When the San Antonio Riverwalk was conceived by Architect Robert H H Hugman, the idea was to incorporate a Venice-like atmosphere in downtown San Antonio, Texas. During the early days of along the Riverwalk, gondola rides were available from a departure point in front of the oldest waterfront Mexican restaurant, Casa Rio. The cruises now depart from several locations along the Riverwalk, using compressed natural gas powered barges. The shallow bottomed barges easily navigate the river, where depths can range from five to fifteen feet. The cruises last between thirty and forty-five minutes, covering the two and a half mile stretch of river in the downtown area. The boats run from 9 AM until 9 PM.
The current cruise contract with the city of San Antonio has been awarded to Rio San Antonio Cruises. Pricing for the water attraction makes for an informative and inexpensive trip through the city. The normal adult fare runs $7.75, plus an tips you decide to bestow upon your Tour Guide. The pricing for residents of Bexar County, Senior Citizens and Military shaves a few dollars off the price, with an even five dollar fee. Children five years and younger pay a modest two dollars to ride. In order to get the discounted pricing, be prepared to show identification. The ticket booths clearly state that ID is required. The pricing rolls the taxes into the advertised price. Group rates are available on-line, where a ten percent discount is offered.
The experience with Rio San Antonio Cruises relies heavily on the Tour Guide you draw. My trip included a would-be comedian whose levity was actually enjoyable. Sometimes Tour Guides try hard to be funny and fail miserably. Others offer dry statistics or bland history without any personality or character inserted into their dialogue. My trip was both comedic and informational. The levity filled the gaps in the tour between points of interest. I’m not sure how many of these guides ride together to work on their material, but I spoke with a friend that traveled with a different tour guide. The experience sounded a lot less fun than mine. During the cruise, the tour guides will point out skyline features along with a brief history or little known facts. For instance, my hotel (The Marriott Rivercenter) is allegedly listed in the Guiness Book of World Records. It seems that an operational hotel called the Fairmont was already sitting where Marriott wanted to put their hotel. A historical preservation group lobbied to prevent the destruction of the Fairmont Hotel. In return for the prime location on the Riverwalk, Marriott lifted the entire three-story tall Fairmont Hotel, placed it on 36 axles, and moved it to another location. I fact checked this trivia on the internet, where I found the Fairmont Hotel’s website. The website details this move in 1986 and verified that it obtained the World Record for the largest structure ever moved on wheels.
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