Try These Unique San Antonio Venues 

Imagine a river, with cool breezes gliding off the water, running through your next event.

Or picture your team soaking up the legendary lore of the Alamo grounds, or going Western at one of numerous working ranches in the Texas Hill Country.

From transforming a parking lot for armadillo races to taking over a scenic golf course for a team-building shootout, all things are possible in San Antonio, say Jean James of Capers and Janet Holliday of the CE Group, both destination management companies.

“You can make almost anything happen anywhere,” Holliday said. “We can take the group to a dude ranch or we can bring the dude ranch to the group.”

The Power of the River Walk

Don’t overlook the power of the San Antonio River, with its meandering cobblestone paths and the many restaurants, museums, hotels and historic venues that line the banks of the cozy four-mile River Walk, they said.

Among the River Walk’s many stops is the Arneson River Theatre, which straddles the river with a stage on one side and the rows of seats on the other. During events, river barges with jubilant visitors pass through the show.

 “We did a team-building program at the Arneson River Theatre,” James said. “One restaurant group even did a cooking competition on stage.”

"Like Nowhere Else"

Whether an intimate hands-on cooking class at the new Culinary Institute of America’s riverside campus or a full-fledged rodeo at the Alamodome, James and Holliday say groups can find a venue in San Antonio that fits like a well-worn roper’s glove.

Here is just a sampling of “like nowhere else” venues that express San Antonio while at the same time providing unique fits for a variety of groups.

1. Buckhorn Saloon & Museum and Texas Ranger Museum — Exhibits that include more than 520 wild animals, vintage frontier firearms and handcrafted cowboy items is a perfect backdrop for private events of up to 1,800 people.
    
2. Charles Court — An intimate urban courtyard with adjacent event spaces that can handle 100 to 900 people.
    
3. Institute of Texan Cultures —Immersion into Texas’ diverse heritage and culture awaits curious groups of 500 to 3,000 at this museum.
    
4. La Villita Historic Arts Village — Once a neighborhood for Spanish soldiers stationed at the Alamo, the village’s plazas and cottages can handle 300 to 2,500.
    
5. The Majestic and Empire Theatres — Back-to-back historic theaters offer elegant presentation venues plus on-stage dining possibilities for groups of 200 to 600.
    
6. Pearl Stable — This stylish facility at the Pearl Brewery complex on the River Walk has sophisticated equipment and a unique ambience for handling banquets of up to 500 attendees.
    
7. San Antonio Museum of Art —This former 19th-century brewery — featuring art from ancient to folk — has gallery and lobby spaces offering flexibility for 200 to 500 attendees and a new river pavilion that can handle 160.
    
8. Southwest School of Art & Craft — Once a former French convent, built on the banks of the San Antonio River in 1848, this school features a lush garden and gothic chapel for events ranging from 50 to 500 people.
    
9. Sunset Station — A restored train depot from the early 1900s and other historic buildings in St. Paul Square can host 20 to 20,000 delegates.
    
10. The Alamo — These hallowed grounds of the Texas Revolution are great for groups of 60 to 200 people wanting a taste, inside or outside, of Texas history.