- Downtown-The site of the Riverwalk, the Alamo and the cities oldest permanent neighborhoods.
- King William- This historic neighborhood was named after the Prussian Kaiser Wilheim by rich German Merchants who built stately homes here. Tours are available.
- Fort Sam Houston-The site of Fort Sam Houston and a middle class neighborhood.
- Southtown-Hispanic neighborhood and commercial district. There are many mom and pop as well as upscale shops and restaurants here.
- Alamo Heights-The wealthy suburbs of San Antonio. This area, dating from the late 1800's, is home to numerous country clubs and golf courses.
- Medical Center-A sterile area of town which has built up around the cities medical community. Mostly commercial housing and business in this area.
- Monte Vista-Set on a hill in the northwest part of the city. This neighborhood is home to Trinity University and many nice planned communities.
San Antonio is a city with a long and varied history. It is a huge, cosmopolitan city which still retains it's Southwestern charm. It's history pre-dates America, it was once a Coahuiltecan Indian Village before the Spanish settled here. There is always something to do here, and the more time you spend here the more the city will grow on you.
The city is big, but most of the things to do are right in town. The neighborhoods all join the city and are thoroughly accessible via VIA, the city's mass metropolitan transit service. VIA runs 99 routes throughout greater San Antonio and can be reached at 210- 227-2020. Another, more expensive and direct way to get around is by using either Yellow Cab Co. 210-226-4242 or Checker cab Co. 210-222-2151. A good place to start is the Riverwalk (See things to see guide), it is beautiful and there is a little bit of everything (Shops, food, hotels) there.
A couple of good tours are Lone Star Trolley (210-224-9299) and Yanagauana River Cruises (210-224-5700). The trolley gives a good narrated tour of downtown, Market Square, Southtown, and the King William Historic District. It circles through the city and you can exit and enter the trolley all day long when ever you want to investigate something. The river cruise sails on a flat bottom river barges on a narrated tours 2 miles down the San Antonio river.
Points of Interest: expanded information can be found in the Things To See or Things To Do section.
- La Villita National Historic District-Translated as, the Little Village. This Spanish designed area resembles a Hispanic village, and dates back to the 1700's. Here you will find a plethora of restaurants, craft shops, boutiques and plenty of old Hispanic flavor.
- The River Walk-El Paseo del Rio, in Spanish, was begun in 1930's. Much of the work was done my the civilian workers in return for social assistance. This is a huge (over two miles) stretch of river front fun. Abounding with shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes, this is a place that you could easily spend a whole day and not get bored. The architects and landscapers have really outdone themselves with lots of cobblestone and fauna. Near The King William Area along the San Antonio river.
- The Mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo)-Right in the middle of San Antonio sits Texas's most famous landmark. The mission is a stark contrast to the city skyline. Most noteably, this building was a Native American burial ground and Spanish Mission. Years after the building had been taken over by the Spanish army and eventually abandoned. It stayed this way until the Texas cavalry and infantry pioneers held the Mexican army of Santa Anna at bay for thirteen days in this building. Among the pioneers who were killed and defeated here are Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Sam Houston used this massacre to rally his troops together to eventually drive the Mexican Army out. There are artifacts, history plaques, a library and gift shop.
- San Antonio Missions National Historic Park-The city derives it's name from a mission which operated here in the 1700's by Franciscan monks. The four that are still here are functioning missions today. The missions: Concepcion (1731), San Jose (1720), San Juan Capistrano( 1731), and San Francisco(1730's).
Parking is available all over town, many parking lots charge. The streets are wide with parallel metered parking in most places.
If the city is not your thing or you are just saturated with concrete, head to Freidrick Wilderness Park, The city's nature preserve. Over five miles of trails for picnicking, biking, hiking, sightseeing and bird watching. 21395 Milsa 210-698-1057
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- La Villita National Historic District-Translated as, the Little Village. This Spanish designed area resembles a Hispanic village, and dates back to the 1700's. Here you will find a plethora of restaurants, craft shops, boutiques and plenty of old Hispanic flavor.
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