Things To do in San Antonio for Couples and Adults

San Antonio has got a reputation for romance, and you’ll never find the city short of unique and romantic things to do. From its romantic river cruises to leisurely strolls in the vibrant streets of Market Square, and from history lessons at San Antonio Museums to renewal of your vows at the Marriage Island, the city has everything to be a perfect date destination. Here are the top 11 romantic spots to consider as you plan your romantic excursion with your partner!

Take a Boat Tour along the Riverwalk

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With its Venice-Italy-like aura, San Antonio’s River Walk should be your first stop! This 15-mile urban River Walk is perhaps the most romantic part of San Antonio. Take your loved one on a cruise along this river walk, and add quality to the time spent together with its iconic waterways and the surrounding feast-for-eyes sights. Winding through San Antonio’s downtown, River Walk is a waterway tucked between parallel sidewalks packed with restaurants, shops, and connecting points with tourist destinations including Marriage Island, La Villita, HemisFair Park, the Tower Life Building, San Antonio Museum of Art, and others. You may choose to explore the enthralling River Walk by foot, by bike, or aboard a river barge. 

You can take a cruise along the riverwalk, and experience the quintessential San Antonio spirit as you navigate through the heart of the city, and the heart of your loved one. This boat tour will allow you to see San Antonio’s popular destinations from just a few feet away. Along the way, you’ll catch glimpses of the St. Anthony of Padua statue, the Alamo, San Antonio Museum of Art, Arneson River Theatre, Aztec Theatre, Majestic Theatre, La Villita Historic Arts Village and other famous destinations. You can choose to hop off at these destinations and explore them in greater detail. Take a hop-on-hop-off tour for sightseeing, shopping, strolls, food, and fun – depending on what you and your partner would like to do along the riverwalk.

Stroll Around the Riverwalk 

You’ll never be short of a to-do list as you recreate, and reconnect with your partner along the Riverwalk! Take a walk to explore the lush riverside paths lined with towering Cypress trees with mariachi strumming in the background adding a fairy-tale-like feel to your walk. Stop at the aesthetically adorned shops along the riverwalk and buy mementos that would remind you of these precious moments later!

Treat yourself with some food from food trucks on the go. Alternatively, jump off the barge at Rivercenter Mall and shop at the four-level shopping complex. Dine in at the restaurants along the riverwalk with lovey-dovey interiors all set to provide you with a premium candlelit dinner experience. Stop by one of the historic theatres and catch a show. 

Admire the Beauty of the Alamo Together 

Right next to the Riverwalk resides the Alamo, an epic re-creation of the battle of 1836. If you & your partner share a flare for historical places, the Alamo would be a perfect date idea. The magnificently standing remnants of the 19th century can be perfect vintage photo frames to pose with your partner as you make memories together. However, avoid taking photographs in church or Long Barracks as tourists are not allowed to use cellphones or cameras in these areas.

Take a stroll through the Living History Encampment where live demonstrations of Alamo’s life would take to back into the 19th century. Head to the shrines and cenotaphs to pay tribute to the defenders of the Alamo. You can also choose to buy souvenirs of the trip from the large gift located in the Texas Centennial Museum building. Once you’re done with the exploration of these sites, head to the lush green gardens of the Alamo to stretch your legs, and share your thoughts with your partner!

Visit The San Antonio Missions with Your Loved One

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The captivating Alamo’s visit may leave you intrigued about other missions located within San Antonio. Your history lesson at San Antonio remains incomplete if you skip a visit to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to explore four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, Texas (the Alamo being the fifth one) - San Jose, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.

You can join ranger-guided tours at each of these missions to delve deeper into the vibrant culture of the city of San Antonio. Take a trip down memory lane, appreciate the mastery of missionaries along the Acequias trail, and travel back in time with your partner. The rich history of these missions will leave you awestruck!

Take in the Panoramic Views at the Tower of Americas

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Just a few blocks from the River Walk, the iconic Tower of Americas located in Hemisfair Park should be your next stop. Take the adventure with your partner to new heights with this 750-foot-tall observation tower to take a panoramic view of Alamo City. Here, the quintessential San Antonio vista would make you feel at home. As you look down, you’ll catch a breathtaking view of the city with its unwinding roads, rolling hills, aesthetic restaurants, towering trees welcoming the passersby, and tall buildings talking to the sky. The view gets more mesmerizing with crimson sunset shades painting the sky in the evenings, and city lights twinkling like stars in the night.

Enjoy a unique dining experience at the Tower's revolving Chart House with your favorite meal. You can add thrill to your adventure by experiencing the thrilling 4D Theater Ride as well! Don’t forget to buy some mementos of your date together from the Tower’s expansive gift shop. The shop has everything from novelty gifts to toys and apparel awaiting to be taken home as souvenirs of your visit to the towers with your loved one. 

Shop Till You Drop in the Market Square 

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Feel the aborigine San Antonio vibes at the city’s historic Market Square. Home to more than 100 locally owned businesses, this place is a must-visit for couples visiting San Antonio. Here, the bright color combinations of the surrounding shops, streets, and carts would give you a fresh feel! A stroll through its streets adorned with the colorful papel picados (traditional Mexican decorative craft) greeting you from atop would make you feel as if you are filming a movie scene.

If you love collecting artifacts of different cultures, you’ll end up collecting lots and lots of unique multicultural crafts for loved ones back home. Other things to do include treating your taste buds with classic Mexican eateries, enjoying live music performances, and swaying together on classic Mexican tunes. 

Take Your Partner to a Night Drive 

Don’t forget to take your loved one to a nighttime drive while in San Antonio! Nothing is more adventurous and fulfilling than randomly wandering the roads and streets of San Antonio. Take a road excursion after a date night to experience the city’s nightlife to its fullest. Night drives in themselves are one of the best ways to spend quality time with your partners – and if this happens in the magical city of San Antonio, it would be a bonus.

Swirl through the famous Houston Street, St. Mary's Strip, Broadway Street, and South Alamo Street in the heart of the city to experience the San Antonio night spirit. Alternatively, you can choose to take a joyride on the state highways I-1604 and I-410 that together form a loop around the downtown. 

Make Memories in the Peggy's Cove Village 

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Escape to the quaint fishing village of Peggy’s Cove to connect deeper to nature and your partner! As a couple, you have a lot to explore there and make memories together – watch the waves pounding the rocks, take in the magnificent views of beautiful houses perched along the narrow inlet, explore the rock-solid granite slopes, go on a fishing spree together, kayak together at the Lower Prospect Point, order a fresh catch from sea at its eateries, shop for souvenirs from the local shops, pay tribute to the Fisherman’s Monument and appreciate William deGarth’s iconic carvings on the granite rocks. The traditional Scottish bagpipes played in the background would add magic to your outing spree. 

While in Peggy’s Cove, don’t get too lost in the village’s beauty to run out of time and skip your tour to the iconic Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. Plan your trip so as to ensure you have enough time for this must-visit place. Take a boat tour to the lighthouse, take postcard-perfect shots with the towering lighthouse in the background, and deepen the bond you share with your partner with the highs & lows of the surrounding rocky terrain. 

Renew Your Vows at the Marriage Island

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Marriage Island should be your next romantic getaway in San Antonio if you’re planning to pop the question! Marriage Island is an islet located in the middle of San Antonio across the San Antonio Riverwalk. Though the Island is majorly used for wedding ceremonies, the spot is also very popular for vow renewals and proposals. Covered with lush green towering trees, calm waterways, and magnificent bridges in the backdrop, this heart-shaped island will give you perfect spots to pose together as a couple.

No more than 25 people are allowed at once and loud music and fireworks are also forbidden. Wanna know an interesting myth-turned-fact about the island? The place is said to be lucky as many people say that the couples who get married here are very less likely to get divorced. So this should be your next elope if you’re looking for a serene, peaceful, and full of natural beauty romantic excursion!

Hangout at the Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden located right in the heart of San Antonio is couples’ top favorite destination. Sit together on the garden’s sensationally landscaped pagoda, and enjoy the hustle and bustle going on in the garden. Stop by the Japanese-inspired Café and retreat yourselves with Japanese-inspired dishes. Sip coffee together as you exchange your opinions, ideas, and perhaps arguments.

A romantic post-dinner stroll through the park is a must to ensure you don’t miss any beauty of the garden. Pose some candid shots amid charming stone bridges and undulating walkways with a picturesque 60-foot waterfall in the background with your partner as the view freshens you up to the core.

Unwind at the Canyon Lake

If you’re a thalassophile (ocean lover), San Antonio will always have something left to explore, as the city abounds in lakes, beaches, and rivers. Next time you feel like exploring the romantic aura along the city’s waterbodies, don’t forget Canyon Lake – the Jewel of Texas. Canyon Lake is a lake located just in the northeast of San Antonio. The area consists of approximately 8 parks and 80 miles of coastline. With its incredible scenery, Canyon Lake and the surrounding attractions have a lot to offer. You can float down the river on an inner tube, go on a hunt for bass or catfish, soak up the sun while enjoying the turquoise water view, hike through the rolling hills, explore the scenic walking trails, pose at the lake’s secluded coves onboard a kayak, and experience the thrilling jet ski.

Add up to your experience by taking a cruise around the river road traveling along the Guadalupe River, which stretches for nearly 10 miles and is surrounded by abundant cypress trees. The Lake has everything to offer whether you share a preference for a calm and tranquil outing with your partner or love co-adventuring as a couple. After all of this, if you still feel hungry for the Lake’s magnificent beauty, you can choose to avail the camping facility and further explore the hidden treasures of the nature of Canyon Lake.

Appreciate the Contemporary Art At McNay Art Museum

The McNay Art Museum should be your next stop if you’ve got a flare for modern arts. The McNay Art Museum is home to showcasing 19th & 20th Century Art displayed inside a Spanish colonial revival-style mansion. As you enter the Museum, you’ll be wonderstruck by the legendary work of contemporary artists like Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Henri Matisse, etc.

Take cues from the sculptures, paintings, prints, and drawing to connect the dots of Texas’ history. As you step out, the Japanese-inspired garden of the museum adorned with magnificent sculptures, affluent fountains, and botanical gardens would provide dozens of locations to have a seat, chit-chat, and pose together!

The Love Lock Bridge

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Couples often find love locks a fascinating idea to serve as mementos of their love and togetherness, and as an expression their amour for each other. If you’re one such couple, you’d love to visit the Love Lock Bridge just above the River Walk. Inspired by the now-defunct Pont des Arts in Paris, France, the San Antonian Love Lock Bridge is a fence where lovebirds can attach padlocks written with sentimental messages. Want San Antonio to remember you and your partner? Climb up the bridge to Bexar County Courthouse Wedding Chapel, and lock your love along its fence. Don’t forget to pose together as you make this bridge a witness of your love!

Whether you’re a resident of San Antonio, a local tourist planning a first date, or an international tourist planning a romantic excursion to this city – San Antonio, Texas will never make you regret your choice! From romantic walks to night drives, and from romantic beaches & lakes to historical destinations, the city has so much to offer you as a couple!