on public transportation or someone to give you a guided tour of a city, why not grab your backpack and start wandering around the streets the next time you take a trip somewhere. If your next trip is to San Antonio, we hope that this post will give you an insight into some of the great attractions that you can see as you wander around the River Walk or head to the Tower of the Americas.

Please join us on our journey around one of the most beautiful, unique cities and hopefully this will give you some inspiration to explore San Antonio for yourselves.

Tower of the Americas

Tower of the Americas

I have a real passion for exploring skyscrapers and observation decks, so it is natural that we headed to HemisFair Park to check out the tallest building in San Antonio. Standing at 750ft tall, the Tower of the Americas is a great way to see all downtown San Antonio from an aerial perspective.

I tend to take a few minutes to stand in awe at the architectural genius of these building designs and contemplate the processes that occur to construct a tower like this. Although the Tower of the Americas may not be one of the tallest structures you will ever see, it does warrant taking some time to see in person as it stands proud in downtown San Antonio.

HemisFair Park

Tower of the Americas Garden

After staring at the Tower of the Americas that is located inside the grounds of HemisFair Park, why not take some time in front of the spectacular fountain display and relax on one of the various benches that line the walkways inside the park.

La Puerta

La Puerta Hemisfair Park

Walking through HemisFair Park, one of the noticeable attractions are the various monuments that are scattered around. One in particular that caught my attention is La Puerta which essentially is just an open door way.

I could get all philosophical here and go into details on my thoughts about the ‘open door’ meaning but I will let you all come up with your own suggestions as to the meaning behind this monument. In a nutshell, I would say that San Antonio is ultimately the gateway to happiness for many especially if we look at the close relationship with Hispanic communities and the proximity to the Mexican border.

Aztec Tower Statue

Aztec Statue Tower

Another of the monuments that caught my eye as we wandered around Hemisfair Park was this Aztec Tower statue. With the Tower of the Americas towering behind, it really looks like this Aztec figure is guarding the tower. Perhaps during the Aztec era this would have been a stereotypical representation.

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center

Art-Convention-Center

Even though we had no desire to visit the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center while exploring downtown San Antonio, I am so glad that we did as we came across this amazing art piece on the ceiling.

Made up from hundreds of Pepsi and Coca-Cola cans, this star shaped design really gives you a reason to walk through the Convention Center, even if you are passing through to get to the HemisFair Park which is directly on the other side.

Torch of Friendship

Torch of Friendship San Antonio

Situated in the heart of downtown San Antonio, La Antorcha de la Amistad or ‘Torch of Friendship’, is an iconic abstract sculpture. This piece of architecture was passed as a gift from the Mexican government to San Antonio in 2002 and stands at almost 65ft tall.

The sculpture is an iconic representation of the relationship between Mexico and USA. The sculpture can be viewed from many different angles and interpreted in many ways, just like the “harmonious yet sometimes complex relationship” between the two nations as quoted by the artist himself, Sebastián.

River Walk

San Antonio River Walk

San Antonio is probably most famous for the River Walk district that intertwines it’s way through the downtown metropolis. Located along the banks of the River Walk are a variety of attractions including shops, restaurants, bars and of course the stereotypical market stalls that attract visitors from all parts of the world.

San Antonio River Walk

In addition, the River Walk offers visitors the opportunity to hop on a 35 minute guided tour of the district. For only $8.25, this is a great way to explore the various channels that make up this part of San Antonio’s steeped history.

San Antonio River Walk

San Antonio Trolley

San Antonio Trolley

If hopping on a cruise around the River Walk district is not really your taste, try experiencing one of the archaic looking trolley’s to navigate around downtown San Antonio. Now this is what I call public transportation!

Post Office and Court House

San Antonio Post Office

Including the San Antonio Post Office and Court House in a list of downtown attractions may seem a little trivial, but just look at the design of this building. Perhaps the picture doesn’t do this enough justice, but the intricate details make this a landmark worth experiencing.

Emily Morgan Hotel

Emily Morgan Hotel

The building in the background of this picture is the Emily Morgan Hotel, a Double Tree by Hilton establishment. Renowned as being a perfect blend of Texas charm and historic archictectural grandeur, this is certainly a recommended hotel choice should you prefer to stay in the downtown vicinity.

Samuel Gompers Statue

20th Century Labor Statue San Antonio

The statue of Samuel Gompers speaking to a group of workers is particularly interesting because it typifies many of the labor issues faced by the 19th Century workers, yet these still remain prevalent today.

“What does labor want? …
We want more schoolhouses and less jails,
More books and less guns,
More learning and less vice,
More leisure and less greed,
More justice and less revenge.
We want more … opportunities to cultivate our better natures.”

The above quote is what is listed on the plaque directly under the statue and are in fact the words used by Gompers to the union workers.

Summary

Depending on your personal taste, there is something for everyone in downtown San Antonio. My recommendation is to just get out and start exploring. You will notice that this list of attractions doesn’t even include The Alamo, proving that there is so much more than just the stereotypical top spots in any city.

Have you visited San Antonio before and if so what is your favorite downtown attraction?

Saturday Snaps #12 – Chatsworth Gardens

Chris Boothman
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3
Saturday Snaps #12 – Chatsworth Gardens

Chatsworth House

Location: Chatsworth House and Gardens in the Peak District of England

Author: Paul Skidmore @ Have You Packed The Camera

Description: Chatsworth House and Gardens is a must see whilst visiting the Peak District in England. Located near Bakewell in the county of Derbyshire, Chatsworth Gardens is a beautiful place easily accessible from the M1 motorway. You may also be interested in visiting this part of England if you are a fond viewer of Pride and Prejudice, as this Stately Estate is frequently featured in this series.

The estate spans countless acres and contains some beautiful gardens with a wide variety of exotic flowers, trees and plants.

This photo was taken in the grounds next to the River Derwent. The bridge that can be seen was created by James Paine, a notable architect who created several pieces for Chatsworth.

You can reach more of Paul’s great work at his website and the following social media networks:

Website: Have You Packed The Camera

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/packedTheCamera 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/packedTheCamera 

San Antonio Mission Trail – The Alamo to Mission Espada

Chris Boothman
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14
San Antonio Mission Trail – The Alamo to Mission Espada

San Antonio, Texas is famous for many things including the River Walk, the Spurs NBA team and the Tower of the Americas. However, undoubtedly the most famous of all attractions is the Alamo, renowned as the location for the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

Did you also know that San Antonio is home to four other key Spanish Colonial settlements (missions) in addition to the Alamo? I will openly admit that I had no prior knowledge of these missions before our trip to San Antonio. These four actually make up the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, while the Alamo is not actually part of this and instead operated by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

After researching things to do, we decided to take the San Antonio Mission Trail and visit each of the five missions along the way. If you have time, I would highly encourage you to take the trail along the river and experience some hidden parts of San Antonio that even we didn’t see given we drove to each of the mission sites.

Mission History

This chain of five missions encompassed the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America during the 18th century. The basic idea behind these missions was to expand the Spanish communities (Spanish New World) from Mexico. These settlements flourished until the demise of the Alamo in 1836 and to this day are still a prevalent part of the Catholic parish and open to the public.

Mission San José

We started out on our Mission Tour at the best known of the missions, the Mission San José. Established in 1720, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo was an iconic mission organization and a major social center for the Hispanic Catholic community.

Mission San Jose

This settlement symbolized the development of missions throughout San Antonio and the overall size of San José represents its reputation as the ‘Queen of the Missions.’

Given that we really didn’t know what to expect when visiting the Mission Trail, this was a real eye-opener but encouraged us to continue on our trail as we wanted to see more. Being able to walk inside some of the original buildings was really cool to learn about how these types of communities thrived in the 18th century.

Mission San Jose

It was also interesting to see the San José church having an active service on a Sunday morning. There are clearly still a lot of passionate and loyal members of this community which helps maintain the presence of San José in Old San Antonio.

The intricate details of the church architecture is impressive and the restoration of these buildings is a crucial aspect to preserving the history of the Missions.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

After a great opening experience at Mission San José, we headed south to the first of two smaller missions – San Juan Capistrano.

Mission San Juan

Despite the clear difference in size, you can still see the sense of community here with the quaint, well-designed church (also still remains an active Catholic parish) and remains of other buildings still apparent.

Mission San Juan

The original colonial ‘square’ is still in place and standing there overlooking the surrounding courtyard walls really gives you a sense of history as you imagine the Spanish locals going about their daily lives.

Mission San Juan

Mission San Francisco de la Espada

A short drive from San Juan Capistrano is the Mission San Francsico de la Espada or Mission Espada for short! En route to this mission we were able to stop at the Espada Aqueduct which is the only remaining Spanish aqueduct in the United States.

Mission Espada Aqueduct

The primary purpose of this small aqueduct was to channel water for irrigation purposes to the surrounding mission lands. Today it is a great spot for people to relax and even consider having a picnic here while overlooking the aqueduct.

Mission Espada

As we crossed the interstate towards the actual location of Mission Espada, we were disappointed to see that much of the church here was under renovation. I realize that in order to maintain these 18th century missions, such renovation is required but it certainly makes them less aesthetically appealing when walking around the grounds.

Mission Espada

Mission Concepción

Venturing north from Mission Espada we headed to Mission Concepción which I have to admit was probably my favorite of all the missions. The gorgeous design of the church here was really spectacular and the whole feeling of this settlement, again despite being fairly small in comparison to San José was positive.

Mission Concepcion

As you make your way around each of these missions, some of them have visitor centers with additional information on the missions. Mission Concepción has a small center that is self-guided but offers visitors the opportunity to stamp your mission passport (if you have one) or anything else you may have handy to mark your experiences along the trail.

Mission Concepcion

Walking around the church through all of the small rooms and the courtyard was a really great experience but this was also the first mission church we were actually able to go inside. The meticulous details of the interior was the first aspect we noticed and although we didn’t spend too much time here, we were able to get a good sense of how the local congregation still enjoys this historic setting.

The Alamo

Heading downtown from Mission Concepción is a different experience altogether and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the whole Alamo experience. Out of the five we visited, it was clearly the most tourist driven and everything was catered towards this which is disappointing and really spoils the traditional authenticity of this location.

The Alamo

Clearly the Alamo is a historic landmark in San Antonio, but lining up outside in order to get your picture taken is a little too touristy for my liking. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside the Alamo church though you can take as many as you like around the grounds.

Learning about the history of the Battle of the Alamo is interesting but I can’t imagine spending as much time here as I would with some of the other Missions that we visited previously.

Summary

Our tour of the San Antonio Mission Trail was cool, rewarding and ultimately an experience we would highly recommend to anyone regardless of your interest in Hispanic heritage. We learned an abundance of knowledge simply from being on the grounds of these mission settlements and I look forward to hopefully seeing more of these around the States in the future.


Dream Destinations – Collaboration Part 5

Chris Boothman
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15
Dream Destinations – Collaboration Part 5

It’s been a while since we released one of our Dream Destinations collaborations but after receiving a variety of amazing entries from folks around the world, we felt it was time to release our next edition.

From New Zealand to the Galapagos Islands, we have seen a plethora of stunning destinations around the world over our recent posts in this series.

Today’s featured Dream Destinations are certainly no different and we are excited to see where this series heads to next as we continue to receive very diverse destinations that prove our opinions are so unique when it comes to traveling.

DREAM DESTINATIONS

If you haven’t been inspired by any of the previous destinations, maybe the following locations will wet your appetite to get out and travel the world. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the travelers that have shared their dreams with us!

Indonesia- From Shores to Skylines

From Shores to Skylines Katie Lutz

Raja Ampat is an archipelago of about 1500 small and nearly untouched islands off the northern coast of New Guinnea in Indonesia. I’ve recently learned to scuba dive, an addictive but incredible hobby, and this area is considered by some to be the best diving in the world, largely due to the incredible wealth of biodiversity.

Here’s the kicker – even if you’re not a diver, if you’ve ever envisioned yourself living a Robinson Crusoe type lifestyle for a bit, this place seems seriously perfect. Between nearly deserted beaches and great tropical weather, hiking and wildlife spotting, its a nature lover’s dream.

Getting to Raja Ampat can be a bit of a pain, but on the plus side, it generally requires a stop through Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This is a perfect opportunity to get some smoggy city time, soak up the great Indonesian culture and get my street food fix.

Follow Katie on Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

Morocco- Charlie On Travel

Charlie on Travel

Souks with vibrant fabrics cascading down from the stalls, lanterns illuminating the walls with their ornate patterns, and rich, aromatic spices filling the air.

The idea of travelling to Morocco has completely captured my imagination. I always envisage myself exploring Marrakesh, affectionately known as the ‘Red City’ because of the sandstone city walls, in the north-west of Morocco. The former imperial city has two distinctive districts: the historical Medina and the modern, European Gueliz (or Ville Nouvelle).

By day, I would wile away my time ambling through a maze of marketplaces, and discover Jemaa el-Fnaa, a local square and a UNESCO World Heritage site, alive with a diversity. Everyone from snake charmers and mystics to herb sellers and story-tellers can be found there.

By night, I’ll eat vegetarian tagine from a simmering clay pot and rice cooked with saffron, raisins, spices, and almonds. I’ll soak in a hammam (steam bath) before slumbering in one of the riads quietly tucked away in the old city. I’ve read that I’ll be sleeping like a sultan, slumped into plump, fresh bed sheets and lost in the charm of the place.

When the sun rises, a breakfast of fresh fruits and strong coffee is taken out on a garden terrace. One day…

Follow Charlie on Facebook – Twitter – Google+

South Africa- Girl vs Globe

Girl vs Globe Sabina Trojanova

Confession time – I’m hopelessly in love with a place I’ve never been to. For years, I have been involved in a one-sided long-distance affair with Cape Town in South Africa and my crush seems to be here to stay!

This June, Cape Town was crowned the most beautiful city in the world by Buzzfeed to the surprise of… no one! Not me anyway. The city lies in the heart of the world’s most bio-diverse area, is surrounded by towering mountains, is home to a multitude of diverse cultures… and is one of the few places where you can chill with penguins on the beach! What kind of monster wouldn’t want to tan with baby penguins?

I study politics, so in my mind the shadow of the apartheid era and the issues surrounding Cape Town’s neighbouring townships add a bitter drop of intrigue to this fascinating city. As if that wasn’t enough, South Africa is the perfect place for a daredevil like me – it has all the shark diving cages and skydiving parachutes my heart needs to perpetually flutter with excitement.

Follow Sabina on Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

Tibet- Bunch of Backpackers

Tibet Potala Palace Manouk Bob

Yak butter tea and a dream destination… Weird combination one would say. So, why did I choose Tibet as my dream destination? The answer is simple. It started with the train ride from Chengdu to Lhasa. Even though I had just finished the epic Trans Mongolian Express, the 3-day train ride to Lhasa was the most beautiful (and the highest) of my life with stunning views from the train windows.

During the rest of my trip in Tibet I saw the Potala Palace, visited numerous other Tibetan monasteries, reached the Mt. Everest Base camp and walked a kora. I drank (and liked) yak butter tea, posted a letter at the highest mail office in the world and saw the gorgeous turquoise lakes. Lhasa probably left the biggest impression on me with its numerous pilgrims, monks and prayer wheels. From our Tibetan guide I learned much about the religion and the (sad) history.

Like almost every dream destination, Tibet has its dangers and annoyances. I won’t go into details, but as you may know there is a strong presence of the Chinese military police throughout the country. Don’t let this scare you away. For me, Tibet is still a dream destination with its unsurpassed views, the mighty Mt. Everest, gentle-hearted people and the fascinating culture and religion.

Follow Manouk on Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

There we have four more stunning destinations around the world. Do any of these motivate you to want to start exploring the expansive world we all live in? I know it certainly inspires us and we would like to reiterate our thanks to all the folks that contributed these great features on their Dream Destinations!

Would you like to feature in a future Dream Destinations post? If so, send us an e-mail to admin@abritandasoutherner and we would be delighted to feature you among a variety of other great travelers!

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