River Walk
add photosStroll along the banks of the San Antonio River and enjoy the atmosphere, shopping, history and play along the way.
Maps of the Riverwalk including wheelchair and stroller accessible ramps: http://www.sanantonio.gov/ada/RiverwalkMap.asp?res=1024&ver=true
39 Reviews for River Walk
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'11, '12, '130 families found this helpful
"15 miles of fun"
The San Antonio River Walk has recently been expanded from its original 3-mile stretch to a length of 15 miles! It now goes from the downtown area all the way past the museum district and out to the other four city's Spanish colonial missions (the Alamo is the 5th). The River Walk goes past shops, restaurants, green spaces, artwork, museums and lots of greenery. It's a great way to escape from the bustle of the city.
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0 families found this helpful
"From a local.."
I live here in SA and I have a 6 month old son. I actually really enjoy the riverwalk, but am not keen on taking him anywhere near it till hes a little older. I most definitely would not take him on weekends when a lot of the drunkards are out and stumbling about. There is no railing, rope, or anything preventing someone from falling into the river and believe me, I have seen my share of people falling in. Its lined with lots of bars and restaurants but I really wouldnt suggest taking an infant until they were a little older. If you have the luxury of having someone watch the kiddo, its a fun thing to do with your significant other minus the baby.
2 families found this helpful
"Stunning!"
San Antonio's Riverwalk is, as the name implies, a walk along a river. The river runs through Downtown and many stores and eateries are along its banks.
Access to the Riverwalk is either through the "river" level in a hotel you are staying in or down a flight of stairs. There are no elevators from the street unless you go through a hotel. Once down at the River, you will need to go up and down flights of stairs to walk across the river in order to get where you need to go. This is, for anyone in a wheelchair or with a stroller, close to a logistical nightmare, but with advance planning using a map you should be able to navigate with a minimum of fuss. Since we didn't plan ahead, we were at the river trying to figure out where we needed to go and how to get there using the fewest flights of stairs.
On the Riverwalk are an eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, shops and tourist attractions (like La Villita). During the day it's extremely family-friendly but as night falls and darkness takes over, the nightlife emerges and I wouldn't be comfortable taking my children out into that environment.
A tour boat travels around with a guide giving the history of the river and interesting tidbits and tourist photo opportunities. We thought it very reasonable at $8.25/adult. We took the tour just before sundown and have spectacular pictures through twilight into darkness as the lights come on and brighten the whole riverbank.
The Riverbank Mall has some great shopping at very competitive pricing. Coming from NY I was surprised at the steals to be found, like designer sunnies at 40% less than expected.
One note of caution: there are no rails on the side of the river, I'm awaiting the lawsuit that arrives after someone drinks too much, falls in and drowns. Please try and keep away from the river itself and hold your kids' hands. If you have a stroller, PLEASE use the brake!
We loved the Riverbank and wished that we had more time to spend there, preferably without the baby. The review would have 5 stars but for the stairs issue; having the baby with us made us realize how inconvenient it is for families with strollers and how the lack of safety railings could impact families.
0 families found this helpful
"For the older ones"
My family and I really enjoyed the river walk the year we went. We did not have any little kids with us so I think that was a good thing. You will be walking around most of the time so I think that is why this is something for the older kids or adults. They have lots of restaurants there so you have many to choose from. We ended up going on the boat ride and I am glad we did because it was really nice.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun day"
There is lots to do along the River Walk, enough to spend a couple leisurely days. The Rivercenter Mall has good stores for the whole family and air conditioning to escape the heat! There are lots of fun shops along the walk as well with more unique products. For food, I definitely recommend going to one of the local restaurants, preferably mexican, to enjoy something more tasty and memorable than the chain restaurants (best enchiladas I've had in a long time)! There are really nice hotels with great views, but they can get pretty pricey so it's not the best option for families on a tighter budget.
0 families found this helpful
"Not for young ones"
If your kids are a little older, then this is a fun outing. Little ones will get tired of waiting for a boatride. Then they will be bored on the boat. Hope they don't try to take a dive overboard. It is very picturesque, but who can take pics with a 4 year old dangling over the boat.
0 families found this helpful
"Best at Christmas Time."
We took our kids here at Christmas time. That I think is the best time in the world to go here. They put thousands of lights all around in the trees and the buildings. Our kids were looking up at all the buildings and Christmas trees full of lights with pure amazement. I do think that this would be a better place for a little bit older kids though. Not toddler age. I also recomend taking to boat tour. It is fun to hear the story of the River walk and you get to see the whole area.
1 family found this helpful
"Simple Fun. "
Are you looking for an elegant reasturaunt, a romantic and historic boat ride, & a lot of walking? Then this is the place for you. The River Walk to me was not all it was cracked up to be. There are alot of historic buildings and such that are interesting to see and the river boat is kind of fun and not too expensive. Overall it's more an adult place or for teens not really children. If you do happen to go with children anyhow then go to the rainforest cafe ....expensive but SO COOL! =)
1 family found this helpful
"Awesome place to go to!!...by yourself."
I LOVE the San Antonio River walk. It's in front of the Alamo so you can see that and then go by Ripley's and then have dinner by the river. It's pricey because well..it's an attraction, but it's awesome! you can even take a boat ride. HOWEVER!...It's a tough place to go if you have any small kids with you. Parts of the walk are not "secured" so a small child can fall right in. It's not very stroller friendly, it's very narrow and there is only one ramp and I believe one elevator (it's been 1 year since I've been there so it might have changed) so you are going to have to take the stroller wherever you go. Up and down the stairs. But they have a Hard Rock Cafe and a Ben & Jerry's which in my opinion is all you need :D.
0 families found this helpful
"Not really for small children"
The River Walk is literally that....a walk directly besides the San Antonio River. There are tons of great restaurants and shops all along the river and you can even take a boat ride, if you want. However, if you have small children I would avoid this for a couple reasons. 1. The path between the shops/restaurants and the river is extremely narrow at times (our double stroller barely fit, but people would have to wait for us to pass). 2. We had to carry our stroller down 2 flights of stairs to get it next to the river 3. There is no barrier to the river...your child could fall in, very easily. It was a nice walk and something to see, but you could definitely skip it with the little ones.
0 families found this helpful
"One Of My Favorite Places"
If you are in the San Antonio area, you MUST go to the Riverwalk. It's beautiful and fun and is a little world all its own. I highly recommend taking one of the boat tours because you learn so much, plus its nice to get off your feet and relax for a bit. Shopping is great and food is even better. There are restaurants galore! We've eaten at the Rainforest Cafe the most and highly recommend it. It's pretty easy to get around with a stroller, despite the small pathways.
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful visit"
The River Walk is a must see and fun for the whole family. We walked it a few times on our visit to the area and enjoyed it very much. There is a nice boat tour that runs up and down the river with lots of interesting information about the area. Lots of nice stores and even a yummy ice cream shop. At one end there is a mall, during the summer it's a nice place to cool off.
0 families found this helpful
"San Antonio River Walk"
The River Walk is really a famous part of San Antonio and attracts lots and lots of tourists. It's not really a river in my mind....they drain it every year to clean it out. But the boat rides down it are fun for kids of all ages. And I really enjoyed eating at the restaurants that line the river and the lights at night are so pretty.
0 families found this helpful
"Not our favorite."
I think that others may disagree with me on this one since The Riverwalk is one of the first things mentioned to do in San Antonio. For us we have found over the course of many visits that we like the idea of the Riverwalk more than we actually like the Riverwalk. Maybe it is better suited for a night out. Quite frankly in the middle of the day I find the filthy water to be a big distraction. We have done the boat ride several times, and the guides are always entertaining and knowledgeable about the history of the area. Our suggestion? Grab some lunch, run through the Alamo, and move on. We aren't into tourist traps like the wax museum, but hey, if that is your thing, you might enjoy it more than us.
1 family found this helpful
"Romantic, not really for kids. "
I love the SA River Walk. I could do it for days on end. Most areas are pretty crowded so it's not a stroller friendly area especially with no rails by the water. The culture is fascinating and there are a ton of restaurants and shops to check out. We ate at Dolores Del Rio, a hole in the wall Italian restaurant, and the food was amazing, the atmosphere uniquely Italian, less than 12 tables at the place and live piano music/singing. They even went so far as to make our sangria table side. The river walk is a must for all visiting San Antonio.
0 families found this helpful
"nice look at the culture"
I love walking down the River Walk in San Antonio. Especially at night when sometimes they have live music and all the lights are shining on the water. There are plenty of places to eat but most are expensive. Young Children will tire of this but older kids might enjoy it. They have a boat ride that is fun. Sometime of the year they have an arts and crafts fair but I can't remember when, it was neat going during that and seeing all the booths with peoples work. There is a large mall at the end of the river to shop in, and lots of gifts shops along the river. My daughter liked going in the gift shops, she just likes to shop, likes it too much.
0 families found this helpful
"We love it!!"
We love our River Walk!! We take all of our company there every time they visit. From the Alamo, to the shopping, to eating along the river, to the lights at Christmas time, to the riverboat rides... it can't be beat! There is nothing else like it, anywhere!!
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful"
The river walk is a very beautiful place to go. We walked it very quickly on the way to a resteraunt but I would have loved to have spent longer there. I will defintely go back someday and take pictures and look around more. There are tons of things to do along the walk as well.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun, easy day"
This is a great activity for families. Have fun walking along the River Walk and then take an opportunity to take a river boat tour. It's a great way to see it all during the heat of the day. Watch out for great photo ops, cool places to shop and performances!
0 families found this helpful
"We love to walk on the River Walk"
The River Walk is the one thing that we seem to never be able to stay away from when we visit San Antonio. There is plenty of walking baths and if you can get your stroller down to the river walk from the street, the paths down there are pretty stroller friendly. You can go on a riverboat tour for about $8 a person, which we enjoyed. If you can choose when you are going to visit the riverwalk, go around Christmas. The trees on the riverwalk drip with lights at Christmas time.
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