San Antonio City Guide

San Antonio is located in the American Southwest in the south central part of Texas. This city is named after San Antonio de Pauda and was established in 1691. The city is most famously associated with the site of the historic battle of Alamo, which took place between the Mexicans and the Texans from February 23rd to March 6th 1836.

In addition to the historic Alamo site, San Antonio offers myriad other attractions like the Tower of the Americas, theme parks like SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas and events such as the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, all of which prompt more than 25 million tourists to book a vacation to San Antonio annually.

San Antonio’s most prominent area is its River Walk. The San Antonio River Walk is known as the Paseo del Rio and is a network of walkways that line the banks of the San Antonio River in downtown San Antonio. This open air public park is lined with bars, shops, hotels and restaurants and is open all 365 days a year. The River Walk features the major concentration of San Antonio hotels, which range from discount hotels and budget accommodation to luxury hotels.

For many families vacations to San Antonio is usually centered on of the city’s star attractions, Sea World. So much so that they prefer to reside in the area that is located around SeaWorld, that lies to the west of downtown San Antonio. This area around Sea World is typically populated with many family-friendly hotels, which welcome children of all ages.

Yet another family-friendly attraction in San Antonio is the Six Flags theme park, which is located in the Northwest part of the city. This neighborhood also hosts several educational, business and commercial establishments and has its own legion of fans, who reside at the diverse hotels that are located here.

Not all visitors who plan a trip to San Antonio come to vacation in the city, many visitors also visit San Antonio for work. These business travelers tend to reside at the wide assortment of hotels that are available around the San Antonio International Airport located in the northern half of the city

The Alamo was constructed in 1724 as a Spanish mission, the Mission San Antonio de Valero. The Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years.

The edifice played an important role in the battle for Texan liberty in 1863 for it is here that a small band of Texans were garrisoned during the battle. The Texans were then attacked by the Mexican cavalry. The Texans called for reinforcements but they didn’t receive any. The band of Texan resisters included Davy Crocket and his small band of fighters who managed to hold out for 13 days before being overpowered and executed by the Mexican army. Today, the Alamo is described as the cradle of Texan liberty and is regarded as one of the most important sights. A visit to the Alamo is considered to be ‘de rigueur’ on any vacation to San Antonio.

The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum recreates the days of the Wild West with 8000 wildlife exhibits, wax figurines, horns, clothing and other knick knacks. The museum is even equipped with a shooting gallery, an arcade and a store of interesting knick-knacks, which is aptly called the ‘World’s Oddest Store.’

The towering Tower of Americas is located in the midst of Hemisphere Park which was built for the 1968 World's Fair. The Tower of Americas which soars to 750 Feet is the United State’s second tallest free standing structure. Visitors are transported by elevator to the observation deck and revolving restaurant which are located at a height of 500 feet and afford gorgeous vistas of the city below.

The beautiful Spanish Governor’s Palace once served as the headquarters for the Spanish rulers of the Texan region. The building is filled with treasures and artifacts and is surrounded by spectacular gardens.

The SeaWorld located in San Antonio is one of the world’s largest marine life adventure parks. Sea World San Antonio is actually made up of four parks that extends over 250 acres and consist of a show park, a water park, an animal park and an area for rides This marine park offers more than 26 shows, rides and animal attractions and is considered by many holiday makers as the prime reason to book a vacation to San Antonio.

The weather in San Antonio can be best described as subtropical that is characterized by cold winters and hot, humid summers. July and August are generally the hottest months in San Antonio, when temperatures routinely reach as high as 95° F (35°C).

Winters in San Antonio are often characterized by frigid temperatures as well and temperatures as low as 39°F (4°C) are not uncommon thus the best times to plan a visit to San Antonio are during the seasons of early spring or fall where temperatures in the city are more amenable. Further, the world famous festival of the San Antonio Fiesta features many parades, pageants, and floats. Various other cultural fests are usually held in the city in April every year so it makes sense to plan your trip to San Antonio at this time.

San Antonio is easily accessed via its San Antonio International airport that is located eight miles north of its downtown and welcomes 21 domestic and international airlines. We at Fare Buzz can further facilitate your passage to San Antonio, with our absolutely tempting cheap air tickets, hotel and even vacation package deals for San Antonio. So if you desire a vacation to San Antonio, you simply need to book a deal with us and get ready to fly, while saving money and time.

San Antonio is a city that can be easily navigated on foot, however, during the peak summer months the unrelenting heat can be quite torturous. Luckily, the city is also equipped with an adequate public transport system that is made up of old world street cars, river taxis, auto taxis and buses. The river taxis cover nine locations on the River Walk and the Sightseer Special bus amply cater to needs of the tourists in San Antonio. However, if you prefer to rent a car in San Antonio, you can always avail of the services of Fare Buzz, which offers affordable car rentals along with its bouquet cheap flights, hotels deals and well-priced vacation packages.

The Riverwalk area located in downtown San Antonia extends over 3 miles along the San Antonio River and is a major shopping and dining district in San Antonio.

Located here is the Rivercenter Mall, which offers a wide variety of stores that retail apparel, health and beauty, accessories, luggage and various other products. Also located in the downtown area is the Alamo Quarry Bay Market, which offers over 60 shops and 15 restaurants.

Other shopping destinations in San Antonio include locales like the ‘Shops at La Cantera’, which is an open air marketplace that offers a variety of vendors, the Rolling Oaks Mall, which is located along San Antonio’s northeast corridor and the North Star Mall, which is located adjacent to the San Antonio International Airport and offers over 200 specialty stores and restaurants including the world’s largest range of cowboy boots.

Given San Antonio’s location, Tex-Mex cuisine reigns on the city’s dining scene though the city offers a plethora of other restaurants that serve varied cuisines from around the world.

Some of the most popular and highly recommended restaurants in San Antonio include eateries like the Chart House Restaurant, which is located atop the Tower of the Americas and offers fine American cuisine and Bourbon Street and Ernesto’s Restaurant, which serve much seafood fare. Also included in this list are other restaurants like Bistro Vatel, which serves French cuisine and John the Greek which serves Mediterranean delights.

Additionally, San Antonio offers several other foodie experiences like dinner cruises on the river and dining at the Central Market and the Pearl Brewery , both of which should not be missed on any visit to San Antonio.

San Antonio boasts of an extremely lively nightlife scene. The nightlife haunts in San Antonio include sports and live music bars, dance clubs, comedy clubs and cocktail lounges and various other locales.

The city’s Main Plaza features verdant trees, sidewalk tables and fountains and offers live music performances all year round. Other favored nightlife locations in San Antonio include the Cowboys Dance Hall which features country-western live performances and joints like Graham Central Station, Azuca Neuvo Latino and Carmens de la Calle Café, which offer a smorgasbord of Latin sounds.