San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio will take your breath away. While planning your San Antonio vacation you will have much to choose from the relics of the Alamo, State parks, shopping and nightlife. It is difficult to choose a city in Texas, because they are all big, beautiful and the tourist attractions are endless. San Antonio is as competitive as all of them.

Native Americans first inhabited San Antonio along the San Antonio River. They called the area Yanaguana, which means refreshing waters. But once the Spanish explorers came in 1691, they renamed it after the feast of Saint Anthony, or San Antonio. However the first day as the city of San Antonio did not begin until 1718, when Father Antonio established the Mission San Antonio de Valero. This today is where the Alamo stands.

A San Antonio vacation has to include the Alamo. This is probably the most widely known and popular site to visit in Texas. The battle that took place at this ground is memorable, and the Alamo itself has become a symbol of Texas. Once you have visited the very ground that was fought over years ago, experienced the aura that surrounds this relic, then go to the San Antonio IMAX theater at Riverside. They are offering a 45-minute docudrama about the demise of the Alamo.

After the fall of the Alamo is over, then experience the rise of your next shopping adventure. From dawn till dusk, you can shop at the Market Square. Set your San Antonio vacation forecast on this shopping endeavor. It offers 32 shops dressed in authentic Mexican past. Besides the thirty-two main shops, there are 80 specialty shops that are sure to catch your eye in the Farmers Market Plaza. Hispanic festivals are held here where food overflows in a cornucopia of satisfaction. Wait, that"s not all! The mariachi band is there to provide a shopping theme music for you.

The trails of shopping have been carved out for you, but an important part of your San Antonio vacation and Texas history is to walk along the San Antonio mission trails. These were carved out in the land as part of the colonization system for Spain. They began in the 17th century and are still preserved. The San Antonio mission trails include San Jose, San Juan, Espada and Concepcion. These were the big cities for the time. And there are many cultural sites along the way to take in. The San Antonio mission trails covers 819 acres of land.

As you wind along the river to see these mementos of the Spanish frontier missions, your mind might linger to thoughts of a night club San Antonio. Dionysus set his limits here in San Antonio. Like winding along from mission to mission, you will find yourself colonizing one night club San Antonio to another night club San Antonio to another. You might have to fight for you way to the bar, but it is sure to leave a smile on your face. Let the ecstatic sounds of the night find you the perfect San Antonio vacation.

San Antonio has a lot of history to share and stories to tell, but it also provides an abundance of contemporary society from its shops down to the musical notes of its thriving nightlife. It is warm and welcoming city to be in to take in the sights.