¡Bienvenidos a San Antonio y Tejas! On behalf of the 2005 Local Advisory Committee, we welcome you to San Antonio and to Texas. This is AALL’s first visit to San Antonio and we hope it will be the first of many. This year’s committee, comprised of AALL members from Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma is planning something for everyone. A multi-cultural city, San Antonio has always been a crossroads and meeting place. Its citizens are warm and welcoming and they love to have visitors. There is always a fiesta going on! The conference will be held at the Henry B. González Convention Center with the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter serving as the conference hotel. Both are located on San Antonio’s famous River Walk.
For those of you arriving a little early or staying on after the convention, there’s not only much to do in San Antonio, but all over south central Texas. Austin, the state capital, is less than 100 miles away, where you’ll find the LBJ Presidential Library and the University of Texas. The Texas Hill Country begins just outside San Antonio. In the German community of Fredericksburg the “open container” law allows you to stroll around town with the beverage of your choice. Johnson City and the LBJ ranch are nearby as is Wildseed Farms the nation’s largest working wildflower seed farm. And don’t forget Luckenbach, Texas, the town made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. For the outdoor enthusiast there are hiking, walking, fishing, swimming, biking, bird-watching, and star-gazing opportunities. Want to go to the beach? Corpus Christi and the Gulf beaches are a two and a half-hour drive south of San Antonio, and Mexico via Laredo, Eagle Pass, or Del Rio is only three hours away. But even if you’ll only be here during the convention, don’t worry. There will be some great excursions around the city and just beyond and there is so much to see and do right in the heart of downtown San Antonio.
San Antonio is a family-friendly city and is consistently rated as the number one vacation destination by readers of Texas Highways. Be sure to attend Saturday evening’s Family Social Hour to find out about all the cool things to do in and around San Antonio. From the Children’s Museum to the IMAX theatre to The Alamo, downtown has a lot to offer families. And just a short drive away is SeaWorld San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Splashtown San Antonio, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, and tubing on the Guadalupe or Comal Rivers – to name a few.
Whether on foot or on the VIA Streetcar, downtown travel is a breeze. The streetcars are open air, authentic reproductions of a rail streetcar that traveled the streets of San Antonio more than 50 years ago. There are five streetcar routes to downtown locations, including The Alamo, Spanish Governor's Palace, La Villita, Market Square (El Mercado), Sunset Station, Southwest School of Art and Craft, Institute of Texan Cultures, the King William area, downtown shopping and South Town areas.
Music, food, and shopping – three of the things we like best in San Antonio!
From the River Center Mall, right across from the Convention Center, to all of the specialty shops, including those along the River Walk, La Villita, and El Mercado, shopping opportunities abound. Whether you are looking for souvenirs, art, antiques, handcrafted collectibles or Mexican imports, you won’t have any trouble finding them. If you have a car, there are many other shopping areas around town, and there is a great outlet mall in San Marcos, part way between San Antonio and Austin.
Literally every type of music can be found somewhere in the city -- from tejano and conjunto to jazz and classical to country and rock. Whether you want to dance or sit and listen, you will find live music indoors or outdoors to suit your taste all year round.
While it’s true that we love to start our day with a breakfast taco, and while you might think Tex-Mex is the only type of food you’ll find in San Antonio, think again! You will arguably eat the best Tex-Mex you’ll ever find right here in San Antonio, but you’ll also be surprised at what else you’ll find. Over 40 nationalities settled in Texas, and many of them in the San Antonio area, so whether you want barbecue, German, French, Chinese, Greek, Thai, Cajun, or Alsatian – to name a few -- you’ll find it here.
If outdoor activities are what you’re looking for, there are parks and golf courses galore. In fact, there are 160 city-owned parks and over 50 golf courses in San Antonio. A visit to San Antonio isn’t complete without a visit to the Mission Trail, which begins at The Alamo and winds southward along a nine-mile stretch of the San Antonio River. The park contains the historically and architecturally significant structures of the 18 th century Missions Concepción, San Jose, San Juan, and Espada. Nearby downtown walks will take you to see the beautiful old homes in the King William district, the Tower of the Americas (built for the 1968 Hemisfair), the Paseo del Rio (River Walk), and La Villita (one of the earliest settlements in the city). And for baseball fans, the Texas league (AA) San Antonio Missions are at home July 11-17.
Art galleries and museums abound, including the Southwest School of Art and Craft, the Institute of Texan Cultures at UTSA, McNay Art Museum, Witte Museum, and The Alamo, to name just a few. In addition, July is Contemporary Art Month, with a focus on Contemporary Art in San Antonio, and featuring over 400 exhibitions and more than 50 venues.
Okay, now what about the weather? Well, traditionally, you can expect mid-70s at night to mid-90s during the day this time of year. So our suggestion is to dress in layers and expect summer weather. Our air conditioning systems are unparalleled, but when you’re outside, sitting in the shade and enjoying a cool breeze, you won’t even realize how hot it really is. But the fun thing about Texas and weather is that you just need to wait five minutes because it is bound to change! If we told you it would rain, we’d have a drought. So come prepared. This is a year-round outdoor city.
Frank Tolbert, a noted Texas historian and journalist, once said, "Every Texan has two homes - his own and San Antonio." The 2005 Local Advisory Committee welcomes you and your family to our home. Welcome to San Antonio and Texas!
Monica M. Ortale, The Fred Parks Law Library, South Texas College of Law
Mary Smith Forman, USAA