Walking the Walk: The River Walk from the Museum to Locks

The San Antonio River Walk is one of my favorite places in San Antonio.  Not the famous part with all the bars and restaurants, but this River Walk  which extends north and south into our neighborhoods.  Most tourists see a very small part of the River Walk, but it has been more than doubled in recent years and runs about 15 miles long now.  These far reaches of the river are enjoyed mainly by San Antonio residents.  Office workers enjoying a break or headed to a meeting.  Dog walkers and bicyclists from nearby residences.  I walk here to check out the landscaping ideas and to enjoy my city without battling the crowds for parking.  Last fall I shared photos of the Museum Reach of the San Antonio River Walk.  At that time I ended at the Newell Avenue bridge near the San Antonio Museum of Art.

A few weeks ago I continued my walk along the northern section of the River Walk beginning where I left off last time.  On this beautiful day not too long after a rain, the sage was in bloom along with bright colors of hardy hibiscus.  I enjoy the bright color combinations of the city.

Looking south along this section, you can access the San Antonio Museum of Art from the river.  The walkway on the west bank ends here and resumes a few blocks ahead, so I switch over to walk along the east bank and continue southward.

The Cafe Des Artistes at the museum has a terrace overlooking the river.

With lunch you'll get a view of this small park with pond and waterfall

Water lilies in bloom

Beautiful blooming variegated gingers.  The microclimate along the river is so much more tropical than where I live a few miles north of here.  These gingers would not have survived the winter outdoors in my neighborhood.

This green Japanese Maple has found the right microclimate as well.  They are very difficult to grow in San Antonio.

A wall mounted sculpture is next to the park.  Dahlberg daisies in the bed below.

Just beyond the museum is this curved overlook planted with sotol and mexican feather grass.  Vines grow on wires suspended from the roof.

Shade, seating, and a slight coolness from the river make this a pleasant stop.

Great details in the walkway are seen all along the way.  Yellow bricks are a feature on many of the older buildings along the way.  Used extensively along this section of the River Walk it looks at times like the yellow brick road.

A bridge supported by a series of formed cutouts with symbols taken from the history and culture of San Antonio

The entrance to VFW Post 76, oldest in Texas!  It's also been named the top VFW Post in the country.

It's party central for this area of the river. Many public and private events are held here.

Up ahead is the very tropical feeling marsh along the east bank

Our mild winter brought on bananas this year

My destination today is the locks and dam.  These locks raise the boats to the higher north section of the river and the reverse on the way south.  I like the way the grasses and rosemary cascade over the wall here.

Just beyond these locks are the AT&T buildings which housed their international headquarters for more than 20 years.  The company recently relocated to Dallas leaving these buildings vacant.

Installed on the bridge is a sculpture "Puente de Rippling Shadows" and just one of the many public art installations along the Museum Reach.  "Puente" means bridge and the bridge will be included in more detail in my next walk.

AT&T along with other local businesses and foundations contributed significantly to the river redevelopment project and this plaque commemorates the the public-private partnership which has brought so many beautiful parks to our city.

This compass mosaic is in the floor at the top of the observation deck overlooking the locks
 


 
The bridge is a cross over point to see the locks and begin my return trip to the museum.  On this nice day, I saw a number of bicyclists and walkers enjoying the river.

The building at the locks has restrooms and drinking fountains.  I'll return to Newell Avenue by walking the west bank of the river.

A look across at one of the water habitat parks with a view of the freeway overhead.  The setting looks so natural yet is very urban.



The VFW Post 76 from across the river.

Just after the passing the VFW, the walkway on the west bank ends and I cross back over to the east bank to continue.  The Maxmillian Sunflowers, common wildflowers around here, are in a vacant lot at street level and growing over the wall.  This wavy river pattern in the sidewalk is one of several patterns repeated along the walk and matches the signage.

I like this Rusellia growing over the limestone blocks and I've used this idea at home since seeing this on an earlier walk.

Ruellia Katie in both purple and pink look pretty here.  This is an improved commercial version of a native wildflower sometimes called Mexican petunia.

Horsetail reed along the bank

We'll note some of the practical activity along the river.

The plants along the River Walk are beautifully maintained and the maintenance guys seem to be out here daily working from their boat.

Walking here is quite safe with police boat patrol, foot patrols, and the Rio Taxi going by every few minutes.

There's a lot of construction filling in what was once a neglected part of the city.

A new building going up just a block from the locks.

I like these three big palms here.

Loft style luxury apartments recently occupied near the museum.  Lovely views of the river and museum from there.

Occasionally you can still get a glimpse at what was here before the river improvements.  I worked nearby for several years but would not have ventured over to the river alone at that time.

Back across from the museum you can get a good view of the modern addition and landscaping.  That looks like a Yucca Rostrata up there too.

There's a landing for the Rio Taxi or you can flag them down at any point.

We've arrived at my stop on this leg of my adventure.  I'll continue my walk from the locks next time as the scenery becomes increasingly urban and the plants more tropical.