San Antonio Canal River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk is a public park and pedestrian thoroughfare located one level below street traffic in San Antonio, Texas. The river is often likened to a canal due to its below-street-level, winding pathways and bridges that line the river, creating a unique and picturesque atmosphere reminiscent of European canals like those in Venice.
The scenic network of walkways runs alongside the San Antonio River, weaving under bridges and between shops and restaurants. It links several of the city's key attractions, including the Shops at Rivercenter, Arneson River Theatre, Marriage Island, La Villita, HemisFair Park, the Tower Life Building, the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Pearl district, and all five of San Antonio’s Spanish colonial missions—now recognised collectively as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the Alamo.
Each spring, the River Walk hosts the Fiesta San Antonio River Parade, where decorative floats travel along the waterway. The River Walk also encircles the area once occupied by the 18th-century Villa de Béjar outpost, the origin of what would become modern-day San Antonio.