With an eye to the sky our guide made an executive decision. She swapped the Buckhorn Saloon and the Riverboat Ride. We could see the dark clouds heading our way on the horizon. Although it was still sunny and only partly cloudy so no one complained of the change in itinerary.
We followed our guide down the stone stairs from street level to the tropical gardens and cafes to the boat landing for the start of the Riverboat ride down the San Antonio.
As with all such excursions our riverboat captain had an entertaining and informative banter to help us pass the time.
Our Riverboat ride was about 35 minutes long and fully narrated. According to the guide we covered about 1.5 miles of the San Antonio River.
Along the banks is the River Walk, a public park that is open 365 day a year. Our hotel was located right on the River walk.
We cruised past the restaurant where we had dinner the night before.
Adorning the Lila Cockrell Theater at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center is a stunning mosaic mural by Mexican artist Juan O’Gorman.
Entitled “Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas”, it was created as part of the 1968 HemisFair World’s Fair. The mural is visible from the Riverwalk as well as the convention center.
San Antonio’s version of the Space Needle is the Tower of The Americas. Topped by a fine dining restaurant and observation towers, it would be a great place to visit if the weather holds out.
The green roofed building we spotted is the Bexar County courthouse.
The building was designed by architect J. Riely Gordon, and borders Main Plaza, along with such other architectural landmarks as the Cathedral of San Fernando. The style is Romanesque Revival, and the main material used is red sandstone. Ground was broken for Gordon’s structure on August 4, 1891, and the cornerstone was laid December 17, 1892. After several delays, construction was fully completed in 1896. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Other buildings were crowned with gargoyles and many sky scrapers peered down on us as we passed in the shadows of these man made canyons.
This riverboat ride was really enjoyable. I highly recommend it.
