San Antonio Vacation Packages
San Antonio is the third largest city in the state of Texas and a beautiful city at the axis of three different geological terrains: Hill Country, South Texas Plains and Prairie and Lakes. There's a lot to do here with fine art museums, historical missions and plenty of amusement parks, some great dining and lots of drinking. You’ll find lots of great choice for bargain hotels from Travel Clearance here too.The culture and people are vibrant and interesting. San Antonio's downtown is one of the most lively in the nation.
Native Americans first settled in San Antonio along the river when they called the area Yanaguana, meaning refreshing waters. The Spanish explorers came in 1691 and renamed it after the feast of Saint Anthony, or San Antonio. But the first day as the city of San Antonio was in 1718, when Father Antonio established the Mission San Antonio de Valero. This today is where the Alamo stands.The Alamo is probably the most widely known and popular site to visit in Texas. Considered to be hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty, the Alamo is a former mission which was also the site of the Battle of the Alamo (1836).The battle that took place at this ground is memorable, and the Alamo itself has become a symbol of Texas.
An important part of your San Antonio vacation and Texas history is the San Antonio mission trails. Carved out in the land as part of the colonization system for Spain, they began in the 17th century and are still preserved. The mission trails include San Jose, San Juan, Espada and Concepcion, which were the big cities for the time, with many cultural sites along the way.
San Antonio has a lot of history to share and stories to tell, such as Casa Navarro State Historical Park, the homesite of Jose Antonio Navarro, a 19th-century Texas legislator which is the site of Navarro’s furnished house, first residence, and store. There’s also the King William Historic Area, a 25-block area south of downtown and east of the San Antonio River, the most elegant residential area in the city. It is Texas' first Historic District and includes the magnificent mansions along King William St., the Steves Homestead (1876), the Guenther House (1859) and Pioneer Flour Mills on Guenther St.
Then there’s the River Walk area, one level below the street level of San Antonio, which is an excellent place to explore by day and party by night. The River Walk has guided barge tours departing regularly. Numerous restaurants, shops, and hotels line the River Walk on both sides of the most popular and developed downtown loop, which winds its way below the streets bounded by Houston to the north, Alamo to the east, Villita to the south, and St. Mary's to the west. No visit to San Antonio is complete without a stroll along the River Walk.
For shopping delights you have Market Square, offering rows of shops dressed in authentic Mexican past and specialty shops in the Farmers Market Plaza. Hispanic festivals are held here where mariachi bands entertain while you feast on an incredible feast of food. If you time your holiday well, you could be in San Antonio for the fun-filled Fiesta, in late April, a 10-day, city-wide, fun-filled, multi-cultural celebration, or the Texas Folklife Festival in June, a celebration of diverse ethnic and cultural groups bringing their stories, crafts, music, dances, and foods to share with visitors in a vibrant blend of education and entertainment.
From the relics of the Alamo, to State parks, great shopping and nightlife, you’ll find plenty to do and see and San Antonio is guaranteed to take your breath away.