RESBlog | Site Map | Search | Home

RESNET

RESNET

2006 RESNET Building Performance Conference

About Our Host City: San Antonio

2006 RESNET ConferenceFebruary 27 - March 1, 2006
Plaza San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

The AlamoSan Antonio captures the spirit of Texas. Now the ninth largest city in the United States, the city has retained its sense of history and tradition, while carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress. The city has always been a crossroads and a meeting place. Sounds and flavors of Native Americans, Old Mexico, Germans, the Wild West, African-Americans and the Deep South mingle and merge. Close to eight million visitors a year delight in the discovery of San Antonio's charms.

San Antonio River CruisersAmidst the daily hubbub of the busy metropolitan downtown, sequestered 20 feet below street level, lies one of San Antonio's jewels - the Paseo del Rio. Better known as the "River Walk," these cobblestone and flagstone paths border both sides of the San Antonio River as it winds its way through the middle of the business district. The River Walk is only two blocks from the RESNET Conference hotel. The River Walk has multiple personalities - quiet and park-like in some stretches, while other areas are full of activity with European-style sidewalk cafes, specialty boutiques, nightclubs and gleaming high-rise hotels. The River Walk stretches for approximately two-and-a-half miles from the Municipal Auditorium and Conference Center on the north end to the King William Historic District on the south. Rio San Antonio Cruises, the river's floating transportation system, provides a novel method of sightseeing and people-watching in downtown San Antonio. Groups can also dine aboard open-air cruisers as they wind their way along the scenic waterway. River taxis deliver visitors to Rivercenter, a dazzling three-level glass shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and to the newly expanded Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

San Antonio Mission TrailsFor history buffs, San Antonio is a mecca. Native Americans first lived along the San Antonio River, calling the area "Yanaguana," which means "refreshing waters," or "clear waters." A band of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon the river in 1691, and because it was the feast day of St. Anthony, they named the river "San Antonio." The actual founding of the city came in 1718 by Father Antonio Olivares, when he established Mission San Antonio de Valero, which became permanently etched in the annals of history in 1836 as The Alamo where 189 defenders held the old mission against some 4,000 Mexican troops for 13 days. The cry "Remember the Alamo" became the rallying point of the Texan revolution against Mexico. Located in the heart of downtown only three blocks from the RESNET Conference hotel, today The Alamo is a shrine and museum. A tour of downtown San Antonio will uncover centuries of history, including:

  • La Villita, one of the original settlements was comprised of Spanish soldiers and their families.
  • The Spanish Governor's Palace, which was the seat of government when San Antonio was the capital of the Spanish Province of Texas
  • The San Fernando Cathedral, whose construction started in 1731 by Canary Islanders
  • The Jose Antonio Navarro State Historical Park, home of Navarro, a central figure in the formation of Texas
  • Market Square, the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico
  • The Steves Homestead, a mansion open to the public in the King William Historic District, a short walk from the RESNET Conference hotel.
  • San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, a short drive to the historic missions. Start your adventure at the Visitors Center at Mission San Jose and explore the other jewels of San Antonio's mission period.

San Antonio is home to two major theme parks - Sea World San Antonio, the world's largest marine life park, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the town built just for fun! Sea World San Antonio combines fun with education and appreciation for some of the ocean's most fascinating creatures through more than 25 shows, educational exhibits and rides. Six Flags Fiesta, Texas Theme Park is a non-stop celebration of San Antonio and South Texas. It's created around four themed areas: the Mexican town of Los Festivales, the German village of Spassburg, the 1920 cowboy boom town of Crackaxle Canyon, and the small Texas town of Rockville during the golden age of rock'n'roll, which includes Fiesta Bay Boardwalk, a '50s-'60s seaside boardwalk complete with a 90-foot Ferris wheel.

San Antonio has two impressive art museums. The McNay Art Museum is set in a Mediterranean-style mansion and has wide-ranging collections, including post-impressionist and modern art, theater art, Medieval Art, Native American art and more.

San Antonio Museum of ArtThe San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is housed in the castle-like former headquarters of the Lone Star Brewery. This museum is noted for its antiquities collections, Mexican folk art, modern art, pre-Columbian art, Spanish colonial art, and the 30,000 square foot Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Arts.

San Antonio is the home of the 2005 National Basketball Association's World Champion San Antonio Spurs. NBA MVP Tim Ducan and the Spurs will have home games at the nearby SBC Center on Monday, February 27 against the New York Knicks, and Tuesday, March 2 against the Dallas Mavericks. For ticket information click here San Antonio Spurs.

For additional information on San Antonio be sure to visit the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, an information site on the attractions and events in and around San Antonio.

Other San Antonio Attraction Links:

Transportation

  • VIA Street Car - VIA's historic streetcar is the perfect way to the many downtown San Antonio destinations for shopping and sightseeing. Streetcars run from early morning until late evening with stops conveniently located throughout downtown. Streetcars come by each stop every ten minutes and the fare is 80 cents.
  • Alamo Trolley - Explore San Antonio aboard the friendliest trolley tour in town. The entirely narrated 60 minute fun tour will take you to the heart of San Antonio and to the city's cultural attractions.
  • SATRANS Airport Shuttle - Service between the San Antonio Airport and the RESNET Conference hotel from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily for $9.00 one way and $16 round-trip.

Attractions

  • San Antonio Botanical Garden - Celebrate the glorious world of plants just four miles north of downtown. Explore the beautiful Lucile Halsell Conservatory with its striking glass pyramids. Hike the Texas Native Trail, and stroll though the formal gardens.
  • San Antonio Zoo - The San Antonio Zoo exhibits a vast collection of over 3,800 animals. Just five minutes from the River Walk situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River and surrounded by towering cypress trees and limestone cliffs, the Zoo is uniquely suited for viewing animals from habitats around the world.
  • San Antonio Missions National Park - San Antonio National Historical Park consists of four Spanish frontier missions that were part of a colonization system stretching across the Spanish Southwest of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries The park's visitor center is located about four miles from downtown.

Shopping

  • Market Square - Market Square is the largest Mexican market place outside of Mexico. It is San Antonio's most unique shopping, dining and entertainment experience. Authentically Mexico and enriched with a fascinating legacy of public markets.
  • River Center - Shop San Antonio style on the famous River Walk. You will discover 125 fine stores plus the IMAX theater.

Day Trips from San Antonio

  • Spoetzl Brewery - The little brewery in Shiner, Texas was established in 1909 by Czech and German immigrants It is the home of the nationally renown Shiner Bock. The heart of the little brewery is the brew house. It is here where the Shiner legend endures. You are invited to visit this little brewery. See how they handcraft every brew and enjoy a brew.
  • Historic Gruene Hall - Gruene Hall's legacy is more than being the oldest, continually operating dance hall in Texas. Gruene Hall has been instrumental in starting the careers of Lyle Lovett, George Strait and many others. The stage has seen the likes of Bo Diddley, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Garth Brooks, and Willie Nelson.