How We Almost Lost Our River

by RoadRunner | Jul 2, 2019 | history, San Antonio insider

The River Walk draws several million tourists a year, is ranked as one of the top travel destinations in Texas and has inspired riverside developments throughout the world. San Antonio almost covered it over with cement. At the end of the 19th Century the San Antonio...

The Six Flags That Flew Over Texas

by RoadRunner | Jun 7, 2019 | history, San Antonio insider

Since its founding in 1718, six countries have claimed sovereignty over Texas. The slogan “Six flags over Texas”  has been incorporated into shopping malls, theme parks, and other enterprises. The six flags are also shown on the reverse of the Seal of...

Time to Walk! The Hertzberg Clock

by RoadRunner | Apr 27, 2019 | history, San Antonio insider, Sightseeing, technology

This entry was updated for 2019 On  Friday’s Friendship Walks you stroll by the Hertzberg Clock. Cast in iron by E. Howard Clock Company of Boston, it was first installed in front of Eli Hertzberg Jewelry Company on Commerce Street in 1878. In 1910, when...

Fiesta Medals: the Volkssporting Connection

by RoadRunner | Apr 18, 2019 | history, San Antonio insider, tips

This article has been updated for 2019 San Antonio touts its annual Fiesta –18-28 April this year — as a “party with a purpose.” It traces its origins to 1890 with the first “Battle of the Flowers” parade, commemorating the Texians...

Sunken Garden Theater: The Other Half of the Quarry

by RoadRunner | Feb 27, 2019 | history, Japanese Tea Garden Walk, music, San Antonio insider, Sightseeing

Yesterday we wrote about the Japanese Tea Gardens, which were constructed in an abandoned quarry that bisected Brackenridge Park. Actually, the Gardens only took up half the quarry. The other half — the northern part — is now the Sunken Garden Theater.When...

Simply Beautiful: The Japanese Tea Garden

by RoadRunner | Feb 25, 2019 | food & drink, history, Japanese Tea Garden Walk, San Antonio insider, Sightseeing

It wasn’t always beautiful. In 1915, the new San Antonio Parks Commissioner, Ray Lambert, embraced the “modern” ideal of healthier urban environments for the wealthy and working class alike. His grand idea was to create a park near downtown by connecting a...