On Dec. 5 the newly consolidated downtown development nonprofit Centro San Antonio will be hosting its annual Urban Spaces Tour, highlighting San Antonio’s emerging urban core.
The theme this year, “Into The Core,” promises to provide an experience as unique as the locations.
“We’ve got some really amazing residential spaces on our tour, as well as commercial spaces that aren’t open to the public,” said Melissa Burnett, director of marketing and communications for Centro San Antonio. The venues on the route are still a secret, the only hint Burnett revealed was the tour’s general location: west downtown.
Food will be provided by downtown restaurants La Margarita, Lüke, Restaurant Gwendolyn and The Bike Waiter; beverages by Alamo Beer.
“There will be a few fun surprises along the way,” Burnett assured.
The Urban Spaces Tour has become an entertaining and social way to bring curious people together to show off what downtown San Antonio has to offer. Last year, approximately 180 people from all over San Antonio – some interested in moving downtown, some exploring their own neighborhood – took a tour of residences and businesses in the Lone Star Arts District (an unofficial title) just south of South Alamo Street on Probandt, Cevallos and South Flores Street.
[Read more: Urban Spaces Tour 2012: Lofts and Workspaces of Lone Star Arts District]
This year’s tour will begin with an opening reception at the Southwest School of Arts (300 Augusta St.).
Tours start at 4:00 pm and begin every 30 minutes until 7:30 pm – the 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. tours are sold out. Tickets are $60 for Centro members, $70 general admission. Discounts for couples, groups, students and military vary. Click here for more information.
A lucky Rivard Report reader will win a pair of tickets for themselves and a guest for the 6:30 p.m. tour by answering one simple question:
What’s your favorite urban space? Tell us what your favorite location in San Antonio’s center city is and why it’s special to you.
For example, my favorite place in the downtown area is King William Park; a quiet, triangular park nestled in the King William Historic District. This place is special to me because its where my girlfriend and I lounge around in the grass – allowing our dog loose to play in the open space.
Leave your comment below this article or comment on our Facebook page story link (these comments are imported to our website) and your name will be entered into the drawing.
When commenting here, include your first and last name along with your email address in the appropriate fields. Your email will not be visible to the public unless you enter it into the comment text field. We advise you to enter it into the provided field so that only our team can see it – it will not be used for any purpose but to contact winners.
If commenting via Facebook, be sure to check both your inboxes.
The winner will be announced Monday, Dec. 2.
Jaime Solis is the Director of Marketing and Development for the Rivard Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @_JaimeSolis and contact him at jaime@rivardreport.com.
Related Stories:
Urban Spaces Tour 2012: Lofts and Workspaces of Lone Star Arts District
‘We Move Downtown’: Centro San Antonio Launches With New Brand, Structure
Where I Live: Lone Star / South Flores Arts District
Where I Live: Monticello Heights
Where I Live: The Judson Candy Factory Lofts
How the Locals are Attracting More Visitors to San Antonio
County Judge Bullish on San Antonio
CHRIS PARK next to CAMPSTREET LOFTS.
My favorite urban space is Cevallos Lofts! It has been my home and little piece of urban living for two years. I love being close to the heart of the city!
The intersection at Houston & St. Mary’s. I can enjoy local coffee and eats from Sip, see tons of people I know and don’t know on foot, bicycle, or in their cars, and see the beautiful Houston St. Holiday lights all while sitting on one center city corner.
Main plaza. There’s nowhere else like it in the city. Views of courthouse and San Fernando never get old. People pass through, enjoy lunch or just enjoy the scenery. Great place to people watch or clear your head on a nice day!
My favorite place in the downtown area is Main Plaza. I love the old buildings and being able to pick up lunch from a food truck. I especially like when there are events happening there like outdoor movies, concerts, or markets.
My Favorite spot downtown is Houston St. With the great activities like ‘Chalk it Up’ and shows at the Majestic, it’s easy to miss one of the other gems along the way. Great food and museums mean that you will always find something to do!
My favorite urban space was the Vistana when I lived there for 4 years. It was the ideal location for working downtown and also enjoying the many events downtown had to offer.
I love to chill at the benches near the bridge where all the bats come out along the San Antonio River’s Museum Reach. Love the entire area close to the Pearl, SAMA, The Luxury and many other places worth a try.
Gotta be a bike ride through Hemisfair Park!!! With a pit stop at the Tower for happy hour!
Running thru the Riverwalk extension from blue star to the pearl is amazing and so unreal it exists in an urban setting! The gorgeous landscape, SA city surrounding, the shadows casted by the buildings, smells of delicious food, new and old construction, installation art and a mix of visitors and fellow runners enjoying the path!
The River Walk. This may seem like a generic answer, but it’s the truth. My 3 year old son and I roam along the river’s path pretty much every weekend. I loved the river as a kid and am blessed that my boy is taking after his daddy! I even wrote a RR post about it a couple months ago. https://therivardreport.com/the-water-line-a-new-blog-about-what-defines-us-in-san-antonio/
Recently discovered the Toltec Apt building on Taylor St and love it. Hidden from my view for 30 years. So much history to discover downtown!
There area many spaces in san antonio that collectivly define our city and are my favorites. Among them Charles Court – behind Zinc Bistro & Wine Bar. For me this is on the top of the list. The buildings history of housing the first german language newspaper (Der Zeitgeist) on the second floor. The koy Fish, the scrapes on the brick wall from delivery trucks over the 100 plus years of its history all add up to a great and unique san antonio space. Also with cold weather a place to sit under a sarape and have a libation and cigar. Nowhere else but San Antonio.
The San Antonio Museum of Art is my favorite. The collections of art and artifacts rival the Smithsonians’. The reclaimed Lone Star Brewery factory is architecturally spectacular in itself, and the additions blend in well (Latin American) or stand in stark contrast (Asian). The best time to go is at dusk on free admission Tuesday night. My favorite place is the fourth floor, neon-light adorned catwalk. To the south, you see a stellar skyline view of downtown, and in the other direction, a perfect glimpse of the River Walk extension, including the lit-up fish under the bridge.
I keep seeing “King William District.” It’s “King William Historic District.”
Thanks, Rose! Sorry for the mix up.
Gloria’s Lounge near flores and travis is one of the coolest places downtown. They only serve beer but you can still get drunk and sometimes they have live tejano music.
My favorite urban space would be the Landa Library. It’s located in a park with a great children’s playground. When my son was little, we celebrated many birthdays there. Nowadays, I enjoy the herbs and flowers planted by the Landa Gardens Conservancy. Aromatic spices and colorful blossoms always enchant the senses. And then there is the building itself. Upon their death in the 1940s, philanthropists Harry and Hannah Landa donated their historic home to serve the city as a library and public area. Many of their original paintings and other artwork still grace the vaulted walls. It is a gem in a neighborhood of jewels.
The top of the Maverick building, views of the river walk, main plaza, San Fernando cathedral and the court house all in one spot.
My favorite is the section of the River Walk between the Majestic Theatre and King William ESPECIALLY when it involves lunch or dinner at Feast or The Liberty Bar!
My favorite locations are all about the views. And I’m too greedy to have just one favorite spot:
1) Going, at night, to the Starlight Terrace on the roof of the St. Anthony Hotel and looking over the side of the building to the 3 story stained glass window at Travis Park Methodist (Loring Window: http://www.travispark.org/760730)
2) Sitting on the Carlos Cortez bench at the Constance/Crofton Park and looking at the Big Tex silos all lined in a row across the river (won’t be there for long…)
3) View from the 2nd floor of the McNay Art Museum of the koi pond and Japanese Garden.
The Magik Theatre/HemisFair Park is a very special place for me. I am a Big Sister and this has become a favorite for me and my 8 year old buddy. We love the performances at the Magik Theatre and equally enjoy strolling through HemisFair Park, near The Cupcake Tower (her words exactly), and along Alamo Street for good eats and sightseeing.
My favorite urban space in downtown San Antonio is Milam Park near Market Square. Milam Park has a 1/4 mile walking trail that my coworkers and I use to take an exercise break in the middle of the work day. We take our smaller meetings outside in the nice San Antonio weather and walk between one and two miles a few times a week. Walkin’ & Talkin’ is what we like to call it. We also frequently take our lunches out to a Milam Park picnic table to enjoy the nice weather, to people watch, and to have a nice view of the “The Spring of Healing” mosaic on the wall of Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital. Once we even saw a couple getting married in the middle of the day inside the gazebo!
I love to walk down Main St. , starting from Fox Tech, the oldest high school in San Antonio (where I gave 10 years of my life teaching amazing kids Art and English!), on to stop at Alamo Music where I like to fiddle with the instruments and dream I was a musician, followed by a stroll picking some pecans in the park before Houston street, then taking a good look east on Houston at the bustling cars and extended lines of people going to the Magestic, and continuing until we get to the beautiful center where change happens, the city council chambers! Last, but not least, I love my arrival at the San Fernando Cathedral to pay a visit to our Virgen de Guadalupe where I like to leave her some rosas.
Dignowity Hill, hands down. It is a beautiful area, rich in history and cultura.
As a new resident to San Antonio the area I have taken a big liking to is Alamo Heights. With great bars and good drink specials along Broadway near 410 and the roudy Spurs fans that occupy them, to the great shops and restaurants in The Quarry, to the beautiful homes and apartments that line Broadway… not to mention the great local boutiques & shops! It’s a great, safe area to be. I love the downtown urban but sometimes it’s nice to settle down for a peaceful cup of home grown coffee and watch the traffic go by.
My favorite urban space is the Eagleland reach of the San Antonio River. I live nearby, and this section of the river walk provides an easy, quick getaway to enjoy nature’s beauty with its wildflowers and native grasses, offers good paths to go jogging or biking, and a serves as a nice walk to take the dog out and get some fresh air.
Hays Street bridge!
Pearl
A favorite urban oasis is Chris Park. Unexpected, secluded, quiet and a true retreat known to just a few, it was a perfect getaway to read a book or picnic during the many years I worked downtown. The vegetation is dense, varied, and exotic, such as the Hong Kong orchid. The water feature, the constellation, and the journal entries are whimsical and sweet, and make the already intimate space personal. Truly beautiful and peaceful!
My is b cycle bike riding
Casino Club Building as it is my home and about as centrally located as you can get!
My favorite urban space is the Central library. It is a beautiful building that is home to the Chihuly Fiesta Tower as well as many other beautiful pieces of art. It is also a great place to hear an author lecture or take in a musical performance. And of course spend many hours browsing the book selections. It is steps away away from the Sourhwest School of Art and the Riverwalk.
I’m so excited!! I will email the info, thanks again!
My favorite Urban Space is the Alamo Heights/Broadway Corridor that encompasses the Witte, Brackenridge Park, the Zoo and The San Antonio Botanical Gardens, I volunteer at the gardens and there is so much beauty in that area both man-made and natural. The fact that both Trinity and UIW have presence makes it perfect for me to be there.
The San Antonio Central Library is my favorite spot downtown, because for a long time was where you would probably find me Monday through Friday after school. I started going there since age 9 when I relocated here from Mexico. That was 10 years ago and now it holds a significant place in my heart and in this beautiful city.