While the Alamo is easily San Antonio’s most famous landmark, there are plenty of other places worth a mention: San Fernando Cathedral (the oldest cathedral in the U.S.), HemisFair Park, El Mercado, the McNay Art Museum, the San Antonio Museum of Art, the San Antonio Zoo, the Witte Museum, Fort Sam Houston, the Menger Hotel (San Antonio’s oldest pub), the Pearl Brewery, the Majestic Theatre, the San Antonio Botanical Garden, the Japanese Tea Gardens, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas… just to name a few.

HemisFair Park

Located at the site of the 1968 World’s Fair, HemisFair Park features 15 acres of playgrounds, waterfalls, historic structures and the 750-foot Tower of the Americas, where you can dine on macadamia-crusted mahi with views that stretch over the city into the surrounding hill country.

The Riverwalk

Get a sense of puro San Antonio by exploring the Riverwalk downtown, where you will see Texas’ version of Venice, complete with river taxis, waterside eateries, an open-air market, a western art museum, a theater, and the former Pearl Brewery (now a hub for shopping, dining and events). For a more secluded part of the 15-mile long riverside trail, take a hike to the city’s 300-year-old missions where you can find the Alamo, along with a few great little watering holes, martini bars, music venues and prohibition-era haunts.

The Hill Country

When you feel like escaping the city, venture out into greater San Antonio to get in touch with the country way of life. You can tube, canoe, kayak, camp or go fishing on the Guadalupe River. Your can visit nearby Texas ranches, two-step at historic dance halls, or chow down on a 12-hour smoked brisket. Or, you can even go hunting for a wild game dinner of your own.

The Rodeo

Since the 1940s, the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo has been one the biggest parties in this cowboy city. Bull riders, rodeo clowns, horsemen, and livestock breeders join forces with famous country singers, hip hop legends, carnival workers, craft brewers, and vendors to create a rare breed of urban rodeo. Fun fact: each year, truckers haul in over 2 tons of dirt to transform the downtown arena into a real country experience.

Fiesta

Fiesta is San Antonio’s version of mardis gras. The city-wide party kicks off with Fiesta Fiesta at Hemisfair Park, where shouts of “Viva Fiesta!” echo through the crowds and showers of confetti rain down from the cracking of a thousand cascarones (colorful egg shells stuffed with confetti). The opening ceremonies and fireworks are followed by 10 days of revelry, including The Battle of the Flowers, Fiesta Carnival, roving Mariachi and Tejano bands, hundreds of live music events, and rowdy after parties that last into the wee hours of the morning.

San Antonio is sometimes referred to as “The Texas Triangle”, because three major Texas freeways converge in the downtown area: I-10, I-35, and I-37. These major freeways are connected by two giant loops: Loop 410 and Loop 1604. Driving a car through this madness can be infuriating, especially during rush hour. And the fact is, there’s simply no way to avoid the traffic. So when looking for the best apartments in San Antonio, commute should be a major consideration.

Public transportation is provided by VIA Metropolitan Transit, which has routes throughout the city and surrounding areas. For folks living or traveling outside the city limits, park-and-ride locations allow you to leave your car to travel to major locations such as UTSA, Boerne, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld.

One of the best ways to get around the city, however, is on two wheels. There are over 130 miles of bicycle routes in San Antonio, including greenways, parks, bike lanes and off-road trails along the San Antonio River and other meandering creeks.

There is only one rule for living in San Antonio: Root for the Spurs! Even if you’re a new San Antonio resident, you’ll have a blast cheering on the Spurs, as they seem to (knocks on wood) make the playoffs just about every season.

San Antonio is H-O-T! Summer seems to last from February to December here, and that’s just barely an exaggeration. It’s not unusual to go swimming around Christmas time, enjoy a 3-week winter, and then get back in your swimsuit by the 1st of February. Luckily, there are plenty of places to cool off in and around San Antonio, including SeaWorld, SplashTown, Schlitterbahn, the Comal River and the Guadalupe River.

Companies with headquarters in San Antonio include Frost Bank, Clear Channel Communications (radio and outdoor advertising), NuStar Energy (oil and gas), USAA (insurance and financial services), Whataburger, Valero, Rackspace, Harte Hanks (digital marketing), and HEB (Texas’ most-loved grocery store).