Exploring the River Walk: Your October Adventure Guide

October is one of the most colorful times to experience the San Antonio River Walk! Celebrate the season with vibrant Día de los Muertos traditions, festive events, and unique experiences happening all month long. 

Here are a few can’t-miss ways to experience the River Walk this October: 

Can’t Miss River Walk Events

Day Of The Dead River Parade | October 23

See elaborately decorated floats with altars, catrinas, and costumed riders, all celebrating life and loved ones.

Tradition Trail | Now-November 2

Explore altars, alebrijes, calaveras and other Día de los Muertos displays throughout the River Walk and participating hotels.

Calaverita Run | October 24

Celebrate life, community, and tradition at the Calaverita Run 5K + Family Walk, a joyful way to honor loved ones during Día de los Muertos.

Culinary Spirits | Through November 2

Taste your way along the River Walk with special dishes and cocktails inspired by the season and San Antonio.

Fall Artisan Show | October 9-11

Stroll the River Walk and browse more than 40 artisan booths featuring handcrafted treasures. From pottery and textiles to jewelry, woodwork, paintings, and beadwork, you’re sure to find a one-of-a-kind piece to take home.

For a complete list of Day of the Dead celebrations, check out our Visit San Antonio page.

Halloween Along the River 

Spooky season has arrived on the San Antonio River Walk! Whether you're looking for ghostly encounters, family-friendly fun, festive flavors or a night out, we’ve rounded up Halloween experiences for every kind of traveler this October. 

For Those Who Love a Good Scare 

Explore San Antonio’s haunted side with Haunted History Tours: King William Association, a San Antonio Walking Ghost Tours, a spirited Haunted Pub Crawl or a Go Rio Cruises Ghost Tour along the River Walk. 

Spooky Fun for the Whole Family 

Bring the little ghouls along for LEGO® Brick or Treat, celebrate Halloween at the DoSeum or enjoy frightfully fun daytime adventures at Zoo Boo!. 

Halloween Fun After Dark 

Keep the festivities going after dark with HallowFright Weekends at The Scream Experiment, catch A Haunting Thriller at Hard Rock Cafe or sip your way through The Horror Section at Be Kind & Rewind. 

Photo by The Emily Morgan Hotel - a DoubleTree by Hilton

Haunted Stays 

A Halloween getaway calls for a stay with a few ghost stories. Check into some of San Antonio’s historic hotels near the River Walk, if you dare. 

Menger Hotel 

Dating back to 1859, the Menger is famous for its paranormal lore. Guests and staff have reported sightings of former chambermaid Sallie White, while King Ranch founder Captain Richard King, who died at the hotel in 1885, is also said to wander its historic halls. 

The Emily Morgan San Antonio - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel 

Before becoming a hotel, this Gothic landmark served as a medical building with hospital facilities, a morgue and crematorium. Today, guests have reported unexplained footsteps, hospital carts, flickering lights and mysterious figures roaming the halls. 

The Crockett Hotel 

Built in 1909 beside the Alamo, the Crockett sits on land connected to the historic Alamo grounds. Over the years, guests have shared stories of unexplained activity, including eerie encounters on the third floor and elevators seemingly operating on their own. 

Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk 

This River Walk stay comes with a storied past. Housed inside the former Alamo National Bank building, the hotel still contains pieces of its 1920s history, including the old bank vault. Over the years, stories have emerged of a phantom security guard near the vault, unexplained noises, flickering lights and other mysterious encounters. 

Hotel Gibbs 

Just steps from the River Walk, Hotel Gibbs stands on the grounds of the original Alamo compound. Built in 1909, the historic property offers an atmospheric stay surrounded by more than a century of downtown San Antonio history. 

Bonus: A Spirited Sip 

Not ready to call it a night? Head to Hotel Emma at Pearl for a cocktail with a story almost too wild to be true. The signature Three Emmas cocktail is inspired by brewery president Otto Koehler and the three women named Emma intertwined in his life, a love triangle that ended with Koehler’s death in 1914. 

Sip the cocktail at Sternewirth and raise a glass to one of San Antonio’s most infamous tales. 

Fall Along the River Walk 

Sometimes the best fall plans are the simplest. Take a stroll beneath the cypress trees, cruise through Museum Reach, grab a table along the water or sip a cocktail on a River Walk patio. With cooler evenings settling in, October is the perfect time to slow down and explore the river.