I flew out to San Antonio back in April to photograph a wedding and of course, took the opportunity to extend my business trip a few days and explore a little more of Texas. It only makes sense that the first landmark I visit is the famous and beautiful San Antonio River Walk.
While I was there, it also happened to be the week that the annual San Antonio’s Fiesta week was occurring – an event that many businesses take part in and where many festivities occur around, in order to raise funds to give back to the people. Although I didn’t get a chance to participate in any of the events, it was clear that San Antonio was ready for Fiesta week. Many of the businesses along the river walk prominently showed their support by posting up banners and signs, or providing a ‘special menu’ for the restaurants.
I was a little afraid that because of Fiesta week, the river walk would be unbearably flooded with people. This was thankfully not the case at all.
Like I said, the river walk is long and narrow, and you can easily spend a good couple of hours or more wandering along. I walked about forty-five minutes one way before turning back around and was able to see so many different parts of the area. There is a pretty big hub full of restaurants, shops and hotels in one section (what the San Antonio River Walk is known for) and yet the river walk continues much farther on in a more quiet and serene way. And in that setting, it became rarer and rarer to see people wandering by.
After wandering around for a while, I situated myself in a bustling restaurant called Casa Rio – a Mexican restaurant that lined its walkway with colorful umbrella stands, and that was actually the first business to be on the river walk! Talk about starting a trend. Although I was at a table for one, there were plenty of ducks swimming nearby that kept me company and kept me entertained.
Although the area does have some touristy shops, I would have to say that the San Antonio Riverwalk is a refreshing landmark to visit that checks off many things – beautiful nature, delicious food, cute mom and pop stores, and a vibrancy is special to this place.
