The Alamo + San Antonio Riverwalk

Day 2 in San Antonio was my first full day in the city.  Later that day would be my conference registration and opening.  But, since I had the morning free, I decided to head out and explore a little.  And to start, I headed over to the Alamo.

My hotel was a short, 5-10 minute walk away from the Alamo.  That short distance and the fact that it was open made it a no-brainer to start my day.

Alamo Mission in San Antonio

People warned me.  They said when you look at The Alamo, you think “that’s it?!”  And really, they’re right.  The building itself is tiny, especially since much of the original complex is now gone.

What remains of the complex today, the chapel, was constructed in the mid-1700’s.  Of course, the site is famous for being the site of the Battle of the Alamo, which itself was part of the Texas Revolution.

Entry to the site is free, though you will need to lineup for a photo prior to entering the chapel.  You don’t need to buy the photo, like so many other tourist sites that do this.

The interior of the chapel itself is rather bare and small, like the exterior.  Photography is prohibited inside, though besides the building shell, all there is inside are a bunch of signs on easels.

In all, I probably spent less than 20 minutes exploring The Alamo, including the gift shop.  And while this UNESO World Heritage Site is rich with history, its is a little underwhelming.  That being said, its proximity to downtown San Antonio and free admission makes the site a no-brainer to visit.

San Antonio Riverwalk

Aside from the Alamo, the San Antonio Riverwalk is another “must-see” site in the city.  The Riverwalk is, well, building-lined walkways that follow the San Antonio River throughout town.

The River is located below street level, and is generally line with historic buildings.  It is a tourist district, though, which is painfully obvious.  A friend of mine that used to live in the city said locals almost never frequent the Riverwalk.  And its easy to see why.  The area is primarily hotels, restaurants, and gift shops.  Many of the restaurants have mediocre to poor reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor, and feature insanely high prices.

I’ll admit it is a fairly nice looking area, but it is akin to Waikiki in Honolulu.  The area certainly feels like its for tourists, and is crowded during the evening.  But, unlike Waikiki, the area seems to lack the great places that attract locals.  I could be wrong about this since I didn’t have much time to explore, but given a choice, I’d choose my hometown Waikiki.

The Alamo + Riverwalk Final Thoughts

Both of these sites are a “must-see” when in San Antonio.  But both of these sites were also, to me anyway, a bit underwhelming.  There isn’t much to see at the Alamo, but admission is free, so its hard to complain.  The Riverwalk also costs nothing to walk along and enjoy the views, but besides that, I can’t see myself spending much time in the area either.  Instead, I took my friend’s advice and headed away from downtown San Antino to eat like a local.  And its what I’d suggest you do as well when visiting this city.  But more on that later.