At the southern edge of Brackenridge Park, just off Broadway, sits a low limestone building you might not notice at first. Golf carts trundle past, and people come and go from the Brackenridge Golf Course Clubhouse nearby. The venerable golf course, which opened in 1916, was the site of the first Texas Open golf tournament (now the Valero Texas Open), and the Texas Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is part of the clubhouse.
Since 1957, Fiesta Noche del Rio has lit up the Arneson River Theatre with the color, rhythm and spirit that define San Antonio. What began as a lively summer showcase of Mexican, Spanish and Texas music and dance has grown into one of the city’s most beloved traditions — part cultural celebration, part family ritual and part philanthropic powerhouse. For many locals, it simply isn’t summer until they’ve spent an evening under the stars along the River Walk, swept up in the energy of the show.
For most people in San Antonio, Fiesta® has ended for the year. But for one of the top Fiesta royals, the real work is just getting started.
San Antonio’s culinary community is gearing up for one of its most meaningful celebrations of the year. From June 6 to June 20, San Antonio Food Bank Restaurant Weeks return — an event that blends farm-to-table creativity with a powerful purpose: supporting children facing food insecurity during the summer months.
It’s easy to forget, living here, why San Antonio is consistently ranked among the top travel cities in America. It attracts nearly 39 million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited destinations in Texas and even the country. For locals, however, the San Antonio River Walk often fades into background noise — something we drive by on the way to somewhere else. But, for a moment, step back and try to look at it with fresh eyes, through the eyes of a first-time traveler, and something clicks. You might remember how you felt the first time you visited the River Walk. You might recall why the rest of the world thinks we have something special here. It’s beautiful. It’s layered. It’s alive and full of history, culture and new momentum, in a way most cities spend decades trying to manufacture.
Brackenridge Park has long been one of San Antonio’s most beloved public spaces — and one of the most culturally and archaeologically significant landscapes in the United States, weaving together Indigenous heritage, Spanish colonial engineering, industrial development, philanthropy and major public works projects.
Today, most people think of the Alamo as a single structure: the limestone church rising from Alamo Plaza, solemn and self-contained. But that familiar image is the product of survival, accident and later choices — not historical reality.
Each spring, the American West comes vividly to life in downtown San Antonio, and this year, the moment carries special significance. The Night of Artists at the Briscoe Western Art Museum marks its 25th anniversary — an important milestone for one of the premier Western art exhibitions and sales in the world, and a must-see experience for locals and visitors alike.
“Show us your shoes!”
The chant rises from the gleeful crowd as flower-covered floats approach the Alamo. Confetti drifts across downtown streets. Bands strike up familiar marches. Women in sweeping gowns lift their skirts to reveal sneakers, glittering heels, decorated boots, flip-flops and fuzzy house shoes. The moment is playful, joyful and unmistakably San Antonio.