About the River Walk

The San Antonio River Walk is now 15.2 miles in length. It is referred to in three sections:

Downtown– the original section of the River Walk and what most people envision when they hear river Walk. It is populated with hotels, restaurants, shopping, attractions and, narrated tour boat rides.

Museum Reach– the approximately four-miles of the Museum Reach extends north of the Downtown section and is lightly populated with condominiums, apartments, the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Hotels and several museums which are either directly overlooking the River Walk or a short distance from it. The San Antonio Museum of Modern Art, built in a former brewery, is located directly on the river. Continuing further north is the Witte Museum, the city’s science and natural history museum geared towards both children and adults. The world-class museum has both permanent collections and touring exhibits the whole family will enjoy. The DoSeum, is the city’s newest museum and provides hands-on stimulating educational experiences for children starting at pre-school age and up. Both the Witte and the Doseum are located on Broadway within a few blocks east of the river. Ten minutes further northeast is the McNay Art Museum. Boat tours do not extend to the Museum Reach but a River Taxi does go as far as The Pearl, another former brewery turned into a chic destination located 1.5 miles on street-level north of Downtown. It is home to the world-class Hotel Emma and countless shops, restaurants, a farmer’s market, and the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institue of America.

Mission Reach– the Mission Reach extends south of the Downtown section.  It transformed an eight-mile stretch of the San Antonio River into a riparian woodland ecosystem. This section has riverine features and riparian woodlands, It is home to native plants and a lively aquatic habitat. It is named the Mission Reach because it connects four of the five UNESCO World Heritage-designated San Antonio Missions, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission Espada, Mission San Jose, and Mission Concepcion. These four missions are part of the National Park Service. The fifth mission, the Alamo, is located one block east of the river in the heart of the Downtown River Walk. The Alamo is owned and operated by the State of Texas’ General Land Office.