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NFT: The Battle of the Alamo...

M.S. : 2/4/2019 4:49 pm
...and the Goliad Massacre.

Am travelling to San Antonio and thought I'd read up a bit on the Alamo, and lo and behold I came across the Goliad Massacre that occurred about three weeks after James Bowie, Davy Crockett, William Travis and about 180 others gave their lives for Texas independence.

Goliad is about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio, and on -- of all days -- Palm Sunday (March 27th, 1836) over 400 Texans and American filibusters were executed by order of Antonio López de Santa Anna. They had surrendered; had been taken prisoner; assumed they were going to be exchanged, but then butchered!

Over 400 men executed!

That figure just boggles the mind. At the Alamo, the vast majority of those killed were killed in battle. Roughly ten or so men surrendered and then summarily put to the sword. The Goliad massacre was forty times that number!

I'll spare you the details, but I wanted to make three observations.

(1) Outside of Texas, I don't think a lot of Americans have ever heard of the Goliad Massacre. I knew nothing of it, and I think I pass for one who's tolerably knowledgeable about American military history;

(2) About 3-4 weeks after Goliad, Antonio López de Santa Anna was soundly defeated by forces under Sam Houston at the pivotal Battle of San Jacinto. A couple days after the battle, Santa Anna was found dressed as a common solider and would have passed for one had he not been recognized by his own men. Why Sam Houston did not have him summarily executed is beyond my comprehension;

(3) We all are familiar with the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo." At San Jacinto, the forces under Sam Houston charged into battle yelling, "Remember the Alamo," and "Remember Goliad."

I assume they rode into battle blasting this  
Dave in PA : 2/4/2019 6:10 pm : link
.
Pride of San Jacinto - ( New Window )
It's a great place to visit.  
SuperRonJohnson : 2/4/2019 7:23 pm : link
I have been to San Antonio and have been to the Alamo. It looks out of place in downtown San Antonio. Nothing like in the old John Wayne " Alamo" movie. I was there in the late 1980's. My father-in-law lived there. ( never understood his fondness for Lone Star Beer) Interesting to note that there are monuments honoring those that died for both sides.
I did not make it to Goliad but being a history teacher, I am well aware of this battle. Another place you might want to visit is the LBJ ranch and boyhood home. That's located nearby in Johnson City Texas.
Yeah, Santa Anna was  
section125 : 2/4/2019 7:25 pm : link
not a good person.
Executing him for revenge was not the correct thing to do without a trial.
However the goal of the war was independence for Texas from Mexico. If you kill one of their senior generals, it gives Mexico another reason to continue to fight.

I'm just guessing, but I think Sam Houston probably weighed rightful vengeance after trial vs Independence without bloodshed.

But thanks I never heard of those executions either.
RE: It's a great place to visit.  
M.S. : 2/4/2019 7:40 pm : link
In comment 14287436 SuperRonJohnson said:
Quote:
I have been to San Antonio and have been to the Alamo. It looks out of place in downtown San Antonio. Nothing like in the old John Wayne " Alamo" movie. I was there in the late 1980's. My father-in-law lived there. ( never understood his fondness for Lone Star Beer) Interesting to note that there are monuments honoring those that died for both sides.
I did not make it to Goliad but being a history teacher, I am well aware of this battle. Another place you might want to visit is the LBJ ranch and boyhood home. That's located nearby in Johnson City Texas.

Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated!!!
RE: Yeah, Santa Anna was  
M.S. : 2/4/2019 7:44 pm : link
In comment 14287440 section125 said:
Quote:
not a good person.
Executing him for revenge was not the correct thing to do without a trial.
However the goal of the war was independence for Texas from Mexico. If you kill one of their senior generals, it gives Mexico another reason to continue to fight.

I'm just guessing, but I think Sam Houston probably weighed rightful vengeance after trial vs Independence without bloodshed.

But thanks I never heard of those executions either.

Your point is well taken that independence was the goal, and executing Santa Anna would probably hinder that.
Movie  
oldhemi : 2/4/2019 7:55 pm : link
There are several "Alamo" movies that cover the battle and days up to it. Some are even pretty accurate!

The best and shortest movie runs at the IMAX about 2 blocks from the site. Highly recommend it! They did run it daily, I think they still do. I did learn a few things from the movie, like the military engagement went on for 13 cold and rainy days. we went to the Alamo 1st, then the movie as recommended by the security guards. Then, we went back with a much fuller understanding.

I read a lot on the Texas revolution when I was a kid after watching Fess Parker and Jed Clampett in the Disney version. The books that I read back then(late 1950's) did not shed a good light on Col Fannin. The truth is that he was dealt a bad hand and tried to send relief to the Alamo.

Sam Houston wanted Texas. He felt that Santa Anna signing over Texas was a better deal than executing him and possibly have Mexico rally to take back Texas. History proved him right and also later when he implored Texas to NOT join the Confederacy.
San Antonio Imax - ( New Window )
RE: Movie  
M.S. : 2/4/2019 8:05 pm : link
In comment 14287470 oldhemi said:
Quote:
There are several "Alamo" movies that cover the battle and days up to it. Some are even pretty accurate!

The best and shortest movie runs at the IMAX about 2 blocks from the site. Highly recommend it! They did run it daily, I think they still do. I did learn a few things from the movie, like the military engagement went on for 13 cold and rainy days. we went to the Alamo 1st, then the movie as recommended by the security guards. Then, we went back with a much fuller understanding.

I read a lot on the Texas revolution when I was a kid after watching Fess Parker and Jed Clampett in the Disney version. The books that I read back then(late 1950's) did not shed a good light on Col Fannin. The truth is that he was dealt a bad hand and tried to send relief to the Alamo.

Sam Houston wanted Texas. He felt that Santa Anna signing over Texas was a better deal than executing him and possibly have Mexico rally to take back Texas. History proved him right and also later when he implored Texas to NOT join the Confederacy. San Antonio Imax - ( New Window )


Much appreciate your thoughts, input.

Incidentally, from the little I read about Fannin, he seems to have hesitated about reinforcing the Alamo, which I suppose he can be forgiven for. He and his men might have all ended up in reinforcing a mistake, and maybe caught in the same jaws that devoured everyone else at the Alamo.

But his deployment of troops at the Battle of Coleto Creek was a major mistake and ended up in an inglorious surrender that regrettably led to the Palm Sunday Goliad Massacre.
Would you say Santa Anna was muy guapo  
SHO'NUFF : 2/4/2019 9:25 pm : link
and had a plethora of reasons to execute 400 people?
M.S.  
oldhemi : 2/4/2019 9:28 pm : link
Looks like you have been reading up on the subject! A lot of present day Texans still don't hold Col. Fannin in the highest regard. I have been to Goliad and Sequin in the past hunting old car parts. No need to go for the memorials.
BTW, I have to visit my cardiologist on Fannin Street here in Houston next week!
I liked the following movie for its accuracy and decent acting. Billy Bob Thorton as Davy Crockett is great in it.

Box Office Bomb The Alamo 2004 - ( New Window )
Santa Anna  
oldhemi : 2/4/2019 9:31 pm : link
was the original Darth Vader! He fancied himself as the Napoleon of the New World!
Not sure when you are going but  
Reb8thVA : 2/4/2019 10:43 pm : link
Early April is a wonderful time to visit the Texas Hill country between San Antonio and Austin. All the wildflowers will be in bloom. Rent a car and ride around the Hill country. Hit Fredericksburg, Greene, Luckenbach, and Kerrvile.
Santa Anna Was Also President of Mexico at the Time  
varco : 2/5/2019 7:09 am : link
A principal reason for not executing Santa Anna was that he was also President of Mexico at the time and virtual dictator. Getting him to sign a treaty and giving Texas its independence was more important than revenge --a wise choice. BTW, the Mexican Congress and subsequent government repudiated the treaty and tried to invade Texas again in the next few years. Santa Anna was like a bad penny for Mexico --he kept showing up time and time again through the years. He became President several times in the future and was returned to power in time to lose the Mexican - American War in 1846-1848, when Mexico lost California and the US Southwest. I don't think he is viewed too kindly in Mexican History. He called himself the "Napoleon of the West" and was quite the ladies' man. This was probably another case of someone with some ability who could have served his country better.
RE: Not sure when you are going but  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 7:10 am : link
In comment 14287570 Reb8thVA said:
Quote:
Early April is a wonderful time to visit the Texas Hill country between San Antonio and Austin. All the wildflowers will be in bloom. Rent a car and ride around the Hill country. Hit Fredericksburg, Greene, Luckenbach, and Kerrvile.


Thanks for the tip, Reb... I am indeed going in early April.
RE: Santa Anna Was Also President of Mexico at the Time  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 7:14 am : link
In comment 14287610 varco said:
Quote:
A principal reason for not executing Santa Anna was that he was also President of Mexico at the time and virtual dictator. Getting him to sign a treaty and giving Texas its independence was more important than revenge --a wise choice. BTW, the Mexican Congress and subsequent government repudiated the treaty and tried to invade Texas again in the next few years. Santa Anna was like a bad penny for Mexico --he kept showing up time and time again through the years. He became President several times in the future and was returned to power in time to lose the Mexican - American War in 1846-1848, when Mexico lost California and the US Southwest. I don't think he is viewed too kindly in Mexican History. He called himself the "Napoleon of the West" and was quite the ladies' man. This was probably another case of someone with some ability who could have served his country better.


Interesting info about Santa Anna. In a crazy sort of way, he led a "charmed" life and passed away well into his 80s.
RE: Santa Anna Was Also President of Mexico at the Time  
section125 : 2/5/2019 7:18 am : link
In comment 14287610 varco said:
Quote:
A principal reason for not executing Santa Anna was that he was also President of Mexico at the time and virtual dictator. Getting him to sign a treaty and giving Texas its independence was more important than revenge --a wise choice. BTW, the Mexican Congress and subsequent government repudiated the treaty and tried to invade Texas again in the next few years. Santa Anna was like a bad penny for Mexico --he kept showing up time and time again through the years. He became President several times in the future and was returned to power in time to lose the Mexican - American War in 1846-1848, when Mexico lost California and the US Southwest. I don't think he is viewed too kindly in Mexican History. He called himself the "Napoleon of the West" and was quite the ladies' man. This was probably another case of someone with some ability who could have served his country better.


Amazing job by Gen Winfield Scott marching all the way to Mexico City, without support and basically capturing Mexico. His chief of staff? Colonel Robert E. Lee. LT. Ulysses S. Grant was a platoon commander IIRC.
Reb probably knows.
The best Davy Crockett’s in my order  
Earl the goat : 2/5/2019 7:34 am : link
Are
Fess Parker
John Wayne
Billy Bob Thornton
RE: RE: Santa Anna Was Also President of Mexico at the Time  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 8:00 am : link
In comment 14287615 section125 said:
Quote:
In comment 14287610 varco said:


Quote:


A principal reason for not executing Santa Anna was that he was also President of Mexico at the time and virtual dictator. Getting him to sign a treaty and giving Texas its independence was more important than revenge --a wise choice. BTW, the Mexican Congress and subsequent government repudiated the treaty and tried to invade Texas again in the next few years. Santa Anna was like a bad penny for Mexico --he kept showing up time and time again through the years. He became President several times in the future and was returned to power in time to lose the Mexican - American War in 1846-1848, when Mexico lost California and the US Southwest. I don't think he is viewed too kindly in Mexican History. He called himself the "Napoleon of the West" and was quite the ladies' man. This was probably another case of someone with some ability who could have served his country better.



Amazing job by Gen Winfield Scott marching all the way to Mexico City, without support and basically capturing Mexico. His chief of staff? Colonel Robert E. Lee. LT. Ulysses S. Grant was a platoon commander IIRC.
Reb probably knows.


No less authority than the Duke of Wellington said that Scott's campaign from Vera Cruz to Mexico City was the greatest in all of military history annals.

Many years ago, I was a bit perplexed how Scott was able to pull this off with such a tiny army. But as you mentioned, Lee and Grant (not to mention dozens of future Civil War officers) were part of Scott's army -- in other words, it was a highly professional one. The same cannot be said for the Mexican Army.

Alas, my reading of the Mexican-American War does not cast our country in a favorable light. It was a nasty, ugly land grab with the U.S. kicking sand in the eye of Mexico, and then stepping on its throat. A very unjust war.
RE: RE: RE: Santa Anna Was Also President of Mexico at the Time  
section125 : 2/5/2019 8:09 am : link
In comment 14287630 M.S. said:
Quote:
In comment 14287615 section125 said:


Quote:


In comment 14287610 varco said:


Quote:


A principal reason for not executing Santa Anna was that he was also President of Mexico at the time and virtual dictator. Getting him to sign a treaty and giving Texas its independence was more important than revenge --a wise choice. BTW, the Mexican Congress and subsequent government repudiated the treaty and tried to invade Texas again in the next few years. Santa Anna was like a bad penny for Mexico --he kept showing up time and time again through the years. He became President several times in the future and was returned to power in time to lose the Mexican - American War in 1846-1848, when Mexico lost California and the US Southwest. I don't think he is viewed too kindly in Mexican History. He called himself the "Napoleon of the West" and was quite the ladies' man. This was probably another case of someone with some ability who could have served his country better.



Amazing job by Gen Winfield Scott marching all the way to Mexico City, without support and basically capturing Mexico. His chief of staff? Colonel Robert E. Lee. LT. Ulysses S. Grant was a platoon commander IIRC.
Reb probably knows.



No less authority than the Duke of Wellington said that Scott's campaign from Vera Cruz to Mexico City was the greatest in all of military history annals.

Many years ago, I was a bit perplexed how Scott was able to pull this off with such a tiny army. But as you mentioned, Lee and Grant (not to mention dozens of future Civil War officers) were part of Scott's army -- in other words, it was a highly professional one. The same cannot be said for the Mexican Army.

Alas, my reading of the Mexican-American War does not cast our country in a favorable light. It was a nasty, ugly land grab with the U.S. kicking sand in the eye of Mexico, and then stepping on its throat. A very unjust war.


Most of those 1700 & 1800 wars were land grabs, but to ease your mind think of it as retribution for the 400 executed by Santa Anna at Goliad.

And yes, McClelland, Hancock, Armistead, Sherman, and Meade (to name a few) and most of the Civil War leadership were in that force.
San Jacinto Day is a state holiday here in Texas  
Post Time : 2/5/2019 8:13 am : link
When I lived in Houston I'd get the day off and would often go to the San Jacinto Monument wher they'd re-enact the battle. Pretty thrilling seeing the Texans coming over the hill top, pulling the "twin sisters" canons while the Mexican army was taking it's siesta.

The Texans yelled "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" while slaughtering the Mexicans, offering no quarter since none had previously been offered by the Mexicans. I think they killed something like 600 soldiers while only losing 6 themselves.

John Wayne's Alamo set still stands in Bracketville and you can pay to go in. The set for the 2004 Alamo movie is rotting in a field outside Austin. You can glimpse if from Reimer's Ranch county park.
BTW  
Post Time : 2/5/2019 8:19 am : link
The Alamo is just one of several missions in San Antonio. The others are all connected by a trail you can take with a rental bike on each site. The others aren't downtown and some still have active churches. I was at one of them once while a wedding was taking place. They others are maintained by the NPS.


link - ( New Window )
M.S.  
NYG27 : 2/5/2019 8:56 am : link
The Alamo was a very interesting experience. I initially thought I'd spend an hour there and then spend the rest of the day exploring downtown San Antonio.

You can't really tell from the front entrance but the compound is massive once you get inside and fun to explore. Easily spent around 4 hours there and they had a lot of interactive activities.

Plus the San Antonio River Walk is just a few blocks from the Alamo. Tons of great options to eat and drink at.
"Unjust" is a silly way to look at it...  
Dunedin81 : 2/5/2019 9:07 am : link
Recorded history has been the story of wars of conquest and of movements of people. The US and Texas were doing to the Mexican government, then led in large part by people who were in whole or in part descended from the Spanish, had done to indigenous tribes. And those indigenous tribes had done that to other indigenous tribes, and so on and so forth. It's a fairly obtuse projection of modern sensibilities onto the past. That we have (largely) moved past that today is admirable, but piling on one particular episode of a recurrent phenomenon just because that group managed to sustain their advantage seems silly.
RE: M.S.  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 9:34 am : link
In comment 14287672 NYG27 said:
Quote:
The Alamo was a very interesting experience. I initially thought I'd spend an hour there and then spend the rest of the day exploring downtown San Antonio.

You can't really tell from the front entrance but the compound is massive once you get inside and fun to explore. Easily spent around 4 hours there and they had a lot of interactive activities.

Plus the San Antonio River Walk is just a few blocks from the Alamo. Tons of great options to eat and drink at.


Oh, wow, sounds really interesting! Out of curiosity, I looked at an overlay of the Alamo Fort of 1836 with present-day San Antonio. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The final attack by Santa Anna hit the Alamo on three sides, and there simply were not enough defenders in depth to handle the attack.

I looked at the map and wondered if the defenders could have held out longer had they decided to build an interior wall to defend a smaller perimeter?
RE:  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 9:53 am : link
In comment 14287675 Dunedin81 said:
Quote:
Recorded history has been the story of wars of conquest and of movements of people. The US and Texas were doing to the Mexican government, then led in large part by people who were in whole or in part descended from the Spanish, had done to indigenous tribes. And those indigenous tribes had done that to other indigenous tribes, and so on and so forth. It's a fairly obtuse projection of modern sensibilities onto the past. That we have (largely) moved past that today is admirable, but piling on one particular episode of a recurrent phenomenon just because that group managed to sustain their advantage seems silly.


A lot to unpack here, but here are a few observations:

(1) Your explanation leads to a very slippery slope. In essence, any country can conquer / take land from another whenever they want under the justification "might makes right."

(2) The greatest support for the war was in the south which wanted to extend slavery into new states;

(3) No less a person than Ulysses S. Grant called the Mexican-American War immoral and our "most evil war." He also said that the United States Civil War (15 years later) was divine punishment for our nation's aggression in Mexico.
No, it doesn't lead to a slippery slope...  
Dunedin81 : 2/5/2019 10:03 am : link
it leads to a recognition that the things that happened in the world before the dawn of the 20th Century should be judged in rough equivalence to the standards then utilized, if they should be judged at all. Grant's opinion on the subject, and that of a variety of other contemporaries (JQ Adams, for one), thus matter a good deal more to me than what today's generation of thinkers has to say about it. This does not preclude judgment about what is going on today. The irony of course being that today's thinkers are often far more willing to cast historical judgments than they are judgments on contemporary conduct.
RE: BTW  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 10:13 am : link
In comment 14287641 Post Time said:
Quote:
The Alamo is just one of several missions in San Antonio. The others are all connected by a trail you can take with a rental bike on each site. The others aren't downtown and some still have active churches. I was at one of them once while a wedding was taking place. They others are maintained by the NPS.

link - ( New Window )


Thanks for the information... and what a beautiful photo!
Re: M.S.  
varco : 2/5/2019 10:15 am : link
Commented on the final attack taking place from 3 sides. Quite true ---also, the final battle was really not as Hollywood would lead us to believe, with Texans firing away from the ramparts as the Alamo was assaulted. While I don't downplay the heroism and sacrifice of that small, vastly outnumbered group, the final attack was launched in the pre-dawn hours and basically overwhelmed the defenders before an organized defense could be mounted. The Alamo was just not a defensible position against a determined attack. Still very courageous but not the Fess Parker / John Wayne version. A documentary (early 2000's) even hinted at the possibility that up to 40 defenders staged a breakout after the assault and were hunted down and killed by Mexican Lancers not far from the Alamo

Like most kids of the early 1950's, I was a Davy Crockett fan and therefore became quite interested in the Texas fight for independence. Still an amazing story.
RE: Re: M.S.  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 10:49 am : link
In comment 14287788 varco said:
Quote:
Commented on the final attack taking place from 3 sides. Quite true ---also, the final battle was really not as Hollywood would lead us to believe, with Texans firing away from the ramparts as the Alamo was assaulted. While I don't downplay the heroism and sacrifice of that small, vastly outnumbered group, the final attack was launched in the pre-dawn hours and basically overwhelmed the defenders before an organized defense could be mounted. The Alamo was just not a defensible position against a determined attack. Still very courageous but not the Fess Parker / John Wayne version. A documentary (early 2000's) even hinted at the possibility that up to 40 defenders staged a breakout after the assault and were hunted down and killed by Mexican Lancers not far from the Alamo

Like most kids of the early 1950's, I was a Davy Crockett fan and therefore became quite interested in the Texas fight for independence. Still an amazing story.


An amazing story, indeed! I think there's still a bit of a cloud over exactly how many perished at the Alamo and how many escaped, and -- also -- who turned out NOT to be there in the first place.

One thing is for sure: The more I read about Santa Anna's pre-dawn attack, the more certain I am that -- as a gringo -- the Alamo Fort would have been the last place on earth I would have wanted to be on March 6th, 1836.
RE: RE: M.S.  
Simms11 : 2/5/2019 2:21 pm : link
In comment 14287716 M.S. said:
Quote:
In comment 14287672 NYG27 said:


Quote:


The Alamo was a very interesting experience. I initially thought I'd spend an hour there and then spend the rest of the day exploring downtown San Antonio.

You can't really tell from the front entrance but the compound is massive once you get inside and fun to explore. Easily spent around 4 hours there and they had a lot of interactive activities.

Plus the San Antonio River Walk is just a few blocks from the Alamo. Tons of great options to eat and drink at.



Oh, wow, sounds really interesting! Out of curiosity, I looked at an overlay of the Alamo Fort of 1836 with present-day San Antonio. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The final attack by Santa Anna hit the Alamo on three sides, and there simply were not enough defenders in depth to handle the attack.

I looked at the map and wondered if the defenders could have held out longer had they decided to build an interior wall to defend a smaller perimeter?


They were simply outnumbered. They only had around 200 soldiers against Santa Ana's horde. They might have been able to hold on a little longer had they had a smaller perimeter to man, but it was inevitable. Sam Houston did not come to the rescue and almost all there died as a result. Sam Houston did kick Santa Ana's ass after that however and that was the end of it, but unfortunately a little too late for the men at the Alamo who died heroically.

On another related note, I've been to San Antonio many times for work and going to the Alamo never seems to get old, but as other's have said, there is a ton to do downtown, especially along the River Walk. The River Walk stretches for a number of miles, but downtown there's plenty of restaurants, shops, bars, etc. Most of the restaurants are a little expensive, but most are worth the price.

Lastly, another place to go and visit while you're in San Antone is the Pearl Brewery district. It's not far from downtown, but also offers some outstanding Bars, Restaurants, shops, etc, as well. The brewery itself is no longer functional, but they use the property now for the restaurants, bars, shops, etc. It's a pretty awesome area to walk around. Go into the Hotel on site, as well. It uses parts of the brewery, with all the piping, vessels, fermenters, etc as décor and furniture.
It's still so sad that the defenders didn't try to retreat to  
YAJ2112 : 2/5/2019 3:11 pm : link
the basement. Make sure to visit it if you get the chance.
RE: RE: RE: M.S.  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 11:19 pm : link
In comment 14288112 Simms11 said:
Quote:
In comment 14287716 M.S. said:


Quote:


In comment 14287672 NYG27 said:


Quote:


The Alamo was a very interesting experience. I initially thought I'd spend an hour there and then spend the rest of the day exploring downtown San Antonio.

You can't really tell from the front entrance but the compound is massive once you get inside and fun to explore. Easily spent around 4 hours there and they had a lot of interactive activities.

Plus the San Antonio River Walk is just a few blocks from the Alamo. Tons of great options to eat and drink at.



Oh, wow, sounds really interesting! Out of curiosity, I looked at an overlay of the Alamo Fort of 1836 with present-day San Antonio. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The final attack by Santa Anna hit the Alamo on three sides, and there simply were not enough defenders in depth to handle the attack.

I looked at the map and wondered if the defenders could have held out longer had they decided to build an interior wall to defend a smaller perimeter?



They were simply outnumbered. They only had around 200 soldiers against Santa Ana's horde. They might have been able to hold on a little longer had they had a smaller perimeter to man, but it was inevitable. Sam Houston did not come to the rescue and almost all there died as a result. Sam Houston did kick Santa Ana's ass after that however and that was the end of it, but unfortunately a little too late for the men at the Alamo who died heroically.

On another related note, I've been to San Antonio many times for work and going to the Alamo never seems to get old, but as other's have said, there is a ton to do downtown, especially along the River Walk. The River Walk stretches for a number of miles, but downtown there's plenty of restaurants, shops, bars, etc. Most of the restaurants are a little expensive, but most are worth the price.

Lastly, another place to go and visit while you're in San Antone is the Pearl Brewery district. It's not far from downtown, but also offers some outstanding Bars, Restaurants, shops, etc, as well. The brewery itself is no longer functional, but they use the property now for the restaurants, bars, shops, etc. It's a pretty awesome area to walk around. Go into the Hotel on site, as well. It uses parts of the brewery, with all the piping, vessels, fermenters, etc as décor and furniture.

Much, much appreciate all your tips! I'm definitely gonna check out the River Walk and a few of the restaurants and bars. I'm getting excited just reading all the suggestions on this thread! Thanks again!
RE: It's still so sad that the defenders didn't try to retreat to  
M.S. : 2/5/2019 11:21 pm : link
In comment 14288191 YAJ2112 said:
Quote:
the basement. Make sure to visit it if you get the chance.

Definitely will do! Thanks for the tip!
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