Walking the Walk: The Pearl and River of Lights

I love holiday lights, the more the merrier and San Antonio has a lot of lights like these at The Pearl just north of downtown.

The Pearl Brewery buildings have been an iconic presence along the San Antonio river for more than a century.  Now known simply as "The Pearl" the brewery closed in 2001 and the buildings have been redeveloped into spaces for restaurants, shops, and special events.  It's one of my favorite places in town because it also provides easy  access the north end of the River Walk.  Last night we went down to take a look at The Pearl and the nearby "River of Lights" display.

The former brewing building is outlined in lights.  The smokestack is one of several in town which have been preserved.

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.

San Antonio Herb Market

One of my favorite annual garden events is the San Antonio Herb Market held at the Pearl Brewery in mid-October.  It's an excellent opportunity to stock up on herbs and learn about growing and using herbs as well as other gardening subjects.  This year's market was held on Saturday, October 15th celebrating their 20th year.

The Pearl Brewery is near downtown and anchors the north end of the Riverwalk known as the Museum Reach.

The market is set up in the parking lot and is always well attended. 

San Antonio Water System was a sponsor and employees were on hand to answer questions about water conservation.  Other groups included the Bexar County Master Gardeners, The Gardening Volunteers of South Texas and the San Antonio Herb Society.

There were plenty of vendors and a large selection of herbs and related plants.  These containers are ready to go at the Nature's Herb Farm booth.

Long lines for the checkout at Nature's Herb Farm, a good thing to see

This booth  is showing succulents

Colorful succulent wreaths

This large succulent hanging basket display from Burns Nursery
attracted attention

The container display also at Burns was charming

The Antique Rose Emporium had a booth with roses for sale

This year's featured speaker was Susan Belsinger who gave an excellent presentation on using herbs in cooking.  After Susan's seminar I headed over to the adjacent parking lot for the Farmer's Market held each Saturday at the Pearl Brewery.

"Please play on the grass," no lawn here so...

here's the grass you're invited to play on

Pearl has created a park in the parking lot and a favorite place for gardening inspiration.  Ornamental grasses along with drought tolerant perennials are planted in islands within the parking lot and the perimeter.

A look at some of the rows of booths here and a group of Pumpkins on display.

 A very nice day to sit and enjoy the band

 

And a great grouping of ornamental grasses behind the band.  This is one awesome parking lot.  I'll be back on a quieter day for more photos of the Pearl parking lot park and the plantings along this section of the Riverwalk.