Explore San Antonio

San Fernando Cathedral on Main Plaza is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of San Antonio. Its cornerstone was laid in 1738 for settlers from the Canary Islands; from 1868 to 1873 architect François Giraud rebuilt it with a Gothic Revival nave and twin bell towers, keeping the original sanctuary. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The San Antonio River Walk is a network of walkways one level below the streets of downtown San Antonio along the San Antonio River. Built from 1939 with Works Progress Administration funds to plans by architect Robert Hugman, it is lined with restaurants, shops and hotels and links La Villita, the Arneson River Theatre and other downtown sights.

La Villita is one of San Antonio's first neighborhoods, a block of adobe, Victorian and limestone buildings on the south bank of the River Walk. Restored from 1939 by the National Youth Administration under Mayor Maury Maverick, it is now an arts village with craft shops, galleries and restaurants, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Japanese Tea Garden lies in a former limestone quarry on the northwestern edge of Brackenridge Park, next to the San Antonio Zoo. Laid out from 1917 by Parks Commissioner Ray Lambert, it has stone paths and arched bridges, koi ponds, a waterfall and a thatched pavilion; the Jingu family lived in the garden from 1919 and ran a tea room there.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves four Spanish missions founded in the 18th century along the San Antonio River: Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada, together with the Espada Aqueduct. Their stone churches still hold Catholic services, the park's visitor center is at Mission San José, and the missions form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.