San Antonio River Walk Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

This beautiful city is so much more than just the Alamo. Today, we’ll explore the stunning San Antonio River, visit iconic sites like the San Fernando Cathedral, and dig into the embattled history of this Texan city.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

Mexican Artist Pedro Reyes unveiled this sculpture in 2022. Do you see the star held in the figure’s hand? It’s made of marble and is supposed to represent a whole bunch of different things. This is the Lone Star state, of course, but it also represents a literal star in the sky, viewed for millennia by countless different cultures across time.

As the name suggests, this plaza is dedicated to labor history in San Antonio. It’s also absolutely packed with little details honoring figures from the labor movement over the years. On the spiral walkway is the poem “So that Our Crossing May Never be Obstructed” by San Antonio’s former poet laureate Octavio Quintanilla.

Although today it’s a cute arts district, it has major historical significance. This was the first neighborhood in San Antonio! When we reach the big set of stairs on our left, stop walking.

People built simple houses here, along the banks of the San Antonio River.

On our right is Rosita’s Bridge. This gorgeous, ivy-covered bridge gets its name from Mexican-American singer Rosita Fernandez.

See this little island sticking out into the river? If you look closely, you might notice that it’s shaped a bit like a heart. This is Marriage Island, and it’s been the site of a whole bunch of wedding ceremonies over the years. Over 200 couples get married here every year!

That soaring skyscraper on our left is the Tower Life Building, dating back to 1929. This 31-story building soars to 404 feet, which made it the tallest building in San Antonio until 1968.

This plaza follows the classic design the Spanish used for almost all of their major New World settlements: Big cathedral on one side, plaza on the other. During the time of the Spanish, this was the central hub of the settlement, where town meetings would be held and vendors would sell their wares.

As we walk, we’ll see the impressive edifice of the San Antonio City Hall on our right. This building dates back to 1891, but the land it stands on has much more history. During the Spanish era, the spot where City Hall now stands was actually the center of the Main Plaza.

When the Alamo was established in 1718, the Spanish also built this presidio. This is where soldiers would be stationed in order to protect the mission and the growing town from raids by Native tribes or bandits. Initially, almost 50 soldiers and their families were garrisoned here.

The Spanish Governor’s Palace is coming up on our right. For a closer look, feel free to turn right at the corner ahead to see the front of the building. Built in 1749, this was originally the residence of the military commanders of San Antonio. Later, it became the primary residence of the Spanish governors of this province.

On March 6th, 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched a full assault on the Alamo. By this time, a small number of reinforcements had been able to slip through to support the Texian position, but they still numbered only a little over 200, versus Santa Anna’s thousands of men.

The Esquire Tavern opened in 1933. For those of you who know your American history, that date might stand out: It’s the year Prohibition ended! The Esquire opened to celebrate the end of those prohibition laws. The 100-foot bar in this opulent watering hole holds the title for longest bar in Texas to this very day.

On our left stands the historic Aztec Theatre, which dates back to the first golden age of Hollywood. Built in 1926, this theatre showed classic films back when Charlie Chaplin was the biggest name on the screen.