We were up bright and early on Saturday morning. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we walked along the Riverwalk to the Alamo. We found many more Hugman plaques along the way.
We popped up from the Riverwalk just before the Alamo opened. I realized that I hadn't been there since my college days, and it was so much more meaningful to me now that I've lived here so long (and taught Texas history to boot!).
Everyone always comments about how small the Alamo is, but the boys didn't think it was small. They did a really good job imagining what the entire compound looked like and where the Texas defenders were stationed during the final siege.
We've visited San Felipe de Austin, where Stephen F. Austin brought the original settlers; Washington-on-the-Brazos, where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed; the San Jacinto Battleground, where Texas won its independence; and now the Alamo, which kind of completes the tour of sites of the Texas Revolution (though one day I would like to add Gonzales and Goliad to our list).
After our visit, we couldn't resist a stop at the gift shop. Will came away with a history book and Henry chose this Davy Crockett coonskin cap.
Examining the memorial to the Alamo defenders
Two Davy Crocketts
Back at the Riverwalk, we hopped on board a river taxi and rode it up to the Pearl Brewery compound.
This northern reach of the Riverwalk is new since I lived in San Antonio and the Pearl Brewery compound is a mixed-use development consisting of shops, restaurants, apartments, a soon-to-open hotel and weekend farmers market. It was fantastic!
We had lunch at The Granary 'Cue and Brew, which was exactly what we needed after a busy morning in the San Antonion sun!
We hopped back on the river taxi after lunch, but Will felt nauseous in the hot sun with the boat swaying, so the two of us jumped out and started to walk back to the hotel. This was not the brightest idea as it was a 2-mile walk in 90 degree heat. Fortunately, the river taxi was delayed at the lock and dam and we caught up with it and were able to sit back and ride for the last mile of the trip.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and playing at the hotel pool before heading out one last time to the Riverwalk. We had Tex-Mex for dinner with local San Antonio beer and found more Hugman plaques along the way.
It's hard to imagine that the Riverwalk was ever an unpopular, unsuccessful place and I'm glad Hugman and his incredible vision are celebrated today.
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