| CITY OVERVIEW
Stay in San Antonio |
Surprisingly to some, San Antonio is the eighth largest city in the US but not surprising when one considers the closeness of the city to the ever burgeoning Mexican border. Considering its size, however, it is a bit disappointing that there are not more sporting franchises located here. Although a bit light on for things to see from a sporting perspective, the home of the ‘Alamo’ is like a walking museum of ‘Tex-Mex’ culture – a link to the days when Texas was a part of Old Mexico. Built in 1718, the Alamo is located in the heart of the San Antonio downtown precinct. The Alamo contains many artefacts from San Antonio's history, as well as a monument to the Battle of the Alamo. The Alamo is actually part of the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. You can undertake a 20 km Mission Trail to four nearby18th-century Spanish missions: Mission Conception, Mission San Francisco de la Espada, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and the fully restored Mission San Jose. San Antonio was actually home to the 1968 World’s Fair. HemisFair Park is now an entertainment centre that constitutes San Antonio’s modernity. Included in the Park are the Institute of Texan Cultures, with the Institute's Dome Show presenting a look at the history and diversity of Texas; the Convention Centre, which contains a complex of theatres, convention halls and sports arenas (including the Alamodome); the Observation Deck; and a revolving restaurant in the Tower of the Americas for a panoramic view of the city. San Antonio has also been the subject of several urban renewal projects and it is amazing how some downtown precincts have been transformed. For example, old warehouses have been redeveloped into the Blue Star Arts Complex with now house galleries, artist studios, restaurants and shops. |
| GETTING THERE
Fly to San Antonio Within USA
|
San Antonio International Airport is located some 10 km from the downtown area. VIA buses operate from the airport to San Antonio’s downtown. Amtrak trains are located at 1174 E Commerce Street. Greyhound buses have three depots in San Antonio, with the main terminal being located at 500 N St Marys Street. The VIA Metropolitan Transit system provides bus services to most parts of the metropolitan area. A downtown and tourist attraction trolley system also operates. |
|
NBA SAN ANTONIO SPURS |
The San Antonio Spurs began as an original entry in the ABA in 1967. Called the Dallas Chaparrals, the franchise survived the turmoil of the ABA era and was rewarded with admittance to the NBA when that League merged with the NBA. The franchise moved to San Antonio in 1973 and began with the NBA in 1976. The Spurs franchise has fielded some fine teams over the years. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the team featured George ‘the Iceman’ Gervin and won the Midwest Division five out of six years. In the late 1980s the addition of David Robinson turned the club back into a contender. And when Tim Duncan arrived, he and Robinson brought a championship home to San Antonio in 1999 in the strike-interrupted season. Besides one shocking year in 1996-97, the Spurs have been ultra-consistent, winning more games than they lost every year since 1989-90. The WNBA will have a new team in San Antonio in 2003 – a team name has yet to be chosen. |
| WNBA
SAN ANTONIO SILVER STARS |
2003 was the inaugural year for new San Antonio Silver Stars franchise. Although not a finals contender, it wasn't a bad first year - winning 12 matches. |
| THE SBC CENTER |
The SBC Center will host the Spurs and the new San Antonio WNBA team from 2003 onward. The Center is located next to the Freeman Coliseum Grounds at 3201 East Houston Street, San Antonio, which is located some 6km east of downtown. The Center will have a capacity of 18,500. By public transit, catch VIA bus route 34 or 86 from downtown that goes past the Coliseum and the future SBC Centre. The
SBS Center will replace the Alamo
Dome. Opened in 1992, the Dome has a capacity of 20,500 for
basketball matches but is primarily a stadium that can seat up to 65,000
for football matches (College matches rather than NFL matches). The
retractable seating system, which enables such a variation in seating
capacities, is the largest in the world. However, the Spurs have for some
time craved a stand-alone basketball only modern arena. |
| GOLF
Late September - US
PGA Valero Texas Open, La Cantera Golf Club San
Antonio. Ticket information to come
|
La Cantera Golf Club is located at 16641 La Cantera Parkway just off Loop Road 1604, some 30km north-west of downtown San Antonio. From downtown, you can catch the VIA Route 94 to La Cantera Parkway (after 3.30pm) and Loop Road 1604 (before 3.30pm). Even though La Cantera Parkway gets you closer to the course, getting off at the intersection of the 1604 and La Cantera is not too far a walk. |
| GOLF
Mid
October – Senior PGA SBC Championship, Oak Hill Country Club, San
Antonio. Ticket information to come |
Oak Hill Country Club is located at 5403 Fredericksburg Road, right next to one of the biggest health precincts in the country, just off Loop Road 410, about 17km north-west of downtown. From downtown you can catch VIA Routes 93 and 94. You can get off at the Crossroads Park and Ride and walk the 1.5 km to the course – just walk north along Fredericksburg Road until you get to the course entrance. |
| HORSE
RACING
Retama
Park Race, 1 Retama Parkway, Selma (seasons: Quarter Horses mid April to
late June and Thoroughbreds early August to late October) Tickets available at course |
Retama Park Raceway is located some 35 km north east of downtown San Antonio, just off Route 35. From downtown, take VIA Bus 17 that goes along Route 35 and accesses the Racecourse. Special racecourse buses leave at certain times of the day and afternoon. |
| NCAA
SPORTS - DIVISION 1
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO |
UTSA is located in three campuses in the San Antonio metropolitan area – the 1604 campus in Texas Hill Country (located on the 1640 Loop Road); the Downtown campus (intersection of Durango Boulevard and Frio Street); and the Institute for Texan Cultures within HemisFair Park. The UTSA Roadrunners athletic teams are located on the 1604 campus just south of Loop 1640 on UTSA Boulevard, which is about 25km north-west of downtown San Antonio. The Roadrunners have teams in sports such as men’s and women’s basketball and, as the name would suggest, athletics. The men’s and women’s basketball teams play on campus out of the USTA Convocation Centre. Getting to the 1604 campus is easy – VIA Route 94 links both the downtown campus and the 1640 campus together. |
