For years, I’ve known people who adored San Antonio, Texas’ upstart city that leaped into the U.S. 10 most populous a decade ago and hasn’t stopped growing since. But it wasn’t until some friends left New Jersey for the Lone Star State that I found myself planning a visit.

I was completely unprepared for what I found. Embedded in a Midwestern-friendly, down-home town are destinations ranging from art  museums, a symphony orchestra and historic sites to fantastic stalactites, hot jazz and mouth-blistering chili (I only heard about the last item, I didn’t actually try it).

San Antonio is perhaps best known for the River Walk and the Alamo, and yes, these are obligatory. While I’m not much of a shopper, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the invitingly cool and often elegant face of the completely man-made River Walk (www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com). A curving horseshoe of a waterway hugging the San Antonio River at each end, its artificial nature makes possible smooth, stone-paved paths lined with shops, restaurants, and all kinds of attractive tropical greenery.

Aside from the permanent shops, there are sidewalk sellers — an intriguing craft fair edged the water the day I was there — and some less-commercial areas that simply invite a stroll. For $15, you can climb aboard a flat-bottomed boat and enjoy the sights at your ease, punctuated by humorous comments from your guide. The numerous waterside restaurants, aside from offering an informal competition for the biggest Margaritas (would you believe 20 ounces?), provide tempting places to relax. We enjoyed some spicy salsa and tasty quesadillas while listening to a jazz duo at The Landing (www.thelanding.com), where the Jim Cullum jazz band entertains nightly.

Beautiful New Orleans Designed Balconies

Shopping is also the name of the game at El Mercado, where 32 outdoor shops are patterned after an authentic Mexican market. It was the first time I had seen the practice of spraying mist from beneath New Orleans-style balconies to cool visitors in the 100-degree heat. You can eat indoors or out at Mi Terra, a café, bar and bakery (http://sanantonio.citysearch.com/profile/10092153/) or at La Margarita, a Mexican restaurant and oyster bar where we enjoyed Taco salads while listening to Peruvian flutes across the way (http://sanantonio.citysearch.com/profile/10092155/san_antonio_tx/

(la_margarita_restaurant.html). To cool down, shop the indoor Farmers Market Plaza for crafts and jewelry at extremely reasonable prices (http://texas.allinfoabout.com/sanantonio/sa_marketsquare.html).

On the other side of the spectrum is the Alamo (www.thealamo.org), a monument to independence or foolhardiness, depending on your point of view. The building itself is surprisingly small, and on a recent holiday weekend disappointingly crowded. Nevertheless, an informative video and some interesting (and, thankfully, air conditioned!) displays gave a comprehensive overview of the cause for which the likes of Davy Crockett and James Bowie made their last stand. 

As is true with so much of the region, the initial white presence was initiated by the Spaniards, who established a string of missions along the San Antonio River — 36 constructed between 1680 and 1793. Indians were pressed into service and taught the white man’s ways, and tenaciously pursued when they ran away. Ultimately, budget difficulties forced Spain to withdraw, and the buildings fell into disuse and disrepair. Indeed, the famous battleground for Texas independence from Mexico was once the Mission San Antonio de Valera, only taking the name “Alamo” from the hometown of Spanish troops stationed there in the early 1800s.

Today, San Antonio’s five missions have been restored to places of worship, and tourists are encouraged to admire their beautiful Spanish Colonial architecture. Indeed, throughout my visit, I was struck by the urgency and ingenuity of the local conservation efforts. To a New Englander’s eyes, nothing in San Antonio seems particularly old; nevertheless, many sites have been admirably championed and restored.

One such site is the beautiful and accessible McNay Museum, dedicated to 19th- and 20th-century European art but possessing a wealth of paintings, sculptures and objects from a variety of periods (www.mcnayart.org). Featured artists include Cezanne, Picasso, Gauguin, Matisse, O’Keeffe, Cassatt and Hopper, all housed in a 24-room Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion once belonging to Marion Koogler McNay. The attractive rooms present a manageable amount to absorb on a visit, surrounding a colorful tiled courtyard and embedded within beautiful grounds on which intriguing sculptures are scattered. Most notable was an elegant and slowly moving metal work placed in a decorative pond. We could have watched it for hours.

One of our last stops was at the incongruous and surprising Natural Bridge Caverns just north of the city (www.naturalbridgecaverns.com). This extraordinary find was not suspected until the 1950s, when it was discovered on private property, and it didn’t open as a tourist destination until 1964. Again, the hard work of the area’s champions has resulted in a completely visitor-friendly venue, with knowledgeable guides; wide, comfortable paths, and breathtakingly beautiful sights.

The fantastic, otherworldly shapes, part humorous and part straight out of a horror movie, look like they were created by a giant playing with clay, as my friend put it. We were ushered by shapes known as “The King’s Throne” and “Sherwood Forest,” and marveled at former bat roosts and bear dens. On another visit, I will have to stop by the nearby Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, where over 50 species from every continent except Antarctica breed and share their beauty and inquisitiveness with visitors.

…

I was a disbelieving Yankee, but Texas convinced me. And I even had to save the world-class symphony orchestra for another visit.

Happy Traveling!

Photos: Colorful umbrellas and picturesque bridges characterize the River Walk (photo by Michael Ginesi); New Orleans-style balconies line the Mexican-style shopping at El Mercado; although not impressive in size, the historic Alamo attracts thousands of visitors annually; the McNay museum, once an elegant Spanish-style home, surrounds a colorful courtyard; the Natural Bridge Caverns offer a fantastical peep underground.