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Mission San Antonio, Should You Choose To Accept It
Remember the Alamo? You may, but do the kids? And are you aware that San Antonio, Texas has four other 18th-century Spanish colonial missions (210/534-8833, all open daily 9am-5pm), linked by the Old Mission Trail? It might sound like Mission Impossible, but you can actually base your troops in Texas' prettiest city for a fun and educational brush with American history.
One of the best ways to lasso these historical treasures is to start your day early. (If you're traveling with preschoolers, you're better off mission-viewing over two days.) Drive S of San Antonio on Loop 410, continue S on Espada Road and begin with Mission San Francisco de la Espada (210/627-2021), the smallest, most remote, least-changed and most intriguing. There's a free brochure for a self-guided tour, so you can steer your crowd and really get a feel for what life must have been like in the wilds of the New World 250 years ago.
Drive north, and with the help of a good map -- the one in "San Antonio Missions," a pamphlet published by the National Park Service is excellent -- you'll soon find Mission San Juan Capistrano (210/534-0749). The mission and a small parish church are in a tranquil wooded retreat with an adjacent nature trail -- the swallows of the popular song are in California.
Mission San José, "the Queen of Missions" (210/932-1001), is the biggest and most impressive. Take your time, and learn together how a Spanish colonial mission actually worked. Don't miss Rosa's Window -- often called the Rose Window -- named after the sculptor's lost sweetheart. Also, every Sunday at 12 noon, this Mission hosts a "Mariachi Mass" with loud and culturally historical music. Regular parishioners offer warm and welcoming greetings to visitors of all religions and backgrounds and at the beginning of each service, they announce all of the guests and where each one is from.
Continue north along Mission Road. Mission Concepcion, formally Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepcion de Acuña (210/534-1540) is the oldest unrestored church in the U.S. and easily one of the most beautiful. After you've acquainted the family with this treasure, round 'em up and head off to town!
The Alamo on 300 Alamo Plaza (210/225-1391) is in the heart of San Antonio, 3 miles north. The Alamo (meaning cottonwood, the native poplar) was the city's first Spanish mission, but today it serves more as a shrine. "Remember the Alamo!" is every Texan's rallying cry, invoking the mission's brave defenders who fell in March 1836 during the struggle for independence from Mexico.
El Rio San Antonio
Kids and kids-at-heart will probably insist on a river boat tour of El Rio San Antonio, but save it for tomorrow. The largest barges leave daily from below the Commerce Street Bridge at Rivercenter Mall and across from the Hilton Palacio Del Rio on 40-minute, 2½-mile voyages. (210/244-5700 or 800/417-4139; hours vary by season).
The nation's ninth largest city is a culinary melting pot featuring every kind of cuisine. On the River, our top choice Casa Rio (210/225-6718; 430 E Commerce) serves good Tex-Mex and continental food in a setting that's hard to beat. Other family favorites, not on the river, include La Fonda (210/733-0621; 2415 N. Main at Woodlawn), recommended for those who prefer their food less picante (spicy). And if you're interested in something more ethnically Texan, try Fatso's Sports Garden (1704 Bandera Rd. at Sunshine, 210/432-0121).
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