San Antonio’s city centre is surprisingly rich in outdoor activities. The beautifully-landscaped River Walk is a wonderful place to take a stroll or enjoy a barge cruise, shop or relax in a café. Families with children won’t want to miss the San Antonio Zoo or the local children’s museum.

Barge Cruises
Flat-bottom river barges ply the Paseo del Rio, cruising past the terraced cafés and boutiques. Guided tours, which typically last around 40 minutes, explore two miles of the River Walk and feature lively narratives along the way. Shuttle barges (without tour guides) are also available to carry passengers to various drop-off points across the riverfront shopping district.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens
The San Antonio Botanical Gardens spans 38 acres and includes everything from local vegetation to exotic, Japanese gardens. There are several individual gardens on display in the facility, including a collection of herbs, a garden for children and a unique biblical garden. The Lucile Halsell Conservatory is especially popular with guests and includes exotic exhibits that highlight equatorial rainforests, tropical lagoons and speciality plants (such as rare insectivores). The Texas Native Trail, dotted with reconstructed early period houses, tracks local communities of plants that have grown here for centuries. Phone: +1 210 207 3250; website: www.sabot.org.

San Antonio Children’s Museum
Specifically well suited for children under 10 years of age, the children’s museum in San Antonio gives families an opportunity to learn about San Antonio and the world in a fun and exciting way. Kids can open a pretend bank account and use an onsite ATM, ride an elevator powered by participating children, or take an imaginary flight to a far-away destination. There are also exhibits on local attractions, including a miniature River Walk. Phone: +1 201 212 4453; website: www.sakids.org.

San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium
Home to 750 different species (more than 3,500 animals), the San Antonio Zoo is considered one of the finest in the country. The zoo and aquarium officially opened in 1914 and has since undergone a number of renovations and expansions. Exhibits include an aquarium, a gibbon forest, a butterfly collection and an African Plains exhibit. Phone: +1 210 734 7184; website: www.sazoo-aq.org.

Witte Museum
While it isn’t strictly billed as a children’s museum, this facility is a perennial favourite with San Antonio’s young visitors. Exhibits include large dinosaur skeletons, dioramas of wildlife scenes and even a few live animals. There is also a unique collection of reconstructed, historic homes onsite. Perhaps the most popular exhibit is the four-level Science Treehouse that explores a range of scientific topics with a fun, hands-on approach. Phone: +1 210 357 1900; website: www.wittemuseum.org.  

A rich centre of history and culture, San Antonio boasts numerous historic buildings that have been refurbished or converted into art and history museums. The San Antonio Museum of Art is the city’s premier art museum, with a broad base of exhibits that draw on every age of civilisation. There is also a great deal of correspondence here between Texas and Mexico, as seen in the Mexican Institute of Texan Cultures and the Institute of Mexico.

Blue Star Contemporary Art Center
This contemporary art institution opened more than 20 years ago, when it began to sponsor contemporary artists and provide a venue for their creative work. There are four separate gallery spaces within the institute, with Gallery 4 set aside specifically for the work of local artists from San Antonio. Phone: +1 210 226 6666; website: www.bluestarart.org.

Buckhorn Saloon
Conveniently located between the Alamo and the River Walk, the Buckhorn Saloon has been open in some form for 120 years. Today, the ‘saloon’ is more a café and bar where visitors can enjoy a bite to eat in a period, frontier setting. The onsite museum features a broad taxonomy collection divided into halls of horns, fins and feathers. There is also a wax museum with 14 interactive dioramas exploring 400 years of Texan history. Phone: +1 210 247 4000; website: www.buckhornmuseum.com.

Fiesta
This marathon event held in April lasts 10 days and features a myriad of events and activities appropriate for visitors of all ages. The city sponsors three different parades during Fiesta, one of which is actually a flotilla through the River Walk. This annual event was founded in the late 1800s and currently draws more than three million visitors. Website: www.fiesta-sa.org.

Institute of Mexico
Pieced together under the patronage of the Mexican government, this US-based institute provides interesting insight into Mexican art and culture. There are more than 200 art exhibits sourced through the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Phone: +1 210 227 0123.

Institute of Texan Cultures
Operated in conjunction with the University of Texas, this institute works to promote understanding of Texas’s unique cultural history. The collection of cultural exhibits spans 50,000 square feet and is open daily for tours. Peripheral exhibits include a collection of more than three million historic photographs and a specialised library. Phone: +1 210 458 2330; website: www.texancultures.com.  

San Antonio Museum of Art
Often abbreviated as SAMA, this museum spans four floors and represents south Texas’s only comprehensive art museum. Housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery (ca. 1900), the museum includes exhibits on Egyptian, Greek and Roman artefacts; Latin American and Asian art; and paintings from Europe and North America. Phone: +1 210 978 8100; website: www.samuseum.org.

Restaurants in San Antonio capitalise on their riverside location, with countless upscale establishments located on or near the River Walk. Mexican food is featured heavily on local menus though you’ll find just as many restaurants serving broader international fare such as Italian, French and Asian cuisine. Live music plays at many riverside restaurants, especially at weekends and holidays. 

A variety of upscale dining establishments can also be found north of the city centre in Alamo Heights. Across the spectrum, chilli is a local favourite that you’re unlikely to find in posh restaurants. Instead, it’s ladled into bowls in the Mexican Market (especially during Fiesta). 

As the second largest city in the state of Texas, San Antonio a well-equipped regional shopping centre. In all, there are 10 large shopping malls within the metropolitan area though most visitors find all of the shopping outlets they need within the city centre. La Villita and the Rivercenter Mall are the two most prominent shopping venues in the downtown area.

The San Antonio River meanders through the Rivercenter Mall, where shoppers also have access to restaurants, an IMAX theatre and a comedy club. Meanwhile, the Mexican Market (comprised of the Farmers’ Market and El Mercado) foster dozens of shops that emphasise colourful, Mexican-style souvenirs ranging in price and quality. Two local flea markets in the area sell a pleasing variety of handicrafts, local artwork, antiques and souvenirs.