San Antonio – A Travel Guide for English Learners

Introduction

This is the second article in the Goldfields English Conversation series on interesting places to visit in the English-speaking world. In the first article, we visited historic York in England. This time, we cross the Atlantic Ocean to visit another historic city, San Antonio, Texas, in the United States.

Most international visitors to the United States travel to the well-known cities and places of interest, like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Disneyland, the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls. However, San Antonio is a destination that is often overlooked. It is an interesting addition to your travel itinerary, especially if you are interested in history or enjoy good food. As well as historic sites like the Alamo (pronounced AL-uh-moh, /ˈæl.ə.moʊ/), it also has modern attractions such as the Tower of the Americas and the Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park.

A Little History

Before the arrival of Europeans, the San Antonio area belonged to various Indigenous groups who had lived there for thousands of years. The most prominent group was the Payaya people.

The first Europeans to reach the region were the Spanish. Spanish explorers arrived in the late 1600s. However, San Antonio wasn’t founded until 1718 and didn’t have an organised local government until the 1730s. Spain built several Missions to spread Christianity and establish settlements.

In 1821, Mexico became independent of Spain after a War of Independence. San Antonio was part of Mexico’s territory and became a key regional capital. In the 1830s, Texas tried to gain independence from Mexico. In 1836, a famous battle took place at the Alamo. A small group of Texan defenders fought against a much larger Mexican army. Although they lost the battle, the Alamo became an important symbol of courage. A month after the defeat at the Alamo, the Texans reversed their fortunes and won independence. San Antonio became part of the new Republic of Texas, although fighting continued for several years as Mexico tried to recapture San Antonio.

In 1845, the United States annexed Texas, and so San Antonio became a US city. San Antonio continued to grow, and today it is one of the largest cities in Texas.

Famous Places to Visit

Photo by Stephen Crane on Unsplash

The Alamo

San Antonio is known as the Alamo City, and the Alamo is probably the best-known historic building in Texas. It started as a former Spanish Mission and is the site of the famous Battle of the Alamo, where a small group of Texan defenders were defeated by the Mexican Army after a 13-day siege. Some of the Alamo defenders, including the commander, William Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, are American folk heroes.

As well as giving the Texan army valuable time to organise and recruit more soldiers, the Battle of the Alamo is important because the bravery of the defenders inspired other Texans in their fight for independence. “Remember the Alamo!” became a battle cry for the Texan army.

The Alamo is in downtown San Antonio, surrounded by modern buildings. This makes an interesting contrast between old and new, history and modern day. There is also a museum that explains the history of this famous landmark.

River Walk

San Antonio’s River Walk runs along the San Antonio River, one level below the streets. The River Walk is lined with restaurants, cafes, shops, and palm trees. Walking along the river in the evening with lights reflecting on the water and music drifting out of restaurants is a memorable and enchanting experience.

As well as walking along the River Walk for free, you could also pay to take one of the river boat tours — a relaxed way to see the whole stretch without tiring your feet.

Photo of River Walk: Creator: rawpixel.com / Carol M Highsmith | Credit: rawpixel.com / Carol M Highsmith

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Besides the Alamo, San Antonio has four other Spanish Missions along the river to the south of downtown — Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. Together, they form the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Historical Park tells the complete story of San Antonio’s Spanish colonial period.

Mission San José is considered the highlight — it's often called the "Queen of the Missions," and it's easy to see why once you're standing in front of its beautifully carved stone entrance. You can walk or cycle between all five missions along a quiet, well-signposted trail.

Natural Bridge Caverns

If you want a change from the historical sights and would like to experience some of San Antonio’s natural beauty, the Natural Bridge Caverns are among the largest caverns in Texas. There are different guided tours depending on how much time you have and how adventurous you feel (some of the caverns descend quite steeply). The tours take you through underground chambers filled with dramatic rock formations that took millions of years to form.

Above ground, there's also a small wildlife park that the children can enjoy. One big disadvantage, however, is that the caverns are difficult to access by public transport. The caverns are 30 minutes away from San Antonio by car, and most visitors drive there.

The beautiful Mission San José, part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

One of the chambers inside the Natural Bridge Caverns

Austin (day trip)

What’s the capital city of Texas? Dallas? Houston? Neither! The capital is the attractive city of Austin, which is located about 80 miles from San Antonio, or about one and a half hours away by road. Like San Antonio, there are plenty of historic buildings, including the Texas State Capitol building and the historic West 6th Street area. Another feature of the city is its colourful murals.

Austin is also famous throughout the United States for its live music scene. Austin calls itself the "Live Music Capital of the World," and after wandering down Sixth Street on a Friday night, you'll understand why.

Life in the City Today

Today, San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. It is the second or third largest city in Texas (depending on how it is measured). It is a major centre for manufacturing, finance, healthcare and technology, and has a military base that employs over 100,000 people (San Antonio is sometimes called Military City, USA). It is also home to the highly successful NBA team, the San Antonio Spurs, who have won five NBA championships.

The Frost Bank Centre, home of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs

As well as the tourist attractions I mentioned in the Famous Places to Visit section above, San Antonio has two large theme parks, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld San Antonio. And every spring, it holds an 11-day festival called Fiesta San Antonio with colourful parades, music, food and carnival events. San Antonio’s Market Square (also known as El Mercado) is the largest Mexican market outside Mexico.

Music is an important part of life in San Antonio. The city is especially famous for mariachi music, a traditional Mexican style that features guitars, violins and trumpets. San Antonio is believed to be the first city in the United States where mariachi became part of the school music curriculum, helping to keep this musical tradition alive.

If you love food, San Antonio has plenty to offer. It is one of only two cities in the United States to be named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy because of its rich food culture. It is regarded as the centre of Tex-Mex cuisine, a style of cooking that combines Texas and Mexican food.

Fun Facts

• Have you ever wondered, perhaps on a hot summer day, where the world’s first air-conditioned office building was? The answer is San Antonio. Opened in 1928, the 21-story Milam Building was the first high-rise office building built with a complete air conditioning system.

• As well as the Natural Bridge cavern mentioned above, San Antonio has another famous cave, Bracken Cave. It is famous for having the largest known bat colony in the world – 15 million bats live there!

• In my previous article I mentioned York’s ghosts. San Antonio also has a spooky reputation and is known as one of the most haunted cities in the United States. People have reported seeing ghosts in hotels like the Menger Hotel, the Emily Morgan Hotel and Victoria’s Black Swan inn, as well as at the Alamo and the Donkey Lady Bridge (haunted by a half-woman, half-donkey ghost!)

• The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat indoor stadium built in 1993. It was built in the hope that an NFL football team would move to San Antonio. However, more than 30 years later and San Antonio still doesn’t have an NFL team. The stadium isn’t wasted, however – it is regularly used for other sporting events, including college football and basketball, soccer and concerts. The San Antonio Spurs also played there for 9 years after it opened.

• The world’s largest cowboy boots are in San Antonio. These boots, outside the North Star shopping mall, are 40 feet high and each boot weighs 10,000 pounds.

San Antonio's 40-feet high Big Cowboy Boots

Useful Vocabulary

overlooked –not receiving the attention or appreciation it deserves
Example: This small town is often overlooked by tourists.

indigenous –. belonging to the people who lived in a place before others arrived
Example: Australia has many Indigenous cultures.

founded – officially started or established
Example: The city was founded more than 300 years ago.

Mission – a church and settlement built by Spanish settlers to spread Christianity.
Example: The old Mission is now a popular tourist attraction.

reverse one’s fortune – to change from failure to success
Example: The team reversed its fortunes and won the championship.

siege – a military attack in which an army surrounds a town or building to stop people or supplies from getting in or out
Example: The castle survived a long siege.

annex – to officially take control of another area of land
Example: The country annexed the neighbouring territory.

battle cry – a phrase shouted to encourage people during a battle or competition
Example: "Remember the Alamo!" became a famous battle cry.

enchanting – very beautiful or charming
Example: The old town was enchanting at night.

colonial – connected with a time when one country controlled another country or territory
Example: Many buildings from the colonial period are still standing.

cavern – a very large natural cave
Example: Visitors walked deep into the cavern.

chamber – a large room inside a cave
Example: The cave contains several huge chambers.

mural – a large painting on a wall
Example: The city is famous for its colourful murals.

live music – music performed by musicians in front of an audience, rather than being recorded
Example: We listened to live music at a café by the river.

theme park – a park with rides and attractions based on a particular idea or theme
Example: The children loved spending the day at the movie theme park.

parade – a public procession where groups of people, musicians and decorated vehicles called floats move through the streets as part of a celebration.
Example: Thousands of people watched the colourful parade during the festival.

bat colony – a large group of bats living together
Example: The cave is home to a huge bat colony.

spooky – a little frightening or mysterious
Example: The old house looked spooky at night.

Discussion Questions

1. Would you like to visit San Antonio? Why or why not?

2. Have you ever tried Tex-Mex cuisine? Did you like it? What are your favourite types of food from around the world?

3. People travel for many different reasons. Some travel to learn about history, some want to experience another culture, some enjoy nature, and others simply want to relax or visit theme parks and attractions. What are the main reasons you like to travel? Which type of holiday do you enjoy most?