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I grew up in San Antonio and have lots of fun memories of visiting the Riverwalk as a child and as an adult. The River Boat tours are a long-standing hallmark of the Riverwalk. I have been on the guided boat tours before, but it had been a long time.
My husband and I recently had a weekend getaway in San Antonio and spent a lot of time on the Riverwalk. We saw that the river boats looked new and updated and we thought it would be fun to check them out. Go Rio Cruises is the new operator of the boat tours and these new river boats are electric (and also light up at night!). We bought our tickets for the guided tour right there on the Riverwalk and only had to wait about ten minutes to get on the next boat.
The Riverwalk is over 15 miles long in total, but the tour focuses on just the downtown loop which is about 2.5 miles. The narrated river cruises are about 35 minutes long and your guide will share historical and cultural tidbits with your group while keeping things light and humorous.
You’ll see some pretty impressive architecture as well as natural elements.
But what struck me the most as we went through this tour was the unique angle that the boats can give you. I’ve walked around the Riverwalk so many times, but even just being a few feet away from the sidewalks gives a completely different view. It’s incredible!
There are three different places where you can purchase tickets for the boat tour in person (link to the map is below). General tickets cost $12 for adults and $6 for children, and there are discounts for seniors, military, and local residents (bring your ID)!
One part of the tour goes by the Lila Cockrell Theatre, which is a part of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. This view is truly unique and special because the theatre is adorned with a 130-feet long and 30-feet tall mosaic that was built for the 1968 World’s Fair. The mosaic was created by Juan O’Gorman and depicts the merging of European and New World cultures.
The Riverwalk at night is a completely different experience. There is a buzz of excitement in the air and you can hear music playing outdoors which gives it a nice ambiance. Many restaurants have outdoor seating so you can enjoy your meal right by the river. The river boats light up different colors which is really fun, and you can even book dinner cruises on them.
The showcase of local cultures on the Riverwalk is something you definitely don’t want to miss. The reason I love the Riverboat tour so much is because each area of the Riverwalk is unique and different and you get a feel for the whole area and not just one part. Check out the video below to get a feel for what the tour is like!
If you’re going to San Antonio, I recommend this interactive planner to find exciting things to do and create a customized itinerary (for free!). It is very cool! I’ve also created a Google map below with some of the locations mentioned in this post, along with other places of interest. Here are some other useful resources:
Happy Travels!
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Reminds me of the boat tour we took in OKC! Only, I hope that San Antonio wasn’t as hot as it was in OKC that day!