The River Walk in San Antonio is 13 amazing miles of wonderful!! It is so varied- so interesting – so peaceful – so vibrant – so beautiful – that you can walk and walk and never run out of things to see and do and enjoy. I’ve never seen such a wonderful pedestrian walkway. The closest I could come is walking along the canals of Amsterdam, but The River Walk far surpasses that, in my opinion.
The San Antonio River has always been the heart of the city, but it hasn’t always been loved and cherished. In the early days of the city it was muddy, rocky, and dirty. There were many floods, and many discussions as to how to prevent them. The worst was in 1921, and it was finally decided that something had to be done. There were many ideas, but fortunately there were some who realized what an asset the river could be. The first efforts were concerned with flood prevention, but it wasn’t long before the river began to be developed. During the 1930’s it was a WPA project, and then individual businesses began to get involved.
Today the floods are under control, with a variety of locks, dams, viaducts and storm drains. The walks line both sides of the river, as well as several canals and diversions. I keep discovering new ways to explore. The really interesting thing is that there is so much variety as each segment reflects the style of the shops and hotels and restaurants along it. Below are photos that I took during my many walks. My hotel was right on The River Walk, so it was easy to slip away…….
