In San Antonio, visitors can enjoy the best of city and country. All the cosmopolitan pleasures of a major metropolis are here: top hotels and resorts with spas and golf, restaurants that dish up fabulous cuisine from indigenous inspiration and from around the world, nightlife featuring live music and all kinds of entertainment, and beautiful parks for outdoor fun. And just one level below city streets, the lush, tropical River Walk winds for three miles, offering a one-of-a-kind walking trail.

San Antonio’s location – perched at the southern edge of the Texas Hill Country --also puts the fun of exploring the countryside and its small towns just a short drive away. Floating down cool rivers, strolling quaint Main Streets in search of unique bargains or hiking, biking and riding horses through rolling, scenic terrain – all this and more await on a trip to San Antonio. Here you don’t have to choose city or country, because you can have both.

Outdoor San Antonio: River Walk, Parks & Plazas

San Antonio serves up the great outdoors like a nature lover’s feast, from the tropically landscaped River Walk to lush parks and idyllic hike-and-bike trails. Plus, year-round mild weather guarantees plenty of al fresco fun. There is much to explore along the River Walk, whether on foot or aboard a river cruiser. Savor vistas around each bend: stately cypresses, tropical plants, flocks of ducks and other water birds, tile mosaic murals, decorative benches, hidden fountains, arched bridges and architectural details. Such scenes are just part of the River Walk’s allure. And in mid-2009, the pleasures of this scenic waterway increase when the River Walk’s new extension to Brackenridge Park, museums and other attractions is unveiled.

It’s easy to spend a day in beautiful Brackenridge Park, where you can hit walking trails or ride a miniature train around the 12-mile perimeter. You can even get off the train at the Witte Museum, where kids can explore its H-E-B Science Treehouse while adults savor its history and nature exhibits. Another stop is the San Antonio Zoo, where you can watch free-flying birds and butterflies, marvel at fierce-looking Komodo dragons and huge hippos, experience an African safari and bustling African market, and admire the exotic animals, birds and orchids in Amazonia. Another top Brackenridge Park attraction is the recently restored Japanese Tea Garden, where you can feed huge, color-splashed koi in the lily pond and cool off in the mist of the fern-fringed waterfall.

Just a short hop from Brackenridge Park, gardening and nature fans shouldn’t miss the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Stroll through stunning glass pyramids displaying plants from around the world, hike trails through three different Texas landscapes, visit an authentic log cabin and adobe house, and learn what to plant in a water-saving garden. On a spring or summer evening here, you might catch Majik Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park or one of the live-music Concerts Under the Stars.

The 240-acre nature preserve, Friedrich Wilderness Park, is an urban escape tucked in the hills of northwest San Antonio. Here, opportunities abound for hiking, picnicking, birding and nature study. Trails range in difficulty from a brief, leisurely stroll to more rugged hikes. As the nesting site of two federally recognized endangered species, the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo, the park is a favorite for area birders.

For more scenic cruising, rent bikes at Mission Trail Bike Rentals and follow the Mission Trail from the southernmost mission, Espada, to the famous Alamo downtown. Along the way, you’ll see a 1740 Spanish aqueduct and dam still used to irrigate crops! Bring your camera for “Rosa’s Window” at Mission San José, so ornately carved it makes stone resemble lace.

Head over to recently renovated Main Plaza, where you can watch five interactive fountains – and let your kids splash around in them – while you settle on a shady bench. Long the center of San Antonio’s municipal government, this historic Spanish colonial plaza from the 1700s will be a center for concerts and events. (It also
offers free Wi-Fi.)

Big-City Sightseeing

San Antonio offers multiple ways to enjoy the scenery. Relaxing options: Take a carriage ride or the Alamo Trolley tour, which stops at all the major downtown attractions, from Market Square to the Institute of Texan Cultures, then purchase its all-day Hop Pass to
get on and off at the sites that interest you most. More adventurous option: Sign up for a downtown tour with Alamo Segway. While you zip along the sidewalks on your two-wheeled Segway, your guide shares colorful stories about local characters, history and architecture. You’ll also discover the park-like southern section of the River Walk in the King William Historic District, famous for its lavish Victorian mansions and German heritage.

Night Scenes

Just a short drive north of downtown, the Scobee Planetarium at San Antonio College offers star-studded celestial entertainment. Friday night shows may feature guided tours of the constellations and planets in the current night sky. After the last show, the audience is invited outside to look through the new Observatory Telescope, weather permitting. Shows begin promptly (and tickets are cash only), so plan to arrive 20 minutes early when the doors open.

When you’re ready to enjoy dinner and nightlife, go downtown or to Southtown – the neighborhood immediately south of downtown – for an array of restaurants where you can sit outside and continue to take in the sites. At Acenar on Houston Street, enjoy Tex-Mex with a fusion twist on a terrace overlooking the River Walk, or sip a drink on the stone terrace of the nearby ultra-swank Vbar, also offering gorgeous views. For a one-of-a-kind view of the River Walk, dine on the multi-tiered patio at the Little Rhein Steakhouse overlooking the river as it curves toward the Arneson River Theatre. The private, tropical courtyard of Zinc provides a quiet sanctuary from city clatter.

Southtown’s artsy bohemian energy bubbles up on the First Friday Art Walk, when food and crafts booths line Alamo Street, shops and galleries stay open late and live music fills the air. For outdoor dining, try La Frite Belgian Bistro, El Mirador, the coffeehouse Casa Chiapas, Madhatters Tea and Azuca Nuevo Latino Restaurant, where you can salsa or meringue after dinner on weekends.

Hill Country Outdoors

The idyllic Texas Hill Country, with its clear rivers and abundant wildflowers, starts just north of San Antonio and offers recreation year-round, from hiking and biking to rock climbing and cave tours. Visitors interested in Hill Country biking tours can join Saturday or Sunday rides with the San Antonio Wheelmen.

One of the prettiest places nearby is the 8,622-acre Government Canyon State Natural Area, where 40 miles of hiking and biking trails lead to rugged canyons, scenic overlooks, spring-fed creeks and rolling prairies. Guided hikes focusing on birdwatching, wildflowers, cultural history, family fun and other themes are available by reservation on weekends. Other Hill Country favorites for hiking include Lost Maples State Natural Area (especially in autumn), Pedernales Falls State Park and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. North of Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock — a massive pink granite dome — is also popular with rock climbers. The easy hike to the dome’s top provides a panoramic view of the surrounding Hill Country.

Tubing may be Texas’ numero uno summer sport on this region’s clear rivers. It’s easy to rent inner tubes, as well as canoes and river rafts, for floating down the
Guadalupe, San Marcos, Comal and Frio rivers, and most vendors have shuttles to pick you up at the end of your float. It’s not unusual to see a whole flotilla of friends drifting along, complete with a round ice chest in the middle of a special tube. You’ll also find picture-perfect places for swimming, such as Blanco State Park, Guadalupe River State Park and Blue Hole Regional Park. For dedicated anglers, the Guadalupe River is the place for fly-fishing.

Just a little north of San Antonio, Canyon Lake offers a recreational playground. Nestled among steep and wooded hills, this 8,230-acre lake is one of the deepest and most scenic lakes in Texas and features eight public parks with camping, fishing, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking, wildlife viewing, boating and other water sports.

Mix the Hill Country’s limestone foundation with rainwater percolating down through it over eons, and the result is breathtaking underground wonders. Caves abound here, and among the most beautiful are Natural Bridge Caverns near New Braunfels and Cave Without a Name outside of Boerne.

Hill Country Culture

Settled by Germans and Eastern Europeans, the Hill Country has a culture all its own. Storybook farms and ranches dot the countryside, and you may still hear older folks speaking German in Fredericksburg, Boerne and New Braunfels. You’ll also find some of the best barbecue in Texas, antiques shops on old-fashioned Main Streets and celebrations with roots in the Old World, like Wurstfest (a sausage festival) and Weihnachten (a Christmas festival).

Shopping in picturesque Hill Country burgs brings a sense of discovery — you never know what treasures you’ll find among its boutiques, antiques shops and galleries. Jewelry, quilts, ceramics, paintings and even handmade furniture by local artists can be especially tempting, along with homemade jams, jellies, bread and other edibles. Keep an eye out for home-grown lavender from Blanco, Stonewall peaches in June, locally made goat cheese, and mohair sweaters and shawls from the region’s angora goats. Many towns also have monthly flea markets with everything from earrings to stained glass: check out Gruene Market Days (Gruene is at the edge of New Braunfels), Trade Days near Fredericksburg, Boerne Market Days and Wimberley Market Days. Wildseed Farms is a haven for wildflower seeds and local specialty foods.

Vineyards are another specialty: the Hill Country has become a hot spot for wine connoisseurs. Follow the Wine and Wildflower Trail in April or the Harvest Wine Trail in August to sample some of the award-winning vintages produced by more than 20 regional wineries. To make the circuit in style, sign up with Texas Wine Tours for an escorted trip by limo. During San Antonio’s New World Wine & Food Festival in November, many wineries pair their best wines with multi-course feasts.

Wine tastes even better with live music, another Hill Country tradition. Stop by Luckenbach on the weekend, buy a brew in the old post office inside a barn, and find a spot under the spreading oak trees for listening to whoever drops in to sing and play their guitar. The Boerne Village Band, founded by German settlers in the 1860s, plays traditional oompah music and may be the oldest continuous band in Texas. Famous Texas musicians play every weekend at wood-floored Gruene Hall, said to be the oldest still-operating dance hall in Texas. And on weekend evenings at the Hilltop Café near Fredericksburg, lucky folks catch Johnny Nicholas on guitar or Floyd Domino banging out hot boogies on the piano. Both are original members of the band Asleep at the Wheel.